TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Flagship 2

My son is thinking about a day sail on this boat. Has anyone have any experience with this charter? about 10 people going

I went on this in November. The boat is beautiful, and the food was decent; I wouldn't call it the "gourmet" that their website states, but good. Both breakfast and lunch were served. Captain and chef were both French. They both smoked while sailing, which I found offputting if not dangerous. Also, there really was no "crew," as the chef considered herself just a chef. All drinks were self-serve due to that. I and the two friends who were with me found getting down the ladder into the water very difficult. It went straight down, wasn't slanted at all, and really was very hard to navigate. The captain was pretty ingenious in helping me into the water, and I appreciated the effort he went to.

That said, a friend also had difficulty getting into the water. At one point, she asked the captain to let go of her, which he did not do. As a result, her very thin skin peeled off her arm. Captain wrapped it up, but she decided she needed to see a doctor, so the boat turned around. It took an hour to get back to Bobby's Marina. I won't go into the cluster of finding a clinic open late on a Friday afternoon as that's another story entirely.

I can't really recommend this excursion. Had there been no injury, my opinion might not be as slanted as it is.

We have done a private charter on the Flagship II twice. We really enjoyed ourselves both times...We went to Prickly Pear on one trip and made stops at Long Bay, Grand Case and Happy Bay on the other. Jazzgal's comments about the food are accurate, very good but short of "gourmet". Actually the food was far more than the two couples that were on each trip could eat. The drinks were excellent and plentiful. If the captain and crew were smoking, they didn't do it anywhere around us. We went snorkeling and paddle boarding and the equipment was excellent. We didn't have any issues with the ladder getting back in the boat, but I can certainly understand how some folks could/would have difficulty with the ladder. As Jazzgal said, it hangs off the back of the boat and does lean a bit forward at the bottom causing you to have to climb slightly backward going up. Decent upper body strength is needed. All of us are mid sixties so you don't have to be Tarzan, but it's not as easy as some boats that have steps to get back in.

Overall, we will definitely go with them again...We loved the freedom of a private charter, the ability to direct where we wanted to go and the boat is beautiful and comfortable.

Thanks guys sorry to hear about your friend. My wife and I are the oldest in the group. We are in our very late 60's so we will keep the ladder in mind. The rest are in their 40's along with 5 teens so I think they will be fine. We don't need gourmet for a day sail as long as its good. My son chose the cruise so he too could pick the destination. We are very excited about spending a day on the water with our 3 grandchildren who haven't been on the island with us since they were infants. I'll let you know how it works out. 30 days until we are there for 30 days

Sounds like it will be a special day for you, and I am sure you all will have a good time.

Hi John, I am the other person , the one who was injured. I credit the Captain with getting us back to the original Marina so I could go get treatment. I would go again, and probably will on my next trip. what I Liked was how comfy the boat is and plenty of food choices.
I will have to find another way…upper body strength and an extra kick…to get up that ladder.
We did an around the island cruise, which did go quicker than the others would have liked, but as a regular sailor…I loved seeing the entire island.

Many thanks to Jazzgirl who got me to the ER, even though the first aid treatment by the Captain was apparently sufficient!

Ann--surprised that you are so gracious toward the captain. Glad that you are OK.