TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums Charter Boat Reviews and Questions CYOA Big Papa Lulu

I have figured out CYOA's devious plan....much like the 'pusher'...they give you a taste of something great and you never want to go back to something 'less'.

We recently had just such an experience....chartering "Big Papa Lulu", a brand-new 2015 Helia 44-3 Catamaran.

This boat will be perfect for cruising the Virgin Islands, especially the outer islands (SVI, ANEGADA, ETC)...

Sufficient water and ice can sometimes be an issue on a boat, but...

Big Papa Lulu will solve these problems with:

A large fuel capacity - 123 gallons.
A generator
A water-maker.
An ice-maker.
A cockpit fridge which will save on ice-use.

To quote fellow charterer Twanger: "No more mandatory salt-water showers, and no more schlepping ice half a mile and then into the dingy!"


THAT sounds like a vacation to me.

In addition she sails well, and draws less than 4 ft of water, making the Anegada anchorage no stress. We (three couples) spent a week aboard and everyone marveled at the modern conveniences while sailing well.

Downside? It is a BIG boat. Docking port side to could be an issue as you CANNOT see from the helm. We did this at the fuel dock with expert help spotting and calling distances.

The main is LARGE and can be difficult to raise for a less than athletic crew. The lazy jack system requires attention as you raise the sail, but also makes dousing it a breeze.

Overall a very spacious, comfortable boat with lots of amenities.

I lucked out as far as docking...
Only had to go to the fuel dock at Del Ray (port side, but low wind and straight in).
Then we tied Big Papa up at the end of the "T" on pier 12.
Easy peasy.

You guys keep reminding me that I have to finish my SVI report. I think I got to day 8...

I need never see the Saba 50 - The 44 was perfect

The Saba 50 is very much like the Helia 44, except super-sized.
There are chaise lounges on the bow between the salon and the tramp.

The lounging area under the main on the cabin-top is also expanded.

Well we are actually downsizing this trip :-( - smaller crew =41 ft...still with watermaker!

well....maybe not - Big Papa Lulu may have become available - stay tuned!

Just a note on fuel capacity. 123 gallons is actually surprisingly light on a boat that sized. I would have expected 220 gallons minimum. Even the Moorings 48 holds 206 which is still light. With 123 gallons you have less then 40 hours of motoring time assuming no generator run time. Probably not a big deal in charter but not good for passage making.

We have now had two delightful trips aboard Big Papa and never had a challenge - but we do sail when we have sufficient wind. We run the generator most nights.

George - it's plenty of Diesel for chartering.
We ran the generator 14 hours a day for 9 days and motored quite a bit. Burned about 110 gallons if memory serves.

Thanks Twanger - I think we burned 75 gal for 8 days - ran genset only at night, some motoring but several days of mostly sailing

Twanger - have you ever chartered the 4 cabin Helia 44? Any significant differences (other than the obvious)?

I plan to charter it this summer. July.