TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Question about captains

Hi everyone! Been a long time since I posted on here, but have continued to be a lurker! We have always chartered boats with my dad being our captain! My favorite vacations of all times. Sadly, my dad passed away almost 3 years ago. My soul is yearning to sail again so my hubby, my mom and I are looking into our options. I know you can charter a boat with a captain, but are there any where the captains do not sleep on the boat with you? My favorite memories are early in the morning and late in the evenings chilling on the boat chatting and debating life, and I am just not sure having a stranger on board will be the same. Any thoughts?

Oh...and thanks for letting me lurk on here and read all about all of your wonderful adventures! I so wish my hubby or I knew how to sail!

On bareboats, captains are trained to make themselves scarce when they are not wanted around. Often, if you let them know they are not particularly needed (wanted), they will go ashore and not return until it is time for them to head off to bed, giving you as much space as you wish.

Having said that, you could arrange for a few nights that your captain go home and come back the next morning, provided you are in some bay on Tortola or Beef Island that is. If you give them enough cab fare, they will be happy to go home and sleep in their own bed.

Sent you a PM.

Many different ways to do it. My first BVI trip in 1990 with 7 friends on a 55' Morgan Captain Joe had his girlfriend follow us in his boat and he was off our boat as soon as we set the anchor. We were all good sailors but no one wanted the responsibility of being captain on that trip.

Liane is so right. We have been sailing the BVI yearly since 1981 and for the past 20'years taken a skipper. Jimmy Hodge has been with us for the past 12 and is like a great waiter in a 3 star Michelin restaurant. Things are done and you never see him do,it and you never see him until you think of something you need and " there he is". It should not be an issue and a local skipper is invaluable.

Just returned from our first chartered trip with a Captain and crew with 3 other couples. Others on the trip had done it before with this Captain, but we had not. Had a blast hanging out with the crew every night including on land. They were like old friends since the moment we met them. I guess each crew could be different, but this is what they do for a living. Also it didn't hurt having coffee ready before we woke up every morning

That's so nice, and a little melancholy, that you will be honoring your dad with a trip to the BVI.

Times are very different now, compared to the old days. There are so MANY choices available! With whatever charter company you choose, by all means talk to them about your concerns....directly at the base, not the toll-free number.

Having been a charter boat captain (both bareboat and crewed) a hundred years ago, if someone said to me that I should disappear during private family times, I'd be jumping for joy, and you wouldn't see me again until sunrise.

Most often it was the opposite...we couldn't get rid of our charter guests, who now considered themselves part of our 'crew'!

Speaking for myself...I skippered for the money. I did my best to be engaging and charming because that was expected of me. But if you told me that I could putter this boat around the BVI and not have to suck up to the guests....I've just won the lottery!

Don't worry. Just be upfront. You're gonna have a great time!

You might consider contacting Captain Jim for a charter on Blue Moon.
He is a TTOL sponsor.
We had a great time on Blue Moon a few years back!

see: http://www.sailingbluemoon.com/

Thank you so much for all of your input! It means so much to me! I REALLY want/need to do another boat trip so your advise and ideas are a great help! I will look in to Captain Jim and the others! My fear was going on this great vacation and all of our memories and how we used to do things, then having a captain and crew around that made us feel uncomfortable and out of place! We are very easy going people who love to sit around at night with a cold drink and solve all the worlds problems <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> And during the day just relaxing and exploring all of our favorite islands!

Second Blue Moon Twanger