Berthing costs caribbean

Jobs_a_ good_ un

Jobs_a_ good_ un

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www.beneteau393.co.uk
Hi

Thinking of moving boat to carib next year and was wondering if anyone could give me a idea of costs for land storage then haul and launch costs
I suspect I would visit 5-6 times within the winter period

I had a look at Jolly harbour and sent them a email but havnt heard anything as yet

Seems to be about £ 267 land store per month for a bene oceanis 411 yacht
Would it be cheaper to leave it in the water inbetween trips say 3-4 weeks apart

Regards to all

thanks for any replies

Mark
 
$492 a month for a 41ft mono, in the water, at Manuel Reef Marina on Tortola BVI. Just got the rate sheet this week so that's up to date. Definitely cheaper to leave it in the water than to haul in and out every few weeks. All that hauling will wreck your anti-foul as well

Of course $492 cost a lot less in £s until our government's latest series of blunders.
 
Hi Mark - a couple of years out of date but 2 weeks in Jolly Harbour cost us £110 + £22 elec & water. A week in Nelsons Dockyard cost us £116. At the time the exchange rate was $1.68 so now should be about the same allowing for inflation etc. Hope you have better weather than we did!!!
 
Mark,

This years marina rates in Antigua are US$ 0.60-0.80 per foot per day, either in the water or out, and $10.00 per foot for haul and launch.

Or you could leave her at anchor in English or Falmouth Harbour, which many people do, and have one of the local liveaboards keep an eye on her.

You may find St Lucia and Grenada are less expensive, and if you are thinking of keeping her on a mooring buoy, Grenada probably offers more options.
 
We were in nanny cay last year the rates have changed since then but the facilities are first rate ,with a chandlers 2 restaurants and food shop on site and a really local yotty bar at the enterance we will go back again as this was the least nasty time we've spent on land doing our stuff to the boat.
We are based in the USVI's and it is in some of the best sailing anywhere.
BVI's , USVI's and the Spainish VI's all out standing sailing destinations with the rest of the Caribbean not far to the east or north.

Mark
 
Mark
Rates are going up all the time, and as the pound is going down it is getting more expenceive. A good place is the old sunsail base Hodges Creek marina on Tortola. This cost me $600/month for a 48 footer earlier this year. If you can hang on your hook many places are free.
 
$600 per month in Rodney Bay Marina, St Lucia for a 46ft cat. Costs likely to rise by 20% this year due to installation of new pontoons and general marina upgrades.
 
While researching this 8 months ago I concluded Jolly Hbr best value for money for lift out and layup - significantly cheaper than Tortola which while delightful in many ways is more geared pricewise & attitude, in my opinion to charterers and also better value than St Lucia which has a big crime problem AND marina is going upmarket . Grenada is good placw but prices not so good. (So my boat is in Jolly where there is a great boatyard/marina team!). Antigua also well placed for cruising to other islands and a very place to store up. Jolly also has moorings and marina rates reduce for longer periods. In your circumstances I would leave my boat afloat having applied a Caribbean strength anti fouling first. Then I would leave it in a succession of islands with good flight access. Marinas and moorings are in Grenada, Martinique (excellent access by air via Paris) amongst others mentioned.
Jolly never seems very good at answering email unless you go in via their website (for some reason).
Plenty of choice in St Martin but prices rocketting and if you leave boat in the sheltered (in the winter) lagoon it will need a diver to debug it before you can think of sailing away!
Good luck. Tell us all what you decide!
 
I doubt that there is little to split between Antigua and St Lucia on the crime stakes. The whole of the Caribbean seems to be riddled with Crack / Cocaine problems these days.

Both make good staging posts.. If the BVI's are your scene then go Antigua, if the Grenadines more your scene then go St Lucia.

But I would say that I have never enjoyed Jolly Harbour. It seems like a place that has fundamentally failed. For me at least, a very poor atmosphere. Whereas St Lucia is strongly on the up and has much more character as a place to be. The yard in St Lucia will be improved as will marina facilities. There is huge (if slightly affected by credit crunch nonsense) investment in St Lucia whereas Antigua appears (IMHO) to be losing its charm. For me, Antigua (perhaps with the possible exception of Antibes) has always been the biggest disapointment on the sailing circuit.

The supermaket in Jolly is good though.

In St Lucia you also have excellent Marine Services if you engage the services of Ulrich Meixner who runs DSL Yachting there. Ulrich knows boats and knows how to get things done. Currently looking after 35 boats in Rodney Bay.

The marina improvements are genuine and will be very smart. The new pontoons are in now and look great. Price rises to date are 20%. As I said before 46ft cat $600 p.m (including management with Ulrich) with increase likely to rise to $720 p.m.

It's down to where you want to be... Ultimately your desired cruising destination should make the decision for you.
 
>I doubt that there is little to split between Antigua and St Lucia on the crime stakes.

If you are talkng drug related crime, i.e.local on local, you may be right but I doubt it, there is a bigger drug problem in St Lucia. Drugs come up from St Vincent funded by St Lucia crime money. For example you will find your outboard which was stolen in St Lucia in St Vincent.

Trinidad is the worst, murders running at around twelve per week, but mainly drug related and dont't affect yachties unless they do something stupid.

If you are talking yacht crime Antigua is much, much safer than St. Lucia. St Lucia has instigated night patrols some time ago so hopefully yacht crime will go down.
 
Seems we have cruised a different Caribbean. We like Jolly Harbour - found the staff nice and the facilities good. We will be staying in Rodney Bay when we come home for Christmas and had a really reasonable quote for marina charges - .60cents per foot which is much cheaper than most despite the rebuild. Trinidad is unsafe if you are daft enough to wander around at night in the outskits of the towns - er but why would you want to!!! The good thing about Trini is that because of their yachting history there are a great number of really well priced services available at good quality - I had davits made for £1200 that would have cost me £2500 in UK, saloon cushions recovered for £300 that would have cots £1000 in UK etc etc. I even had to fill up my hire car as the tank was empty - cost me £7!!!
I know this is not a thread about crime as such, but I would feel far less safe wandering around any UK city at night than any Caribbean island.
 
Perhaps I've just had some very underwhelming experiences with Antigua.

I would agree with you on the UK City position and in fact would say UK towns and villages these days as well!

You are right about Trini. The place to go for cost effect and decent boat services IMHO.
 
Last time I spent aug-dec in WI, five years ago, I was told by my insurer (Pants) that they did not cover anything north of Grenada for that period. I know there was a hurricane that hit Grenada after that. Has that changed the view of the insurers? Do you get coverage for Antigua during august-december now?
 
>Seems we have cruised a different Caribbean.

I think you misread what I was saying. I was simply saying that IMO (based on yacht incidents) Antigua is 'safer' than St Lucia. Overall the Caribbean is safe as long as you are careful - but that applies to anywhere. However crime is increasing as it is just about everywhere.

And I also agree with you about Trinidad and I said the only people who get into trouble are doing something stupid. Over the years we've spent around twelve months in Trini and never had any problems.
 
>... my insurer (Pants) that they did not cover anything north of Grenada for that period...Has that changed the view of the insurers?

Pantaenius no longer has a no-go north south box for hurricane season (a very smart move). You can be any where you want including at sea. There are conditions about how the boat is laid up or how it is secured in a marina, also if there is a claim you pay the first (I think) 20% or maybe a bit more.
 
Re: Berthing costs caribbean/crime/insurance

Did not intend to start a Caribbean security discussion, but to explain my St Lucia security concerns I was influenced by personally being acquainted with 2 different crews that were boarded and attacked (and almost killed) in the last few years while at anchor in St Lucia. I also recall the 'murder in the cathedral incident', the murder of a white cafe (much used by cruisers overlooking the Rodney Bay anchorage) owner, the strong advice not to proceed outside the marina at night unless in a taxi or otherwise escorted. Boats in the anchorage are regularly boarded at night - even the boat adjacent to Melodye Pompa who runs the daily Caribbean Safety and Security Net (the Doom & Gloom show) was boarded two years ago. The list goes on ...
In Antigua I have no concerns about going anywhere a cruiser might reasonably want to go at any time and I have not heard of any 'incidents'concerning cruisers. IMO St Lucia is a crime ridden set up which impacts upon visitors - a situation recognised at last even by the Prime Minister quite recently. If you stay within the confines of the marina or the hotel complexes this is not an issue but to the majority of cruisers who anchor in the various bays it may be. I prefer like many others to bypass this stunningly beautiful island, the views of which I admire as I sail past!
Incidentally www.safety and security,net records 50 approx incidents ( I lost count) in St Lucia and 3 in Antigua over the same period - I rest my case!
Insurance. Pantaenius 2 years ago realised that if lots of boats were laid up in a few so called hurricane safe places & those places were actually hit they could face a gigantic outlay. Trinidad where there are 1000s of boats & thought by some to hurricane proof has actually had some close misses & is possibly'due' for a hit - which has happened
but not for a long time. Pantaenius now covers for lay up virtually anywhere with a hard standing, a full cradle or welded together stands and anchored hull tie down points. As far as I know these conditions can be met in Puerto Rico, Tortola, Antigua & Grenada - but few other places Unless the situation has recently changed none of the Trini yards meet Pantaenius' conditions. You may also be covered afloat in the hurricane belt subject to further quite stringent but achievable conditions. They figure if they spread boats around and make them lay up properly then their risks reduce - makes sense to me.
 
Re: Berthing costs caribbean/crime/insurance

Entirely agree with yor post. The worrying thing about Trini is that even when they are threatened by a hurricane they do nothing to further secure the boats.

We were there when Emily was due to pass very close and the government even told (on radio) employers to send their staff home to "prepare for storm conditions". In fact the centre of Emily collapsed, rebuilt futher north and passed eighty miles away. They didn't even remove the plastic wraps before the yard workers went home. When Trini is hit (and I do think when) it could be the end of affordable yacht insurance. The value of the boats there must run beyond fifty million pounds and maybe much more. Given how they are stored it's likely they will all be destroyed. In Peakes where they put boats inches apart they certainly can't fulfill Pantaenius' requirements.
 
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