Keeping a boat in the Carribean??

[CharlesM]

Hello all

Does anyone know if there are any special issues to consider if you wish to keep a boat in the Caribean. Particularly in St. Martin for a few seasons?

Boat will be SSR registered.

Thanks

Charles

 

[snowleopard]

lots of people turn up and stay, even start businesses there. the dutch side seems to be more laissez faire. just turn up & talk to people at the yacht club (the cluster of containers beside the swingbridge). if there are residency problems you can always nip across to antigua for a while then come back and re-enter. for long term berthing it's got to be the best base in the leeward islands. it costs nothing to anchor in the lagoon and it's secure from anything but a direct hit by a hurricane. the chandleries are as good as anything in the UK.

 

[Sea Devil]

The only problem with St Martin is the hurricanes and I can only rember one small marina. If you are living aboard of course you will be on anchorage all the time and you will just have to evaluate the hurricane risk for yourself.... They hit some where every year and it is a real and present danger to the boat...

The majority of livaboards go south to Trinidad for the hurricane season. its 99.9999% safe. You can anchor there - haul and leave the boat in one of the 7 or 8 boat yards in Chagaramas bay. I have passed some excellent summers around there on anchorage and laid up there as well. Another alternative for inexpensive hurrican seaons is Venezuala. Smashing place to visit - good very inexpensive marina accommadation and lots of nice islands to anchor off as well as some wonderful bays.

I am a bit of a coward and have always got out of the hurricane zone in summer and either gone up to the USA cheaspeake area - long way and pricey or gone south to Trini or Venezuala

 

[CharlesM]

Hi Michael

I am assuming the Bambola that is reported sunk in the Tsunami is not you then.?

Umm... I am planning to leave the boat in St. Martin over the hurricane season. I will be burying her in a hole and removing masts and such before returning to the UK in May/June.

This may be an expensive option (but by accounts no more expensive than a marina in the UK), and one could argue that the masts etc need not be removed unless a storm approaches, but if a storm is approaching everyone will be in a panic preparing boats, and I will be in the UK so rather fully prepared even if no direct threat occurs.

I hope I have not been fed false information on this issue... will be finding out more in due course.

Cheers
Charles

 

[Sea Devil]

Unless you are in love with St Martin that seems a touch excessive! There are frankly much nicer places and much as I love the Dutch the people who run a closed shop at the dutch end are possibly not the nicest in the world.

It really would not take long to hack her down to Trinidad. There are yards there to suit all pockets and it is a much more fun social place than St Martens. I happen to have a bill from a layup in IMS in Chagaramas bay in front of me - from 6/8/2000 to 12/1/2000 cost me US$1,502 the crane was $180 out and splash. Not sure how that compares with your deal and it was 4 years ago but the masts stay in. she is in a secure pound - lots of chandleries to choose from. Why not get quotes from IMS, Peakes, Powerboats? they are the biggest in the bay and there are as I said lots more....

I think the boat which sank was Bamboula - its a port in or near Panama - there is paper back every one keeps giving me called sailing to Bamboula (or similar)

 

[CharlesM]

Michael

I guess a little background may be appropriate.

I have some sailing experiance, and a day skipper certificate (for what it's worth) - minimal sailing this past season. Caroline has virtually no experiance.

With that being the situation we are planning to spend about a month just pottering around St. Martin (where the boat currently lies) until we get more confident.

Once we have a fair level of confidence we hope to head accross to the BVI's for another month. We are planning 2 months in total before returning to the UK for another 6 months or so of work. Then hopefully back off to the carribean for a longer period, during which time we may move her elsewhere.

You may notice I do not really know anything about the area and that we are initially lacking in experiance. If you have any recomendations that one should consider in a timeframe of about 2 months, effectively starting from scratch I would be most happy to hear them.

We were initially thinking of a boat in the Med, and once on board getting some own boat tuition. Hopefully we can do the same down there - but I have not yet investigated it. I guess I am first waiting on the survey... hold thumbs for success.

I am sure many may say I am crazy, but then are'nt all boat owners crazy in the first place?

later

 

[snowleopard]

you may find our account of our trip of interest, see http://cwsnowleopard.projectcomputers.co.uk/

 

[Sea Devil]

Charles hi,
The best pilot books for the area are Doyles - try and get hold of the set - cannot remember how they are broken up. The BVI's are not my favourity place either but in most places there bouys that you pick up (and pay for) but the entire area is planned for the charter trade - folks with little experience who fly in - jump in a new charter boat and set off from resturant to ressturant on day sails. The whole area is pretty expensive but if you are both working that's probably not an issue. The only other problem there is the constant checing in and out with customs between the Brit and Yank islands....

You have to learn somewhere and the Carib is as good a place as any. Must say most of the Med is a doddle by comparison but you have a big solid boat. Probably you really do need to learn how to anchor and to reef. Both are essentials - up and down the island chain the gps will get you in along with the pilot book and you can nearly always see the next island. Having said that I feel nervous about encourging you to do anything that you think is too ambitious - only you can judge that and you sound pretty modest and sensible. If in doubt don't!

You could probably do with an experienced crew. Could be a problem if he/she knows more than you. Crewseekers might help?????

My comments about going south have the advantage its pretty down wind or at least reaching and if you stick a load of reefs in then you will not be too hurt by the squalls. If you see one coming drop your sails till its gone - give yourself some sea room always.....

I will have a quick look at the charts tomorrow and remind myself to the problems going south - almost none I seem to remeber except the overnight from Grenada to Trinidad it needs a bit of planning to avoid 2 nights at sea - There are really cheap charter flights back from Tobago and a little aircraft goes there from port of spain.

Maybe your plan is fine to drift around St Martin then the BVI's - If it feels good to you then that's the best plan. My comments were based on the concept of you hauling - pulling the sticks - putting her in a hole and being charged like an angry bull - but maybe that's the way it should be for the first season.

 

[CharlesM]

Michael

The only reason why I have thought the BVI's after getting a bit of confidence is the comments Jane Gibb makes in the book Caribbean Cruising... She says the BVI's are her favorite place with the easiest sailing.

If you could recomend some other itinary I would be pleased to hear it.

Thanks

 

[Sea Devil]

Charles hi,

I was starting to worry about the advice I had given you! You are right - once you get to the Virgin Isles it is very easy - thats why all the major self drive charter co - moorings, sunsail operate out of there. Bouys to pick up - resturants to eat in beaches - it is what it says on the packet - perfect holiday cruising. I make it 80 miles but to an anchorage its nearer 95. An overnight for sure - use the motor to make sure you do it day night day but make landfall in daylight!

you must have an SSB or at least an SSB receiver and listen to Caribbean wx. If you have a SSB and are not too short of dosh join the 'club' and pay for individual forecasts - that will save a lot of anguish! (if you got to the virgins I think they do a foredast daily for that area FOC. It will be rather harder to get from the Virgins back to St Martin and you will need a wether window - another reason for having an SSB. It will be to windward but you should make it in one tack. Never be afraid to use the motor - Not to punch into it but to keep up speed for a daylight landfall - you do not want to be 'crashing' round a crowded anchorage in the dark....

Get onto the net and get the caribbean charts by Imray. Far superior to the BA charts. Get the Doyles pilot books. Have a look at the trip south. The facities in Trini are the very very best in the caribbean. To get to Grenada is 450 miles about! no part of that trip is more than a day sail but you do need to watch the weather - You could make Grenada - the Lagoon within 10 days to 2 weeks in easy hops. By the time you reach Grenada will have cracked it or hate it. I am sure you can find another boat to buddy with for the overnight to Trinidad. Yanks do it all the time. The only island I would avoid if I could is St Vincent - the folks there are a bit dodgy! If you do the trip you will become an expert on boat boys - Indian River is a great side trip - lots of fun - the yacht club in Grenada (if it suvived) is very welcoming.

Make sure your engine is running properly before you set out. Make sure you know how to reef and set the anchor. Buy the books and charts now and have a think about it all. If I can help more do email or post me.........

 

[Spicemariner]

Hi Charles
We spent the last two years in the Caribbean, sadly our boat was badly damaged in Grenada and arrives back in UK this week. St Martin is a great place. On the Dutch side they charge per week to anchor, (you pay when you check out). The French side is free. Inside the lagoon is sheltered but often choppy and the water is very unpleasant, I don't think you'd want to swim but the sea outside is amazing. It is a great place to provision and you can get just about everything in the shops and the chandlers are better stocked than anything in UK. We have friends who "buried" their boat this winter, worked out just fine, certainly better than ours! We spent a little while in the BVIs. There are load of anchorages where you can get away from the charter boats but they are usually just a little harder to enter and anchor. Provisioning is much more expensive there, so stock up in St Martin before you go. The sailing is often "lively". Inter island passages can get very rough but at least they don't last long. We have friends in St Martin right now, one waiting to get their mast replaced having lost it in Grenada and they other one is running a business from his boat. We sailed from the USVI's to Grenada in one hit, yep 4 and a bit days on the nose, interesting thing was we could tell by the sea state when we were crossing inter island and we were more than 200 miles offshore from the islands. SSB is essential but if you are buying a boat in St Martin, I'd be surprised if it didn't have it already. If you would like any other information, please email me.