Tag: Sunsail

Chartering in Saint Lucia

Chartering in Saint Lucia

Chartering in Saint Lucia means you don’t have to be a sailor to enjoy this corner of paradise.

Asking someone to name five reasons to start chartering in Saint Lucia is like asking them to give five reasons they like dessert. I mean, what’s not to like? That said, if you’re looking for points why to choose this jewel over other places in the Caribbean, here are a few that will have you packing your bags in a hurry. Best of all, the Moorings/Sunsail base offers a selection of yachts that includes large new powercats which are becoming the fastest growing segment of charter fleets around the world.

The Practicalities

Because rum drinks and sunsets aren’t all there is to cruising, it’s best to check on the practicalities of your destination prior to departure. Consider things like the base facilities, provisioning, and selection of available yachts. IGY’s Rodney Bay Marina is one of the most attractive, safe, modern, and friendly marinas in the Caribbean. Originally constructed in 1985, this 220-slip facility offers onsite cafés, gift shop, pool, and showers. Every December, the marina hosts the finish of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers that attracts more than 250 boats and 1,200 people who have just crossed the Atlantic and are ready for a little pampering. You won’t be roughing it here, either.

Provisioning is easy with staples and delicacies available in every grocery store—there’s a large one in Gros Islet. We particularly enjoyed our time sampling the excellent restaurants of Gros Islet as well. Strolling along Reduit Beach looking for an appealing eatery, we couldn’t resist popping into the St. Lucia Yacht Club for a rum punch and the requisite hat.

Any Time’s a Good Time

Choosing the ideal time to charter is simple with St. Lucia, which is south of the typical hurricane belt. That’s not to say there is no hurricane season here; it’s just that St. Lucia is less likely to be impacted than the Leeward Islands. Our last trip that took place in the second half of October was without incident.

The weather is delightful year-round. From December to May, temperatures range from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and from June to November you can expect 75 to 95
degrees. There will be less rain in the winter, but you’ll likely experience rougher seas while Chartering in Saint Lucia. In the summertime, the ocean lays flatter and the trade winds are milder, typically around 10 knots rather than 25 knots. In other words, you can consider a charter for nearly any time of year. The payoff is that you can take advantage of shoulder seasons that offer not only lower rates, but also fewer tourists to compete with for anchorage space and restaurant times.

Stunning Vistas, Stellar Cuisine

The mere mention of St. Lucia evokes an image of the stunning Pitons, the twin conical peaks (volcanic plugs, actually) that are the iconic landmarks of this lush island. The town of Soufrière just below them is chock-full of colorful, camera-loving Creole buildings with gingerbread trim and New Orleans-style balconies. Anchor in Piton Bay to visit the village, or rent a car and drive the entire island for remarkable views and delicious cuisine that’s the best mix of French, Caribbean and Creole you will find anywhere. You’ll never want to cook on the boat.

We braved driving on the “wrong” side of the car—shifting with the left hand—and stopped off at Ladera Resort, a picturesque hotel built into the side of a mountain that overlooks the Pitons and serves inventive (if pricey) delicacies. Giant ferns and wild orchids greeted us at every stop around the island and although we ran out of time, I’m definitely returning to hike Soufrière, the extinct volcano that you can drive a rental car into. (Yes, all volcanoes in the Caribbean seem to be named Soufrière.) St. Lucia is the “honeymooners’ island,” and many people visit for strictly land-based vacations. Chartering offers an experience on both land and sea, taking paradise up a notch.

History Buffs Rejoice

Like most Caribbean islands, St. Lucia survived skirmishes between the French and English on numerous occasions. For a glimpse of this, we visited Pigeon Island, a 44-acre national landmark that is the site of the ruins of Fort Rodney. The fort was built in 1778 and named for Admiral George Brydges Rodney. In its time, the fort offered strategic views of Martinique to the north and provided the British with a peek at what the French were up to. The views of Gros Islet and the harbor below to the south are worth the climb to the top where cannons still point at the horizon, sentinels of days gone by.

Today, the site is a park with a lovely beach where one enterprising young woman cruises the shallows with her portable bar. She loads up a brightly decorated panga with fresh fruit and gallons of rum and then walks in the waist-deep water pulling the barge behind her, stopping to serve fruity cocktails to beachgoers as they lounge in the warm waves— like a St. Lucia version of UberEats.

The Perfect Jump Off Point

When chartering in Saint Lucia, you can spend an entire week along the western coastline, stopping off to snorkel at Anse Cochon or tucking into Marigot Bay with its red-topped homes and fun stores. But one of the glorious reasons to charter a powercat from St. Lucia is that you can go north to Martinique or south to St. Vincent and the Grenadines on a one-week charter and never feel rushed. (If you visit the Grenadines or Martinique, you’ll need to check in/out with St. Lucia’s Customs & Excise Department.)

Traveling at a cruising speed of 15 knots, you’ll reach Martinique’s Grand Anse d’Arlet in just three hours and enjoy bars, restaurants, and a postcard-worthy beach. Or run south
along the length of St. Vincent and tuck into Admiralty Bay on Bequia in the Grenadines in less than six hours. Catch a mooring in the bay and order up fresh baguettes to arrive via
the “bread man” the next morning. This lovely baker rows around the harbor every day at 6 AM to deliver still-warm loaves and croissants to early risers.

Turtle, Turtle

Visit the turtle sanctuary here and stroll along Belmont Walkway in search of the perfect lunch stop. Then cast off for the Tobago Cays, desert islets manned by “boat boys” who will arrange a fantastic beach barbeque on request. This is a Robinson Crusoe fantasyland that served as a backdrop for the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Lounging on the flybridge with a chilled glass of anything, you’re bound to see turtle heads popping up all around.

Chartering in Saint Lucia means so much more than just one island, especially on a powercat, so why limit your choices? Cruise near or far and enjoy the best of the Windward Isles. I know I’ll be back for more sun, beaches, Creole cuisine, and history. After all, when dessert is as good as the best chocolate you’ve ever had, you go back for seconds.

Cruiser Resources

CURRENCY
Eastern Caribbean Dollar
(U.S. dollar widely accepted)

AIRPORT
Hewanorra International Airport (UVF)
hewanorrainternationalairport.com

MARINAS
IGY-Rodney Bay Marina, Castries
1-758-458-4892
rbm@igymarinas.com
VHF channel 16
igy-rodneybay.com
Customs/Immigration, provisioning, laundry, car rental, bank, post office, fuel, market

The Landings Resort & Spa Marina, Gros Islet
1-844-886-3762
landingsstlucia.com/marina 

By Zuzana Prochazka, Southern Boating April 2018

The Moorings & Sunsail relocate in the Caribbean

The Moorings & Sunsail relocate to Marina Fort Louis in Marigot

Severe damage to The Moorings and Sunsail charter yacht base in Oyster Pond, St. Martin, has led the brands to relocate east to Marina Fort Louis in Marigot. It’s a good move for many reasons. First, the new location is now in one of the most iconic marinas in the Caribbean. With its unique circular shape and striking seawalls, Marina Fort Louis is exceedingly picturesque and often photographed from the historic hilltop fort nearby. Second, though the fort dates to the 18th century, the marina itself is quite modern with WiFi, shower facilities, a dive shop on site, and bilingual staff. Third, the marina is within walking distance to the numerous restaurants and bars on the Marigot waterfront.

“The Moorings offers charters of all types here, including bareboat sailing aboard both monohulls and sailing catamarans, power catamaran charters, and all-inclusive crewed yachts. Yachts in our St. Martin fleet range from 39- to 58-feet LOA,” says Marketing Manager Ian Pedersen. A week’s charter from St. Martin easily includes stops around the island, Anguilla and the Prickly Pear Cays to the north, the offshore islands of Pinel and Tintamarre, and down to St. Barths.

moorings.com

sunsail.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating June 2018

Photos Courtesy of The Moorings

Open for Business

The Moorings & Sunsail announce they’re open for business after hurricanes.

The Moorings and Sunsail, two of the most trusted names in yacht chartering, are pleased to announce the grand reopening of their British Virgin Islands charter base on December 9th, 2017, just three months after the Caribbean’s record-breaking hurricane activity.

Over the past few months, BVI staff members exhibited tremendous strength and dedication, working tirelessly to help restore operations in Road Town, Tortola, and they are eager to invite visitors back to this world-famous sailing destination.

The Moorings and Sunsail are also glad to report a combined fleet of more than 100 yachts ready for chartering. Additionally, an investment of $66.5 million will bring new fleet shipments for both brands with over 130 boats scheduled to arrive in the British Virgin Islands in early 2018.

According to Josie Tucci, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, “The road to recovery has not been easy, but we simply couldn’t be more thrilled about reopening our base in the British Virgin Islands, and in such a timely manner. Tucci goes on to say:

“The humanitarian response from customers, partners, and employees following September’s hurricanes was overwhelming, and the tenacity of the local communities has been nothing short of inspiring. We believe it is this heartfelt combination of commitment and resilience that has helped us come back so strong.”

To continue supporting the future of the tourism industry and to assist with long-term hurricane relief efforts, The Moorings and Sunsail recently joined forces to establish the Caribbean Comeback fundraiser. Created in the spirit of uniting sailors everywhere, 100% of all monetary contributions go toward the British Virgin Islands, St. Martin and Puerto Rico employees, delivering supplies that are needed such as generators, gas stoves, and miscellaneous building materials.

Please consider joining The Moorings and Sunsail in this massive effort. Every contribution, no matter the size, is immensely appreciated. To donate or to learn more about this ongoing campaign, please visit CaribbeanComeback.com

To learn more about best-in-class Sail, Power, and all-inclusive Crewed yacht charter vacations in over 20 dazzling destinations across the globe, visit moorings.com and sunsail.com. The world is waiting and new adventure beckons around every corner. Come aboard, embrace the wind and water, and create your own unforgettable passage.

Media Contact:
Leslie Montenegro
Leslie.Montenegro@thlmarine.com
727.614.7376

Belize, It’s UnBelizeable!

It’s UnBelizeable!

There is a lengthy list of sensible reasons why Belize belongs on the must-do list when it comes to Caribbean cruising. First, a two-hour flight from the United States to Belize City makes it easy to travel to, English is the official language and it is one of the most affordable destinations in the Caribbean—the U.S. dollar is widely accepted and is worth twice the Belizean dollar. Second (or fourth, depending on how you count), electricity is the same as in the U.S., and you can drink the water. But most of all, besides all of the sensible reasons to visit Belize, the country’s overwhelming draw is the natural beauty of its islands, waters and rainforests, along with its intriguing Mayan culture, all of which are wrapped up in an intoxicatingly relaxed way of life.

Belize is the pioneer of sustainable tourism and, proud of its abundance of natural wonders, it pampers them and shows them off well. Boating on ancient Mayan waterways brings one close to water birds and crocodiles. The country is chock-full of limestone caves and sinkholes to hike and swim in, some of which even contain Mayan treasures. Belize has a baboon sanctuary and one of the only jaguar preserves in the world. Howler monkeys and toucans peer out of its verdant rainforests. With hundreds of offshore islands, beachcombing, diving, snorkeling, and boating are superb.

The more than 321,000 people of Belize come from eight distinct cultures: Maya, Mestizo, Creole, Garifuna, East Indian, German Mennonite, Arab, and Chinese, all of which add their distinct seasoning to the dish of Belizean music, cuisine and art. The Mayan culture is ever present. From 250-900 A.D. the mathematically brilliant Mayan civilization flourished in Central America leaving 1,400 archeological sites in Belize. Day tripping to sites before or after cruising or island hopping is easy since Belize is only 185 miles long and 75 miles wide. Hotels and charter companies are happy to arrange excursions.

Boat travel up winding rivers to both Altun Ha and Lamanai in Northern Belize is a treat. Altun Ha—Mayan for “water of the rock”—was a small but important ceremonial and trading center located 31 miles north of Belize City where archeologists found the largest Mayan carved jade object, a jade head. Lamanai (“submerged crocodile” in Mayan) appears out of the rainforest after a 26-mile boat ride on the New River. It is famous for a stela of a Mayan ruler wearing a crocodile headdress. The Mayans occupied this site for 3,000 years.

Landlubbers are content to stay ashore, but mariners come to life on the water and Belize has plenty of that. Along its entire Caribbean coastline lays the longest unbroken barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere—a UNESCO World Heritage site. More than 100 species of coral and 500 species of fish call the area home. Eight protected marine reserves, including the famous Blue Hole—a 1,000-foot-wide sinkhole in the sea—provide SCUBA divers and snorkelers wondrous guided experiences year round.

Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye are the largest and most populated islands of Belize. Ambergris Caye, with the town of San Pedro, is a little livelier than Caye Caulker where the motto “Go Slow” says it all. Both places have access to the mainland with $20 round-trip water taxis (45 minutes) and $138 round-trip Tropic Air flights (15 minutes). The charter company TMM is based in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. Both islands are good places to provision, gas up and top off the water tank. Required diving and snorkel guides are available on both islands for visits to several nearby marine reserves.

Ragamuffin Tours on Caye Caulker offers the unique experience of sailing on an authentic Belizean sailing sloop all day, visiting Hol Chan Reserve, Coral Gardens and Shark Ray Alley sites for only $70. Included meals could be stewed chicken, coconut rice or freshly-made shrimp ceviche washed down with rum punch mixed in an oversized water jug. Dolphins play with the sloop’s bow wave en route to snorkel adventures with nurse sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, blue tangs, moray eels, goatfish, trunk fish, blueheads, butterfly fish, and the list goes on. Ragamuffin insists that all footwear be left at the dock before departure. By the time the pile of flip-flops are returned, life is seen in a better light!

All beaches on Ambergris and Caulker are public and plenty of fish swim just offshore. A favorite place for mingling with people and fish on Caye Caulker is at The Split. This small channel separates the island and it is here that people hang out all day at the Lazy Lizard Bar. Snorkel in the morning with starfish, eat curried lobster, coconut rice and beans with a Belikin Beer for lunch, and then return to the water where a float is the perfect means of transportation.

Life becomes more peaceful as one travels down the coast to the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize. Uninhabited islands provide dot-to-dot sailing in uncluttered water. From April to June people come to swim with whale sharks, and drums beat during the celebration of the Garifuna in November, but most of the time tranquility is the main attraction.

Chartering a catamaran for a week in Belize is possible through Sunsail and The Moorings based in Placencia, TMM Yacht Charters on Ambergris Caye, and other local charter companies. Whether you bareboat or hire a captain and crew, charter is a great way to experience Belizean waters. Just keep in mind that charter companies insist that bareboaters stay within the barrier reef unless accompanied by a local captain. Navigational aids are sparse and navigation by sight with a bow watch is highly recommended due to “skinny” waters and coral reefs. The place is remote beyond the cayes and communication is sketchy at times on both cellphone and VHF. Gas, water, ice, and provisions should be conserved since replenishment is spotty. On the bright side, the barrier reef protects sailors from ocean swells, and trade winds almost guarantee 20 knots of wind every day. The Cruising Guide to Belize and Mexico’s Caribbean Coast by Freya Rauscher (3rd Edition) is the guide of choice and can be ordered from info@windmillhillbooks.com. Most companies provide copies onboard but TMM and The Moorings give a copy to charters.

Perhaps “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret” is less of a secret now. Once this country’s natural playground is experienced it could be said, “It’s unBelizeable!”

Nancy E. Spraker, Southern Boating September 2013

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