USVI-On-Line

Guilty of overthinking, as always. My DH would say just pick one but it never seems that simple!!

Our options for a daysail to Jost may be more limited given the potential size of our group and our wish to be on a sailboat rather than a cat. No offense to catamarans, they are delightful and can accomodate a large group. The sail is for my father who first sailed the islands in 1949. He has so many amazing memories and adventures from the numerous trips he took with his buddies and/or with my mom and other couples.

Anyway, at age 84, his wish is to get back on the water. Looks like there will be a minimum of 6 of us, possibly 10 which restricts us to the one boat that can accomodate this number, Treazzure. This boat is a beauty. The price includes food and drink but this may be more than we really need or want to pay for, especially since we will be visiting the Soggy Dollar, possibly Foxy's as well.

If we can limit our number, I am considering Survivan or New Horizons. We might be too many for Survivan (waiting to hear from them). New Horizons is offering a day sail at an incredible price for on-line bookings. $60 pp is almost too good to be true and makes me a bit nervous that it IS to good to be true.

I have also read the reviews on TA and various trip reports here for both Survivan and New Horizons but would also appreciate any feedback or opinions you all could offer. Is there something I am missing in that $60 pp price for New Horizons that would explain why they sail for such a reasonable rate??

You could also sail on the Breath. Great boat and crew.

http://www.sailbreath.com/

www.motoryachtcinnamonbay.com .
Classic vessel & WONDERFUL folks.
Smiles-
MJ

I'm going to second Breath. Not only does this boat have some history but you could also buy your dad the book written by Peter Muilenburg to read before your trip down.

Peter is a delightful writer and tells a great tale of building Breath with his bare hands and raising his family along the way. Sounds like something your Dad might like.

To this day, it's one of my absolute favorite books about STJ.

Adrift on a Sea of Blue Light: http://www.amazon.com/Adrift-Blue-Light ... 0976139707

If you are willing to consider motor instead of sail, I second Mahojim's recommendation. We absolutely loved MYCB. Maybe mobility isn't a concern for the 84 yo but on top of being a beautiful, historic yacht, it is very spacious and easy to get on and off of.

No matter what boat you charter, I second Gromit's book recommendation. I love that book. If your dad sailed, I think he would also enjoy it.

What Gromit said.

You may want to talk to someone at New Horizons to make sure of the itenerary. The last time I lookes they did not sail to BVI they had a power boat that took you there but they did do a St. John snorkle sail and a dinner cruise.

From what I see the New Horizons $60 deal is for a St. John snorkel adventure not to Jost.

We sailed with Survivan last summer to Jost. Jason & Lou were awesome and we had a nice trip. You will have to limit your number to 6 though. They have a great boat and are fun to be around.

The other choices may be great, too, but Survivan is the only one I have experience with.

You'll have a blast.

Breath. Breath. Breath.

It's a great sailboat and it will accommodate your group. Their rates are reasonable too.

Plus if your father is a sailor he will appreciate this boat and its history. I'd definitely read the book ahead of time (although they do have them for sale on board if you don't get a chance).

However it is a little hard to get in and out of it, so it will depend on how mobile he is for 84. You can always drop them an email and ask. They will be honest with you. And really, if they can get me on and off the boat, they can probably get anyone on and off the boat!

I was on Treazzure about 6 years ago. It's a beautiful boat, Joe is a fun character, and also a good chef. He has (or had) a gas grill on the back of the boat and made a wonderful grilled chicken lunch. I'm not sure how many he can accomodate, but it's a large boat. He picked us up on STJ. I've also been on New Horizons, and it's kind of too STT touristy for my taste. It serves a nice buffet lunch with rum punch, but is not a true sailing experience. We took the ferry to STT, to motor to STJ and snorkel Honeymoon beach, motor back to STT, and take the ferry back to STJ. Not smart! Are you staying on STJ? It might be a great deal, but if you really want to sail, it may not be what you are looking for. I'm not sure it's a true sailboat. (I'm no expert on boats, so that's just a guess.) It holds a lot of people, so I'm guessing many are from the cruise ships. I've always wanted to sail Survivan. I've seen it and it's beautiful, but I'm sure it's a 6 pak.