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Take Care When Snorkelling

Swimmer underwater wear Hi-Vis vest.
Wear a Hi-Vis vest when around moving boats. Photo: Becky Fantham/Unsplash

A recent (Jan 8, 2020) report in the BVI BEACON newspaper details the tragic story of two incidents wherein persons in the water were run over and killed by other vessels.

These events highlight the importance of taking preventative action when in the water. Many charter yachts come equipped with inflatable orange beacons that attach to an ankle with a Velcro strap. Or, as in the photo, you can wear a fluorescent yellow vest that can be inflated to support buoyancy if required.

Now, these may not look graceful or conducive to deep dives. But they just may save a life.

So be careful out there!

https://www.bvibeacon.com/after-swimmers-killed-call-made-for-change/

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The Power of the Power Cat

power cat at at anchor
Pic: Sean McGee

One of the fastest growing categories in the charter end of the market is the relatively new Power Cat niche. It has created a surge of interest in the Caribbean. Particularly this winter season, 2020, where the wind has disappeared for weeks at a time–bad for sailing but GREAT for motoring!

SmarterCharter friend John Wooldridge, writing in PassageMaker Magazine, produced this excellent appraisal of some of the new models available this year–a couple of which you just might find available in the BVI and elsewhere.

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File Your Float Plan

Float Plan Advisory

The US Coast Guard has put out a friendly reminder that you should put together a float plan and leave it with a trusted person anytime you are heading off shore or on a lengthy voyage (even of just a few days.)

They even have a nifty link to a template you can use to create and send your plan to a trusted friend. That link is http://floatplancentral.cgaux.org/

image: Ashley Bean/Unsplash

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Moor Changes in the BVI

New Ball in Town

An innovation long anticipated in the chartering community has arrived in the BVI. Popular destinations Anegada, Cane Garden Bay, the Cooper Island Beach Club, and Leverick Bay have partnered with Boatyball.com in an enterprise offering the yachting vacationer the opportunity to reserve a mooring ball ahead of time, by way of an app on their phone or device.

Just arrive at your convenience and pick up your pendant/pennant (whichever you prefer) and Bob’s your uncle.

Find out more at boatyball.com

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Chartering in Cuba Sounds Muy Bacano

Eva Blue--Unsplash
Cuba is Cool

Very cool, that is.

One of our favorite sailing writers, Zuzana Prochazka, covers the details in SAIL magazine.

“If you’re a fan of all things random, quirky and unexpected, you’ll do well in this beautiful part of the world. “

On a related note, here’s a great book on Havana by a great writer, Mark Kurlansky. He’s written on myriad subjects, from Cod to Salt (well, it’s [probably not that great a distance, really, is it?) and is a fine stylist and an amusing guide to all manner of esoteric subjects.

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Secret Life-Saving Items You Didn’t Know About

The secret to happy sailing–as with happy camping, let’s say–lies in knowing how to use the equipment we have, and the secret life-saving items we didn’t know we had.

The good people at OUTSIDE have provided a handy guide to using household (boathold?) items for emergency re-purpose. There are, no doubt, dozens of other re-purposings that would fit the bill. We will explore these in later posts.

See also our recent post detailing all the good things your Smartphone can do.

 

 

 

 

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Take Your Smartphone Sailing

 

Your Smartphone

does a zillion things to make your sailing easier. But the device we all call the phone, the iPhone (even generically), or the Smartphone needs a new label.

Take your Smartphone Sailing
Photo: Sadman Sakib-Unsplash

Not only is it barely used as a telephone device, it is a miniature desktop in your pocket.

OUTSIDE Magazine’s

Brendan Leonard has written a nice overview of the things you might do with your phone whilst underway–and even with Airplane Mode activated!

You don’t need to drain your battery madly whilst doing the tasks he discusses–along with the ones you’ll discover on your own.

Along with

all  the things he discusses, we might recommend you install apps for knot-tying, navigation, Rules of the Road, charts, tidal movements and the many things you’ll find in the App store.

Check our links and downloads page for other suggestions.

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The Caribbean is open for racing

Lasers race around the buoys
There is room for everyone                               Photo: Ludomil Sawicki/Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every year, sailors migrate to the Caribbean for the winter sun and sprightly breezes. A series of regattas begins in Barbados in mid-January and moves in a northerly direction by way of Antigua, Sint Maarten, Ste Barths, and the Virgin Islands.

Races are spread throughout the year as well–for local sailors as well as for international superyachts.

This year is special, since some of the venues with the most in-demand racing–Sint Maartin, Ste Barths, The British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands–were all but demolished by the hurricanes of 2017.

The fact that the racing is scheduled and boats chartered, with crews anxious to get down there and mix it up, is exciting news.

 

This year the calendar includes:

Here’s the Full List

And here’s a great description of the fun to be had at the BVI Spring Regatta, courtesy of Sail Magazine

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The view from Totem

Here’s some insider perspective from sailor/blogger Behan who’s travelling the Caribbean right now.

Behan, from the yacht Totem, has a wonderful blog detailing years of cruising. Her  incisive post covers many of the issues bothering prospective charterers and cruisers contemplating a season in the Caribbean:

“A stream of migrating boats attest that the Caribbean sailing season is starting NOW. The fleet heading north from Grenada and Trinidad, those taking the offshore route from the USA, and boats in the trans-Atlantic fleets. Yet questions about the Caribbean’s readiness in a post-hurricane season still swirl: after the havoc of Irma and Maria, what’s changed? Where can we go? Even for sailors here in the islands, contemplating their next move, the answer seems to hang just out of reach like a suspenseful plot twist.”

Read it all here.