SAILING TIPS Mike Huston


Finding the Right Boat for Your Chartering Getaway


With winter weather setting in,


it’s hard not to dream of sailing warm, tropical waters, or your next summer getaway in Northwest waters. If this dream involves chartering, choosing the right boat is very important. And by ‘right’ I mean a boat that is in excellent, well maintained condition (mechanically and aesthetically), clean, nicely outfitted, and suitable for the size of your crew. The company chartering the boat is also important; their helpfulness, advice and attitude can make or break a trip. So, how does a person find this ‘perfect’ boat? Let me start out by sharing an


experience I had two years ago, it will demonstrate some of what I’m trying to help people avoid. We were in the British Virgin Islands and our charter had ended. We had a day to kill before our flight and there was a boat for sale at another charter company I wanted to see. When I got to their office I was told there were charter guests still on the boat but they would be leaving in ten to fifteen minutes; once they were off the boat I was free to look the boat over.


To kill some time I walked the


docks and looked over their fleet of boats. They were all ‘well used’ boats,


on many I could still see where the name of another large charter company had been. None of the boats looked like they had ever been waxed, the aluminum frames around the ports and hatches were all corroded and the hull stripes were mostly worn off. These boats looked tired! Soon enough the guests left the


boat I was interested in and I went aboard. Below deck I found a very poorly maintained boat; every wood surface had most of its varnish peeling. When I lifted a floorboard to check the bilge I found an oily, green, slime pool several inches deep. Not one of the floorboards had a screw holding it down, etc. Giving credit where it is due, the running rigging looked in fairly good order – but I would not personally want to charter this boat, nor was I interested in buying it. The good news is that most of


the charter companies around the world are much better run and have much better boats than this company. The goal of this article is to help you find the boat and company that best fits your needs and avoid the type of situation discussed above. Here are some thoughts and ideas that might help:


Location Assuming you have narrowed


down the list to companies in the general area, consider their location from a convenience point of view. How far are they from the airport, provisioning, hotels, restaurants, etc.? Then look at it from the water side, how will it affect your trip planning (e.g. how close is their location to your destinations of interest and where you want to spend most of your cruising time)?


Type of Boat Do they have the type of boat


(make, model, length, number of cabins, heads, etc.) you want? Most companies now have a list of their boats on the web so this is generally easy to determine. If it is important to you, look a level deeper at things like the mainsail (in-mast furling or standard), how big is the jib, etc.


Schedule Is the boat you want available when


you want it? Some charter companies have recently started posting their schedule online – I personally find this very helpful. If not, you will need to call or email them.


Maintenance Don’t be afraid to ask about


the maintenance program. Ask for a written copy of the preventative maintenance checklist that was (or will be) completed prior to your chartering the boat(s) you’re interested in.


Onboard Equipment Many companies now have equipment lists for their boats (showing


The


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s/h (we pay the tax!) www.48north.com 48° NORTH, DECEMBER 2010 PAGE 34


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