Trading Wall St for St John USVI

Submitted Review:

We were new to the idea of chartering a sailboat when we found Pirate Charters Of The Caribbean on the internet. Although we are only in our late twenties, we look forward to sharing our great experience with everybody, including even our future grand children. Although Captain Craig could easily single-handedly sail and navigate, he wanted to share the experience with those of us inclined to volunteer. I was first on the tiller while my husband raised the sails with the captain as we sailed off the mooring and onto the open water. Open water sounds a lot more daunting than reality as the depth usually ranged between 24 and 48 feet with few variances either way. Shortly thereafter, we arrived at one of the outer island reefs to snorkel. Splashing into the reefs around here was nothing short of spectacular. It’s like jumping into Mother Nature’s well kept aquarium. The initial plunge was into water temperature comparable to bathwater. Once the bubbly froth cleared below the surface, the bottom slopped from a reasonable 10’ to the beach 50 yards away. The varieties of developing coral heads clustered on the sandy bottom were numerous, and included patches of brain, stag, and elk horn growth. The sand itself was alive with the starfish, sea cucumbers and conch, along with the flounders and rays that sometimes emerge from powdery sand to distance themselves from an annoyance, or in search of a meal. An unusual site was that of a ray with a six foot plus wingspan or one that enjoyed the company of a fish gliding directly above as if a “wing man” accompanying a fighter pilot on a mission. The intense colors were overwhelming and ranged from the bright purple of the fan coral rainbow spectrum of colors on the parrot fish. As the snorkeling came to a close, we enjoyed sailing the rest of the day sipping on the Captain’s special pirate’s rum punch, while listening to the local legends and tales of these colorful islands. Craig’s story-telling talents can probably be attributed to his successful efforts as an author for books like, “Trading Wall St for St John – USVI” and “Key West to Alaska”. For the close of the cruising day, a wild, white, billy goat greeted us from the steep hill as we approached the entry point of Cruz Bay. For an unbelievable charter sailboat experience, please keep in mind, Craig Markowski of, Pirate Charters Of The Caribbean. He does Day, Holiday, and Weekly charters while operating his bare boats and Virgin Island activities.

Day Charters in the Virgin Islands

Typically I schedule my sailing charters to begin with the onset of the tropical breezes at around eight thirty unless my guests like a late start, in which case, an hour more of sleep will usually do the trick.

Buddy, my pet wolf. can hardly wait for the dingy trip to the National Park Service pier to get his business done, I become more fully awake on the quick trip in and also get a chance to check my email messages at my booking agents nearby marketing kiosk.

Before motoring back to the sailboat, I’ll get a bag of ice to make my rum punch a real impression. My rum punch might not have the customary eleven herbs and spices, but the unique blend of coconut, orange, pineapple, and lime juice sets the mood not to mention the three blends of rum. Once Back on board with everything set, I’ll return back to the National Park Service dingy dock to retrieve the charter guests.

They are usually pretty happy and in fact, still very happy even if they’re waiting unsheltered during an unusual five minute warm rain shower.

My showtime begins with a seamlessly transparent introduction followed by boat ride ………………

During the casual ride, we’ll share our names and a little about sailing experience.

By the time that we have stepped on to the dingy, I’ll begin to strategically prompting for volunteers for the tiller and coiling the lines. I prefer raising the main sail from the mast which requires follow through in arranging the lines in the cockpit which was built for single-handed ocean crossings.

By the time that the anchor /mooring is released, everyone has been safety oriented and is happily engaged in an activity or conversation.

Without setting any records, we’ll also have the jenny(jib/Genoa) unfurled before it seems like we are even clear of the anchor/mooring. Teamwork works well on a sailboat and in my cruises, the more the merrier. Huck Finn should have a proud moment in his grave as I can also have people paying me to so they can do my work.

Initially, we’ll head out the channel and then towards the coral reefs of which the precise destination will be decided upon after we round the point and determine the wind direction coming off the steep hill.

Like it or not, my routine has begun. First I’ll put all my steering volunteers at ease with the thought of friendly depth information.

The sailboat was designed to sleep six so there’s plenty of room for the day sail guests. The over built hull and rigging leave little to be desired in the way of comfort and security as it was originally built for heavy seas and sailed over from South Africa.

but an overnight with that crowd in the tight quarters would probably lead to some life-changing repercussions for the survivors outside a few days of close-in living. For this sailboat, overnight and beyond works well for a couple on a trek, an extended cruise, or that mission with a time element involved regardless of the island pace or weather conditions.