Which daysail to book?

[RKAJ]

We will be in St. Thomas 4/4 with a group of 6 people and need helpful advise on who to book a daysail with. We are looking for someone who will work with us on time and schedule and takes you to some great snorkeling spots. Rhumba would have been nice, but they are booked that day.

 

I think i've narrowed it down to:

High Pockets

Daysail Fantasy

Winifred

IkeWitts

CaptainMax

 

I know everyone has their own preferences, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

thanks

[RKAJ]

I've narrowed my search down to 3 because Ike was booked and Winifred never responded.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Kim

[bulldogmom]

I would recommend Interline Sail (interlinesail.com) They are SUPER helpful and I'm sure their sails are top notch. Check them out. I haven't actually sailed with them yet but I'm booked with them for this coming October. They are very patient and answer all your questions. They have half day and full day sails going to St. John for snorkeling. I've only read good reviews on them on these boards and that is usually a good indication.

Hope this helps, I know Interline Sail wasn't on your list but they come highly recommended. Also they are PRIVATE sails (up to 6 people) so you would only have the people in your group to worry about. On their tours you can also "dinghy" into the beaches on St. John and beachcomb or whatever and lunch is served on the full day cruises.

[bpampel]

rumbaba rules!

capt bobby is a great guy and his wife karen (the mate) has the best food

all homemade from breakfast through lunch!

what a great day!

and only 6 per trip

can't wait to do it again

[Hockey19]

Absolutly correct on Rumbaba- beautiful boat-great sailing-Bobby and Karen are a lot of fun. Make sure to watch Bobby do all the work while Karen makes lunch. It works for them and it will work for you.

[Taiger]

Rumbaba all the way. We sailed with them and would do it again. Everything was super. Frankly I thought why eat chicken when you can have a filet. It turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. Everything was first class all the way!!

[RKAJ]

I tried to book through Rumbaba, but they are booked the day we will be there.

[Sharon2U]

We went with High Pockets in Feb. and could not have asked for any better time. Everything was exactly as quoted and Kathleen was absolutely great to deal with. My next trip to St. Thomas, I will certainly book this trip again.

[ptoronto]

We were on High Pockets early March and had a fabulous time. I highly recommend Captain Kathleen for her patience with us non-sailors and her ability to put us quickly at ease. Lunch was terrific, rum punch was fabulous and the sailing was a lot of fun. First Mate Chris was a terrific snorkel guide, pointing out the wildlife and helping with the snorkel gear and making sure we were comfortable in the water.

 

The whole day was perfect and it was the highlight of the entire cruise for us.

[erniesband]

We sailed with Captain Kathleen on Highpockets in January and had a great day!

[janep]

Can somebody give me the link to Rhumba tours?

Thanks

[Taiger]

http://www.rumbabacharters.com/index.htm

[csp1981]

We booked Rumbaba because of recommendations on this site.

We were scheduled a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, Bobby's wife became sick and we could not go.:( We understood that it was not their

fault but wished they had tried to get us on another charter. Luckily we had called home to check on our kids and our daughter told us he had to cancel. We called and he said he would call in the morning and let us know if his wife was feeling better--she was not--so the one excursion we

were really looking forward to was not meant to be!!! We opted

for plan B-which was to take a ferry to St. Johns--it was nice but

sure wish we could have gone on a daysail.

[johnbob7]

Just back from our cruise, which included St Thomas March 30. I did a daysail with Capt Kathleen and her mate Chris on the Highpockets, and it was outstanding!

 

As others have said, all was as described, Kathleen was great to deal with, and Chris was a big positive also. Of course, the beautiful islands, water, snorkeling and weather helped to make it a memorable and enjoyable experience.

[katef]

We're just back from our cruise and we did Rumbaba. I highly recommend them and wouldn't hesitate to do it again the next time we're in St. Thomas.

 

Capt. Bobby is a very interesting guy and Karen's food is to die for!! During our ride back to the ship, we talked with some people who had taken another day sail and they paid a bit more than we did and they were jealous when they heard we had filet mignon, shrimp, pasta salad and asparagus for lunch. They were served hamburgers and chips.

 

It was a great day and well worth the price!!

[heavenlysea]

katef-

did you take the taxi to the rumbaba charter or try the open air bus? How long was your daysail and did you tip? Was it easy to get on and off the sailboat? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Mariner 7.9.06

[CaliforniaAC]

I know the original poster has made their excursion decisions, but I know others will look at this thread for info.

 

We went with Daysail Fantasy. Pam and Brian were great to deal with, everything from asking questions, making arrangements, instructions on meeting them for the trip etc., was handled professionaly. Their boat was clean and well maintained. Brian provided a safety talk before we left. They only take six people on the trip, and that was a big selling point for us. Brian was an expert captain, and had all the certifications and experience we could have wanted. We sailed to Caneel Bay, snorkeled, went to the beach there, and swam back to the sailboat. A wonderful luch was prepared and waiting for us. Salad, curry chicken with rice, rolls, a veggie and dessert. It was all the beverages you could want all day long. None of us were drinkers, so by no means could you call it a booze cruise.

 

We were worried that it would be rough crossing the Pillsbury sound, but Brian was expert in his navigations, and we never had a problem. Very smooth sailing.

 

We plan on going with them again.

[katef]

Heavenly,

 

We took the open air bus which was fun. We did the full day sail, from 9:30-4:00 approximately. We were a group of 4 and we tipped $60 for the four of us. There were two other women and I don't know how much they tipped.

 

Good question about getting on and off the sail boat...that was the one hard thing. Capt. Bobby was moored out in the middle of the marina without a dock. We had to get to the sail boat in an inflatable boat which was not bad at all, but getting into the inflatable was a bit difficult because there is no ladder to climb down into it. The inflatable sat a good 5 feet below the walkway, so you had to sit on the walkway, then drop down a couple of feet on your fanny, and then step on the side of the inflatable. I'm glad nobody tried to take of a picture of me trying to get out of the inflatable at the end of day!! It wasn't pretty! :o Capt. Bobby would love it if the marina would add a ladder to make it easier. I also have to add, we saw High Pockets and Winifred moored right near Capt. Bobby's boat, so I think anyone taking those day sails would have the same situation getting on and off as we did.

 

The day itself was so fun, getting on and off the boat was quickly forgotten! Let me know if you have other questions.

 

Kate

 

 

katef-

did you take the taxi to the rumbaba charter or try the open air bus? How long was your daysail and did you tip? Was it easy to get on and off the sailboat? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Mariner 7.9.06

[heavenlysea]

Thanks for the information Kate.