There’s nothing like a sail with old friends in a new cruising ground to revive memories of their ample talents and crewing abilities while catching up on what’s new. That’s just what happened the day Sunsail invited a few people to hop aboard one of the catamarans from the company’s Platinum luxury fleet for a promotional tour preceding the debut of the New York/New Jersey Sail Expo at Liberty Landing Marina on the third weekend in September.
I’d barely set foot in the dinghy when I heard, “I knew it was you. I remember you. Hello, it’s Regis.” Sure enough, here was a sailor whose dinghy-maneuvering capabilities are second only to his talents in the galley. Regis Heuze isn’t just top-shelf charter crew; he’s a chef whose experience includes years devoted to training in French culinary schools and cooking in Parisian restaurants, not to mention six years in Thailand studying Asian cuisine. I learned about his talents firsthand some years ago in the Caribbean (see “Gourmet Headquarters,” February 2000). Considering how often sailors hop from boat to boat in search of the perfect job, I was surprised to learn that the entire three-person crew aboard Bonavista, a Privilege 65, is not only still together but has assumed responsibilities to help manage crew aboard the other eight members of the Platinum crewed fleet. For details on crewed chartering aboard a Platinum boat in Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Martin, French West Indies; and Tahiti, in the South Pacific, contact the company (888-350-3565, 410-280-2553, www.platinum crewed.com and www.sunsail.com).
Sunsail’s now offering sailors the option of chartering any of the 32 catamarans and monohulls in the luxury fleet as bareboats with the opportunity for clients to pick and choose among amenities associated with the Platinum fleet. Clients also have the option of paying for extras according to their specific desires. Provision yourself, or have the boat partially or fully provisioned in time for your charter start, with or without a hostess. You can choose to have a first mate (first mates are required on boats larger than 55 feet), dinghies with larger outboards, satellite phones, DVD players, Internet connections, water skis, wakeboards, and fishing rods, all of which are optional. “We’ve noticed over the past two years that not everyone wants a skipper to do it all for them and a chef or hostess to prepare food,” said Peter Cook, U.S. general manager at Sunsail. “We’ve devised options so charterers can now pick and choose exactly the level of sophistication they require by selecting particular elements from our list.” For details, contact Sunsail.
To Dubrovnik with the Moorings
Bookings for bareboat charters setting out from Dubrovnik, a city that dates from the Middle Ages, are being accepted at The Moorings, which adds its second base in Croatia there in April 2004. Choose from a fleet of 33- to 50-foot monohulls and multihulls on which to embark on a cruise of the Adriatic Sea among the wooded islands of the Dalmatian coast. One-way charters to Trogir, where the company opened a base last year, are also available. Ideal sailing weather is the norm from May through October. For details, contact The Moorings (888-703-3176, www.moorings.com).
