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Old 15-11-2010, 12:25   #16
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Been to a few hotels in the States where they do that... lucky or not
Mainly near airports
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It was a dark and stormy night and the captain of the ship said.. "Hey Jim, spin us a yarn." and the yarn began like this.. "It was a dark and stormy night.."
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Old 15-11-2010, 20:01   #17
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Thumbs down tip of the iceberg w/ Horizon

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From the tone of SweetSerenity's post, I am thinking that was just the tip of the iceberg...
you all know how it is....you plan, get excited and want the very best for your vacation....and TIME is irreplaceable....we only get so much time....for life...for vacation....and you want to make the best of it.

We planned out our itinerary meticulously...there were lots of things we wanted to do...of course we could change our minds at any time to do whatever we wanted....but having boat problems interfere with our plans would have seriously wrecked our plans like a house of cards.

Many of the issues we found with the boat were more annoying....some were safety issues...and the sum total of them all lead to very poor upkeep on this particular boat!

One of the major issues was steering on this boat.... it was ridiculous!! And as we sailed her more and more...we learned that there was a serious steering issue with the boat....that we pointed out before we took her out, and we were lied to in our opinion....

The boat was not ready to go, items missing from the inventory...causing delays.... it was ridiculous for a company that prides itself on its customer service and even advertises that they double check everything.....

anyway.... I have to give full credit to my partner, who's awesome sailing skills, experience and wisdom got us through it. Cheers to him!!!
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Old 16-11-2010, 07:52   #18
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Like I've said, all of the above is what we like about BVI Yacht Charters. We've recommended them to dozens of folks who have all said the same thing: The boats aren't new, but are well maintained and clean. When/if there is a problem, they are VERY responsive. And it is ALL very personal.
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Old 16-11-2010, 07:56   #19
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Horizon vs BVI Yacht Charters

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Like I've said, all of the above is what we like about BVI Yacht Charters. We've recommended them to dozens of folks who have all said the same thing: The boats aren't new, but are well maintained and clean. When/if there is a problem, they are VERY responsive. And it is ALL very personal.

which is why we are seriously considering going with them next time....!!!

Horizon...no way!!!
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Old 16-11-2010, 09:05   #20
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I guess in the end it all comes down to how the charter company deals with problems. If we had problems (as we've had both trips with moorings) and it was handled well, I'd use the company again. If it wasn't, like SweetSerenity, I'd take my business elsewhere.

Did they at least offer a discount if you came back or any kind of refund? That would probably get me to consider them again.
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Old 24-11-2010, 12:19   #21
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A sheet adrift....Surely you jest!

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A jib sheet adrift and you're complaining???
Surely you jest....it was really unsafe...and my partner fell backwards at full force...

number of other issues:

bilge pump did not work
main sail would not drop down into lazy jacks smoothly
no cotter pins in the turnbuckles

Steering...rudder many times would not respond...then the boat sometimes, unexpectantly would round down wind into a high speed gybe....dangerous!

no big deal....whatever!

safety is a very big deal...and we stayed safe in the hands of my experienced sailing partner...

Lessons learned...will have a significant checklist for next time....

but there will never again be a next time with Horizon...

thanks for your reply!
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Old 24-11-2010, 12:39   #22
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One thing I don't think that you mentioned here which you did state on another forum is that you never called for the chase boat to resolve any issues. So while the number of issues you had should have been avoided, they probably all could have been fixed with a quick visit from a chase boat.

While I would hold them accountable for a situation like that, not giving them a chance to fix the issues by calling them basically leaves you with just being able to blame them (perhaps rightly so), but had they fixed everything early in your trip, perhaps you would have come away with a different attitude about Horizon?
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Old 24-11-2010, 12:56   #23
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that is true...we weighed the situation as it unfolded and chose not to call....This was a very special trip for us...as I am sure it is for most folks. we could have called...waited around for them to show up and lose 1/2 day or even a day or 2...this was not acceptable to us....we had an itinerary that was based on certain events....losing a day or 1/2 day would have thrown everything off...

My partner has many years of sailing experience and many ASA certs...but most importantly....wisdom and common sense....he took fine care of us...and we made it through AND got to experience a wonderful vacation in the BVI...and I am very grateful to him for that...

I am not going to take responsibility for Horizon's negligence....I can take responsibility for our choices.....and we chose the right thing in my opinion.
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Old 24-11-2010, 13:03   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SweetSerenity View Post
Surely you jest....it was really unsafe...and my partner fell backwards at full force...

number of other issues:

bilge pump did not work
main sail would not drop down into lazy jacks smoothly
no cotter pins in the turnbuckles

Steering...rudder many times would not respond...then the boat sometimes, unexpectantly would round down wind into a high speed gybe....dangerous!

no big deal....whatever!

safety is a very big deal...and we stayed safe in the hands of my experienced sailing partner...

Lessons learned...will have a significant checklist for next time....

but there will never again be a next time with Horizon...

thanks for your reply!
The problems with the jib sheet and the main should have been apparent when you boarded the boat and checked the sails. The bilge pump is usually tested before sailing too. The steering is another matter. If she steered when you motored out of the marina I would say it was working. If it did not you should not have taken the boat out. No experienced sailor would take a boat out that doesn't steer. Your difficulty with the steering while sailing might be because you were not familiar with the boat under sail and perhaps the wind was a bit gusty. Perhaps you might explain how your "partner fell backwards at full force" because a jib sheet came adrift.
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Old 24-11-2010, 13:14   #25
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Originally Posted by SweetSerenity View Post
that is true...we weighed the situation as it unfolded and chose not to call....This was a very special trip for us...as I am sure it is for most folks. we could have called...waited around for them to show up and lose 1/2 day or even a day or 2...this was not acceptable to us....we had an itinerary that was based on certain events....losing a day or 1/2 day would have thrown everything off...

My partner has many years of sailing experience and many ASA certs...but most importantly....wisdom and common sense....he took fine care of us...and we made it through AND got to experience a wonderful vacation in the BVI...and I am very grateful to him for that...

I am not going to take responsibility for Horizon's negligence....I can take responsibility for our choices.....and we chose the right thing in my opinion.
I would highly suggest in any future trip that regardless of how small or large a problem that you call. It takes a few minutes to call and they'd likely let you know when and where they could meet you (likely in a place you'll be anyway) and at that point you could probably still opt to not have them meet you if it was going be a burden.

As far as the right decision or not - who knows.. It worked for you, but I suspect had you called, you might have been met at a time and place conveinent for you, had the issues fixed and not had a second worry about them the rest of the trip which could have made it even more enjoyable.

I also wouldn't ever plan a trip around events since weather and other factors can always change that - having a plan is fine, but it should be something that can change in an instant. Just my 2 cents on that..

I've been on two charters, had problems both times. Had a chase boat meet us both times at a time and place conveinent to us and didn't have it delay us in anything we wanted to do.
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Old 24-11-2010, 15:38   #26
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Too many things sound like an inexperienced operator rather than a boat problem..... again some one who simply post an attack with no basis for us to judge their knowledge isn't one I place a lot of confidence in.

Sorry but I live here and see the unqualified people out sailing every day most blaming the boat for not going where they want to go and failing to take the logical actions..... such as hire a qualified skipper if the trip is that important.

I seem to desire a large portion of Sea Salt to swallow much of this.
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Old 25-11-2010, 06:48   #27
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Too many things sound like an inexperienced operator rather than a boat problem..... again some one who simply post an attack with no basis for us to judge their knowledge isn't one I place a lot of confidence in.

That's the conclusion I've come to.
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Old 25-11-2010, 11:52   #28
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We have chartered 3 times with Horizon. Twice out of Nanny Cay and once out of True Blue in Grenada. All have been positive experiences. Each had it's issues, but all were handled in short order and with professionalism. I love the sailability of the Bavaria line. A good combination of performance and comfort. Horizon's Bavarias are always fully optioned and well maintained. The BVI is a great place to start your first bareboat as has been pointed out. They are the green slopes of sailing. The crews at Horizon will help you in and out of the slips at Nanny Cay, no problem. Have a great time!! It's one of our favorite places on earth.
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Old 25-11-2010, 11:55   #29
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We just got back and chartered with Horizon - not a good experience I'm afraid. Lot's of problems with the boat and very poor customer service to say the least.
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Old 25-11-2010, 12:14   #30
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Inexperience...perhaps you're right? I've only been sailing 15 years and have my own Cherubini Hunter on Lake Dillon of all places. All the ASA certs - monohull and Cat (except Trailerable Multihull Standard (ASA 113)), including Offshore Passagemaking and 3 sailboat deliveries on the North Atlantic...perhaps I need a little more time at the helm?

Our experiences with Horizon were real. Yes, the boat was initially "steerable" out of port but it was only when close hauled that the problems showed up. She simply would not sail. I later discovered that the maximum rudder angle was only 30 degrees when it should have been 45 degrees. Problems with the stops and maybe cable slippage on the quadrant perhaps? Suffice it to say they knew about the steering issues and still sent us out waving "have a nice vacation" - totally unconscionable in my opinion.
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