Chartering a Cat for Christmas Break

[Iaangus]

My wife, 9 year old daughter and myself are contemplating a warm weather beach trip to the Caribbean for late December and early January. I would like to spend some time on a 40 - 46 foot catamaran. I would also like to learn about sailing and get certified in snorkeling. It seems Christmas break is the most busy time of year for these charters. Are there usually cancellations that open up spots and do they go quickly also. We can be flexible. Any ideas?

[Ex-Calif]

Welcome aboard Iaangus.

I don't think there is a snorkeling certification or at least I have never heard of one. If you are talking about lessons I think you are probably best to tie to a resort hotel or something. Actually snorkeling is basically swimming with a tube in your mouth.

If you are talking about SCUBA I would advise to plan at least 3 and realistically 5 days to get certified - It can consume a big part of your vacation but is totally worth it.

In regards to the cat, are you talking crewed - with a skipper? Either way at this late day you may need to compromise on the boat. This will require some googling and research on your part.

Others may have specific recommendations for charterers they have worked with, I have never been in the area.

Good luck!

[maytrix]

It's possible you might be able to negotiate a deal, but when would you buy airline tickets? That could eat up any savings you might get on booking a boat last minute.

And it does sound like you need a crewed charter since you want to learn about sailing. The two options you have are to charter a boat and get a captain or to charter a crewed boat which is often all-inclusive. BVI would probably be a good place to go since it's an easy sailing area with a lot of charter boats, so odds are probably fair that there could be a last minute deal. The flights are still the biggest issue I see.

As far as scuba - if that is what you mean, do the first part at home - there's class and pool work that you don't need to do on vacation - you can just do the 4 dives you need to finalize the certification. Snorkeling has not certification and is pretty easy.