Thinking of chartering a catamaran and hiring an ASA instructor.

[Swammy]

Originally Posted by NoahTreat

This is interesting. Can anyone else confirm this statement?

I just rented a 44' Cat from Dream Yacht in Martinique for 30 days and got off the boat this last weekend. For example, in this case, they asked specifically for both my "credentials" and my sailing resume. Why? Martinique and the area is much different than sailing in the BVI's. I would say that I would be able to have had rented without a significant amount of experience but with the 101 and 104. I do have the 114. But, they really looked at the resume for what I was going to do. Would they have rented to me without significant experieince? I would say yes but as they asked also for my itinerary, they would not have let me and required for me to stay just around the island. Instead, they gave me a waiver and I could sail at night, overnight, and went to Grenada and back up to Guadeloupe.

In the BVI's for example, I know that they almost let anyone rent with minimal experience and no certificates. It is obvious when you are around the waters and see the shenanigans at a mooring field, or where most people are simply motoring with no sails.

Do yourself a favor and understand the importance of developing a level of competence and safety for what you want to do with a boat that you can handle. These are boats the size and weight of big trucks. A lot can go wrong if handled incorrectly. Get some training, volunteer to be on a yacht delivery with a good captain, get some serious sailing under your keel, and anchor and dock a few dozen times with supervision. Then, take your family with you when you are ready.