St Vincent - Barefoot Yacht Charters

[rwviets]

OK so here we are moored at Canouan just off Tamarind ON ALEXIAN. No major problems. Just normal sailing stuff and I am sure normal chartering stuff which to some are problems. No problems here mon. Off to supper at the Tamarind. Full report on return to the frozen north. Ugh.
Robert Viets.

[doug.banks]

We chartered Alexian for 10 days in February. It was our first time in the SVGs. I must say that we were treated great by all the Barefoot staff - both office and dock. We had no issues at all with Alexian aside from the fact that she has next to no storage aboard and she has two new Yanmars, 42 HP each I believe. We found that at 2500 RPM, the boat could do no better than 2 kts into the wind and boy, was there wind. We had some unpleasant issues with some of the locals along the west coast of St Vincent and at Union Island. We watched boat hook brawls between locals to determine who would earn the right to harass us. Due to the problems we had with the locals, we will not be returning to the Grenadines but I have nothing but good things to say about Barefoot.

D Banks

[Sailmonkey]

We had problems with the locals also at union island. None that operated from a shore base, just problems with "floaters" that wouldn't take no for an answer.

[knotnow]

Doug, don’t let some over zealous dweebs keep you guys from the magic of the “Wild West” of the Caribbean. These guys can be somewhat intimidating and that’s unfortunate. Some are out there trying to feed their families and some are out there trying to feed their habit. Not a whole lot different than in any urban area I’ve been in (born and raised in Detroit). Most of the “Boat Boys” have become friends of mine and I really respect them. The good ones, most, are providing a service and really look out for the Charter Boats and their occupants. Where else can you be sitting enjoying a “Rummer” and had fresh Banana or Whole Wheat Bread, still warm from the oven delivered boatside.

In St. Vincent I have no answer, but on Union in Clifton try to get an ID on who’s aggressive. A while ago to combat some complaints a group got together with the Gov. and formed a “Water Taxi Association”. The two big players in that Association are Walter, either in the Tobago Cay’s, Saline or Salt Whistle during the day or later afternoon the fishing docks in Clifton. Pink bottom skiff, best bread in the area, gold crowns, and tell him who’s causing trouble –OR- Sidney. Rasta, dreads and a Rasta head wrap either in the Cay’s or next to Anchorage Yacht Club. Tell them your experience, they will handle it.

Glad you had a good experience with my friends at Barefoot.

[rwviets]

This thread is running on....in a good way I think.
We steered Alexian clear of Clifton as we had no need for provisions and anchored off Shark Attack in Chatham Bay. The girls were going on about "shrieking gusts" they had read about in Doyle's guide on the way in. It is certainly an appropriate name for the night sounds in Chatham.
First guy out to us was Onion. We bantered for a couple of minutes and then I spied fresh limes under his deck which we were badly in need of. G&T time wot! He pulled up a handful and gave them to us in trust that we would go to his place for beach BBQ. You get a feel for a good man if you talk for a bit and he seemed straight up. After walking up from a drink at the new Aqua we checked out the 5 or 6 BBQ shacks and indeed settled on Onions. 2 baracuda, 1 red snapper, 1 big chicken drumstick and another fish ( covalis?) plus a bunch of conch made one of the best meals of our trip.
We never had a problem with the boat guys. In fact they were all very helpful and a wealth of information to us as first time SVG cruisers.
More about our trip later.
RWV

[knotnow]

RWV – Ya gota keep Chatham a little quieter and continue telling folks about that shrieking gust stuff. Tell too many and the place will become a bloody tourist trap. I’ve taken folks there under duress only to have them want to stay 3 days. As far as the renegades that come out in the boats to meet ya, don’t tell me that you actually made nice with one. That would go against prior postings. Or maybe you’ve just reaped what was sewn. Glad you found it - shrieking gusts and all.

To be fair to the guides it does sometimes sound like a freight train in the middle of the night but if you’re anchored in the right place very comfortable.

Wish I was there now as the winds here sound the same but it’s dang cold.

[sgranzotti]

We have used Barefoot Yacht Charters three times and are actually headed there again next week. They are absolutely fantastic. I would highly recommend them -- they also have an awesome restaurant and lovely rooms on premises.

You can't go wrong with Barefoot!

[boatman61]

ROTFLMBO...........
1st poster slags them.... then another 1st poster praises them to high heaven....
"There aint no such thing as Bad Publicity..."
Unless you make anchors...

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, sgranzotti.

[michaellanglois]

I see from the date of that post that this quite out of date but I feel obliged to respond to anyone who might be considering chartering from Barefoot in St. Vincent. They are an astoundingly inept group of people. A rudderless ship without a captain, I'm afraid. Granted, we chartered the oldest, cheapest boat in their fleet, Pelican Pete, but that was no excuse for the poor maintenance and complete lack of oversight from anyone there. Our anchor rode broke in Chatham Bay; thankfully in the middle of the day when we were alert. There were many many other issues with the boat and Barefoot. Please be very cautious about using this company. The lifeboat onboard our vessel had not been serviced in 9 years. This is no patty-cake cruising ground. The winds can be fierce and the seas high. There are shoals and shallows to be careful with. Not to mention the fact that they have no laws about dumping sewage into any anchorage and every boat basically voids their excrement into the anchorage where people often swim. Do not go in the water in the morning is all I can say. The anchorages are often packed, the moorings unreliable, and the other sailors often inept. Take a captain for a few days. You'll be glad you did. All that said, it is a beautiful place and worth visiting.

[John A]

Originally Posted by michaellanglois

I see from the date of that post that this quite out of date but I feel obliged to respond to anyone who might be considering chartering from Barefoot in St. Vincent. They are an astoundingly inept group of people. A rudderless ship without a captain, I'm afraid. Granted, we chartered the oldest, cheapest boat in their fleet, Pelican Pete, but that was no excuse for the poor maintenance and complete lack of oversight from anyone there. Our anchor rode broke in Chatham Bay; thankfully in the middle of the day when we were alert. There were many many other issues with the boat and Barefoot. Please be very cautious about using this company. The lifeboat onboard our vessel had not been serviced in 9 years. This is no patty-cake cruising ground. The winds can be fierce and the seas high. There are shoals and shallows to be careful with. Not to mention the fact that they have no laws about dumping sewage into any anchorage and every boat basically voids their excrement into the anchorage where people often swim. Do not go in the water in the morning is all I can say. The anchorages are often packed, the moorings unreliable, and the other sailors often inept. Take a captain for a few days. You'll be glad you did. All that said, it is a beautiful place and worth visiting.

Sorry that you had a bad charter in St Vincent.
One thing you mentioned caught my attention. ALL small towns in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, and most third world countries don't have laws concerning disposial of raw sewage in the ocean.
b

[michaellanglois]

This was my first charter in the Caribbean so the wanton dumping of raw sewage into anchorages was a shock to me. I have only sailed in Miami and Greece thus far and, it seems to me, that any country or charter company might want to preserve their anchorages especially given the density of the boat traffic and the number of folks who have little choice but to swim those areas.

[Lajos]

I'm planning to take ASA with barefoot on a cat next year, any recent comments or recomendations?...

[johnfields]

Moorings is the best. Barefooted with them many times; all very satisfactory.
There is no reason to use any other charter. As for your qualifications, tell them anything, at least last time we sailed with them, they apparently never check!
I absolutely do think you need some skills.