Advice for chartering a small sailboat in the West Indies.

[wbarkley_84]

Hello,
My name's Will and I'm looking for advice on both charter services and destinations. My wife and I are taking our honeymoon in late oct to early nov. we are looking for like 4-5 days of island hopping. I am looking for a laid back captain that would let me do all the work on the boat. I'm 28, in great shape and want to learn as much as possible. All I seem to find are fully staffed yachts that are outta my price range I wanna spend. I want to spend $1000-$2000 on a sailboat for a solo captain and costs.. is that possible for 4-5 days?

Next is where to go.. I wanna check out Dominica I think because I heard its great for nature. My wife and I wanna camp in the jungle at least one night. Is it a good an island for jungles, wildlife, waterfalls, etc that as I've been told? We'd love to do some diving, surfing and exploring. rum mills, plantations and markets would be cool too. I think we're gonna end our trip with a great place to relax, a SPA would be great but I want to find something secluded and private. Any suggestions on hidden resorts that cater to couples/newlyweds so as to be quiet and peaceful.

Thanks for any ideas. We can't wait to get down there..

[Jeannius]

You'll not get a proper commercial charter for anything close to $2000 in the Caribbean. All you can hope for is a cruiser who's looking for a bit of cash. Best bet for that would be in Grenada where there is a big 'liveaboard' population, many of them existing on very small budgets, who might be interested in making a bit of money.

Other possibility might be a 'cabin-only' trip but you'll be sharing the boat with other guests.

As for your other requirements... Dominica is good for your jungle, wildlife etc but you'll not find many cruising boats there. St Vincent the same. Maybe St Lucia for just possibly combining all your needs.

[Teknav]

I recommend these two islands for their nature preserves/forest/jungles/water falls/miles of serene sights: Guadeloupe <Gwa-duh-loop> - French West Indies and Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago). Pricey air tickets, car rental and accommodations are to be expected; Tobago will consume a very long day of travel. While Dominica has its nature preserve and water falls, I would not be comfortable camping there; security issues. The best camping destination would either be Cinnamon Bay or Maho Bay in St. John - USVI. Your vacation time and budget are modest for sailboat chartering in the Caribbean. Read up on St. John - USVI; it will fit your budget. As for sailing, you can go on one of the SCUBA diving speed boats, as a snorkeler, for a modest fee.; snorkel around the boat, while the rest are diving. Look-up sunset sails offered at some of the resorts. They offer a two-hour memorable sailing experience with steel band music playing, snacks and rum punch; it won't break your budget. St. John - USVI is across St. Thomas (Fly to STT airport, then take a ferry boat from downtown (Charlotte Amalie <Amma-lia> to St. John.) Have fun! Mauritz