Boat Boys - moorings and tipping

[Peregrine1983]

We're cruising the Grenadines in a week or so and I'm reading a ton about boat boys in many of the anchorages on Active Captain.

I'd like to hear under what circumstances people here use their services and when they do not. Also, when you do let them help you, how much do you pay? My guide book says between $10-20 EC.

We're always friendly and positive with people we meet, and I'm pretty good at very nicely getting people to buzz off if they get aggressive. We've just cruised the Northeast US, so boat boys aren't a phenomenon we've encountered yet.

Would love to hear thoughts. Thanks in advance.

[puffcard]

We tip well and when others come along side you say my with so and so. The guy we used was great and very helpful, but they are pushy.

[Peregrine1983]

Thanks puffcard. Did you need help tieing off to shore or something complicated like that? I’m just trying to imagine under what circumstances we’d need their help. Mooring balls and anchoring we’d more than capable of. Thanks for any input.

[puffcard]

In St Lucia at the Pitons, used them a few times. You could do it yourself, but would be a pain. You are picking up a ball and tieing to shore. They are pushy but most we meet were good guys. I wish I could remember the boat boy we used, very well connected. He hooked us up and no one messed with us. The biggest hassles are the guys selling old fruit and day old bread off paddle boards. Got one guy to get a bag of ice by the time he made it back it was about 3lbs. Lol

[Peregrine1983]

Hahah... Cool. Thanks puffcard.

[sailingforfun]

Didn't care for them. They can be pushy and aggressive. However, its best you use one if you want to avoid any problems to yourself or stuff.

Reminds me of paying the guy with the dirty rag who wants to wash your windshield and you pay him just to not touch your clean windshield.

[taxwizz]

Sounds like Extortion.
Paying "Protection Money"
But probably a good idea in some ports.

[sailingforfun]

Originally Posted by taxwizz

Sounds like Extortion.
Paying "Protection Money"
But probably a good idea in some ports.

IMO, that's exactly what it is, but it would be wise to pay.

[Privleoplag]

At the Pitons, give 'em 10 ec to leave you alone, tell them your going to take a park mooring and you're supposed to meet Peter Butcher there.

[amiller]

At the Pitons you have little choice, but we paid a relatively low $10EC (last week). We aren't a charter boat, so I don't think we get the hard sale like the charter boats do...in the Tobago Cays the boat boys are on charter vessels like flies on, well, what flies like.

If you are mooring, expect them to be there, and don't expect them to leave until you pay. If you're anchoring, just wave them off.

Andy
www.SailingSeaMonkey.com

[uncle stinkybob]

Paying a dock boy to do something I do everyday to avoid being hassled or to protect my boat or person is just sad.

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by sailingforfun

Didn't care for them. They can be pushy and aggressive. However, its best you use one if you want to avoid any problems to yourself or stuff.

Reminds me of paying the guy with the dirty rag who wants to wash your windshield and you pay him just to not touch your clean windshield.

This is what I was worried about... Thanks for the advice. We're going to hit Mustique, Mayreau, and Tobago Cays for some diving.

[Lihuedooley77]

We have sailed From St. Lucia down to " Petit St. Vincent, and at various anchorages in between, we ran into boat boys who wanted to haul out our second anchor for a our bahamian moor. No moorings back in those days.
We turned them down.

Others would be on the docks and watch our dink, to keep it and our outboard from being stolen. Back then it was about 5 EC. A couple of yankee dollars. They are well skilled in their line of BS.

The dock boys we paid because we wanted to keep our dink and outboard. The others, boat boys, we did not need, since we can anchor or use a bahamian moor on our own.

One other thing, we used at an anchorage on St. Lucia, we fell for having a boat boy, take our long line in and tie it to a tree, from the stern of our boat. Bow anchor was already set.

After dinking ashore to party, I checked the line tied to the tree. Should have been a bowline, and he had tied some novice slip knot. End of that program.

We settled for our own seaman ship, and anchoring, and anything that had to do with the boat. That one was a Peterson 44. We locked up the vessel when we went ashore.

Bequia we were soundly hit up, but always smiled and were polite to the dock boys, or others peddlingtheir merchandise.

Oh, in Petite St. Vincent, we did by a couple of huge, huge lobsters, that were great and the price fair. A couple of fishermen in a dinghy.

That was our style , not necessarily that of others. This was the only area in the Caribbean that we ran across these slight cases of larceny.

[shawndear]

I would avoid St Lucia totally. Even places like Marrigot and Soufriere have had a number of break ins/boarding over the last season. The Soufriere guys also hassle you a lot but there is no need for their help. You can do it yourself. They are not providing a service. An honest mans hard labour earns him between 5 and 10EC and hour so why do they think they deserve 20EC for 2 minutes of "work" - passing two lines through a ring?? Where possible, which is most places in the Grenadines, use your anchor. Moorings break more often than chains and you are not covered by any insurance - you are using someone else's equipment that your insurance company probably does not cover and they certainly don't have insurance. Just politely say "no thanks, my insurance company doesn't cover me on someone else's mooring" and report anyone for abuse. Trust your equipment and skills at anchoring... or

[Peregrine1983]

Sounds like it's a good old-fashioned protection racket.