ISLAND HOPPING
The first evening, we settled aboard, stowed our gear, and generally luxuriated in the saloon with its large dinette and loose chairs. The 443 is not the typical bareboat charter of old. The relaxing and entertaining area flows from the saloon to the back deck. Open the swing-up window and the galley is open through to the cockpit entertainment area. Want to watch the view while underway, take a few steps up to the flybridge, with plenty of additional seating.
Our first stop was Scrub Island, once literally nothing but scrub brush, but now a gleaming resort complex with a great marina, where dockmaster Paul greased us into a slip and had us tied and plugged in instantly. There are several suitable anchorages nearby, but Scrub Island is appealing for several reasons: it offers a pristine multi-level pool connected by waterfalls, a handful of lovely beaches, shops and several restaurants including the famed Caravela, where the carnivores in our crew made short work of perfectly prepared ribeye and New York steaks.
The next morning, we went to the dogs. The Dog Islands, that is. The Dogs consist of five uninhabited islands situated on the route to Virgin Gorda, named for the barking sound of seals before they were decimated by seal hunters years ago. We picked up a National Parks Trust day mooring buoy (you buy a permit to use the mooring buoys with your charter) on George Dog off Kitchen Point and enjoyed marvelous snorkeling, plus our chance to put the first footprints on a tiny, private sandy beach. While anchored at George Dog, we put another 443 feature to the test: We swung the after galley window open to create an indoor/outdoor bar where we enjoyed our lunch and icy Kalik beers after snorkeling. This is a thoughtful design touch on the 443, especially with the cockpit settee just a step away.
We were headed for the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin
Imagine being able to create a bareboat charter company using the best minds in the business. Imagine being able to have the financial resources to design and build the optimum line of boats for bareboat and crewed charters. The result would be MarineMax Vacations–a nextgeneration charter company.
Several years ago Lex Raas and Raul Bermudez teamed up with Bill McGill, the CEO of MarineMax, to create a charter vacation company from the ground up.
If you are not familiar with MarineMax, they are the largest retailer of boats and yachts in the world, with 56 retail showrooms and locations in 16 states, primarily in the eastern half of the U.S. and California. Being a part of the MarineMax family as a customer includes assistance with other services like service, insurance, and training. Their motto is: “We are United by water.” The company brings together their customers with many social events and arranged trips. It was natural that they would look to a build a charter operation, starting with a base in the BVIs.
Lex and Raul started by working with top marine designers and builders to create a unique line of optimized power cats. They did not start with a sailing cat and modify it to be a power cat. This clean sheet design approach resulted in a line of three yachts with 2, 3, and 4 cabins. The Aquila 44 became the MarineMax 443 and is their most popular model with a spacious master stateroom and room for kids or friends in two additional ensuite cabins. All of their boats include many new and innovative features for a bareboat charter. They listened to customer feedback and added features like free built-in Wi-Fi, a watermaker, genset, air conditioning with individual cabin controls, an electric grill, and fresh-water heads.
The living spaces are large with lots of headroom. The windows provide 360 degree views. The 443 galley has a window overlooking the back deck. Swing the window up, fold down the backsplash and you have a bar area where everything flows through from the saloon to the cockpit deck, complete with two bar stools.
The davit for the dinghy is built-in to the stern of the boat and makes it easy to launch the tender. The swim platforms are perfect for enjoying the clear blue waters of the Virgin Islands, with platform space between the hulls to place a chair or two right at the water’s edge.
The flybridge has all the amenities, from a fully equipped helm to a dining center complete with fridge, sink, grill, and plenty of seating. In front of the helm there are stairs that lead right down to the foredeck allowing the captain to assist with anchoring or securing a mooring ball.
Down below, two Volvo 225-horsepower D4 diesel engines with V-drives power the props in tunnels to reduce draft and protect the running gear. At 2,000 rpm, she cruises at over 10 knots, burning about 4.5 gph, or better than 2 miles per gallon. Systems are accessible and the wiring is clear and well laid out.
MarineMax Vacations re-engineered the entire charter process with an expert staff to make it easy and painless. They can help you plan your charter vacation from beginning to end for you and your crew.
Mark Bunzel is the co-author of Cruising the Virgin Islands cruising guide. He has been charter cruising sailboats and power cats in the Virgin Islands for over 35 years.