The New Local Knowledge
Intrepid charter yacht crews are navigating the new seascape in the USVIs for venturesome clients.
You may find yourself wondering whether r chartering in the Caribbean is in the cards this year. After all, much of that storied sea devolved from paradise to perdition in a matter of weeks last September as a pair of Category 5 hurricanes hit the islands, cutting a swath of devastation that had not been seen in recent memory.
About two months after Irma and Maria did their level best to level many of the islands, the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association (VIPCA) VIPCA) held its charter yacht show at Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas ThTh and invited Power & Motoryacht to come down. From my perspective as a journalist, the charter show would be a promising event chieflchieflfly because it’s a b-to-b affair, a venue for charter operators to connect with the brokers who help market their services— including aquatic adventures, fun in the sun, island hopping, sampling island fare, exploring, sipping rum, stand-up paddleboarding, and motoring and sailing around some of the best cruising grounds available anywhere.
It was November and in Connecticut the season was quickly transitioning to winter, so St. Thomas seemed like a good place to buttonhole the skippers and crews of some successful charter operations. I wanted to see how their understanding of the territory was developing, or, rather, redeveloping, since their hard-won information about the best spots for various activities had to be reassessed. They were building the new local knowledge from the ground up.
Chartering a boat has always been a terrific way for boaters to see the best part of the world—that’s the wet part—from the deck of a vessel aboard which guests set the schedule and the activities. But what do intrepid boaters do if, somehow, their memories of a place, the cruising guides published up to now, and maybe even the charts are no longer a good source of reliable information? Rather than surrender their favorite haunts to natural disaster, boaters can book a crewed charter and rely on experienced charter captains, who may be having some of the same challenges. After all, they have a network of sources that they’ve begun to employ as they’ve started revisiting their old haunts, having conversations, and gathering local knowledge in the time-honored way. Just as they learned the ropes in the Virgin Islands the first time, these skippers are once again building their knowledge base and getting their feet wet so they’re ready to show charter guests the times of their lives.
Take the crew of Ultra, with Capt. Vince and Linda Stracener, who hosted me for the VIPCA charter show aboard their Lagoon 630 power cat. While my stateroom offered excellent views of the harbor through huge windows and had plenty of room, it was the Stracener’s natural, easygoing hospitality that made my visit truly comfortable.
In fact, it started when Capt. Vince called me upon my arrival at the airport to assure me Linda would be picking me up curbside. The amount of information she shared just in that short drive was invaluable. “The traffic lights aren’t working yet,” she said with a smirk. “But it’s okay, since the traffic flow seems actually to work better than when they are working.” Watching the islanders collaborate to prevent gridlock until the St. Thomas power grid came back online was the first taste of what I would see over and over—the resolve of the people.
Stepping aboard Ultra, I could feel the burden of travel lift as I transitioned to island time. It certainly didn’t hurt that Ultra is a factoryfresh yacht, just entering charter. With plenty of onboard space and a sociable layout she is well suited to the task.
“We’re looking forward to getting her off the dock and out on the hook somewhere,” said Capt. Vince. “She’s ready to go.” Her ship’s systems were running flawlessly, so air-conditioning, refrigeration and cooking were no problem—meaning she was better equipped for island living than most of the homes we could see from her decks at that time.
Capt. Vince and Linda were just finishing up their show duties, so I changed into shorts and headed down the dock to meet the other powerboat crews and see what was going on.
Just a few slips down the dock I met Capt. Roy Sayvetz and Ann Marie Dumais, owners of Suite Life, a 92-foot Tarrab motoryacht. With four en suite staterooms, an enormous salon, an aft deck and fishing cockpit, and a huge flybridge, Suite Life is certainly ready for fun on the water. Sayvetz has been working these waters for the better part of two decades and he takes a realistic approach. “Chartering a yacht has always been the best way to see the Virgin Islands, and that hasn’t changed at all,” he said. “Everything you need is right here. We’re figuring out what is available for services as we go, and it’s only getting better.”
Indeed, the situation is changing in the Virgin Islands almost as quickly as the winds of those storms that blew through. “As we make our way through the islands we’re seeing our favorite places reopen, one by one,” Dumais said. “We want to help get the word out as the Soggy Dollar, B-Line Beach Bar, and Oil Nut Bay start to welcome guests back at the level of service our clients expect.”
One thing is certain: If you don’t look into a charter in the Virgin Islands before you make your vacation plans, you may be missing out on some deals. Many charter operators are offering all-inclusive packages to help fill the calendar. And there’s something for everyone. Just ask Debbie Grace, owner of Amazing Grace Yacht Charters, which operates a Prestige Jeanneau 48 out of Sapphire Beach Marina in St. Thomas, a boat that’s ideal for a small family or a couple. “We don’t compromise on the quality of the experience we offer,” Grace says. “So we’ll only choose locations that meet our needs and the clients’ wishes. We do day trips, sunset cruises, overnights, or as long as you like to accommodate everyone’s dream vacation.”
Grace’s captain, Patrick Lee Hermon, is a local. That means he has plied the waters of the Virgin Islands for his entire life, and he knows the ins and outs of every bay, cove, and hot spot.
“My grandfather was a tugboat captain,” he said. “I learned to use landmarks and ranges to find my way around the islands, so if the storms moved a buoy, I’ll know it. But the best part: The beaches are not going to change. If clients want to come and relax, we can give them that experience as well as ever.”
After the charter show, Capt. Vince and Linda of Ultra were ready to get off the dock, and I joined them for a night on the hook. “Some people are saying the storms churned up the bottom and revitalized the beaches with fresh sand,” Capt. Vince said as we motored out of Charlotte Amalie. “It may be even better than before around here.” As we motored, a ferry was in constant motion, hauling a pair of dump trucks from Water Island to St. Thomas and back again, the trucks loaded with debris to St. Thomas, empty on the return trip.
We anchored up in Honeymoon Bay on Water Island (that’s Druif Bay on the chart) and enjoyed the scenery as we settled in. A stand of palm trees waved in the breeze on the beach, as tenders crowded around a beach bar. “That’s Dinghy’s,” Capt. Vince said. “And over there is Heidi’s. And it doesn’t look like they lost a single palm tree—that’s good, they’re all coming back.” I squinted into the distance and looked for myself. Sure enough, each trunk springing from that sugar-sand beach had a tuft of green fronds shooting up out of a gray-brown crown of storm-beaten leaves.
We climbed into the tender to hit the bar at Dinghy’s. As we joined the crowd in the open-air bar, Capt. Vince stepped over to chat with some locals and compared notes with other skippers about what they had seen, sharing the latest news. And so the local knowledge grows—updated facts mixing with the way things were and changing the picture. It’s the new local knowledge.