Reviews

Charter Dates: 07/08/2024-07/19/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Dorania Mato
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Yacht Name: Devine
Yacht & Crew
Please answer the following questions pertaining to the yacht you chartered and the crew.
Rating of Yacht & Crew: 5
Was the yacht comfortable and clean?
The yacht was impeccable, spacious and very clean. The crew was always on top of it.
Was the yacht well ventilated?
It was, the AC was amazing.
Was the crew friendly and accommodating?
The crew, Debbie and Captain Bob, were attentive and making sure that we were having a good time. We loved to interact with them, like we knew them for a long time. I loved sailing and like to keep a journal and Captain Bob will make time in the morning to go over previous day sailing and mapped out the route on the map. He will discuss the day's plan and different options to make sure everybody had a good time.
Was the food good and well presented?
AMAZING !!!! before the trip Debbie and I talked about dietary's needs and options, as she was planning the menu, and my daughter is vegetarian and does not like certain vegetables. Debbie made sure that my daughter had options. Debbie presented the food like an upscale restaurant explaining the food and sauces used.
8. Additional comments about the yacht and crew?
I enjoy a nice espresso in the morning, and I travel with my mini espresso maker. Debbie told me she had one in the yacht and bought the coffee and will brew it to perfection. Also, we were traveling to St Thomas three days before the scheduled cruise day and were caught in the Microsoft glitch, having to stay in Miami until the day before the cruise, crew kept in touch with us to make sure that we were making progress to make it as scheduled

Charter Dates: 07/08/2024-07/19/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Dorania Mato
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Yacht Name: Devine
Virgin Island Sailing® Team
Please answer the following questions about your experience working with the VI Sailing team.
Rating of VI Sailing Team: 5
Is this your first time booking with a charter broker? No
How was your experience working with your broker to book the yacht? Very Easy
After booking the yacht, how was your experience working with the Concierge Team? Very Easy
How would you describe the information provided in your Vacation Planner?
Check as many as apply: - Informative
How would you rate the frequency and content of communication from our team? Good Amount of Communication
Would you book your next yacht vacation with Virgin Island Sailing®? Of course

Charter Dates: 07/08/2024-07/19/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Bruce A Gingras
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Boat Name: Lonestar
Charter Company & Yacht
Please answer the following questions pertaining to the charter company and the yacht you chartered.
Rating of Charter Company & Yacht: 4
Upon arrival and during your charter, were the staff of the charter company friendly and accommodating?
Very accommodating.
Did the staff do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and its equipment?
They did, though if I did not have a hired skipper it would have been somewhat overwhelming after being awake for 18 hours in transit. Oscar was quite rapid in his delivery, so if I was bareboating as the captain I would have been a bit hard pressed.
Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Very clean. The A/C unit was inoperable on one of the cabins, and it took 2 switchouts to finally get it right per Tim. He was great. On day 3 we discovered the freezer was not functioning due to lack of freon, so we lost frozen meat. It got repaired at the Bitter End. The last repair was in Cane Garden Bay for a solenoid on the water making system. Once again Tim to the rescue. None of this was devastating, just irritating. Having sailed for many years I realize that these boats get hard use, but just a heads up.
Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes, but the range/oven had a heat sensor/carbon monoxide sensor that beeped constantly while in operation. It was a bit annoying.
Was the yacht well ventilated?
Yes.
Additional comments about the charter company and yacht you chartered?
We were told it was Lonestar's last charter prior to retirement, so some of the breakdowns were partially understandable.
Cruising Area

Did you like the area you chartered in?
Very much so. It was by 5 trip there, starting in 1967.
Would you like to share your itinerary or a vacation highlight with us?
Just that my crew appreciated my planning due to my past island experience. We spent 2 nights at the beginning of the trip at Peter Island just to get the crew acclimated to the boat, recover from air travel, and get experience with their snorkeling equipment. On a 7 day cruise that would be tight, but on a 10 day cruise it worked out well.

Charter Dates: 07/08/2024-07/19/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Bruce A Gingras
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Boat Name: Lonestar
Charter Company & Yacht
Please answer the following questions pertaining to the charter company and the yacht you chartered.
Rating of Charter Company & Yacht: 4
Upon arrival and during your charter, were the staff of the charter company friendly and accommodating?
Very accommodating.
Did the staff do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and its equipment?
They did, though if I did not have a hired skipper it would have been somewhat overwhelming after being awake for 18 hours in transit. Oscar was quite rapid in his delivery, so if I was bareboating as the captain I would have been a bit hard pressed.
Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Very clean. The A/C unit was inoperable on one of the cabins, and it took 2 switchouts to finally get it right per Tim. He was great. On day 3 we discovered the freezer was not functioning due to lack of freon, so we lost frozen meat. It got repaired at the Bitter End. The last repair was in Cane Garden Bay for a solenoid on the water making system. Once again Tim to the rescue. None of this was devastating, just irritating. Having sailed for many years I realize that these boats get hard use, but just a heads up.
Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes, but the range/oven had a heat sensor/carbon monoxide sensor that beeped constantly while in operation. It was a bit annoying.
Was the yacht well ventilated?
Yes.
Additional comments about the charter company and yacht you chartered?
We were told it was Lonestar's last charter prior to retirement, so some of the breakdowns were partially understandable.

Charter Dates: 07/08/2024-07/19/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Bruce A Gingras
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Boat Name: Lonestar
Virgin Island Sailing® Team
Please answer the following questions about your experience working with the VI Sailing team.
Rating of VI Sailing Team: 4
Is this your first time booking with a charter broker? Yes
How was your experience working with your broker to book the yacht? Very Easy
After booking the yacht, how was your experience working with the Concierge Team? Somewhat Easy
How would you describe the information provided in your Vacation Planner?
Check as many as apply: - Easy to Understand
How would you rate the frequency and content of communication from our team? Good Amount of Communication
Additional comments about working with the VI Sailing team to plan your vacation?
Overall quite satisfied, but some hiccups. We had a privately hired skipper, and the entire resume submission process for him could have gone more smoothly as there was a lack of communication between you and TMM on the receipt of his documentation. Also, when Joanne was on vacation May 13-17 we were receiving information that the crew list still needed the skipper info which was redundant as already supplied. A bit frustrating.

Also, the 2 month advance e mail had information on our account that indicated a 20% gratuity for the overall charter fee was expected. This was never in any of our paperwork up until then, and made for a nervous 2 days until I talked to Brianna who indicated that should not have been in there. So please double check what goes out information-wise.
Would you book your next yacht vacation with Virgin Island Sailing®? Most certainly

Charter Dates: 07/14/2024-07/21/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Federico Corica
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Yacht Name: Permabear
Yacht & Crew
Please answer the following questions pertaining to the yacht you chartered and the crew.
Rating of Yacht & Crew: 5
Was the yacht comfortable and clean?
Yes
Was the yacht well ventilated?
Yes
Was the crew friendly and accommodating?
Yes
Was the food good and well presented?
Yes
8. Additional comments about the yacht and crew?
Please see below.
Cruising Area

Did you like the area you chartered in?
Yes
Would you like to share your itinerary or a vacation highlight with us?
The week aboard the Permabear visiting the Eastern Caribbean islands was more than a vacation. It was a unique life experience. It was the time off I did not know I needed. Being able to rest, recharge, and reflect was priceless. I believe it should be in everybody's bucket list.

The charter started with a friendly welcome at noon on a Sunday at the Marina Yacht Heaven Grande in Saint Thomas, and it just got better with every passing day. Our initial idea to visit some of the best places in the Caribbean while living in a boat was elevated to an unforgettable vacation by a great boat captain (Ed) and superb chef (Erin), who treated us as like family.

While on board, were enjoyed fresh and delicious multi-course meals prepared daily by the chef, who would narrate how she prepared them. I believe was better than a restaurant.

Boat life was exceptional abord the Permabear, with every need cared for 24/7 by the experienced captain and his wife (the chef) in this friendly and relaxed environment, where we lived at own pace. Daily activities started or ended whenever we felt hungry or tired. We never felt hurried.

We spent the nights on board safely and comfortably in air-conditioned cabins at carefully selected bays by the captain to be protected from ocean winds and with minimal boat rocking from sea waves.

The breath of marine life in the reefs was spectacular, snorkeling at wrekeage of the RMS Rhone was almost unbelievable, visiting the beautiful natural salt water tidal pools at The Baths was awsome, dinner at the world famous (and newly renovated after hurricane Irma) Saba Rock restaurant was a worferful treat, and visiting the iconic Soggy Dollar bar and store at White bay beach in Jost van Dyke was picture-perfect.
By the end of the week you may want this to become your new home and life.

Thanks to Ed and Erin for a wonderful week aboard the Permabear. You took time to share bits of your life with us and taught us a lot about this part of the world.
We return home with great memories from this vacation wishing to return and have this much fun again.
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Charter Dates: 07/14/2024-07/21/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Federico Corica
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Yacht Name: Permabear
Yacht & Crew
Please answer the following questions pertaining to the yacht you chartered and the crew.
Rating of Yacht & Crew: 5
Was the yacht comfortable and clean?
Yes
Was the yacht well ventilated?
Yes
Was the crew friendly and accommodating?
Yes
Was the food good and well presented?
Yes
8. Additional comments about the yacht and crew?
Please see below.

Charter Dates: 07/14/2024-07/21/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Federico Corica
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Yacht Name: Permabear
Virgin Island Sailing® Team
Please answer the following questions about your experience working with the VI Sailing team.
Rating of VI Sailing Team: 4
Is this your first time booking with a charter broker? Yes
How was your experience working with your broker to book the yacht? Very Easy
After booking the yacht, how was your experience working with the Concierge Team? Somewhat Easy
How would you describe the information provided in your Vacation Planner?
Check as many as apply: - Informative
How would you rate the frequency and content of communication from our team? Not Enough Communication
Additional comments about working with the VI Sailing team to plan your vacation?
I would have liked that you shared with us more information about the itinerary and details of the vacation, even in general terms if details for our vacation were unknown to you prior to the start of the vacation. The vacation ended up being excellent. I feel that we could have prepared for it better.

Charter Dates: 07/19/2024-07/26/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Jose Diaz
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Boat Name: Perfect P
Charter Company & Yacht
Please answer the following questions pertaining to the charter company and the yacht you chartered.
Rating of Charter Company & Yacht: 5
Upon arrival and during your charter, were the staff of the charter company friendly and accommodating?
Yes
Did the staff do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and its equipment?
Yes
Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes
Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes
Was the yacht well ventilated?
Yes
Additional comments about the charter company and yacht you chartered?
None
Cruising Area

Did you like the area you chartered in?
Yes
Would you like to share your itinerary or a vacation highlight with us?
Tortola
Norman Island
JVD
Cane Garden
Savanah
Bitter End

Charter Dates: 07/19/2024-07/26/2024

Name on Your Reservation: Jose Diaz
Are you the Lead Charterer or a Guest? Lead Charterer
Boat Name: Perfect P
Charter Company & Yacht
Please answer the following questions pertaining to the charter company and the yacht you chartered.
Rating of Charter Company & Yacht: 5
Upon arrival and during your charter, were the staff of the charter company friendly and accommodating?
Yes
Did the staff do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and its equipment?
Yes
Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes
Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes
Was the yacht well ventilated?
Yes
Additional comments about the charter company and yacht you chartered?
None