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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Ms. Gayle Shoupp
Yacht: Leopard 4300 with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 6/10/10 - 6/20/10
Broker: Joann Higgins
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
Yes
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
The boat was clean. We questioned the functionality of the heads on the starboard side before we left, as we noticed an odor. We were assured that all was in working order and it was merely the cleaner. However, the heads on the starboard side were finicky, and we battled a constant odor on that side.
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Cooking equipment was sufficient, except hot pads would have been good. Cleaning equipment was insufficient. One miniature bottle of Joy would not have been enough for 10 days, and there was no general purpose cleaner provided.
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
yes
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
the man that did the check out was knowledgable and efficient. However, it was very fast and he did not invite a lot of questions. I know that on a day when they have multiple boats leaving, his style is probably appropriate, but we were the only Footloose boat leaving that day.
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Absolutely
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
no
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
The boat was very comfortable for eight, and in generally good condition. When we experienced heavy rain in the last couple of days, we did find that it had a few leaks (but most boats do). The cruising area is ideal, and even 10 days was not enough to cover all areas. I suppose we will just have to come back!
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Ms. Jessica Duggan
Yacht: 44.3 Club with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 4/28/10 - 5/8/10 with a sleep aboard 4/27/10
Broker: Joann Higgins
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
Very
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes, no problems
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
yes
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
yes
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
beautiful
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
no, it was honestly perfect!
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Mr. Todd Smith
Yacht: Beneteau 44.3 Club with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 5/30/10 - 6/6/10
Broker: Joann Higgins
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
yes
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
yes
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
so-so, The fans helped alot. Hard to sleep because of no A/C but we expected. Next time we will get cat w/
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Dr. Kent Kimmel
Yacht: Beneteau 42cc with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 5/4/10 - 5/11/10 with sleep aboard 5/3/10
Broker: Melody Delgado
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We were met at the airport and received at the marina by friendly and efficient staff.
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
The yacht was clean. Working order was fair at best. Having owned several sailing vessels and by my standards, this boat is in need of maintenance.
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes.
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
Yes.
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Fair. While the staff member did go through a list, it was a cursory procedure. We didn't get sufficient information re: using the anchor windless, with which we had two maintenance calls. There were other issues, but not major enough to complain about, just annoyances.
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Loved it.
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
VI Sailing could not have done anything better or more efficiently. We were very impressed with the timely service we received, especially responses to our numerous questions. Thank you.
8. May we post this review on our website?
No
9. Additional comments on your charter?
I have only two recommendations based on our observations: First, other charter operations in the same marina, appeared to be of a higher class and had vessels of higher quality. Second, I would take this vessel (Goldens @ Sea) off your charter list until it is sufficiently maintained.
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Mr. Frank Liva
Yacht: Beneteau 42cc with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 4/25/10 - 5/1/10 with a sleep aboard 4/24/10
Broker: Melody Delgado
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
They were very helpful and answered all our questions. The base was really nice
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes, overall the boat was in excellent condition - the exception was the aft head (see below)
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes they were adequate. Why don't bareboats ever have wineglasses?
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
Yes, which was good because it was a warm week. The boat had 2 "Breeze Boosters" and they were excellent
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Yes, the briefing was outstanding
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
We loved the BVI. We went to our favorite places and tried a bunch of new spots - we loved deadmans beach on Peter Is. We met Conrad Smith and he was cool. We also caught the full-moon festival at Trellis Bay
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
The support was great.
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
Couple of comments...
I mentioned the aft head as an issue - it needed a new joker valve. Effluent from the holding tank backfilled into the head bowl and so the head stank the whole week. We had asked the base staff to look at the problem and they flushed the holding tank (into the harbor - gross!) but that didn't solve the problem.
We were disappointed in the provisioning. The quality of the fruit and vegetables that were supplied was not good. What was available in the store was much better.
We flew into St Thomas this trip instead of direct to Beef Island. That was a huge mistake on our part. It wasn't such a big deal going to Tortola but we had to leave early Sunday so we had to be back at the base Friday instead of Saturday morning. Plus we had to go through customs in St Thomas twice - at both the ferry dock and the airport. It took us from 8:30AM to 2:15 PM to get from Rodetown to the gate in STT. We'd suggest that you urge people to fly direct into Tortola vs. St Thomas.
Despite those glitches we had a wonderful, memorable vacation. We'll be back! :)
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Mr. Dave Skinner
Yacht: Beneteau 473 with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 4/17/10 - 4/24/10
Broker: Melody Delgado
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
Yes - all very friendly, great experience with Footloose. Staff that stood out: Natalie and Jose at the base, and Boots and Chip from our on-board service call.
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Very clean. We did have to fill a couple of the water tanks ourselves prior to launch, though. Majority of equipment in good condition--see below for specific issues, but overall the boat was fine.
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes. Even the freezer/fridge met expectations...they just never seem to work that well!
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
Could use more fans. There was only one in the salon, and it was nonfunctional due to a faulty power connection. We brought several portable camping fans that helped, and the wind scoops for the hatches are always great.
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Yes, the boat operation was very straightforward. Only confusion was with the anchor windlass operation--was not clear from briefing that it would not have enough current to start with engine at idle
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
We made a counter-clockwise circle around Tortola, visiting: Manchioneel Bay, The Baths, North Sound, Savannah Bay, Marina Cay, Monkey Point, Cane Garden Bay, Jost Van Dyke (Great Harbor and White Bay), with last night back at Cooper. So did we like the cruising area? I'll just say that it was like a little piece of Heaven. :-) The wind got light the last couple of days, so I got to use some of that full tank of diesel for which I had to prepay. Ended the trip with around 2/3 of a tank, would've been nice to get a refund... :-)
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
I worked with Becky, Melody, Brigitte, and Mallorie--GREAT experiences with all. I appreciate both your proactive communications and timely responses.
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
Boat was very clean. Most equipment in good condition. During pre-launch walk-through I identified a cracked belt on the alternator, which was replaced but delayed our departure to 2:30pm. I had to make two service calls, but I was very impressed with Footloose's responsiveness. Call #1: Speed meter nonfunctional, was clogged and rotated 90 degrees--Boots and Chip met us at The Baths and repaired quickly. Call #2: After a couple of hours under motor, the bilge area had filled to the point where water was splashing in between the floor planks. The electric bilge intake filter was clogged, and when I tried to operate the manual bilge the plastic in the handle receptacle cracked. We had to bail out the biIge the old-fashioned way. The bilge failure occurred late in the day so I ended up removing and cleaning the intake filter myself after consulting with Footloose service. One other issue: the lines and/or power wires running inside the mast were not secured or insulated, so as the boat rocked at night they banged around surprisingly loudly.
A few do-differents for next trip: pre-provision for fewer dinners on board, stock one gallon of water per person per day, bring 2-way or 3-way DC splitter, have each couple bring at least 2 fans, bring a few bungee cords to easily secure mast lines at night, and get those pesky lazyjack lines out of the way before hoisting the main the FIRST time (instead of getting smart on the 3rd morning). ;-)
Finally, I truly enjoyed working with VI Sailing. You made the chartering process easy and provided great advice and recommendations for our trip. I will definitely call upon you again for future vacations.
Best regards,
Dave Skinner
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Mr. Kyle Miller
Yacht: Beneteau 505 with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 3/13/10 - 3/21/10 with a sleep aboard 3/12/10
Broker: Melody Delgado
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
Excellent! All very helpful
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
We had a few mechanical problems with the engine, but the yacht was clean and for the most part damage free
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Non-stick pan would have been a good addition as well as a large frying pan
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
Some of the breeze boosters were broken
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
It was very quick and a bit impersonal, but we got the major points
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Yes, our only recommendation for the future is to VIDEO TAPE the skippers breifing so we can review it more later. We were not able to remember some of the locations they described.
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
No, the whole experience was excellent! As one of my friends said everyday on our cruise "You made dreams come true!"
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
Melody you were excellent! Thank you so much for everything! - Salisbury University Sailing Team
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Mr. Steve Bryan
Yacht: Beneteau 44.3 with Footloose Charters - Road Town, Tortola
Charter Dates: 3/25/10 - 4/1/10
Broker: Melody Delgado
Area Cruised: Virgin Islands
We hope your charter lived up to your expectations and we are eager to have your evaluation and impressions of your yachting vacation. Please answer the following questions and add any comments you may have.
1. Were the staff at Footloose friendly and accommodating?
Yes, they were great
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
( See additional comments - P.S.) The boat was very clean and had no mechanical problems.
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
A bit more silverware would be helpful, more than one each per person. otherwise fine.
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
It was OK, there seemed to be fewer hatches for a boat of this size.
5. Did the staff at Footloose do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Yes, the information was just enough without adding confusion
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Very much. We went to Anegada for the first time and enjoyed this island.
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
No. It was a first class job. Lots of info and always helpful. Thanks
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
This was the first boat we used in the BVI's with holding tanks and I was extremely pleased with this addition. I felt much more comfortable with my guests swimming around the boat and much better about the conditions in the harbour generally. I only hope all other companies and sailors are following recommended procedures for waste management.
It was great to have a dodger on this boat - it improved evening dining up top significantly and was easy to drop down for sailing.
If there was a wish list - Wind speed and wind direction instrumentation would be great.
Thanks again
P.S. - Re stereo system. The rear speakers had problems (likely due to weather) this is the second time the back speaker system hasn't worked. Fortunately one speaker started working 1/2 way through trip.
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2216 Lakeshore Drive Nokomis, Florida 34275
www.visailing.com, Email: info@visailing.com
Phone: 800.382.9666, 941.966.9387 Secure Fax Numbers: 866.813.1230, 212.500.0028 |
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