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BAREBOAT CHARTER REVIEW
Name: Mr. Ray Kruger
Yacht: Jeanneau 45DS with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 1/8/12 - 1/16/12
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
very freindly and accomadating
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
excellent shape
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
yes great with A/C
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
very helpful
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
how can you go wong in the BVI
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
no all went well
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. Barry Deans
Yacht: 2008 Bavaria 33 "Scallywag" with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 12/24/11-1/4/12 with a sleep board 12/23/11
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
very helpful and friendly, particularly Boss and Giles
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Minor solenoid problem, but clean and in good working order
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
Yes, best that can be expected with frequent hatch closuresn during night time rains.
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Yes.
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Very much. Would have cruised more, but restricted by Xmas and New Years crowding and one of our members frequent trips with BVI dive.
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
Perhaps a larger boat would have been better, but appears limited selection over holiday season. Bavaria 33 was quite adequate.
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
Horizon Yachts was a good company to charter from. Travel from Canada was OK with three flights each way. Close call leaving Beef Island airport as almost bumped from flight due to overbooking - although fiights book almost six months in advance.
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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. Mike Johnson
Yacht: Leopard 40 "Escape" with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 7/17/11-7/27/11
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 Horizon Tortola 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?
Yes
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Great job
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Yes
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?
Joanne was outstanding to work with on brokering our first bareboat charter!! Quick, honest communication and was in touch with us all throughout the process.
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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. John Jay Jameson
Yacht: Jeanneau 42DS (2009 model) with Horizon Yacht CHarters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 6/15/11 - 6/24/11
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
Yes. However, my recommendation is that they be more clear about expected service involved with departure.
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes, it was clean and in good condition. There were, however, a number of small somewhat obvious things not ready.
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
yes
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
yes
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Absolutely
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
Generally very professional and helpful. Perhaps been a bit more clear about who is responsible for what at which time (ie VI Sailing vs Horizon).
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
We had an amazing time and would recommend both VI Sailing and Horizon to anyone considering a BVI cruise. Other than a few minor boat readiness issues, I can't imagine how the trip could have gone better. Except next time, we're bringing more friends, getting an even bigger boat, and staying even longer!
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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. and Mrs. Erik Pfahler
Yacht: Beneteau 523 with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 6/30/11 - 7/9/11
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
Yes
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes however some of the rigging was old
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
Yest
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
Yes
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Yes
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Yes
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?
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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. Chris Lahey
Yacht: Bavaria 31 with check out skipper with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 5/26/11 - 6/3/11 with a sleep aboard 5/25/11
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
Yes, but there were some communication / expectation issues with Milton.
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes, except for the problem with the windlass
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
The coffee percolator's top was not on and I couldn't re-attach it. The matches were low quality. Otherwise, everything was fine.
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
The breeze was light some nights and the breeze booster for the forward cabin was low quality and did not fit adequately. The booster for the aft cabin did not fit at all. Seemed like it was for a different boat all together.
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Yes / No. Checkout was brief but I had no problems with it. Maybe someone with less experience boating would have been confused.
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?
Yes. See below
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
Perhaps next time let people know that there is no GPS at the helm on Sunny Side Up.
The sea cock for the head's holding tank didn't seem to close. When mooring and generally close to land, pumping directly overboard seems wrong. The sea cock handle looked corroded and I've broken corroded / stuck sea cock handles before in the past so I was hesitant to put a lot of force on it.
You really need to figure out a strategy for service calls in the USVIs. Our mishap is a prime example. What if it was a raw water impeller, or something more serious than just the windlass fuse? Assuming that the person chartering your vessel has mechanical skills capable of installing parts is a problem. You need to put a horizon technician on a ferry or a service boat with a passport and the necessary parts / tools and come perform the repairs as if it was an emergency. The mixup with the parts was the biggest let down on our trip.
I feel as if the checkout captain (Tai, although wonderful as she was) was totally unnecessary. She even felt the same way. It was just another added expense and waste of time. I can understand that there are people who are so bad and unexperienced that they would need this, but we had two licensed captain's during the checkout and it was just a bit insulting / aggravating. We got over it though. Tai was very pleasant.
The fact that Nanny is not in a location to clear the BVI's is a problem. I'm not sure how many of your charters go back into the USVIs but it would be nice to have the ship's papers before hand and be notified that if we plan to leave the BVI right away, that we can check in to the BVI and check out at the same time in West End / Road Town, whichever we entered initially. All before even picking up the boat in Nanny. This would save hours of our time in dealing with customs or planning our trip around having to travel to West End / Road Town.
Having said all of that, we still had an amazing time. I would definitely consider coming back even with all of the mixups. Of all of the people, Tai was the most helpful and was your saving grace. She went out of her way to help us identify the problem, and to figure out a potential solution. She called back when she said she would and she never complained.
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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. Chris Lahey
Yacht: Bavaria 31 with check out skipper with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 5/26/11 - 6/3/11 with a sleep aboard 5/25/11
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
Yes, but there were some communication / expectation issues with Milton.
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
Yes, except for the problem with the windlass
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
The coffee percolator's top was not on and I couldn't re-attach it. The matches were low quality. Otherwise, everything was fine.
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
The breeze was light some nights and the breeze booster for the forward cabin was low quality and did not fit adequately. The booster for the aft cabin did not fit at all. Seemed like it was for a different boat all together.
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Yes / No. Checkout was brief but I had no problems with it. Maybe someone with less experience boating would have been confused.
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?
Yes. See below
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
Perhaps next time let people know that there is no GPS at the helm on Sunny Side Up.
The sea cock for the head's holding tank didn't seem to close. When mooring and generally close to land, pumping directly overboard seems wrong. The sea cock handle looked corroded and I've broken corroded / stuck sea cock handles before in the past so I was hesitant to put a lot of force on it.
You really need to figure out a strategy for service calls in the USVIs. Our mishap is a prime example. What if it was a raw water impeller, or something more serious than just the windlass fuse? Assuming that the person chartering your vessel has mechanical skills capable of installing parts is a problem. You need to put a horizon technician on a ferry or a service boat with a passport and the necessary parts / tools and come perform the repairs as if it was an emergency. The mixup with the parts was the biggest let down on our trip.
I feel as if the checkout captain (Tai, although wonderful as she was) was totally unnecessary. She even felt the same way. It was just another added expense and waste of time. I can understand that there are people who are so bad and unexperienced that they would need this, but we had two licensed captain's during the checkout and it was just a bit insulting / aggravating. We got over it though. Tai was very pleasant.
The fact that Nanny is not in a location to clear the BVI's is a problem. I'm not sure how many of your charters go back into the USVIs but it would be nice to have the ship's papers before hand and be notified that if we plan to leave the BVI right away, that we can check in to the BVI and check out at the same time in West End / Road Town, whichever we entered initially. All before even picking up the boat in Nanny. This would save hours of our time in dealing with customs or planning our trip around having to travel to West End / Road Town.
Having said all of that, we still had an amazing time. I would definitely consider coming back even with all of the mixups. Of all of the people, Tai was the most helpful and was your saving grace. She went out of her way to help us identify the problem, and to figure out a potential solution. She called back when she said she would and she never complained.
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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. Mark Cannon
Yacht: Lagoon 420 (2008 model) with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 5/22/11 - 5/29/11 with a sleep aboard 5/21/11
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 Horizon Tortola 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?
Should have had more cleaning supplies. The Cat Co had way more.
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
Yes, but we used AC.
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
Good job but more than more than we needed since we had just chartered the Lagoon 440.
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
Yes
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?
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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. Gary Weiser
Yacht: Bavaria 33 (2006 model) with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 4/21/11 - 4/26/11 with a sleep aboard 4/20/11
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
yes
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
yes but had trouble lowering the main sail-tracks seemed stuck. The dinghy engine broke down midway through the trip
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
yes
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
A few oversights: no kill switch on the dinghy engine,
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
yes
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
No Melody was very helpful and answered emails in a timely fashion
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
I would emphasize to future charterers that if anything breaks down on the boat regardless of the cause, the company should be called immediately and any repairs should be made at that time.
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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. Gregory Weedon
Yacht: Lagoon 38 with Horizon Yacht Charters - St. Martin
Charter Dates: 3/11/11 - 3/18/11 with a sleep aboard 3/10/11
Broker: Melody Delgado
Area Cruised: Leeward 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 Horizon St Martin friendly and accommodating?
yes
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
acceptable; inverter monitor was constantly sounding
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
yes
5. Did the staff at Horizon St Martin do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
acceptable
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
yes
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?
We have found that customs procedures can be more routinely handled, such as preparing a pro-forma customs sheet for various islands that would have the necessary boat information, ports etc. completed.
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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. Ray Kruger
Yacht: Jeanneau 50DS with Horizon Yacht Charters - Nanny Cay, Tortola
Charter Dates: 3/4/11 - 3/13/11 with a sleep aboard 3/3/11
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 Horizon Tortola friendly and accommodating?
great , very accomadating
2. Was the yacht clean and in good working condition?
great boat excellent cockpit and cushions , all worked well
3. Was the yacht's cooking and cleaning equipment sufficient?
yes
4. Was the boat well ventilated?
aft cabin in poorlly vented but boat with a/c and good fans
5. Did the staff at Horizon Tortola do a good job familiarizing you with the yacht and it's equipment?
yes
6. Did you like the area you cruised?
how could we not BVI and st john
7. Could we at Virgin Island Sailing, Ltd. have helped you further in any way?
appreciate you finding this boat
8. May we post this review on our website?
Yes
9. Additional comments on your charter?
great company very easy to deal with
nanny cay great spot to start from
the boat is fantastic..great for two couples
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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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