Sunday, March 9. 2008
When the painting raft comes out...
The heart of the women on board SINKS! Richard and Lisa had not been on board half an hour when Lisa informed us that we picked up charter Friday night, not Sunday night as I was telling Bazza before. This meant that the weeks "super fun activities" sped up whether we are sick or not and Lisa sounds about as bad as Bazza and I do with the coughing and hacking! The boat definitely is going to the right place to be quarantined for a few days....
And with everything trailing and ski boards and boots still in the cockpit we are on our way up to South Sound on Virgin Gorda, our hurricane hole! Not because there is a hurricane, but since we cannot go into Hans Creek anymore and paint, this is the next logical place! We probably will not have internet in there unless we climb the mountain and hold our computer up in the air!
The bottom blue stripe we put on the yacht was not that successful, kept coming off in pieces, so we are going to take it off and paint it on again. The top one is fine, just the bottom one. Oh well, lesson learned! Plus we get to see what the hurricane hole looks like this year....Of course there are 7-9 foot seas going up to it today! With winds 15-20 knots!
My mom sent me a picture of my dad cleaning in the yard...I am going to go out there and spend some time this summer, well, depending on the boat!
Hello to Kerry, Bazza, and Brent,
Hi to all our Promenade family - we miss you terribly. We are hoping that you are all feeling better and have passed that nasty bug and colds off to some fish in the sea. It has been a real downer being back in the states and the cold, rainy weather. Tans are fading already. I am still trying to get out from under the laundry - although I will admit it is partially my fault as I have been totally lazy since returning and can't seem to get myself back in the swing. I guess I am still on island time. But sadly that must change. Bill and I had a most wonderful time as did all of our
group. I will admit we were nervous about trying to duplicate our first trip and wondered if we could ever have as great a time. WELL, WE DID!!!!! It was absolutely perfect again! Much of the same as the first time and also enough of a few different things to make it exciting - power lounger, high seas. Next time I promise to try to watch the high seas. Thanks to all of you for making it another wonderful vacation. As always, Kerry and Bazza, you were so kind and attentive to Bill. Brent was so patient and helpful as well with getting Bill back in the snorkeling mode after 2 years of not snorkeling since the last trip. Bill totally enjoys the water so it was great that he was able to participate with all of us with the snorkeling etc. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, attention, and genuine concern for him as well as all of us. We enjoyed our extra days in St. Thomas but not nearly as much as the Promenade. We miss your delicious food, great company, wonderful sailing, and basically everything about the Promenade. We can't wait to return again. We both relaxed so much (probably too much as I can't get back in the groove) and always felt totally confident on the boat and with Bazza at the helm. We would highly recommend this trip to everyone - it's a twice in a lifetime experience for us and hopefully we will be able to join you again. Maybe we will get to meet Rich and Lisa on our next trip if we have a larger group - you never know. Till we meet again (which we hope will not be too far off), may you all have good health, calm seas, happy charters, and happy days together. Our best to all of you and hopefully we can keep in touch. Enjoy the upcoming wedding and your RV whenever you have the chance to travel in it. You deserve the best of everything. We love you, Love, Pat and Bill of the Cape Cod Pirates .
Pat always makes me almost cry when she leaves! Such nice things she says about us!
No, we are not done coughing and hacking, we have just put more people on the boat doing it! The boat looks like a real disaster, like we were in the middle of summer maintenance, and i am not sure how that happened when we are sick!
This was in the BVI Beacon last week. I thought it was interesting them comparing the statistics on travelers.
And one last update on the charter from hell story. It really is a nightmare for all involved, and I truly feel sorry for whomever is the "wronged" party in all this. I am glad that they took the time to respond to seeing my blog, as it gives their side of the story a chance to be heard as well, as the other side was being plastered all over the web.
I cannot urge enough that if you have a charter that goes wrong, and you do not feel like your boat or broker is paying attenting, go to CYBA (Charter Yacht Brokers Association) although not every broker belongs to it, it is a start to getting your complaint looked at with their ETHICS committee and you are likely to get much better results then just dragging peoples name through the mud. I am not sure there is too much recourse after that, unless both parties are in the US and then their is litigation!
"The police are taking no action. They seem to consider it a frivolous action which they are none the less obliged to record. This however does not allow me the satisfaction of proving in court that he perjured himself in the statement. Do you honestly think a complaint by me to the BVI police would work? Because no one else does. My one regret was not to call the marine police that night. This was a very violent, drunken attack first directed at ***chef and then at me. How would Baz have reacted if a drunken guest was trying to assault you??
I am so professionally proud as a captain that I managed to get 4 guests, 2 crew and a yacht through this ordeal safely that nothing anyone can do subsequently will distress me. I am only truly sorry for those entirely innocent people the, Brokers involved.
Self esteem is the most important possession in life. I have much more than this charter guest and refuse to dignify his lies and venom with a reply. He cannot hurt me where it hurts.
See you somewhere some time."
I don't know whether a counter complaint would work or not, I just think that you would have to do everything possible to protect your business afterwards. I wish them all the luck trying to get through this. It will make it into someones "charter stories from hell" book.
I also have to say that I admire them for standing up and defending themselves. That takes a lot of courage, and courage that I am not sure that I would have, probably slinking away in my corner for awhile, so they definitely get points for meeting it head on and it must be a horrendously stressful time for them.
Richard and Lisa are modeling their new snow gear (for next year they say!) those snowboards are going to get extra heavy sleeping with them all year! I look at the new outfits and thought they were going duck hunting not skiing though!
Until we have an internet connection again, be good and then you can see exciting pictures of us painting the boat in water again, one more time! AND no donkeys to amuse us there either!!
And with everything trailing and ski boards and boots still in the cockpit we are on our way up to South Sound on Virgin Gorda, our hurricane hole! Not because there is a hurricane, but since we cannot go into Hans Creek anymore and paint, this is the next logical place! We probably will not have internet in there unless we climb the mountain and hold our computer up in the air!
The bottom blue stripe we put on the yacht was not that successful, kept coming off in pieces, so we are going to take it off and paint it on again. The top one is fine, just the bottom one. Oh well, lesson learned! Plus we get to see what the hurricane hole looks like this year....Of course there are 7-9 foot seas going up to it today! With winds 15-20 knots!
My mom sent me a picture of my dad cleaning in the yard...I am going to go out there and spend some time this summer, well, depending on the boat!
Hello to Kerry, Bazza, and Brent,
Hi to all our Promenade family - we miss you terribly. We are hoping that you are all feeling better and have passed that nasty bug and colds off to some fish in the sea. It has been a real downer being back in the states and the cold, rainy weather. Tans are fading already. I am still trying to get out from under the laundry - although I will admit it is partially my fault as I have been totally lazy since returning and can't seem to get myself back in the swing. I guess I am still on island time. But sadly that must change. Bill and I had a most wonderful time as did all of our
group. I will admit we were nervous about trying to duplicate our first trip and wondered if we could ever have as great a time. WELL, WE DID!!!!! It was absolutely perfect again! Much of the same as the first time and also enough of a few different things to make it exciting - power lounger, high seas. Next time I promise to try to watch the high seas. Thanks to all of you for making it another wonderful vacation. As always, Kerry and Bazza, you were so kind and attentive to Bill. Brent was so patient and helpful as well with getting Bill back in the snorkeling mode after 2 years of not snorkeling since the last trip. Bill totally enjoys the water so it was great that he was able to participate with all of us with the snorkeling etc. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, attention, and genuine concern for him as well as all of us. We enjoyed our extra days in St. Thomas but not nearly as much as the Promenade. We miss your delicious food, great company, wonderful sailing, and basically everything about the Promenade. We can't wait to return again. We both relaxed so much (probably too much as I can't get back in the groove) and always felt totally confident on the boat and with Bazza at the helm. We would highly recommend this trip to everyone - it's a twice in a lifetime experience for us and hopefully we will be able to join you again. Maybe we will get to meet Rich and Lisa on our next trip if we have a larger group - you never know. Till we meet again (which we hope will not be too far off), may you all have good health, calm seas, happy charters, and happy days together. Our best to all of you and hopefully we can keep in touch. Enjoy the upcoming wedding and your RV whenever you have the chance to travel in it. You deserve the best of everything. We love you, Love, Pat and Bill of the Cape Cod Pirates .
Pat always makes me almost cry when she leaves! Such nice things she says about us!
No, we are not done coughing and hacking, we have just put more people on the boat doing it! The boat looks like a real disaster, like we were in the middle of summer maintenance, and i am not sure how that happened when we are sick!
This was in the BVI Beacon last week. I thought it was interesting them comparing the statistics on travelers.
And one last update on the charter from hell story. It really is a nightmare for all involved, and I truly feel sorry for whomever is the "wronged" party in all this. I am glad that they took the time to respond to seeing my blog, as it gives their side of the story a chance to be heard as well, as the other side was being plastered all over the web.
I cannot urge enough that if you have a charter that goes wrong, and you do not feel like your boat or broker is paying attenting, go to CYBA (Charter Yacht Brokers Association) although not every broker belongs to it, it is a start to getting your complaint looked at with their ETHICS committee and you are likely to get much better results then just dragging peoples name through the mud. I am not sure there is too much recourse after that, unless both parties are in the US and then their is litigation!
"The police are taking no action. They seem to consider it a frivolous action which they are none the less obliged to record. This however does not allow me the satisfaction of proving in court that he perjured himself in the statement. Do you honestly think a complaint by me to the BVI police would work? Because no one else does. My one regret was not to call the marine police that night. This was a very violent, drunken attack first directed at ***chef and then at me. How would Baz have reacted if a drunken guest was trying to assault you??
I am so professionally proud as a captain that I managed to get 4 guests, 2 crew and a yacht through this ordeal safely that nothing anyone can do subsequently will distress me. I am only truly sorry for those entirely innocent people the, Brokers involved.
Self esteem is the most important possession in life. I have much more than this charter guest and refuse to dignify his lies and venom with a reply. He cannot hurt me where it hurts.
See you somewhere some time."
I don't know whether a counter complaint would work or not, I just think that you would have to do everything possible to protect your business afterwards. I wish them all the luck trying to get through this. It will make it into someones "charter stories from hell" book.
I also have to say that I admire them for standing up and defending themselves. That takes a lot of courage, and courage that I am not sure that I would have, probably slinking away in my corner for awhile, so they definitely get points for meeting it head on and it must be a horrendously stressful time for them.
Richard and Lisa are modeling their new snow gear (for next year they say!) those snowboards are going to get extra heavy sleeping with them all year! I look at the new outfits and thought they were going duck hunting not skiing though!
Until we have an internet connection again, be good and then you can see exciting pictures of us painting the boat in water again, one more time! AND no donkeys to amuse us there either!!
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