St Thomas Day Sails

[jamestown9guy]

Here's a few sailing trips that I've learned are available during my trip and I've narrowed down my choices to these. Any comments about these? All are out of Red Hook.

 

- Yacht Nightwind (Steve Marsh) Vessel: 50' Yawl Food, Open bar (7 hours)

 

- Ike Witt (Capt Pat) Vessel: 35' Sparkman Stevens design Food, Open bar (7 hours)

 

******

Avail through the cruise line:

 

- ST John 1/2 day champagne Cat Sail. snacks, Rum drinks, snorkel. (4 hours)

 

I checked out the web site of the Yacht Nightwind and that looks interesting...the only possible downside could be the possible 18 people on board instead of 6 like the others they have been talking about here. Have you gotten any positive feedback from anyone on these choices?

[jamestown9guy]

We (2 couples) are booked with Captain Bobby & Karen on Apr 4th from the Liberty. Bobby called me when I decided to book and told me there is another couple booked from a cruise, so we have a full sail. Can't wait - it sounds like a great day.;)

 

My wife and I will be there on the Victory on May the 4th and I have been considering booking with Cap Bob & Karen. What helped you decide on them vs someone else?

 

Jim & Shirley

[DebNJoe]

My wife and I will be there on the Victory on May the 4th and I have been considering booking with Cap Bob & Karen. What helped you decide on them vs someone else?

 

Jim & Shirley

Kind of a hunch - hope I'm right...:rolleyes:

Most of them sounded great and the prices are all the same. After reading lots of reviews I had a good feeling about Rumbaba. Their vessel is newer than the others I checked out, and they offer a better lunch menu. I had heard they offer filet mignon and when I spoke with Capt Bobby he told me we have a choice of the filet, mahi mahi, or ahi tuna, this was stated in my confirmation, we just have to let him know what each of us wants. Open bar was offered by all. No deposit required, just a CC# to hold the reservation, should we just not show.

 

I'll be happy to post how it went when we return ;)

 

Debbie & Joe

[jamestown9guy]

Kind of a hunch - hope I'm right...:rolleyes:

Most of them sounded great and the prices are all the same. After reading lots of reviews I had a good feeling about Rumbaba. Their vessel is newer than the others I checked out, and they offer a better lunch menu. I had heard they offer filet mignon and when I spoke with Capt Bobby he told me we have a choice of the filet, mahi mahi, or ahi tuna, this was stated in my confirmation, we just have to let him know what each of us wants. Open bar was offered by all. No deposit required, just a CC# to hold the reservation, should we just not show.

 

I'll be happy to post how it went when we return ;)

 

Debbie & Joe

 

Thank you so much for your informative answer. We are leaning in this direction for the same reasons you have. I have not talked with him on the phone yet however. How did the snorkling sound? Do they also take you to the beach and let you walk around and snorkle from there if you want to?

 

Thank again,

 

Jim and Shirley

[DebNJoe]

:)

Thank you so much for your informative answer. We are leaning in this direction for the same reasons you have. I have not talked with him on the phone yet however. How did the snorkling sound? Do they also take you to the beach and let you walk around and snorkle from there if you want to?

 

Thank again,

 

Jim and Shirley

 

You can tell him what you are most interested in doing, the day will be planned around what the guests want to do. I sent him an email with my phone # and best time to reach me, as I did not want to send the cc# in an unsecure email. He called me the next day. I booked about a month ago, and at that time he already had 2 people booked for our date, so we got the last 4 spaces for that day.

 

Good luck with your decision :)

 

Debbie & Joe

[docjbs]

Guess what? We are your other couple. My wife & I will be coming off the Caribbean Princess. Look forward to meeting you & having a great day.

Bryan & Kathryn

[Hockey19]

Just back from St. Thomas and just want to give Bobby, Karen and Rumbaba a big thanks for a great day. We did a half day (DW was not missing Diamonds International). We were met at the pier by Bobby and taken to a beautiful 38' foot sailboat. Our group of 5 voted to snorkel less and sail more and Bobby took us off on a great day. He has just the right mix of attitude and humor to go along with a great day. Wonderful sail past Johnny Depp's new digs and an anchor drop for lunch and snorkeling at Christmas Island. Beer was cold, conversation was warm, and the sun was hot. I would have stayed all day but the tanzanite was calling.

[DebNJoe]

Guess what? We are your other couple. My wife & I will be coming off the Caribbean Princess. Look forward to meeting you & having a great day.

Bryan & Kathryn

 

Small world! Should be a great day, from all I have read. Hubby & I are from Ft. Lauderdale area, the other couple is from Hattiesburg MS. See you there!:D

 

Debbie

[DebNJoe]

Just back from St. Thomas and just want to give Bobby, Karen and Rumbaba a big thanks for a great day. We did a half day (DW was not missing Diamonds International). We were met at the pier by Bobby and taken to a beautiful 38' foot sailboat. Our group of 5 voted to snorkel less and sail more and Bobby took us off on a great day. He has just the right mix of attitude and humor to go along with a great day. Wonderful sail past Johnny Depp's new digs and an anchor drop for lunch and snorkeling at Christmas Island. Beer was cold, conversation was warm, and the sun was hot. I would have stayed all day but the tanzanite was calling.

 

Sounds like you all had a perfect day. :D I am looking so forward to this excursion - 1st time sailing for me. :eek:

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts:)

[cocoabeana]

I am sailing with Rambaba next week. March 8. This sounds like the best day. We are all looking forward to it. I'm sure it'll be the highlight of our trip. We are all having filet mignon. The food and drinks sound wonderful. Hopefully the weather is great too!

Sue

[docjbs]

Small world! Should be a great day, from all I have read. Hubby & I are from Ft. Lauderdale area, the other couple is from Hattiesburg MS. See you there!:D

 

Debbie

 

We are from north-eastern KY. Looking forward to getting away from the jobs, kids, and crazy weather we've had up here this winter. 32 days to embarking!

 

Bryan

[jamestown9guy]

We decided yesterday on our day sail for May 4th We choose Captain Bobby of the Rumbaba and Karen his first mate. Their web site is http://www.rumbabacharters.com/index.htm. for anyone who hasn't checked them out.

 

I have spent most of my life one way or other on boats and ships but have never done a day sail like this...we wanted the experience even though it is a bit pricey.

 

I think most of them are pretty much alike..except for the food they offer and that is where it seems the RUmbaba is head and shoulders ahead of the rest. My wife and I don't care for chicken over rice or chicken salad. Just a personal taste.

 

Jim & SHirley

[DebNJoe]

We decided yesterday on our day sail for May 4th We choose Captain Bobby of the Rumbaba and Karen his first mate. Their web site is http://www.rumbabacharters.com/index.htm. for anyone who hasn't checked them out.

 

I have spent most of my life one way or other on boats and ships but have never done a day sail like this...we wanted the experience even though it is a bit pricey.

 

I think most of them are pretty much alike..except for the food they offer and that is where it seems the RUmbaba is head and shoulders ahead of the rest. My wife and I don't care for chicken over rice or chicken salad. Just a personal taste.

 

Jim & SHirley

 

Glad you made your decision. I'll post back after our cruise.

 

Debbie :)

[SD5]

Just got back last week from Voyager of the Seas. We booked our day sail with Karen & Bobby based on recommendations from this board. It was our family; me, husband, 13 & 16 year old sons and an 11 year old daughter. We all think it was our best excursion. They definitely cater to you. We had different lunch choices and all were great. Also in our email Karen had asked us to make sure to let her know what they could do to make our trip more pleasant. I mentioned a "pickey eater" and in addition to her wonderful lunch and salad she had some chopped carrots and celery for us (I had told her the kids would be happy with that for salad) and the kids gobbled them right up in addition to everything else she fixed. She also had some chips I had mentioned the kids would appreciate. The only problem we had was Royal Caribbean did not change their clocks so we were an hour behind time as I did not think about the time change. But since we left early enough and the cab ride was quick we actually got there at 9:30 (they had said arrive between 9:15 & 9:30). So, check your clocks and if your ship doesn't change time be aware Miami and St. Thomas are different times.

They had great snorkeling equipment and we probably snorkeled more than we sailed, but it was a great combination. Bottom line - I highly recommend this day sail - I don't think you can go wrong with Rumbaba.

[RNnNC]

Just returned from our Caribbean Princess Cruise, how I wish I was back at sea today. Anyway, we choose Rumbaba Day Sail while in St. Thomas initially due to the menu. If you do a search on this board, you will see that Rumaba's menu out shines chicken and rice or even pasta by a long shot! I received a personal call from Captain Bob to complete our reservation, which was a nice touch. When ever I had a question I always received a speedy email response. Trust me, I had some questions.

So off we go to St. Thomas, the taxi ride was open aired theme park ride across the mountain (serisouly)to the American Yacht Harbor, hubby paid them, so I can't quote you a price. Although I will say this, it was cheaper than Disney so it was well worth it!! We were a few minutes early so Captain Bob had not arrived yet, hubby and I walked the docks, dreaming and wishing. We were only 1 couple and there were 2 other couples going to be on board, we had decided to see what the luck of the draw provided us instead of solicitiing others from our cruise. We met a wonderful couple from Virginia that had sailed with Bob and Karen multiple times, they were staying on the island; another couple from Carnivals Liberty which was their very first sailing trip. Bob arrived and what a wonderful person! Out to the boat we went. We all introduced ourselves, met Karen, stowed our back packs beneth and were ready for a wonderful day. The luck of the draw provided us with a great group before we even left the marina.

I do not profess to know the first thing about sailing, all I can say is that it as such a smooth ride.

Bob pointed out so very much as we sailed by I can't even begin to tell you everything we saw. You will just have to let it all speak for itself.

We anchored in a lovely area, with a fellow competitor on each side of us. Now, this is where I do see issues, with them of course. The one competitor lined their paying customers up and spoke with them for what seemed a solid 30 minutes before they were able to get in the water for snorkling. Come on now, aren't we all adults? The other comptetor issued their customers what I would consider outdated life vests. They looked like what I use in my profession as head blocks.

Bob and Karen offered the appropriate snorkeling vests. Their equipment that they offered to those who did not bring their own was clean, and in excellent condition, they even had anti fog for your mask. That is a first that I have ever seen offered. The water was wonderful so off I went. Too cool for hubby so he stayed on board with Bob and Karen and some cold beers. The snorkeling in this area was good, it is a young reef though. I watched as one of the competitiors customers kicked over a huge purple sea fan with their fin. Obviously the lecture did not work. I did manage to get some good picutres in this area.

Back to the boat I went. It is easy to keep in sight too, just look for the pirate flags. LOL Of course there was Rum waiting for me when I got back. I was helped back on board and I was able to rinse of with a warm shower, rinse my gear and get ready for a drink. And trust me, Karen bless her heart, keep them drinks coming until you said no more too!

Food, now we are getting serious,,,,, a wonderful appetizer tray of homemade corn chips, flat bread chips, celery, carrots and a delicious papaya dip and Grilled Shrimp! This was just to tempt your senses and wake them up. Another Rum Runner too!

Lunch,,,,, My choice was the Tuna,,,,, Grilled to my specifications, gotta love a man who can grill, not to mention a man who can grill in the middle of the ocean. Come on!!!! Grilled Tuna Steak, grilled to perfection, with a seseme sauce on the side, side salad and asparagus. I, at that moment, had to be pinched. Did I mention that it was our 15 anniversay???? What a way to go. Another Rum Runner was now on it's way to me. Hubby that the Filet, more perfection.

The day was progerssing so nicely. We were all just chatting, finding little things in common. Bob and Karen had such nice stories to share.

After lunch, we of course refilled our drinks,,,, Rum Runners,,,, by now I should not be able to type anymore. Hahahhaha

He gave us the choice of more sailing, more snorkeling, or beach. We all choose a slow leisurely sail back and that is exacly what we did. Slow sail back, past the hanging tree, past Micheal Jordans cliff home,right back where we started from.

WHAT A DAY!!!!

I will say this, I am a nurse, I work hard for my money, I want service, excellence and memories on my vacations. With Bob and Karen, this is exaclty what I received. I will be going back again every chance I get.

I hold my cup up to the Hindu God of Irresponsiblity!!!!

Cheers!!!

[LovesCruisin]

We are booked with Kathleen and High Pockets for a May 30th sail. Since we are 5 we have the entire sailboat for our family. I have such a great feeling about Kathleen and her husband Jim. Not only were all of our emails answered promptly we have also spoken with them numerous times on the telephone.

 

Oddly enough we decided to book this as we didnt want to be in St Thomas with the masses of cruise ship passengers. The last time we were there it was so crowded with 8 ships being in port. The irony of it is that there are only two ships in St Thomas when we are there......no biggie as I prefer to be on the water than shopping anyway.

[springiv]

My husband and I had a wonderful day on the Winifred (Feb 9th). As it turned out we were the only guests on the day sail that day. We had a fabulous time. As neither of us are "booze cruisers" we were very thankful that there were no partiers on board. Reading the email about how disappointed someone was about the time spent sailing, I was somewhat mystified. Why go on a day sail if you don't want to be spending time sailing? That to us is one of the BEST parts. The boat is spacious and lovingly maintained. Both Captain Sharon and Mate Billy were wonderful. We spent about 1 1/2 hours snorkeling off St. John and it was fantastic. My husband has recently had surgery and he was uncertain about his ability to do any snorkeling and he did very well thanks to both Sharon's and Billt's instruction. That made the day more pleasant for me as well, since I love to snorkel. We too saw turtles and eels, beautiul coral and tropical fish. On the return to St. Thomas from St. John, I took my rum punch up to the front of the boat and loved every second of it! Without hesitation, we would recommend the Winifred and Captain Sharon to anyone interested in a day sail from St. Thomas.

[DebNJoe]

Well all I can say is our daysail with Rumbaba was the highlight of our cruise! :D

 

Capt Bobby is a great guy. He asked what our preferences were for the day... snorkle more/less - sail more/less etc. We had perfect weather too :)

 

Karen prepared homemade quiches and banana bread for breakfast. The Mimosas we requested were ready and waiting for us as well as very tasty Bloody Marys :p For lunch there was an appetizer platter with seasoned shrimp and homemade chips with a cheddar and mango dip - Yummy! Our personal choices of Filet Mignon (1), Ahi Tuna (1) and Mahi Mahi (4) were grilled to perfection by Bobby and served with a green salad, asparagus and bowtie pasta salad. Karen's homemade chocolate chip cookies were yummy too. There were plenty of drinks on board to keep everyone satisfied :eek:

 

I would not hesitate to recommend them for a terrific daysail experience. We will definately use them again next time we are in St. Thomas

 

Debbie

[idwt13]

Does anyone know where Rumbaba usually goes to snorkel for a half day sail? Is it usually to Christmas Cove or can we request somewhere different? Also, how long do you usually get to snorkel/swim?

[DebNJoe]

Does anyone know where Rumbaba usually goes to snorkel for a half day sail? Is it usually to Christmas Cove or can we request somewhere different? Also, how long do you usually get to snorkel/swim?

Bobby will customize the day to your requests. I can't remember the name of the areas where we swam and snorkeled but Christmas Cove does not sound familiar.

 

There are floats on board too, for those that just want to lounge in the water!;)

[idwt13]

Bobby will customize the day to your requests. I can't remember the name of the areas where we swam and snorkeled but Christmas Cove does not sound familiar.

 

There are floats on board too, for those that just want to lounge in the water!;)

 

 

RNnNC, do you know where you guys went to swim and snorkel?

[xtrmegee]

Hi Everyone! We are so excited about our 1st time to the Caribbean. After reading all the great reviews we wanted to do a full daysail/snorkel to St. John through Rumbaba Charters http://www.rumbabacharters.com/. However, there are only two of us and Capt Bobby would like to only go out if there are more people going. I really want to go on a Full daysail/snorkel, so I am hoping to find 4 others to fill the boat. Anybody interested? Please contact Capt. Bobby and he will let me know its a go! Thanks so much!

 

We are on the Mariner of the Seas departing 05/28/06.

[Cruisesquatch]

We (our group of six adults) are sailing on September 18th with Capt. Pat on the IKE WITT. I chose him from among the vessels mentioned here. This was not my first choice, as the others were "probably not going to be around that time of year", because of hurricanes. I e-mailed him and then he called me and we spoke for about thirty minutes. He seems like a very friendly, accomodating man. Cant wait for our trip!

[Funcouple]

This is a good post.

[Carnival Game]

My son and I just completed a half day sail/snorkel with Jolly Mon. Gayle met us right at the dock so no taxi was necessary. She was cordial and had a calm, low key demeanor about her. We had never snorkeled and I was quite scared when it came to getting into the water. She accompanied us the entire time, which was reassuring. She took my camera underwater and got shots of the sealife since I was unable to manage that. On the way back she served snacks and a delicious rum punch. We were very happy with Gayle and Jolly Mon.