Just Got Back From Sailing THE WINIFRED-GREAT!!

[Starz723]

I sailed on the Winifred on July 22. Capt Sharon & first mate Tommy were gracious and such fun. It was my birthday and they made it very special.

 

The Winifred is a wonderful racing yacht which Sharon takes impeccable care of. You will love it. Sharon meets you at the dock at 9:30 am and takes you on her dingy to The Winifred. We sailed to St John and snorkeled around the area of Caneel Bay. The beaches there are beyond words beautiful. You return around 3pm. The time just flies by as you are having such a wonderful time. You have plenty of time to shop afterwards. I picked up some cute things up at the dock gift store.

 

Im a seasonsed snorkler and had a blast.. I saw sea turtles, sting rays & lots of beautiful tropical fish. My BF on the other hand was a first timer. Sharon has a flotation device called Winnie Wings and they were very good with my BF getting him acclimated to snorkeling. He loved every minute of snorkeling and is now hooked on it and wants to return. My 12 yr old son was so excited about seeing the sea turtles, we couldnt get him out of the water. Tommy will dive down and bring up sea cucumber, conch & other sea animals for you to look at closely. Tommy is alot of fun and has a great sense of humor. Sharon even has a glass bottom bucket for those who are not good with a snorkel. That way you dont miss seeing anything. No one gets left out!

 

We had a very nice lunch of chicken on rice with salad, bread & butter. We popped open a bottle of Champagne for my birthday! We even had candles on a tray of cookies.

 

I paid cash, $110 for each adult & $100 for my son, 12 & under. It is well worth every cent! I gave Tommy a well deserved tip.

 

I highly recommend the Winifred with Capt Sharon and first mate Tommy for a wonderful day sail without the crowds. Id be happy to answer any questions you have.

[pandabebe]

Thanks for the great view. I would love to do the Winifred in October but it's a little over my budget. Perhaps I will save up next year and slurge on this amazing experience you had. Thanks for sharing!

[Boatsie]

Glad you had a great time on Winifred! I'm booked for her trip in December--can't wait. Got three questions:

 

(1) Did you take a taxi from the ship to the harbor (Red Hook?) and what was the cost each way? There will be two of us, so do you pay by the person or by the trip?

 

(2) What do you suggest we take along on the trip? Is there anything you forgot or wish you had along with you aboard the Winifred?

 

(3) Tipping suggestions?

[Starz723]

Hi there

 

I took a taxi. It costs $8 per person to the dock in American Yacht Harbor, Red hook. You will find taxi's as soon as you step right off the ship. The taxi's on the island can hold alot of people going to different destinations, some are open air. I was the first off in Red Hook. On my return, there are taxi's at Red Hook. The taxi we took back($8.00 per person) was brand new and had A/C and the driver put in a video for us to watch (I looked at the scenery, to be honest, it was more interesting to me).

 

Because I snorkel, I have my own mask & snorkel. I used Sharon's flippers. Sharon will supply you with everything. There is nothing I could have wanted. She even supplies you with a t shirt to use while snorkeling. I ALWAYS wear a tshirt, as your shoulders can burn to a crisp. Something I have experienced and never want to have ruin my vacation again. Bring a water camera and sunscreen..Tommy will take pictures of you in the water and you can take pics of the turtles, etc. Even though you get lunch, if you are inclined to be a big eater, you may want to bring a snack.

The lunch was just fine for me. Bring water if you like..that is something I forget. Sharon does have soda..but I drink alot of water.

 

The rule of 15%-20% applies to tipping. So in my case it was 15% of $320 (2 adults, 1 child, cash). I gave a bit extra..more like 20%. I did not tip the Captain as she is the one getting the loot and pays her mate salary. She mentions that gratuities for Tommy are at your descretion.

 

Any more questions Id be happy to answer. Have a fabulous time! Tell them you spoke to me..he will remember me as the one that had the Brooklyn accent, and was naming the birds with their proper names.,Im also a volunteer park ranger. Tell him you spoke to Marge from Brooklyn and say Magnificent Frigate Bird..(you will see them everywhere)..but he never heard the word Magnificent used..which is the proper name.. He loved it!

[ken_nyc]

Marge,

 

Thanks for the review, going with Sharon in 3 weeks. There will be a total of 4 adults and 2 kids, we have the boat to ourselves. When I spoke to her to make the reservation, she sounded great. Also thanks for the tipping info.

We cannot wait for this daysail!! :)

[Boatsie]

Thanks Marge for all the info!

 

Ken--I'll be expecting a review from your trip as well!:D

[ken_nyc]

I will certainly give all of you a review after coming back from our cruise.

[ken_nyc]

Hi all,

 

Got back from our Carnival Glory cruise on August 28th. Boy did we luck out with the weather! Well getting down to business, we had the best time on Captain Sharon's Winifred on Tuesday August 24th. It was definately the highlight of our cruise, Sharon and Tommy her First Mate were the nicest people you would ever want to meet.

 

We took a cab, the six of us to her dock (about a 20 minute ride) were met by her around 10:00 AM and she took us by dingy out to her sailboat. She is very concerned for her group about the sun. In an e-mail confirmation she tells you to make sure you use your 30SPF sun block BEFORE you get to the dock and on the way out to St. John, she tells you to put on more. Before you get into the water for snorkeling she gives out T-shirts to make sure you do not get burned while snorkeling. Sharon explains exactly how to put on the equipment, the does and dont's. On the way out Tommy makes and gives out drinks, by the way the rum punch was great. ;) Tommy and Sharon were talking to my wife who is a non-swimmer, telling her how she was going to go into the water and she kept on saying no way. This was going on periodically on the way out. She takes you to one of the beaches that is not crowded (I cannot remember the name of the beach, sorry) and moores there, you are NOT allowed to anchor to protect the areas sealife. Well Sharon volunteered me to be the first in the water to show everyone how it will be handled, so after one by one everyone jumped in except for my wife. Let me tell you as I was looking up at the boat waiting for Tommy to jump in, all of the sudden I saw them lowering my wife into the water with her "Winnie-wings" on, I could not believe my eyes. I started taking pictures like crazy to prove that she did it. We snorkeled for about a mile, at least an hour or so. Tommy would show us sea turtles, Sting rays, Grouper, Jacks, etc., and dive down and bring up a conch or some other sea creature. He was very informative. He even took my camera and shot some pictures when he dove down to the bottom.

 

After snorkeling we went back to the boat and Sharon rinsed us off with fresh water before we had lunch. We had a delicious lunch under a canape, same as what Starz said in her review, after some cake. On the way back my friends son who is 10 years old trolled with a fishing rod that Tommy brought up from the cabin, he was thrilled even though he didn't catch anything. Tommy made more drinks, boy are they good!!

 

All I can say is they were the BEST and if we ever go back, rest assured we will go on the Winifred again!!!!

[Starz723]

Ken!!

 

Im so glad you too had the best time! Tommy is such fun and Sharon is just so gracious.

 

My BF had never snorkeled and he did just fine after a bit a practice adjusting to breathing through his mouth. He started off with the see through bucket and graduated within a couple of minutes to the snorkel. Im glad your wife did it too.. Frame those pictures!!

 

Because I love snorkeling so much, I asked Sharon & Tommy about what there recommendation would be for a great hotel in St Thomas (I want a week on the beach this time) that was real nice, affordable, nice restaurant, and with great nearby reefs. They told me hands down, Secret Harbor. It looks fantastic! Im probably going to stay there next vacation and do a day sail on the Winifred again!!

 

Thanks for you post!!!

[gambler]

Thanks for the great reviews!! How do you contact her to make reversations? Could someone post the phone number and an email address?

Thanks

[Crystynatheone]

I sailed on Winifred with Captain Sharon and First Mate Tom in November of 2003. Talk about a stress free day. It was incredible. 5 adults and one two year old were our party. Sharon met us at the dock at about 9:30. She gave us instructions on how to behave on a sail boat, what to expect as we sailed. We went to Caneel Bay Resort on St. John and snorkeled for about an hour and a half. We relaxed and drank rum punch on the way there. It was the end of the rainy season and they had experienced about a week's worth of bad weather, and were just as eager to get on the water as we were. Got to hang our legs over the side of the sailboat on our way to St. Thomas. I swear that water felt like silk. My two year old niece even got the tshirt and her winnie wings when she got in the water. She was perfectly at ease and Sharon didn't mind having a little one on her boat at all. Sharon and Tom made us lunch while we played, and Tom rinsed us off with fresh water when we got back on board. He told us to tell our friends that we showered with another man when we went on vacation, hahaha. We heard what life was like living on St. Thomas, and what Tom's plans for his own vessel were. We gave him a good tip, hope he reaches his goal. I found Sharon to be pleasant, although a little quiet towards us. I think they were under a little stress for the last week and we were their first tour in a while, Tom was having car trouble and needed the money for repairs. One thing I thought was a little bit odd about Sharon was that she asked a couple of times to just leave our towels that we brought with us from the ship. She said no one would miss them, and there was no way they would know we left them, that it was less for us to have to carry around. We all remarked on that later, but it was the only thing we thought was strange. The sail back to St. Thomas was too short, and we left feeling it was well worth the money, $90 for the little one, $100/adult, plus a 20% tip for Tom, who really did all the work. We were back by 3:00 and had plenty of time for shopping and the cab ride back to the tender. Our day sail was the highlight of our cruise, I must say!

[Boatsie]

Ken,

 

Thanks for being a "man of his word" and posting when you returned. Glad you had a wonderful time--I'm really looking forward to my trip in December!

 

Just one question (albiet a long one): Now that you experienced the trip for yourself, is there anything you wished you had known before you went, anything you would have done differently or any items you would bring from/leave behind on the ship?:confused:

[ken_nyc]

You are all welcome, it was the best time!!

[maire]

We are booked in October and worried about the weather. Have their been problems with bad weather?

[ken_nyc]

Here is the website url: http://www.sailwinifred.com/

Here is the e-mail address: winifred@sailwinifred.com

 

Boatsie and the rest of you will not be disappointed!! ;) I would not do anything different. Sharon told us all of the info that we would need to know before hand. Make sure you have an underwater camera and a regular one for the scenery. Sharon will take pictures of you when you are in the water with your camera. Lots of suntan lotion!!

 

I hope all of you the best time ever!!

[maire]

We are booked in October and worried about the weather. Have their been problems with bad weather?

We checked weather predictions and does look pretty good after all those hurricanes! Grandma was worried.

[maire]

Does any one know if there is a changing room on Winifred ?

[Crystynatheone]

I think there was a "head" if you needed to use it, but I didn't, so I can't confirm. Don't know if enough room to change into. The dock has several shops and even a public bathroom, wasn't so clean, but would be room to change there. If you email Sharon she will be able to tell you, I'm sure. She always responded to my emails within a few days.

[maire]

Am so excited about our sail this week and the weather predicition is very nice. Will check in after our sail. Maire

[Starz723]

You can change on the Winifred in the head or down below.

 

Looking forward to your trip report..Wish I was back there.

[maire]

Just had the most marvelous day and really thank everyone for all the information. Winifred is so comfortable and Sharon lived aboard her for many years and still does when cruising so there are all the comforts of home! She is beyond beautiful and we were treated as new friends. Just a truly special day. The first mate Tommy absolutely loves the sea and shared it all with us. Not much wind but lots of sunshine and we will do it again in a heart beat!

[Lisa616]

Hi! We are thinking of book Winifred for the day too and I was wondering if anyone experienced any motion sickness. I admit I'm a little concerned about this. Were the waters pretty calm?? I know you are off it quite a bit for snorkeling and stuff..so that probably helps too! Thanks!

[Crystynatheone]

Hi! We are thinking of book Winifred for the day too and I was wondering if anyone experienced any motion sickness. I admit I'm a little concerned about this. Were the waters pretty calm?? I know you are off it quite a bit for snorkeling and stuff..so that probably helps too! Thanks!

Thankfully, I am not prone to motion sickness, so I didn't have any problems, and the waters were very calm in November of last year, which was right at the end of their rainy season...if you want a relaxing day away from the crowds, this is a great excursion!

[Travel bug]

We too went on the Winifred last Feb. with 2 teenagers. Capt. Sharon and Tommy were outstanding and to this date it has been our favorite excursion while traveling. You could not ask for a more personalized outing with 2 people whom you just met. By the end of the day however you feel like you have known them both forever. Thanks to them for the great memories.

[maire]

Hi again, we got our underwater pictures back and they are amazing because Tommy dove down to get some really good close ups. Sharon posted our turtle shot on her website! Do be sure and bring your underwater camera for the best shots ever.