By Jeff Wingfield
For most of us, I suspect the desire to be at sea, even for a short while, never goes away. So for the second year in a row, we have satisfied that desire with a charter aboard a classic 170-foot ketch in the Caribbean.
Lee and Me
First, a little introduction. I am 88 years old and my partner, Lee, is 80. We found each other 22 years ago. She was managing a marina just south of Savannah, Georgia, and was living aboard her Cheoy Lee sloop at the marina. I had recently lost my wife to cancer and, having sold my Grand Banks trawler, was trying to cope by crewing on deliveries, in this case a big Hatteras motor yacht on its way to Florida.
After a visit to a boat show together and getting acquainted, we arranged to meet daily via SSB as we made our separate trips southward.
From then on, all our ventures were joint. We managed a Grand Banks 49. An acquaintance who kept his boat at Hilton Head, South Carolina, hired us on standby to move the boat to whatever area he wished to cruise. That entailed trips to Florida and to the Bahamas for his family gatherings.
By 2004, Lee and I decided to build a Cabo Rico NE 400 in Costa Rica. We modified the interior layout to better suit our needs, then sailed Moon River to the 2005 Annapolis boat show, followed by the Miami boat show. Moon River was followed by Black Swan, a Legacy 42 motor yacht, but we missed the joy of sail after a couple of years, and found Last Tango, a very well equipped Amel 54.
At the 2016 Annapolis boat show we were captivated by the beauty of Mike Gozzard’s prototype 41 RC. He had built one of this model to update the popular earlier version. Blue Moon was an impulsive but enjoyable venture, as we worked with Gozzard to complete the fitting out and commissioning of what became our last boat.
The Christmas Cruise
A German-based firm, Sailing-Classics, deploys a trio of steel-hulled vessels designed for small, crewed charters: the Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean in winter. This annual shift opens an opportunity for those who wish to make an Atlantic crossing or to visit the Azores or Cape Verde Islands.
We learned about the firm from a travel article in The New York Times. Arrangements were via email and an occasional telephone call. There are only a few choices to be made: departure date for the cruise and stateroom configuration (double or twin). Some itineraries may require flights to the departure location and a return from another airport. Air travel is best managed on your own.
We have sailed aboard the sister ships Rhea, built in 2017, and Chronos, built in 2013. Displacing 333 gross tons, these yachts carry 10,457 square feet of sail. When needed, the auxiliary engine is a 600-horsepower turbo-charged Volvo.
Access up the steep freeboard is by port and starboard gangways that can be lifted well above wave height when under way. Two thirteen-foot RIB dinghies, stowed on deck, ferry passengers, crew, and dunnage ashore.
With all sails aloft, the ride is exhilarating. Typical trade winds on our trips pushed us along at a steady eight knots with occasional surges to over nine knots. Under power, she was capable of a bit more than seven knots, but generally cruised at a leisurely five to six knots. After all, we were in the islands, so why rush?
We had had a fine time on Rhea over Christmas 2022, cruising from St. Maarten to Tortola in the BVI. Two weeks before Christmas 2023, Lee and I were musing about how much we had enjoyed it, so why not go again? A call to Germany confirmed space was available and we moved into high gear.
We flew into Grenada with instructions to be on alert for our taxi driver after clearing customs. Our dinghy from Chronos picked up us and our eleven fellow guests at a convenient marina dock and the adventure began.
We followed the local custom: a welcome glass of champagne after negotiating the gangway (happily on a calm afternoon); then relaxing until our evening meal. Our Ukrainian chef was a master, and every meal was memorable. Breakfasts were buffet; lunch, afternoon tea, sundowners, and supper were all served by the stewards.
A crew of ten was attentive to every need. One can choose to spend days at one’s own pace, except for appearing for meals on time. All dining was on the covered aft deck. Sail handling or any recreation such as swimming, water sports, or short trips ashore are at the choice of the guest.
While the boat has an ample saloon, it was seldom visited — the open decks were too appealing. Staterooms are ample in size with adequate storage. We had two portholes (non-opening) keeping the cabin bright and giving us a preview of our location. Ensuite heads and showers are large. Air conditioning in the cabins provides a pleasant sleeping environment for the warm nights. All spaces aboard are kept pristine.
Our itinerary took us northward to the Grenadines, then as far as St. Lucia. We anchored off beautiful beaches or in quiet coves. Once a week the staff plans a dinner ashore. This trip it was a lobster barbecue on a palm-fringed beach.
Our fellow guests were an interesting mix: a Brit couple, a Swiss couple, a German couple, and five singles — three German women and one American and one German man. The crew was fluent in English, German, Dutch, and Italian. Conversations were lively and ranged from politics to customs in the various regions represented by the guests.
So it is an experience which can suit all tastes. Service and food and comfort were all top-notch. As far as we are concerned, being aboard a classic yacht in stunning cruising grounds was the bonus.
About Sailing-Classics
Sailing-Classics is a European-based company with offices in the Netherlands and Germany. Two of its fleet, Chronos and Rhea, sail in the Caribbean. Trips are generally a week in length and do not always end at the same port, so care is needed in scheduling flights.
