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Here are the questions we're most frequently asked on our getaway vacations in the Florida Keys. If your questions are not answered here please Contact Us and we'll get the answers you need to set sail with us from Key Largo to Key West.
Bring comfortable light colored clothes for sailing, these keep you cool. Shorts and short sleeves for any season but bring a light jacket or a sweatshirt if you come in the winter months. We sometimes get cold fronts that last a day or two with temperatures in the 50's (brrrr!) otherwise our temperature is a pretty constant around 80 degrees. Bring a light rain jacket for tropical showers (they last about 15 minutes!) if you come in the summer months, our rainy season. Don't forget clothes for Key West if that's your destination!
You'll need soft soled shoes, sneakers, or sandals with a light colored rubber tread. Please don't bring dark or hard soled shoes as these are slippery and mark up the deck. You can of course go barefoot on deck too! You'll need shoes for shore if that's your destination.
Pack light! You don't need many clothes for this trip, at least while we're sailing. It's important NOT to bring hard luggage. Pack your stuff in soft luggage that can be collapsed and stowed in lockers. We have some limited hanging locker space but not for more than one or two items per passenger. It's best to try and limit your luggage to carry on size.
Be sure to bring sunglasses, a hat, a bathing suit or two, personal hygiene items, medications, your camera with enough film, batteries, or memory, and book or two. Don't forget your chargers for battery powered devices, we have limited AC power on board for charging. If you think you might be prone to seasickness be sure to bring some Bonine or Dramamine or other remedies if you prefer, see the seasickness question for more on this.
It's a getaway vacation! Cell phone coverage is best described as spotty. We'll usually be in range of cell towers but not always. We don't offer an internet connection on board and a lot of people thank us for that! And we have a strictly enforced NO TV policy! (but we do have a DVD player for your favorite movies) There is limited AC power on board for charging cell phones, ipods, etc. so bring your chargers.
We have a great sound system and an extensive library of music from the 70's, 80's, 90's, and more recent stuff as well as some older popular classics, a lot of good blues, rock, alternative, country, folk, and very very little rap. Bring your Ipod and we can dock it. We also have satellite radio for whatever kind of music you're into. Like we mentioned in the previous question we have a DVD player and a limited collection of sailing related movies. Bring some DVDs if you like or we can rent some for you if you let us know in advance. There's a small library of classic books, plenty of Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Bukowski, and Conrad as well as many others. We have cards, including a poker chip set and a cribbage board, dominoes, checkers, chess, and backgammon and a scrabble game. And we have a guitar on board if you play. This is great opportunity to spend the kind of time you don't forget with your friends and family.
We'll do our best to avoid sea conditions we know are likely to trigger seasickness. There are many regions to sail here that are protected from choppy conditions. If you know you get seasick or if you are not sure we recommend you take Bonine the NIGHT BEFORE we depart and then again on the day of departure. Usually this is effective at preventing the onset of seasickness. Most cases if they occur usually occur early on the first day of a trip and are usually gone by the afternoon so getting the medication into your system before hand helps.
Our greatest concern is with your safety and satisfaction. If we determine that weather conditions will be too severe for a safe trip we will notify you and reschedule the trip within a reasonable amount of time. If we are unable to reschedule within a 60 day period due to our schedule or yours we will refund your deposit in full. We also reserve the right to alter our sail plan to seek shelter or safe harbor in the event of adverse weather and sea conditions. We'll do everything we can to keep you comfortable and safe. In the event of a named storm that approaches to within 300 nautical miles of our position or is highly likely to within 24 hours or in the event of a forced evacuation we will cancel the remainder of the trip and return you to shore and issue you a credit for the balance of your trip that can be used any time in the future.
In the event your trip is canceled before departure due to a named storm we will offer to reschedule your trip within a 60 day period. If we cannot reschedule due to our schedule or yours we'll refund your deposit and offer you a 15% discount on your next reservation. If you wish to cancel your reservation for any reason you can do so up to 15 days prior to your departure for a full refund of your deposit. If you cancel 15 days or less before your departure we will retain your deposit until we have booked an alternate reservation in the same period. Once an alternate reservation is booked we will refund your deposit. In the event no alternate is booked we will retain your deposit and issue you a credit in an equal amount that you can apply to a future reservation.
Living aboard a boat is physically different than a building or home. You'll need to climb small ladders to get in and out of the cabin and you'll have to step up, over, and around the deck and rigging of the ship to move around and board the boat. We recommend that people over 325lb consider if they will be able to get around comfortably aboard ship. If you plan on snorkeling you'll need to be a fair swimmer and be able to swim at least 100 yards and then remain floating or treading water for 15 minutes, you should be comfortable in the water. We have had handicapped passengers and we will be glad to discuss how we can help to get you aboard and enjoy these getaway vacations with us, just give us a call or send an email before you make your reservations to be sure we are prepared for you.
While the boat is docked and connected to shore power there is air conditioning. So in places like Key West or other marinas where we stay overnight we'll have AC. There is no AC while the boat is at sea. This usually is not a problem since it is MUCH cooler on the water (no heated land mass warming the air near the ground) and there is a great breeze that is very comfortable. In the summer months on very still nights it would be uncomfortable but we can always get to a marina if we decide to and hook up to shore power for the night.
