# Got to boast.....New 70' Catamaran.



## Sandy VDH (Jul 20, 2010)

Tradewinds Cruise Club, which I am a member, has got on loan to it for 2011 a brand spanking new 70 ft specific built (not renovated) 6 cabin luxury yacht, and I mean luxury.

See this link for pics and info.... it is something.
http://www.tradewindscruiseclub.com/destinations/guadeloupe/galathea

It is only available to TWCC Members but I have just booked May of next year in Guadeloupe.  

I think TWCC is considering a purchase of a boat and they manufacturer is leasing it to us for the better part of a year.  Purchase price, ouch, $2.5 Million.


----------



## Ridewithme38 (Jul 20, 2010)

Wow...thats an impressive boat...How do the Cruise clubs work? is there a Hired captain on board or are the owners also in charge of driving that monster?

I own a 28' Searay Sundancer...i've only had it a couple years...But it feels like a lot of boat to a new boater like me...I couldn't imagine trying to get around in that


----------



## Sandy VDH (Jul 20, 2010)

All Tradewinds come with a Captain, and cook (first mate, chef, chief bottle washer).  However I think this yacht will have an extra deck hand if not 2.

I would not want to docking a boat that large. Thanks anyway.


----------



## Jestjoan (Jul 20, 2010)

She's pretty impressive. How exciting. I know you will have a great time.


----------



## LisaH (Jul 20, 2010)

Is the weekly fee same as the other boats Tradewind offers? How much is it for a member?


----------



## LAX Mom (Jul 20, 2010)

Very impressive! Great vacation to look forward to next year.


----------



## heathpack (Jul 20, 2010)

Classy.

H


----------



## Sandy VDH (Jul 21, 2010)

LisaH said:


> Is the weekly fee same as the other boats Tradewind offers? How much is it for a member?



The fee is a bit higher $1K instead of $750 for the AI for members.  That fee is lower than the RCI exchanger fee.  But obviously this boat is not available as an RCI exchange.


----------



## LisaH (Jul 21, 2010)

Thanks!!! My dear friend is also a member and I will talk to her and see if she is allowed to book multiple cabins


----------



## pharmgirl (Jul 21, 2010)

Sandy Lovell said:


> The fee is a bit higher $1K instead of $750 for the AI for members.  That fee is lower than the RCI exchanger fee.  But obviously this boat is not available as an RCI exchange.



Hi  Have chartered boats in BVI, etc [usually about 50 ft both with and w/o crew] and am interested in this  What do you mean by fee of $750 [or $1000]  could a week possibly cost that little?  even if this is per person still very low


----------



## Carolyn (Jul 21, 2010)

pharmgirl said:


> Hi  Have chartered boats in BVI, etc [usually about 50 ft both with and w/o crew] and am interested in this  What do you mean by fee of $750 [or $1000]  could a week possibly cost that little?  even if this is per person still very low



That is only the All inclusive fee per person for the week.  You have to buy a membership and also pay the maintenance fee every year too.  We are booked for August, 2011....can't wait!!

Carolyn


----------



## Sandy VDH (Jul 22, 2010)

Carolyn said:


> That is only the All inclusive fee per person for the week.  You have to buy a membership and also pay the maintenance fee every year too.  We are booked for August, 2011....can't wait!!
> 
> Carolyn



Given current MFs, my purchase price to belong to the club for a week, and the AI fee, the week about this brand new 70' will cost me about $3860 (this does NOT include the tip for the crew, 2 dinners ashore, flights) for a couple in a cabin for a week.  A bargain for that boat in my opinion.


----------



## pharmgirl (Jul 22, 2010)

Sandy Lovell said:


> Given current MFs, my purchase price to belong to the club for a week, and the AI fee, the week about this brand new 70' will cost me about $3860 (this does NOT include the tip for the crew, 2 dinners ashore, flights) for a couple in a cabin for a week.  A bargain for that boat in my opinion.



yes, a good price for crewed new boat - enjoy!!  where will you be sailing?


----------



## Sandy VDH (Jul 22, 2010)

pharmgirl said:


> yes, a good price for crewed new boat - enjoy!!  where will you be sailing?



Guadeloupe


----------



## shagnut (Jul 22, 2010)

I loved tradewinds !! I've done St Martin & BVI. Both spectacular.  shaggy


----------



## Dave&Linda (Jul 29, 2010)

Also TWCC members and sent them an email on July 2nd looking for two berths anytime winter/spring 2011. Sheila wrote back that everything is booked up except for one berth next July. No Thanks.


----------



## RandomTraveller (Aug 1, 2010)

*We just got back, it could have been better.*

*We sailed out of St. Maarten last week 7/24-7/30/2010*. Just got back. Here is what we encountered as "non-members".

We understand that a lot of people LIKE Tradewinds, it just wasn't for us, or not what we had hoped for exactly. I think we need to do some more cruises in order to make a "comparison" and we probably will. And before you read any further, we didn't HATE our trip, we enjoyed it for the most part, it just wasn't what we were expecting. I must say that for JULY the weather was about 10-15 degrees cooler than the southern state that we came from. It was PERFECT weather, not too hot as I expected! Loved the tradewinds weather. I'd definitely go back in the summer months it wasn't bad at ALL!

We were sailing with 3 other couples who didn't know each other. That was great. We were surprised at how well we all got along on the boat. Each guest was accommodating, hospitable and friendly towards the others. We truly enjoyed the time that we shared getting to know them. I can see why the tradewinds members enjoy each other so much. At times, we never laughed so hard at some of the downright silliness that the Carribbean atmoshpere along with the rum stirred up in us.:hysterical: Some went skinny dipping, others told relentlessly funny stories, entertained us with card tricks and of course drinking games. We are not big drinkers, I couldn't get enough water to be honest! But the all inclusive could definitely make you drink as the beverages were endless all day from breakfast till the time you passed out! If you like to drink or drink freely, you will! 

 The other guests were also "non-members" so this cruise was booked as a "sales cruise". The boat sat for hours on end at convenient places where you couldn't do anything BUT snorkel or kayak, I mean, you could play chess, read a book, or drink. I dare say that we were all over St. maarten/St. martin, and St. Barths beautiful islands, but barely got to see anything other than select beaches, and snorkeling sites, where the one-on-one sales presentations with each of the 4 couples took place. In hindsite, I wish I had asked the captain to take us sailing, I just thought this is the way it's supposed to take place. Not sure if they can alter their schedule or not...good question to ask before you book. We would absolutely hate that if there was an "Upgrade your membership" sales pitch every time we sailed! Like a timeshare pitch.

On one hand we really wanted to be alone with absolute quiet, and on the other hand wanted time to go ashore, so we're not really sure if a group cruise is our ticket in the end!

 The one day that I tried to get the other guests to go ashore early, the captain offered to drop us off in the dingy. I did appreciate that, but really, I wanted to sail and if we were just going to SIT THERE :deadhorse: , I didn't see any point snorkeling to yet another random rock wall. The only time we sailed was to get to St. Barths from St. Maarten and back, otherwise, it was short sails to the next snorkeling site. That is not a SAILING Trip. I was very disappointed in that. 

:whoopie: *On a positive note,* some of the group did get to go on a diving trip with a local school (which we chose to pass on) and we did a taxi tour drive around st. Barths. Two of the better highlights to be sure. We were also dropped of in Marigot for a short time (my husband and I went in early) We got to see a bit more, talk with more local business owners and other catamaran companies as well.

:annoyed: The boat we were on was nearly 20 years old. (The Motu Iti). It may have been maintained mechanically, but sometimes smelled like the toilets had backed up (not the whole boat, but you'd definitely get a good whiff at various times). It was satisfactory, I wouldn't rate it a luxury vessel. The captain had to run ashore to get a new pump (bilge pump?), replacing it. Seemed to help with the odor after that. I know boats are expensive to maintain and with sea air disintigrate quickly. 

 *The best part was the crew.* Kerri is an excellent cook and hostess and Yehudeh is an excellent captain (sailing since he was 5), diver and all around good guy. A young fun couple.

 Some things to pay attention to: You are expected to tip the crew $50-$150 pp ($100-$300/couple)-(10-18% of the All-Incl) and it is a customary across the board to tip tour guides, this is not unreasonable.  On the first ashore dinner, the waiter suggested that if we liked the captain and first mate that the group could buy the dinner, which caught us totally off guard. Now, this is not customary! When a tour guide takes a group to a restaurant on a regular basis providing repeat customers for the restaurant (Tradewinds boats go there weekly), the tour guide is usually treated to dinner by the RESTAURANT not the guests. 

 We did address this issue with office at the end of the cruise and they said that the restaurants in the islands don't participate in free meals, (which we have no way to verify) yet they seemed aware of the "Free captains dinner" practice. So we're not sure what is actually happening here, but be aware. The way that it transpired made some of our group uncomfortable, yet we all chipped in regardless, however sadly, I think it affected their tip in the end.


----------



## Sandy VDH (Aug 2, 2010)

Dave&Linda said:


> Also TWCC members and sent them an email on July 2nd looking for two berths anytime winter/spring 2011. Sheila wrote back that everything is booked up except for one berth next July. No Thanks.



Sorry you did not get your request.  One thing I have learned with TWCC is when they announce something new, grab it immediately when they make it available because it does book up quickly if it is new.  There is also no guarantee that it will be back again.

We sailed Turks & Caicos one season as they were trying it out.  They opted not to have a base their.  I was sorry we missed out the trail run in Bahamas.  I also think we missed out on Brazil.  I do not beleive they will continue Brazil as a base.  Another missed opportunity.

So as soon as they offer something book it, hold space, at least then you have something. 

We are actually going in Late May, my choice, the cabins are cheaper then.  Airfare is cheaper and it is not yet hurricane season.


----------



## Sandy VDH (Aug 2, 2010)

Random Traveller.  

Sorry you were not completely in love with your Tradewinds trip.  But for people who love to dive, and snorkel and sail it is a nice balance.  I guess you never have to go on a Tradewinds again.  Perhaps chartering your own boat would be more suitable for what you are after in a vacation.

Certainly TWCC is not for everyone.  But we happen to just love it.  It is relaxing.  We meet good people.  We get to dive, snorkel and swim in some amazing locations that we just could not get to any other way.

Some locations are more suitable for sailing.  St Vincent and the Grenadines has a few longer sails, between 3 and 6 hours for some of the legs, as there is a bit of distance to the island.

Cheers


----------



## dchilds (Aug 2, 2010)

*Trade Winds*

Trade Winds offers a different experience than other timeshares.  Much more time is spent relaxing (even more if you count sailing as relaxing), and enjoying the water, which is also very relaxing for some.  Sometimes we want to explore an island, and Trade Winds doesn't provide much time for exploring.

We became members about four years ago after our first "guest" sail.  We have been to the BVI, St Maarten, Belize, and St Vincent & The Grenadines.  St Vincent has the most sailing by far, but there are still several days with short sails.  The BVI only has short sails, up to about 2 hours, and is one of our favorite locations because sailing gets old for us after about 2-3 hours.  We are signed up for Guadalupe in Oct 2011.

We own timeshares on St Maarten, where we do most of our island type activities, and we have no need to explore the island from the boat.


----------



## tombo (Mar 1, 2011)

Sandy Lovell said:


> Tradewinds Cruise Club, which I am a member, has got on loan to it for 2011 a brand spanking new 70 ft specific built (not renovated) 6 cabin luxury yacht, and I mean luxury.
> 
> See this link for pics and info.... it is something.
> http://www.tradewindscruiseclub.com/destinations/guadeloupe/galathea
> ...



That is a beautifull ship and Trade Winds is something I would love to at least try for a week, but my wife gets sea sick on anything smaller than a mega cruise ship. Unless I get remarried I guess this is a vacation I can only dream about.


----------



## rynker (Mar 1, 2011)

I get sea  sick on  raft in Hawaii if the undertow is just right, but I love water, boating and have found that the Patch from a Dr. is absolutely the best thing for sea sickness!  We took the TW to the BVI's last summer and it was one of the best vacations we'd ever been  on.......and we've been on too many great vacations to list.  she may ask her Dr. about the patch.


----------



## tombo (Mar 1, 2011)

rynker said:


> I get sea  sick on  raft in Hawaii if the undertow is just right, but I love water, boating and have found that the Patch from a Dr. is absolutely the best thing for sea sickness!  We took the TW to the BVI's last summer and it was one of the best vacations we'd ever been  on.......and we've been on too many great vacations to list.  she may ask her Dr. about the patch.



My wife took a dramamine and put on a patch and still got seasick on a small cruise ship. Granted we went through a huge storm with 15 to 20 foot seas and most of the ship's crew was seasick too, but all she remembers is the misery until we got to shore.

Speaking of seasick on a raft, she too actually gets seasick floating on a raft in the ocean and snorkeling if there are small waves. I always make her snorkle with me but if it is not totally calm she heads for the beach as soon as she feels a little sick. 

We went on a snorkeling catamaran cruise from Maui to Lanai (or whatever island that is across the way) and she was sick before we got there. She was too sick to snorkle while we were there, and sick all the way back. She said she will never go out to sea on another boat smaller than a mega cruise ship again in her life and she hasn't. I would have to sleep with one eye open if I booked us on a small catamaran cruise for a week.


----------



## shagnut (Mar 4, 2011)

If I had the money, this is the only ts I would own and never trade. I just have to wait 1 more year b4 I can go again. I want to do Belize.  shaggy


----------

