USEFUL SAILING TERMS:
LEEWARD facing away from the prevailing wind direction (i.e downwind)
WINDWARD facing the direction from where the wind is blowing
PORT To the left of the vessel
STARBOARD To the right of the vessel
AFT The direction towards the stern (back) of the boat; backwards
STERN The back of the vessel
ASTERN In a backwards direction
BAREBOATING Renting a boat with no crew, generally for vacations - usually sailing qualification required.
CATAMARAN A sailing vessel with two aligned hulls
BOW Front edge of a boat
BUOY An anchored, floating structure that is used as a signal; often indicates
the presence of divers, dangers, mooring spots or other things of significance.
Often color - or flag coded
DEAD AHEAD Straight forwards direction
FENDER A cushion-like thing that is placed along the hull to protect it from
collision with other boats, pier walls or cliffs to prevent damage normally when
mooring
FOREMAST The mast that is most forward on a boat
FORESAIL The lowest square sail on the most forward mast
GALLEY The cooking facility on a boat
HALYARDS Ropes or wires for lifting or lowering sails and associated spars
HELM The wheel or tiller through which you control the rudder
MAINSAIL The lowest sail on the mainmast
MOORING Action that secures a boat to a pier, anchorage or buoy
GUEST FEEDBACK / COMMENTS
It was 1 of the best things I ever did in my life!
2 out of the 4 said it was their best vacation EVER!!
Bagga was great. He's a local guy, so he knows every1, knows exactly where to go if you tell him what you want, & he's a great captain. Every1 felt comfortable with him, even during some rough sailing - Sunday was really windy. At a couple stops we just said we're with Bagga & we were treated a little differently.
If I had to choose 1 highlite, it would be in Mayreau. There's that little cove/bay where all the boaters moor with the little hotel & beach bar, well that's not the spot....we took the kayaks, & facing the beach, we went to the right around the rocks & into a deserted beach - actually, 2 deserted beaches. It was a little rough on the kayaks, but well worth the effort - 400 yards of untouched sand!! If you took it 1 step further & walked to the end of that beach & thru/over the rocks, you reach another deserted beach. Basically, each couple had their own private beach for a few hours & then we met back at the 1st spot. Now that was a great day! I strongly suggest it, but bring some wine, cheese, crackers, & sandwiches, have a picnic & spend the whole day there - it can't get much better than that!!!!!!!!!
comments/suggestions: The best thing was the freedom to do whatever we wanted, & go wherever we wanted. It was basically our boat for 4 days & 3 nites. If I had to do it over the only change I would make would be to spend more time with Bagga when we 1st met him to thouroughly explain what we were looking for or what we wanted to do - we probably would have spent more time discovering deserted beaches (then again, maybe we wouldn't have seen as much as we did). Being the 1st time chartering, I didn't realize how wide open our options were & how flexible things were. You really have to explain to newbies (1st timers) that it's their boat while they are chartering to go wherever they want! Bottom line: I will recommend it to any1 who asks & I will do it again someday.
LARRY - January 2007