Promenade Sail Dive Charters Blog

This is a major special for us people!!

On ALL bookings between now and December 1st, 2013 we are offering 25% off of captain only and half board, and 20% off of fully crewed. All amenities Promenade is known for are available. Promenade will be happy to pick up 6 guests and under at Red Hook in the USVI or over that amount, in the British Virgin Islands. We are also happy to offer the discount on shorter stays then 7 nights, EXCEPT for our captain only rate please!



Chad Blake is captain all season, and when needed or wanted, Kerry and Bazza will be onboard as additional crew at certain periods. Our other big news on board is that Chad yesterday received his PADI SCUBA Instructor certificate!!!!!



Full details are available here: http://wp.me/p3d1Ds-Xz

So...book fast! Who wants to go diving at out of the way places including Anegada hopefully this summer!

We have another week pencilled in for SWIM VACATION aboard Promenade now in early December!
For all the details, and to book, go visit Hopper on SWIMVACATION

This is Kerry..
I had this invite come around in my email account for a pancake breakfast at the Tortola Boat show that is happening Jay 17th and 18th. Sorry, not a general public viewing, but for charter brokers who sell the yachts so they can check them out. Brokers come from on island and off island.



Good on Chad for putting this on! The more people he can get on the boat to see it the better he will be. Just glad it is not ME doing it..Those who know me are aware that "dietary needs" is not a word that is high on my priority list.

Bazza and I are thinking perhaps we might do a charter or two this summer, with Chad, and more importantly, when he plans on going away for a few weeks. That is the rough plan anyways... Looking forward to getting back in the water with my camera.

We have some great specials on board this summer! Not only that, but Promenade is open and available throughout the summer season in the British Virgin Islands!

Fully Crewed: With the 6 guest minimum, up to 4 younger members, 16 and under are half price. The yacht will be fully provisioned and ready to go and includes all food, ship's bar, cook, fuel, water, on board water toys (except SCUBA diving), permits and cruising taxes. One dinner ashore for guests requested please..

Half Board: For those who want to experience a few meals ashore. We include all breakfasts, 2 lunches and 5 dinners. Other terms the same as Fully Crewed.

Captain/Crew only: This one is particularly a great deal for those families and groups who are looking to save some money! A competent licensed captain/crew to be in charge of the boat, and boat safety at all times. Full water tanks at beginning of charter (750) gallons. 75 gallons of diesel fuel included, & 5 gallons gas for tender. Use of all equipment as inventoried on board. Cruising Taxes, National Parks permit & VISAR fee included. We will even provision it for you on request!




It does not include getting to and from the yacht (air and transfers), any meals you choose to have on shore, anything other then ship's standard bar, communications, dockage, SCUBA, and overnight Air Conditioning. Crew Gratuity is also extra (standard 15-20%)

Overnight air conditioning is $75.00 per night if wanted. SCUBA Diving is $25.00 pp/pd for certified divers. Gear rental (BC and Reg) is $125.00 pp/pw. Resort diving is available at $85.00 per person per dive and includes gear.
Our ships bar is basic, but plentiful, (fully crewed and half board).

Chad and Felix ready for all charters, on request this summer, Kerry and Bazza can take Half Board or Captain/Crew only (with lots of SCUBA Diving!)

So what are you waiting for? The boat has never looked better!

Can I point out for those who do not follow SwimVacations Blog as they swim around the islands from their own private charter yacht that Heather has the story and pictures of their encounters and swims with WILD dolphines (ie not in a pen) oof the Baths, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands today?



You can find the link to read more about it on Heathers Blog here

And maybe we will see you then on the next trip on Swim Vacation!

..So we have another group of contented guests!










We have to apologize to our no meat eater and say "YOU SHOULD HAVE SPOKEN UP IMMEDIATELY!" That was plain and simply because we switched the way our preference sheets were put in online for the boat to read and between that and they not reading properly what "7 out of 8 eat beef" meant... So in future, we are happy to cook alternatives, and please let us know right away, we hate to see anyone starve! I assume since the yacht got great stellar reviews otherwise it did not hamper their trip







Thanks to the Bostonians for a fun filled big activity week!



And a late coming email that was sent to us today Thank you!

What a great trip we had. Crew was all we could have expected, as was the boat. We would like to thank everyone involved for a fantastic vacation. We will be recommending the Promenade to anyone that wants a BVI sail vacation.

Today is a milestone. In the snap shot below you can see that our Yacht Promenade page on Facebook has hit a 1000 likes! Onward and upward!!
Thank you all.

..from the younger generation! Griffin is 15... Thanks for taking the time to write it Griffin!







Big Smiles

and from the awesome mother of the group...

Oh my, what a spectacular time we had on the Promenade from March 9th through March 16th. I travelled with my significant other, his youngest son (14) and my youngest son (15). We sure were ready for a break after spending the prior 28 hours waiting for our lost luggage to arrive in St. Thomas.
From the second we boarded the boat at Marina Cay on Tortola we knew that Chad, Jessica and Felix were going to make this trip amazing. Our every need was met, and careful attention had been paid to the food and beverage preference forms we’d prepared in advance. One of our party is vegetarian, and he had lots of food choices. Our favourite part of the day was when Jessica served our jug of rum punch and afternoon snacks after our last dive. The week was filled with beautifully prepared and served food, with a huge variety.
And speaking of diving, our group did one, two or three dives daily, and a couple of night dives. It was so great to have reliable equipment and a compressor on board, as well as the guidance of qualified divers and dive masters. We really enjoyed our dives!
Of course, there’s way more to the Promenade than the diving! We got to plan our itinerary each day with Chad, and this flexibility was awesome. We enjoyed countless tubing rides, some wakeboarding, paddleboarding, snorkeling, and more, and at the end of each day Chad let the boys choose from an endless selection of movies to watch on the big screen. Not only were those kids not bored, they collapsed into bed each night and slept like logs! So did we
We chose to spend part of one day off the boat on Virgin Gorda, visiting the Baths and taking a cab across the island. The Bitter End Yacht Club was a hoot, and we had fun sailing past Richard Branson’s Necker Island. We will never forget those BVI sunsets every single evening, and not a drop of rain.
Overall all four of us enjoyed an unbelievable vacation, and one which will provide us with a lifetime of opportunities. If you’re on this page considering the Promenade and have any question of me, a guest, please feel free to email me at maracole@sympatico.ca!
Thanks Chad, Jessica and Felix. xxxxx from Toronto!

The yacht had a great group on board, all good looking people as you can see from the picture here..



I would say we definitely owe Bob a discount on his next charter for the great referrals!









Thank you to all ! I know the crew loved the charter and the guests...

Sorry, I have been so remiss at posting on this blog.. Mostly because I have been putting the pictures and blog entries from the charter on our Facebook page. I do have a blog entry that I have just done up on the Promenade specials available throughout the summer season and for families..Which you can see on my site here.
Next, I will update the rates and specials on my web site...

We had a mixture of many time repeat guests and new friends on board this week, and it was a busy, fun, time. See how fresh and scrubbed people are on arriving?



I have an update on the charter reviews for this week since they sent such nice follow up letter praising Chad and Crew I thought I would add them in here:

1) What can I say… thank you for an absolutely fabulous week. Steve and I could not have had a better time and both agree that you and your crew made all the difference in the world. You are thoughtful, prepared, professional, flexible, and quite talented on many fronts. We will look forward to reading about you as your journey continues to unfold!

2) I absolutely loves the video you made! Thanks for all the hard work you put into making it. The video was a great way to end our trip today and say good-bye...

Thank you for the wonderful dinner last night. We all loved the chicken parm:). We wish we could have seen you one last time to say good bye but completely understand why you couldn't be there. I hope your night got better once you sat down at dinner with all of us and had great wine, good conversation and food. You both have done such a wonderful job raising Chad. He was an amazing captain and you should be proud.

Steve and I had such an incredible time aboard the Promenade. We loved the food, the crew was so accommodating, sleeping under the stars, scuba diving, tubing, skiing, showering on the back of the boat:), taking pictures of the beautiful landscape, the happy hours, dancing on the boat, going to the beach and dive bars, floating on the mini island, The Baths, the awesome bon fire and s'mores, the desserts, shopping at ALL the boutiques at each island!, and best for last making life long friends.

3) Thank you so much for a marvelous week. Steve and I were talking over breakfast this morning and agreed that it far exceeded our expectations (which were high!). We’ve both been in the hospitality business our entire lives and did not expect such professionalism and pampering throughout the trip. It was really above-and-beyond. You managed to strike that delicate balance between structure and flexibility that made the entire trip enjoyable for all.

Chad is really something. So professional at such a young age. I am sure we gave him a few grey hairs but I like to think of it as “character-building”!! He was a treat.

I really enjoyed our chat at the bonfire…I could have sat there another two hours I am sure. Hopefully one day in the future we’ll have a chance to take up where we let off. What a pretty night.

Thanks also for the video…you really captured some of the most priceless moments of the trip. I have watched it three times already!

Wishing you calm waters and sunny skies.

So, all great on the review front on board the boat...!


Short, sweet and to the point guest reviews this week. All good. Some wondered since they had been on the boat 18 times how we could even ask why they were there and what brought them to Promenade! Point taken there... The week proceeded as it normally does....


Covered a lot of Territory in 6 nights. Trellis Bay, Baths, Mountain Point, Bitter End, Leverick Bay, Saba rock, Anegada, Mountain Point, Jost Van Dyke, West End, Cooper Island, Salt Island, Little Harbour, the Bight, The Caves on Norman Island and Roadtown...phew...and it was not just one circle. We also had a spectacular beach fire on night on Salt Island, an awesome dinner upstairs at Leverick Bay, and lobster at Neptune's on Anegada...



Why did you choose Promenade for your holiday?

3) Never been on a sailing charter. Good recommendation from a friend.
4) Wonderful trips the previous 2 times on board


Did the yacht meet your expectations ( ie cabin size, space)?

1) Yes, we thought it was going to be smaller. We were happy with the space and cabin size despite the claustrophobia problem with both have


Was the crew clean, personable, skilled and helpful?

1) Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes! Chad was there at every whim- he met all of our needs, Felix was great and very helpful- Jessica was a sweetheart & personable.
2) I loved the crew!
3) Always!
4) Absolutely!


Was the food to your expectations?

1) Yes. The food was delicious, always enough variety and perfect! Fajitas rocked, blueberry cheesecake awesome, Felix's Chicken Yummy- Key Lime Pie- Cheeseburger only thing overdone
2) Yes, and more! No kidding!!!



Were there enough activities and were they the type of activities you wanted?

1) YES! SCUBA, snorkeling, tubing, skiing, sailing, driving dinghy The Baths, The Caves, Swimming and bar hopping & beach, maybe a hike would have been fun.
2) Yes, Great tube



How would you describe your experience aboard Promenade?

1) Perfect!
2) Always the best vacation!
3) Very relaxing and pampered
4) Great


Additional Comments:

1) Thank you Chad, Felix & Jessica for your hospitality- It was a wonderful experience and we really appreciated everything. I am happy that I can mark it off my bucket list
2) Kerry I wish you could have been a fly on the wall and watch your son work. You would be so proud!
3)Very professional Staff!!!
4) Such a relaxing, fun and special trip!

Roll on the next charter tomorrow and see what kind of mischief and fun we can find...

The crew on Promenade has taken it to a new level. The yacht looks great, and all the guests are very happy!

This young, energetic crew LOVES families!



******
Save up to $2000 with families on Yacht Promenade this summer sailing season!
Family Special: April 2013-November 15th, 2013

With 6 full paying adults, on 7 night, fully crewed charters, up to 4 children (16 and under please) can go at half price! Saving up to $2000!. Short charters may be prorated with the family special.

Normal Rates:

Crewed: $13,900 for 7 nights (6 guests, add $1000.00 each additional guest up to 12. Over 10 is family only).

This includes all meals, ship's bar, on board water toys (except SCUBA diving), permits and cruising taxes.

It does not include getting to and from the yacht (air and transfers), any meals you choose to have on shore, anything other then ship's standard bar, communications, dockage, SCUBA, and overnight Air Conditioning. Air Conditioning overnight surcharge is $75. per night. Crew Gratuity is also extra (standard 15-20%)

SCUBA Diving will be $20.00 per person per dive for certified divers. Gear rental (BC and Reg) is $125.00 per person per week or bring own.

One dinner ashore for guests requested please..

We have good availability after the end of March!



Just think....this could be you!


See you soon!

Great charter with 10 guests from Virginia! Thought I would share the guest comments from this week, since they were kind enough to write them...





Where did you hear about Yacht Promenade?
4) Through a friend of a friends captain recommendation
5) A friend of a friend had sailed down here and he gave me a list of captains & Promenade was included. I researched them all and contacted Kerry.

Why did you choose Promenade for your holiday?
1) To celebrate our friends 40th birthday.
4) Our friend Liza selected this boat based on recommendations.
5) It sounded very laid back, good water sports, and fishing options (although we mostly ended up relaxing!)

Was the yacht easy to locate?
1) Yes
3) Seemed like there was a bit of trouble connecting with the boat.
4) Yes, we were given the contact information for Chad and were able to locate the boat as soon as we arrived in Roadtown.
5) Yes- We ended up taking a taxi from West End by mistake but it was still easy.

Did the yacht meet your expectations ( ie cabin size, space)?
1) It did. It was well pictured on line so I had a good idea what to expect.
3) Yes, I had no expectations but everything was great.
4) The yacht and staff exceeded our expectations in every way.
5) Yes, perfect. Good was above expectations!

Was the crew clean, personable, skilled and helpful?
1) Chad, Jessica and Felix were amazing!
3) Awesome crew. Very accommodating, friendly, not in the middle of everything but there when we needed something. You are all awesome!
4) The yacht was kept immaculate & the crew was fantastic. You could not ask for a better crew! We will highly recommend you to everyone we know.
5) Felix always had a smile and never stopped working! Jessica fit into our group perfectly & also kept a good eye on us while off the boat. Chad was so well organized and concerned with us having a good time. It was a great combination and we lacked for nothing!

Was the food to your expectations?
1) The food and menu was BETTER than expected!
2) Absolutely & way beyond. In particular, loved the tuna, salmon burgers, Mahi, Fish Tacos and all of the salads. Everything was delicious though!
3) GREAT food. I liked the small bags of chocolate and candy etc!
4) The food was incredible!! Chad is an amazing chef! We could not have planned a better selection and variety if we wanted. The food was better than any 5 star restaurant.
5) Beyond expectations! The quantity was good. Maybe more than we need but incredible. I cannot say enough positives about the food! Home Baked Bread was fantastic!

Were there enough activities and were they the type of activities you wanted?

1) The Promenade had a ton of things to do- loved and used most/all of the choices
3) Really nice from hanging out and doing activities. One thing I do recommend perhaps revision to the restaurant recommendations. Water Trap in Anegada, was ok, not great.
4) This trip was exactly what we were looking for. It was the perfect combination of sailing, snorkeling and relaxation.
5) We were lazier than we expected to be but the only thing I would "recommend" is two paddleboards. I would have loved to paddle around the caves.


How would you describe your experience aboard Promenade?
1) This has totally been a once in a lifetime kind of experience!
2) A perfect Trip. We all loved that we did not have to think, debate, or make any decisions at all. Thank you so much, LOVED Felix dancing to Michael Jackson!
3) Wonderful
4) This was by far the best trip we have ever been on! Thank you to the crew!
5) The most relaxing week that I have ever had on vacation.

Additional Comments:
3) You guys are all fun and accommodating! You really took great care of us!
5) Thank you Chad for making decisions for us, cooking incredible food for us & playing fun music too! It was a perfect week.




It does appear from the pictures that they certainly did enjoy their relaxing time!!!!

Well after a week "off" on Promenade, my husband spent all of it in the engine room fixing generators, engines and god knows what else.
The one time I went on the boat and down the aft it looked like THIS!


He tells me it was just about at the clean up stage, as he was cleaning up, he realized the aft air conditioner was "bwoke" so spent the next day finding and getting parts and compressors to fix that!
It was starting to look pretty good though yesterday..and I was waiting for the time it went away and I did not have to look at it!


Chad and I ran around and did provisioning. Me "showing" him what I used to do..him listening and ignoring me It works!
We did find time to make a stop at the french bakery because we were hungry! (and it has air conditioning in it...)


I saw for a special frankfort sausages and fries and that is what we both had. It was darn good too. Almost like being in Germany. My father would have been happy.


Many realize that we can take up to 12 on the boat (but not couples, only with singles or children) and our 11th and 12th is either in the tiny small single crew rooms if one is open or in the salon. MANY many people have slept up here in the salon over the years..

...
Well Chad had an idea which I have to admit I rolled my eyes at, to make a curtain that can be put up at night to give people privacy when they are sleeping there. He finished it this week, as well as they made little curtains for other things. I have to admit it actually looked pretty damn good! Nice and dark, lots of room and good A/C


In fact, Jess even said she would be happy to give up her cabin in exchange for it, but to me it looked like somewhere I would be happy sleeping too.


What do you guys think? Hit?

There are those who will understand. The video and pictures speak for themselves.

2004...



2013...



**
Some reviews & "suggestions" from our charter guests



To the tune of Gilligan's Island:

Brian, and Dave at a bar decide to host a sailing trip,
to honor days gone by and find who gives a flip
find who gives a flip...

They made the plans and found an exciting crew
Barry, Roger, John and Ray
To party with the few
party with the few

The few were Ken and Mark and Keenan too
But by the time the boat left, they were missing a few
Missing a few

Keenan missed the plane a tale we should not tell
While Barry just got sick as hell
Just got sick as hell

The plan was to party and recall older times
This was a hard on, I couldn't find the rhyme!
He couldn't find the rhyme

Off they went to play under the sun
Then there was Ray who's work had just begun
work had just begun

The boat was great as usual
Chad, Jess and Felix too
The food, the booze, the atmosphere were for just our special crew
for just our special crew...

Now we make our way back home
Good friends till again we meet
remembering all the wonderful tales on this exotic treat
This exotic treat....

Finish to the tune of Gilligans Island!

**

Don't tell us what we COULD have done on the last night

The food, the service and the atmosphere were all great, thanks!

Great Food, very helpful & accommodating crew, cooler needs to keep beer cooler or maybe we should drink it slower Always a great time! Thank you!

This Captains suggestion box has no alcohol in it! Major issue and we need more pressure in the beer line when showering! 100% fantastic!!

What a great trip!! Food was amazing Yum!! The new toys. Yes, we loved the paddleboard/floating bar!

and the boat looked pretty darn nice this morning. I hear a rumor that Chad slept for 13 hours..He deserved it!



Its a long movie if you watch it (but it will be another couple hours before it is even uploaded...so don't rush!)