# Cheap Marinas/Long-term Caribbean?



## freeheel999

Does this exist?! Has anyone got any good info on this as I can't seem to find much on the web?
Looking at keeping a 50ft yacht longer-term in the Caribbean. Where is the cheapest/most secure marina berthage and hard-standing to be found? Costs? Cheers...


----------



## Zanshin

The Caribbean is a pretty big place, you might get better responses if you narrowed down your location a bit. 

I'll start off with the prices in BVI for marinas that I've looked at and that have availability run about US$1 per foot per day.

Is that the right part of the Caribbean and do you consider that expensive - then, depending on your response I'm sure others will help you narrow down your selection.


----------



## freeheel999

Thanks...actually I'm quite flexible as to the 'where' to keep her...the price is the important factor...as is being accessible by air and safety from Hurricanes plus having good security is important. 
What about hardstanding?
One thought was the Dominican Republic or Grenada. Know anything about those places?


----------



## camaraderie

FreeHeel... Forget the DR...it is a hell hole and there is no security. Grenada provides everything you need...good prices, good yards, a daily flight in from Puerto Rico and "relatively" secure from hurricanes. 
Grenada Yacht Club, Spice Island Marine, Grenada Marine, Clarkes Court Bay are all possibilities for dockside or haulout/store facilities. Dockside...for example, is roughly $7-8 bucks a foot on a monthly basis and you may do better if you negotiate for a long term rate. Electric is metered and expensive in most places. Another option is to take a mooring ball in one of the southern Grenada harbours and hire a person to watch the boat. This is even less expensive and I've seen EXCELLENT care of boats by Grenadians who provide moorings/watch services.

Oh yeah...you might want to think about Chaguramas Trinidad as well though security there is sometimes not great. Check out www.boatersenterprise.com for marina links there. No hurricanes ever there.


----------



## freeheel999

Thanks Camaraderie...appreciate your advice...any other personal 'favourites' you recommend? I also sometimes have a requirement to work from my boat so do you know any cheap wet-slips with WiFi/Internet access?


----------



## camaraderie

Freeheel...I assume you mean in Grenada...Wifi is available at GYC docks. We really liked it there as it was in the middle of town and everything was nearby. We also spent a month or so in Mt. Hartman Bay which was nice and where the water was better, but it was a pain to get anywhere. 
For on the hard storage I would recommend Grenada Marine.
For work needed I would recommend Spice Island Marine
For isolated quiet and pristine...Clarkes Court Bay Marina

On the way south from the BVI's I think you'll find the marinas much more expensive than in Grenada or Trinidad. Favorites include:
Mooring Balls at Bitter End Yacht Club -Virgin Gorda
Simpson Bay Marina- St. Martin
Le Marin marina- Le Marin, Martinique
Rodney Bay Marina- St. Lucia
NOTE: Most of the marinas work on 220V 50 cycle and have transformers for US boats to get to 110 but it is still 50 cycles which is VERY hard on motorized equipment and high amp stuff and tends to short out power cords and adapters pretty rapidly. Bring spares and or make sure your air conditioning, battery charging etc. is 220V compatible for better results.


----------



## freeheel999

Camaraderie...thanks again for that information. Out of interest...what was so bad about the DR? Did you actually cruise that area?


----------



## camaraderie

Free... First let me say that some people love the DR. Second, let me say that I am referring to that part of the DR on the thorny path...Luperon, Samana etc....not SantoDomingo or the tourist areas. We got stuck in Luperon for a month due to heavy trade winds which prevented any easting for an entire month. What we didn't like:
-Completely unsanitary conditions...the harbor WAS the sewer. Fresh food was eaten at your own risk! Conditions in town were extremely impoverished with dead animals in the streets & whores on the corners.
-Corrupt officials.
-Bad Americans...derelict types living permanently in the harbor...things go missing from boats etc. 
-Lots of illness among cruisers while we were there. Suspect the sanitation had a lot to do with it. 

Again...some people like it cause it is cheap to stay there long term and an excellent hurricane hole but to us (and several other boats we know), it was the worst place we'd ever been to. The problem is that if you go down the Thorny Path...you have no choice but to go there. The only hope is that you get a good forecast quickly and can get to Puerto Rico before the water or the canned goods run out! 
Are you headed that way?


-


----------



## Zanshin

Cameraderie - I have to agree with you regarding the Bitter End Yacht Club! The sound is sheltered, the views are pretty and there are a number of fine restaurants and bars ashore.

Also, if you are in luck there are about 10-15 anchorages available between the mooring balls and Prickly Pear Island, and sometimes they are not all in use since everyone seems to prefer a $25/day mooring ball. Go figure.


----------



## trodzen

camarad,

I agree with you on all your points on DR. You certainly wouldn't consider swimming in the sewer (I mean the harbor there) but you can dingy out around the corner at the entrance. That was a daily trip for me with my dog and the water is crystal clear there.

I went there for two days. I left a month later. It's not a long term place unless you are an over-aged SW American looking for a very-young spanish girl. Unfortunatly I saw that situation too much.

If you can get past the rats and other things you will find the locals are very friendly and it is a unique place to see. I'm glad I saw it once.

I learned I was actually very safe walking the streets of Luperon. I found out the policia are heavy on any type of theft by locals on the visitors. While I was there, a yachtie left $5 on a bar (after he had been told not to) he had it stolen by a local girl. So within 30 mins there were two policia there and they went after the girl. I heard stories of other locals getting beatings after getting caught stealling from yachties. The officials don't want to loose that stream of incoming yachties. So it was safe on the streets but you still got to lock up the boat. during the month there was also a pirating incident in samana.

After you've spent a month reading Bruce Van-Sants book (and gotten a head-ache from him talking in circles) you will need to go just to drink a beer with him at Marina Blanco.


----------



## camaraderie

Trozden...I'm chuckling here with the memories you brought back! Sounds like we had exactly the same experience...even with VanSant! 

Was the Samana pirating incident you referred to last November with a Vagabond 47?? We are close friends with them and they were boarded there after going aground. A real horror story. REALLY not a good place!! As you point out...at least Luperon was reasonably safe!!

As an aside...to anyone considering a visit to Luperon...if you go on the beautiful waterfall tour, do NOT swim in the water ...there are towns upstream and guess where they dump??


----------



## trodzen

I was heading north so I was reading VanSant backwards and upside down which was pretty much the same as reading it forwards. Unfortunatly he is technical dead on point regarding the south coast of turks, north coast of DR, the Mona and hour glass shoals. (the worst written book ever and a MUST read.)

I spent my month there Apr 2005. I just heard from an arriving boater of a boarding incident while the owner was sleeping.

I did do the waterfall tour with a couple local girls and another boater. It wasn't my type of thing but a lot enjoy it. I also spent 2 days around a toilet. (don't remember if it was right after the waterfalls. It's all pretty much a fog now.) Don't forget the cipro.

I kept a journal of my trip from V.I.'s to MA here.
http://community.livejournal.com/trodzen2005/
The best day was loosing the stearing along the south coast of Puerto Rico.


----------



## hellosailor

"I also spent 2 days around a toilet. (don't remember if it was right after the waterfalls." Even in the US, you can get critters, giardia and cryptosporidium, simply from getting a little fresh "spring" water on your lips. The park rangers like to say "Sure, you can drink the water. Just get to a hospital within a week and tell them you need..."


----------



## Scott222

Personally I never left my boat in water during hurricane season. If you want ultimate safety and less cost it is best to haul out as opposed to leaving boat in marina. I quess it all depends how long you are leaving boat. For us it made sense to leave the boat for few months during hurricane season and do other things. Check out marinas in Puerto Rico and those in US Virgins particularly St Croix. These are a little less considered by cruisers but offer some advantages,e.g. US territory, great cruising grounds,readily available parts/supplies...Good Luck...Dave (Reflections)


----------



## camaraderie

Scott...the problem in those places is that there ARE hurricanes. In the DR (Luperon) and Trinidad/Venezuela and (almost) Grenada...there are no hurricanes ever (OK...once in Grenada) so it is safe to leave your boat in the water. Everywhere else from the southern East Coast on south and east you must either haul or be prepared to scram quickly.


----------



## mandovai

It might be useful to tell the truth about the hurricane that ONCE hit Grenada. First that wasn't a very long time ago (end 2004), second Grenada was literally devastated and about 300 yachts went damaged or sunk,in the water and in the yards. Then salvage activity resembled much to piracy and local mafia...
That doesn't mean that it will happen again, but knowing it is better...


----------



## sailingdog

Cam to aisle 12 for SPAM cleanup.


----------



## camaraderie

Got it Dawg...Merry Christmas

Mandovai...just saw your post. I was there and got "devastated" along with everyone else. Would not want to do it again. Lieklihood is extremely small but at first prediction I would head the 80 miles to Chaguramas. I would still stay in Grenada for the season rather than Chag...but I'd be ready to leave if there was any chance of a hit. One of the problems with Ivan was that it had never happened before in recorded history and so everyone kept believing the reports saying it would turn north and at most we'd get a tropical storm. This was the forecast the NIGHT before the storm. Woke up the next morning to find a Category 4 60 miles south and 60 miles east of us moving Northwest. Game over!
As to the aftermath...it was almost worse than the storm...but I don't think that situation was unique to Grenada and believe similar would happen in any of the islands. Indeed we had much the same happen in New Orleans after Katrina..the difference was only that we had the Nat'l Guard to restore order. 
As far as I am concerned the DR and Venezuela are just like Grenada was before Ivan...hasn't happened YET...but they're all a better bet than the places where it happens with some regularity. Besides...you can get great fruit smoothies and pizza in Grenada!!


----------



## TSOJOURNER

*does anyone know of Curacao*

I have past live memories of Curacao... or rather I look at the photos of the place and drool. I've fallen in love with Curacao and Saba both and was wondering if there is anyone here who has spent time in either of these islands and if they no of any cheap or resonable harbors, storage... places to achor out?

Or are they both so built up that anything resonable isn't available.

Oh and Cam thanks for so much information on Grenada. That's a place I also want to explore. Soon very soon... I will just get in my boat and head south, I swear someday soon... I'm just going on a sailabout.

Matthew


----------



## Johnrb

Cam: What is the best way to report spam attacks? I just sent a message to you regarding a new spam under Buying a Boat (Smallest Boat for 100 Miles ... thread) but I don't know if this is the best way.

Cheers,
John


----------



## camaraderie

Got it John!
Johnrb and anyone else that is interested....
To report spam just click on the little red triangle in the top right of the message window. Please report anything with good pictures! <grin>


----------



## Dlt58

camaraderie said:


> FreeHeel... Forget the DR...it is a hell hole and there is no security. Grenada provides everything you need...good prices, good yards, a daily flight in from Puerto Rico and "relatively" secure from hurricanes.
> Grenada Yacht Club, Spice Island Marine, Grenada Marine, Clarkes Court Bay are all possibilities for dockside or haulout/store facilities. Dockside...for example, is roughly $7-8 bucks a foot on a monthly basis and you may do better if you negotiate for a long term rate. Electric is metered and expensive in most places. Another option is to take a mooring ball in one of the southern Grenada harbours and hire a person to watch the boat. This is even less expensive and I've seen EXCELLENT care of boats by Grenadians who provide moorings/watch services.
> 
> Oh yeah...you might want to think about Chaguramas Trinidad as well though security there is sometimes not great. Check out www.boatersenterprise.com for marina links there. No hurricanes ever there.


----------



## Adi

Hey! 

Try to call these guys, they are quite helpful whenever I was not sure while planning a trip - Yacht Charter & Sailing Holidays since 1994 | yachting°com They go above and beyond to help and have solid information, also I believe regarding your question. Hope it helps, and best of luck!


----------

