# beware of barefoot charters



## TSOJOURNER

My husband and I recently put a boat in charter with Mary Barnard at barefoot charters and I feel the need to warn others of the thievery that goes on behind her closed doors.Our boat was fully equipped with offshore lifejackets,radio,sextant,flaresand flare gun,new dishes,fire extinguishers and brand new altenators and new fuel line pump for the dinghy and a brand new yamaha dinghy motor...when we picked our boat up we knew the meaning of "bareboat chartering" .You bring a boat in fully equipped and when you return to pick her up she is BARE.
To add insult to injury they,Mary and Seth, stole the money from the last charter and said"What are you going to do about it...We have your money"
These people need to be exposed for who they are! In my journeys thru the caribbean I have met numerous other disappointed,angry charterers and owners alike.
Not only did Barefoot charters remove our altenators -which were 3 months old-but they charged us over 525.00USD to jury rig an old altenator with a multitude of wires that is an electrical nightmare.
Any one wanting to defend this commpany contact me I have photos and paper work to prove the unethical behavior of these people.
And I can prove the words that flow from the mouth of Seth and Mary are all lies.


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## PrimeSuspect

One has to wonder about such strong statements, especially when they come from someone who does not use their real name or leave an e-mail address.

I am also an owner of a yacht at Barefoot and I have not had the same experience. My yacht is in excellent condition, all the items are present and accounted for, and my financial account is in excellent shape.

I have written about my experiences with Barefoot - these accounts are online at my website:

www.usual-suspects-sailing.com

If anyone has any specific questions, I would be happy to answer them. E-mail me at [email protected]

As with any business, things do not go perfectly. It is the responsibility of both parties to deal with them in a positive, porfessional manner.

Rob Charuk
Toronto, Canada
S/V "The Usual Suspects"


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## PrimeSuspect

Correction to my earlier post. The email address is displayed beside the Username for members only. It is not displayed for visitors - prompting my first remark. My apologies.

Rob Charuk


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## TSOJOURNER

usual suspect
Just wait til you decide to pull your boat out of charter ,that is when you will feel Seth and Mary''s bite.Then you can e-mail me and several other I know who have had the same problems. Also did you know they fired a mechanic who pulled 5 boats out of commission because they were unsafe to sail...and shortly after VITAMIN K caught on fire and was lost in the Grenadines.Luckily those on board survived...and this was one of the boat pulled by the mechanic.
So I repeat once again ...watch your back with BAREFOOT Yacht Charters.
AND you can reply to my message


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## PrimeSuspect

I say again - you really need to put your real name beside these charges if you expect readers to consider them legit. You have made some serious accusations. I cannot just stand by and let it go.

I have received a statement from Barefoot on your situation, so I am aware of their side of the story. I am also in touch with the other owners you mention, so I am aware of their situations as well. I have been aware of the mechanic''s situation from day 1, and personally spoke with the charter guests from Vitamin K - your account of these are misrepresented here in an effort to support your case.

Simply stated, your relationship with Barefoot has not gone well. I am convinced that you must share some of the responsibility for this. To label this organization as liars and thieves as a result is simply unfair. I certainly have not experienced any such "criminal" behavior, my boat is in excellent shape, and so are the finances.

I suggest that if you have a disgreement, address it with thecharter company in a professional manner. This is how I have successfully resolved every disagreement I have had with Barefoot, and I''m still with them.

Rob Charuk
Toronto, Canada
S/V The Usual Suspects


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## TSOJOURNER

I think the time has come to call a halt to these libelous postings.

While we agree we are not perfect by any means these accusations are completely unwarranted.

Fired employees will hardly ever give a true story of why they were dismissed and will be happy to get a chance at revenge.

In any case there are two sides to every story - some may even have two or three .

I will not go into details on the net because ultimately this is between you and Barefoot, and destroying our reputation may give you a degree of satisfaction but will solve nothing where this situation is concerned.

Anyone with a vested interest may contact us directly.


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## TSOJOURNER

The fact that you did not investigate the charter company or the rules and regulations that go with is not other''s concerns.

What you did was buy a boat you wanted and tried to make money from it with no responsibility on your part. If you shared the idea with whoever sold you the boat, shame on them for selling it to you. 

S#*t happens during charters. The smart realize this. Too often the marginally wealthy assume they can get a boat too big for their means paid for thru chartering, yet they are too stupid to realize the actual situation. And the buyers often "can''t" pay for the insurance. But, the owners still want all the lovely benefits, such as their boat being paid for by strangers, without any regard as to what happens to the boat.

Those with know-how do buy boats to put into charter with a reputable company, use it during that time, then take it out of commission (sometimes not in the greatest of shape - I have delivered those back to the states!) and sell it. These are the best buys on the market.

I am sorry for you, but perhaps you put yourself in this situation by seeing dollar signs instead of wind vanes.

Mary

Best of Luck,
Mary


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## TSOJOURNER

To Whom It May Concern, if you are thinking about bareboat charter boat ownership and like to read:

Maui Girl started this thread in May. We have waited to post this to give the St. Vincent authorities time to respond to our written allegations of theft by fraud and customs fraud by Barefoot Yacht Charters (BYC). In February of this year, I reported our claims to the Prime Minister’s office in St. Vincent, sending several pages of supporting documents by e-mail. We requested that the Prime Minister forward our letter to the proper authorities for investigation. After I sent a second follow up e-mail, I telephoned that same office and was told by staff that the Prime Minister had received our e-mail, but it was unknown what, if any action or response might be taken. No reply has been received to date.

Before we get into the details of our experiences with BYC, we want to acknowledge that there are other owners in the Barefoot Yacht Charters fleet who are perfectly happy. One that I am familiar with, and have discussed our concerns with, is Rob Charuk. Rob maintains a wonderful web site regarding sailing, chartering, and his experience with BYC, the people of the area and many other topics of interest to potential charterers or owners. I strongly recommend his site: www.usual-suspects-sailing.com\, I think you will find it informative and especially entertaining.

Our experience with BYC:

In March of 2000, my wife and I placed a 1995 Fountain Pajot catamaran in charter service with BYC. Both parties signed BYC’s charter contract and agreement. Included in the agreement were statements that we, the owners, could request and receive copies of any invoices that applied to parts or charges for our boat. 

Our first inkling that all was not well started when we were intentionally misled by BYC, via e-mail, that the cost of a new main sail we had specified and obtained a quotation for had increased by 10%, for various reasons other then the real reason; BYC had added a markup. Now markups are fine and as a former business owner, I know you must cover your expenses and make a profit or you won’t stay in business very long. The problem was the initial misrepresentation of the reason for the increased cost over the quote we had personally obtained. After several e-mails back and forth, BYC admitted there had been a markup applied, we agreed to a settlement price and to continue our relationship with BYC. But----

Then we started seeing and questioning mysterious charges and apparent over charges, along with questionable items, on our monthly statements. Later, we had to engage in exchanges of sometimes not so pleasant e-mails with Seth, to remedy the screw-ups and derelictions of duty on BYC’s part. If you are an owner, be sure you give yourself ample opportunity to observe your boat personally. Deferred maintenance can add greatly to your expenses, and also put your charterers at risk. 

A very small sample of the issues we faced:

Billing by two different contractors for installing the same part, a $62.00 or $65.00, (depending on which supplier was quoting), fuel lift pump, billed at $435.28 cost to us, plus the double labor. There were many contentious e-mails from Seth, arguing that his figure was the correct price for the pump. At one point Seth wrote that “he had on his desk an invoice for $267.00 for a Yanmar pump,” although BYC’s own supplier told us the price of the pump to BYC was $62US plus freight. Then Seth started adding all the freight, customs and other charges and arrived at the magical $435.28 cost to us. See below for the “rest of the story” under “Not quite duplicate invoices.”

“Wear and tear” hull repairs BYC charged us for on our eight month old AB dink (with a five year guarantee from the manufacturer), after we gave notice of our boat leaving the BYC fleet. We later learned the RPG hull was broken, leaked when the inadequate repair failed, and it ultimately cost us $600.00 for proper repairs. It appears the dink was either in a collision or used one too many times as a 15hp “tug” for BYC. Beware, we observed BYC staff use owners’ dinks, especially the higher horse power ones, as service dinks. In our case, we observed our new, (2 hours). 15hp engine went being used wide open throttle for several minutes pushing a 40 foot mono hull beam to the wind.

Ridiculous Billing errors: One of many examples. Three different billings for three batteries that we personally saw installed in the port hull, before they got the price, type and number correct. At one point Seth, almost joyfully, thanked us for bringing the mistakes to his attention and tried to bill us for group 4s instead of the group 24s we had seen installed! Group 4s weigh about 100 lbs and sell for about $200 instead of Group 24 at 39 lbs and a reasonable price of around $60.00. 

Seth’s repeated attempt to bill us for a set of speakers at over three times the list price of what was actually installed. We were billed $133.00 for the most expensive speakers in the Budget Marine catalog, not the $44.00 West Marine speakers we observed. This included statements that “no one” at BYC had installed West Marine speakers on our boat and they “never bought anything from West Marine”. Several weeks later, someone, (Mary?), took our suggestion, went to the boat and looked at the speakers. They found they were in fact, the moderately priced West Marine brand speakers. A sort of credit was issued. We wondered why such a fight over something so easy to verify?

Invoices: We asked many, many times for copies of invoices. After about one year we had received a total of 6. We continued to ask, and finally received a large package of invoices. Trouble was, there were a total of 71 sets of invoices and customs charge sheets, but only 5 matched our boat, equipment or engine brand. The other 66 referred to different brand engine parts, a ten foot shaft, drill presses, TV’s, office supplies, etc--you get the point.

Not quite duplicate invoices: Included in the above invoices were a set of identical invoices, except that one is a fax and the prices for each of the two items are half the price of the second invoice. Prior to sending these invoices, Seth had advised us, in writing, that “this one supplier nearly always furnished invoices at one half price to be presented to customs,” “so that we pay a lower stamp/customs fees on arrivial (sp).” This made us wonder, if BYC cheats the customs department, are owners also fair game?

Ironically, the “not quite duplicate invoices” were apparently the ones Seth used to justify the overcharging of the above mentioned fuel lift pump. The invoice is for a “Rebuild Yanmar fuel pump” at $267.00 each for two. On the same invoices are 6 “Rebuild Yanmar injectors”, so it appears these were for another cat. The other problem was these invoices were dated seven months before the overcharge to us. 

Main anchor chain and rode: Our galvanized main anchor and chain rode were original equipment, but in good condition when put into BYC’s fleet. The galvanized main rode described as being in “fair” condition by our inspector on June 8, 2001 and about 30 days before leaving the BYC fleet, changed to “now very rusty” when he picked up the boat from BYC on June 30, 2001, just 22 days later? The inspector noted on June 8, 2001, that the main anchor was missing from the boat and was off for “painting” according to BYC staff. Now the main anchor was a galvanized anchor when I personally removed it to have it straightened in January 2001, and left it on the boat in February. I also replaced the shackle with a new galvanized shackle, as the original was starting to show some wear and rust. When we visited the boat in November of 2001, I learned what the report meant by very rusty. The anchor and chain on our boat bore no resemblance to the equipment we left on board in February. We drove to the store and $750.00+ later had a new anchor and rode. I would not ask someone to pay to charter a boat equipped with that piece of rusty junk. (We have photos). BYC disavowed any knowledge of how it got that way other then “leaving it out in the rain”. 

Safety items: We were charged for windless repairs, (including a main shaft-see bent anchor mentioned above), in the fall of 2000. When we visited the boat in February of 2001, we found there were three problems with the windless that were not in evidence prior to BYC’s repairs: 1. A safety disconnect switch had been bypassed, 2. A cover was missing from one of the deck foot switches, and 3. The clutch/brake was frozen. Someone could be severely injured by the sudden and unexpected operation of the windless, especially with the missing switch cover. We informed BYC staff verbally and in writing, more then once, of these safety issues and Seth assured us they would be taken care of immediately. Not true. The clutch/brake was still frozen and the safety switch was still bypassed when the boat left BYC.

The good news about BYC: they did an excellent job of promoting the boat and keeping her busy with charters. The boat was a financial success as far as income. It was the deterioration of the boat and excessive charges, especially at the end, that bothered us. We requested in writing, but never received, 11 more invoices for items we could not verify were ever installed or even purchased by BYC, during the 90 days after we gave notice that we were leaving BYC’s fleet. In the end, BYC did credit us for some, but not all, of the items where we found discrepancies, but it took a great deal of our time and energy to identify, document, and contest them. We found several more items after the boat was removed from the fleet, e.g., the anchor and rode and dingy damage, but BYC refused to accept responsibility for these items. Life is too short, who needs this kind of aggravation? 

Are we cheap nit pickers, some might question? No, the truth is we spent many extra dollars ordering upgrades, replacements and refinishing for the boat while at BYC to make her “the best in the fleet”. We were very disappointed with what we found during January/February of 2001, after less then a year with BYC. The boat was clean, but several safety defects were found and the general condition was “rundown”. We presented a detailed list of defects and safety items to Seth, who promised all would be made right. We withheld the written notice to leave BYC we had prepared at that time. After the next statement arrived it was obvious nothing had really changed and we gave the required 90 day written notice.

Are we new to boat ownership? No. I have owned several, and this cat is the smallest of the last three sail boats I have owned. I have worked on them myself, bought parts for them, paid others to work on them, broken parts on them and have a fair idea of what is what when it comes to repairs and maintenance, or the lack thereof, and what various part cost. 

Do I know a lie when I see and read it? You betcha. I am a retired law enforcement officer/investigator. I am also a packrat, so I have saved and printed nearly every email and correspondence from BYC. All the proof and verifications of the allegations presented here, and lots more, are in our files. I also know what libel is and this is not it. Just the facts.

Is there a difference between business disputes and fraud? Yes. Fraud and theft by fraud is when you are over charged, charged for something you didn’t get or some entrusted item is taken from you.

Are we down on charter boat ownership and are all charter companies bad? Nope. Charterers don’t treat our boats like most owners do and things break and/or wear out faster because of increased use. We moved our boat to Horizon Yacht Charters after BYC. Is all now wonderful? Nope. Things still break mistakes happen and deferred maintenance items needed tending to. The difference is when we get an email or statement now; we are not automatically looking for the overcharge, because it isn’t there. The second difference is the boat’s general condition and maintenance level. Maintenance records, inspections and check lists are used to greatly reduce negative surprises and failures. (When our boat left BYC, our agent was told there were no maintenance records other then the statements sent to the owners). Oh, a commercial: Horizon has a great website: www.horizonyachtcharters.com/.

Are we looking for trouble or wish BYC ill? No. We wish to make it clear we hold no personal animosity for Mary Bernard. We are aware of the good things she had done for some of her employees and to improve the tourist industry of her country. We suspect that Mary may not be fully aware of the details of what we experienced. We do feel an obligation to share our experiences to inform other potential charter boat owners. A monthly statement shouldn’t be the signal for your blood pressure to go up. Are these problems unique to BYC? No. These are problems that can occur, and according to our conversations with other owners, do occur in other fleets. It pays to thoroughly investigate your charter company; we certainly learned some lessons at BYC. We hope that BYC has been able to remedy these problems. They were certainly aware of them.

Life is good and boat ownership should be also. To quote Mary from BYC in one of her last emails to us; As the Rastas say, “Peace and Love, otherwise there is no point in living”.

David Comden, owner s/v A Volonte.


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## TSOJOURNER

WOW !!

david 

what have you learned from this experience?
sounds like the company from Hell.
eric


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## TSOJOURNER

We, also, are moving our boat, Jeanneau 50'', to Horizon Yachts Charters (Oct. 7) in Tortola. We spent a year with Trade Wind Yachts prior. We had both good and bad experiences with Trade Winds...but enough bad to convince us to make a change. From my research, it appears Andrew and Sylvia are very picky about boat maintenance and that is what is most important to us.
I hope we have a good experience with Horizon. We are counting on it!
Thanks for your post.
Pat Holsten
Wilmington, NC


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## TSOJOURNER

My wife and I have yet to meet Andrew and Sylvia but if they are anything at all like their associates James and Jacqui at Horizon- /Grenada/Grenadines,(and we suspect they are), you are in for a pleasent surprise.

Dave Comden, Oregon.


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## TSOJOURNER

Hey N. Sethia:

What say you to Mr. Comdens post? He sounds pretty convincing and the evidence appears pretty damning. 

And MaryBeth... lighten up on Maui Girl. They''ve obviously had a miserable chartering experience and can probably do without your rantings.


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## Susan908

*Barefoot Yacht ASA Sailing School Scam*

I say you go Mauigirl. I am not afraid to use my real name. My husband I just returned from St. Vincent where we enrolled in the ASA six day, six night sailing school,that was to include a certified ASA instructor to receive our 101, 103 and 104 certifications. We paid our money up front, and not only did we not have the certified instructor, the 25 year old Andato boat had much of its equipment inoperable or not-functioning properly and it was not rigged appropriately for the mandatory sailing lessons. In essence, the boat was in deplorable condition as evidenced by the two break downs (broken throttle cable and broken alternator/water pump belt) at sea. Seymour Browne our local skipper who accompanied us provided absolutely no instruction, and each time we questioned proper procedure or had any questions concerning sailing, we were told to read the book. Both my husband and I took the 101 and parts A and B of the 103 certification tests for which we received no official confirmation of passing or failing. Remember, Mr. Browne informed us he was not an ASA certified instructor and the proper documentation for certification results was not provided. Furthermore, Mr. Browne informed us that Phillip Bernard would review our test scores with us upon return to Barefoot and confirm our certification was complete. This never happened, in fact, when we returned, Phillip Bernard and Seth both disappeared and would not even talk to us. When a staffer reached Phillip by phone he refused to come back to the office or even talk to us on the phone. We have tried for three days to talk to someone in Barefoot management, the last attempt was the day after we returned home and no one would talk to us when we called and our phone calls were never returned. This was a total scam. DO NOT USE BAREFOOT YACHTS FOR YOUR ASA SAILING SCHOOL CERTIFICATIONS.


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## smackdaddy

Ouch - that sucks susan. Thanks for the warning.


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## Chuteman

S908:
Looking ahead, many schools (hopefully you have one close by) - US Sailing & ASA will certify (without taking the course) various levels if you can demonstrate proficiency on the water & pass the tests. 
Yes, you have to pay for boat & instructor to perform on the water tests but based on the circumstances you might be able to get a deal from them especially during the week or just after the season is over.
Good Luck going forward.


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## CapTim

wow.. good heads up. Nice timing, too... I was in need of a good reminder that scum is everywhere. Buyer beware, indeed.


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## xxuxx

*True to there name....*

They will leave you poor and Barefooted!

*BAREFOOT CHARTERS ......THE COMPANY FROM HELL*


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## Barquito

We had a good charter experience with them (which may have just been lucky). We paid for a 40' cat. A week b/f our departure, Seth called and said the owner blew out one of the transmissions. So, they put us on a newer 43' cat. 

Re: ASA schools. I would find a local ASA school. Get to know those instructors. Some state-side ASA instructors also do ASA lessons in the Caribbean (on charter boats from reputable outfits).

BTW, this thread is a bit old.


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## LITTLESHIPS

I have a friend going though the same stuff with them right now. DaveBC and Maui girl, what were your final outcomes?


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## captainampmiser

*maui girl returns to warn STAY AWAY FROM BAREFOOT CHARTERS and SETH and MARY*



xxuxx said:


> They will leave you poor and Barefooted!
> 
> *BAREFOOT CHARTERS ......THE COMPANY FROM HELL*


They are the company from Hell...as my husband says "more dangerous SHARKS on land".
Mary and Seth reported only 1 charter to us and then stole the money! One Charter in November 2002 was discovered when I had that"little guy" on my shoulder nudge me to call BAREFOOT to see if they had a Cat available to rent.They said none were available so I knew something was up. I sent my son and husband to St Vincent the next day...Seth jaw hit the ground when he saw them and said "what are you doing here?"....Well my son replied "we would like to sail the Mauigirl" Guess what?.. she was not available she was on charter. Funny thing!!! Seth and Mary stole that money also!
Some day Karma will 'hunt them down" just not soon enough! BEWARE


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## captainampmiser

*barefoot BYC*



LITTLESHIPS said:


> I have a friend going though the same stuff with them right now. DaveBC and Maui girl, what were your final outcomes?


Just get on board your boat take a sail and never look back...Good Luck!
They own the island...justice will never be seen in St Vincent.


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## dnf777

plholsten said:


> We, also, are moving our boat, *Jeanneau 50''*, to Horizon Yachts Charters (Oct. 7) in Tortola.
> Pat Holsten
> Wilmington, NC


I didn't realize Jeanneau made dinghies! Will that fit two comfortably?


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## LITTLESHIPS

captainampmiser said:


> Just get on board your boat take a sail and never look back...Good Luck!
> They own the island...justice will never be seen in St Vincent.


Captain Amp! Did you have issues too? I must say a lot of these postings of alleged events seem to be groundhog day for my bud. He is trying to get his boat out as it is in the process of being sold but it seems a whole bunch of charters that we were initially told were not a problem to move have now become a problem and there are evidently penalties to pay before the boat can be released...amongst other things. We are hopeful they can be resolved...try not to give up hope on the essential goodness of mankind


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## SamSpade

*Recent threads*

Barefoot does not intend to respond to what are essentially a pack of lies by a few disgruntled folks out of many thousands who have chartered with us over the past 25 years, but for the sake of transparency, we'll say this -

a. captainampmiser is none other than the original mauigirl poster, still indignant 8 years on, and still posting falsehoods, albeit it this time under a different name.

b. littleships is yacht broker Tony Brewer of the Little Ship's Company in St Martin. His statements contain inaccuracies, but it's interesting that he refers to the yacht's owner as "my bud" when in fact he is representing the buyer and not the seller. The seller was well aware of the pre-booked charters as he had leased the yacht to the company.

They say that there are 3 sides to every story and we would hope that most folks are intelligent enough to do their due diligence and ascertain the truthful side for themselves rather than to be swayed by self-indulgent falsehoods.

Seth
Barefoot Yacht Charters
St Vincent


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## rayncyn51

I suggest that the moderators pull this thread, and any others posted for the purpose of unsubstantiated "bashing". It is not permitted to promote a legitimate product on this forum wihtout proper disclosure, why is the opposite side allowed? If someone wants to get on here and say "Here is the problem, and here is the police report", I'll be happy to listen. Otherwise, go cry in your beer and leave the legitimate sailing community out of it. Thank you.


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## MooreVOLS

I don't think the moderators need to pull this thread. It is up to the reader to decide whether they believe the facts or not. I have no opinion on this specific subject but I do not think it is the job of sailnet to censor it's members. Like was previously stated there are always multiple sides and the truth is somewhere in the middle.


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## tdw

I don't see the need to pull the thread either.....

however......

it is fair and reasonable for the charter business concerned to raise an objection based on the anonymity of the the complainant and its also reasonable to point out that while their may be validity in the complaints, we are looking at two supposedly injured parties since 2002. 

There are usually two sides to every story and not every complaint is necessarily valid. 

Now I do not know anything about Barefoot Charters. I've certainly never had any dealings with them but dirty dealings in the charter industry are after all not unheard of.

edit...I said two complaints.....more than that but it is possible that some of the complainants are the same people. Their is sock puppetry at work here. We'll try and sort it out.

edit...having re read this schemozzle and having realised that there are a number of sock puppets involved I'm thinking the thread is about to breath its last.


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## dvpamenter

Justice demands the accused to see the accuser. If there are sock puppets at play and they will not allow themselves to be identified and their bias declared, the thread should come down!!


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## bljones

Did someone say sockpuppets?


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## rayncyn51

My point exactly.


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## Cruisingdad

SamSpade said:


> Barefoot does not intend to respond to what are essentially a pack of lies by a few disgruntled folks out of many thousands who have chartered with us over the past 25 years, but for the sake of transparency, we'll say this -
> 
> a. captainampmiser is none other than the original mauigirl poster, still indignant 8 years on, and still posting falsehoods, albeit it this time under a different name.
> 
> b. littleships is yacht broker Tony Brewer of the Little Ship's Company in St Martin. His statements contain inaccuracies, but it's interesting that he refers to the yacht's owner as "my bud" when in fact he is representing the buyer and not the seller. The seller was well aware of the pre-booked charters as he had leased the yacht to the company.
> 
> They say that there are 3 sides to every story and we would hope that most folks are intelligent enough to do their due diligence and ascertain the truthful side for themselves rather than to be swayed by self-indulgent falsehoods.
> 
> Seth
> Barefoot Yacht Charters
> St Vincent


To all readers of this thread:

I tend to agree with Seth.

Captainampmiser is Mauigirl. I suspect, giving the benefit of the doubt, that Mauigirl simply forgot her password and signed on as a new member which is why she is using a new address. She also admits that she is Mauigirl, upfront, in her post. I will be PM'ing her to alert her that one of the signon's must go or I will ban the entire accounts as this is strictly against the rules.

Tallships certinaly appears to be a broker and also posts from where Seth at BF CHarters says he does (almost). Tallships - you are required to put FULL DISCLOSURE here that you are a yacht broker. I have your IP and location. Please add that to your signature line. I will be PM'ing you also.

As far as some of the other sock puppets that has been suggested, I will work on that a bit later. Some of these posters are very old and some have come from a marina with a public IP which means I can only track to the marina so I cannot narrow it down to the exact 'boat' that posted. Many marinas and libraries and other public routers are like that. However, I will keep a close eye.

I cannot say for or against BF Charters. I hvae not had the pleasure of using them. I do hope that any readers of this thread will review all of the information before making a decision as there are two sides to every story.

I could delete this thread, but that will NOT remove it from being cached on Google or the other search engines. It is there, forever. So when someone googles on it, they will pick up the cached thread and may not read all of it and may not have enough info so that Seth at BF can voice his side of the story. That is why I am leaving it up, because I think it will support Seth's side of the story better.

And let's be fair to both sides: If Bare Foot Charters was as bad as reported, then we would be having a LOT of threads on here about it. Gawd knows sailors like to complain and a serious problem in the marine business is like cancer and spreads quickly everywhere. Instead, this is about the only concern and is very old and the main complainer is the same person twice (captainamp and mauigirl). On the flip side, every company has a bad day and an off day, but the concerns levied by this user(s) seem very disturbing. Personally, with the informatino I have read, I would not have a problem considering Barefoot Charters - all things being equal. But I would also walk into this, and all business transactions, with my eyes wide open. Caveat Emptor.

Brian


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## LITTLESHIPS

Littleships agrees Brian moderator: My profile has been further updated and reflects my profession.In previous posts last year ( maybe even two years ago) a moderator came back to me and I was cautioned from mentioning my proffession on this blog lest I be seen to be trying to drum up business! A google search of Littleships throws up my website. I have absolutely nothing to hide.You will note in my posts that I was merely trying to get information from others who had trodden this path previously and that I was (QUOTE:" hopeful they can be resolved...try not to give up hope on the essential goodness of mankind"
Certainly some the issues bought up by DaveBC and Mauigirl were mirrirred in my clients experience...hence my enquiries. At the end of the day we all have to live with ourselves and our actions!!!


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## Cruisingdad

LITTLESHIPS said:


> Littleships agrees Brian moderator: My profile has been further updated and reflects my profession.In previous posts last year ( maybe even two years ago) a moderator came back to me and I was cautioned from mentioning my proffession on this blog lest I be seen to be trying to drum up business! A google search of Littleships throws up my website. I have absolutely nothing to hide.You will note in my posts that I was merely trying to get information from others who had trodden this path previously and that I was (QUOTE:" hopeful they can be resolved...try not to give up hope on the essential goodness of mankind"
> Certainly some the issues bought up by DaveBC and Mauigirl were mirrirred in my clients experience...hence my enquiries. At the end of the day we all have to live with ourselves and our actions!!!


THanks for the update LS. And I was not accussatory in anything I said, just pointing out the accuracies of what the charter company posted. I take no sides in this.

Brian


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## LITTLESHIPS

No offence taken,moderator Brian. I understand the need for strict rules to be enforced in a forum such as this. I have not at any stage tried to be anonymous....had I wanted to be anonymous I would have posted under another alias.
I will just agree to disagree the SamSpade/Seth et al from barefoot with regards to the "pack of lies" he accuses me ( and everyone else of.) DaveBC certainly seemd to have all his facts pretty factual (Sent the the Prime Minister of St Vincent no less! )and the fact that Mauigirl is still angry 8 years later may just show the depth of trauma they suffered. Then there were the sailing course people... whatever. I am sure Barefoot have had many happy repeat customers as well. Certainly they run out of a lovely base with a great little hotel with a restaurant that serves the most awesome homemade pizza  Not possible to please eveyone all of the time, I suppose.


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## sailingdog

Please be aware that the Special Interest Disclosure policy REQUIRES that you have your business affiliation in your title or signature. You currently DO NOT...



LITTLESHIPS said:


> Littleships agrees Brian moderator: My profile has been further updated and reflects my profession.In previous posts last year ( maybe even two years ago) a moderator came back to me and I was cautioned from mentioning my proffession on this blog lest I be seen to be trying to drum up business! A google search of Littleships throws up my website. I have absolutely nothing to hide.You will note in my posts that I was merely trying to get information from others who had trodden this path previously and that I was (QUOTE:" hopeful they can be resolved...try not to give up hope on the essential goodness of mankind"
> Certainly some the issues bought up by DaveBC and Mauigirl were mirrirred in my clients experience...hence my enquiries. At the end of the day we all have to live with ourselves and our actions!!!


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## LITTLESHIPS

Hi Sailing Dog:... If you are referring to me, Littleships...actually I do please look again and read the thread. It says Professional Yacht broker right at the bottom......If you click on my public profile it is all there....


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## sailingdog

You didn't at the time I posted... based on the post I quoted...there was no signature disclaimer.



LITTLESHIPS said:


> Hi Sailing Dog:... If you are referring to me, Littleships...actually I do please look again and read the thread. It says Professional Yacht broker right at the bottom......If you click on my public profile it is all there....


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## ffiill

All this sounds abit like those e mails you get claiming to come from your Bank asking for security details!People have a habit of writing in a paticular way no matter how many aliases they use!


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## newhaul

does anyone realize that the original thread ended with post #12 on 09-24-2002 then was revived in august of this year just my 2 cents worth this belongs in a new category that i feel should be made called rants and raves.
or call it b&g (***** & gripe) i got reprimanded for accidental reviving a post that was 4 years old when i joined.


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## LITTLESHIPS

Gentlepeople, The Littleship Co. and their prospective buyer of the vessel concerned were able to ammicably settle this whole matter with the Seller of the vessel and Barefoot Charters. As the vessel was unable to leave the charter fleet anytime soon the deal which called for a closing on the 20th November 2010 was cancelled with no penalties to anyone.
We thank all contributors for their input for what has been both an illuminatory and instructive experience. This will be the last post from us in this regard.


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## Warren460

I chartered with bimini yacht charters out of st Vincent back in the late 80's
The charter base was located in blue lagoon and was operated by Mary. 

The boat we chartered was the worst charter boat I ever experienced. I have chartered approximately 10 boat since then. 

After my charter, I wrote to Bimini yacht charters and complained about the base operator Mary, the lies we received re maintenance issues, the refilled bottled water that turned brown after a few days, food supplied that was already past the expiry date, etc. 

At the time, I was really annoyed that Mary and crew lied to us, cheated us and refused to settle up with us when confronted with our many problems. 

We vowed never to do business with her again and have avoided her for the past 20 plus years. 

We have chartered with horizon yacht chartered the past 4 times and have had a consistent great experience. 

My last thought: Buyer beware, especially when dealing with Mary!

Warren. Toronto canada


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## tdw

Man do you ever hold a grudge.....a problem twenty trucking years ago and you register on SailNet for the sole purpose of bitching about BYC and giving Horizon a plug !!!

Anyone got a grain of salt I could borrow ?


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## Cruisingdad

Now that Warren brought it up, I gotta tell ya TDW, I been wanting to pick a bone with you. Back in 1989, we met this Australian couple. They were on a tour of America and we all shared a campsite. They left their trash sitting there and I had to pick it up. Luckily I bought a Catalina Yacht six years later to help me get over my troubles. SO I vowed never to camp with an Australian again but have bought 4 Catalina yachts (Yachts and boats for sale - Catalina Yachts) and have had a consistent great experience.

So beware of camping with others - especially if they are Australian.

What have you to say about that, Fuzzie?

Brian


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## tdw

Cruisingdad said:


> Now that Warren brought it up, I gotta tell ya TDW, I been wanting to pick a bone with you. Back in 1989, we met this Australian couple. They were on a tour of America and we all shared a campsite. They left their trash sitting there and I had to pick it up. Luckily I bought a Catalina Yacht six years later to help me get over my troubles. SO I vowed never to camp with an Australian again but have bought 4 Catalina yachts (Yachts and boats for sale - Catalina Yachts) and have had a consistent great experience.
> 
> So beware of camping with others - especially if they are Australian.
> 
> What have you to say about that, Fuzzie?
> 
> Brian


I'd be thinking you should remove the commercial links from your post or at least take out an advert ya bum. 

Its a shame you have sworn off the camping life with Australians cos its Gay Mardi Week in Sydney.....if you wanted to resume camping it up with Orstrayans then this is the week to do it ......


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## Cruisingdad

tdw said:


> I'd be thinking you should remove the commercial links from your post or at least take out an advert ya bum.
> 
> Its a shame you have sworn off the camping life with Australians cos its Gay Mardi Week in Sydney.....if you wanted to resume camping it up with Orstrayans then this is the week to do it ......


Hehehe... I wondered where Pollard was!


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## tdw

Cruisingdad said:


> Hehehe... I wondered where Pollard was!


that'll get back.....:laugher


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## Faster

You two need to know that such personal attacks and ridicule are against site rules...

I feel the 'ban stick' aquiverin'.....


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## tdw

Faster said:


> You two need to know that such personal attacks and ridicule are against site rules...
> 
> I feel the 'ban stick' aquiverin'.....


I know I know...ever since BBQ Boy returned, the overall tone of this place has plummetted......


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## Cruisingdad

HEHEHEHE! Good to know you guys missed me!


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## tdw

Cruisingdad said:


> HEHEHEHE! Good to know you guys missed me!


every village needs one.......


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## Warren460

I was only stating facts. I still have a copy of the letter that I wrote to bimini yacht charters complaining of our horrible experience with her. 

No grudge held here. I just have a long memory. I can choose how to spend my money. 

In spite of Mary and her lies and deceit, we had a wonderful time and the sailing in then grenadines was great. 

It's interesting to see how things never change. 

I chartered with sun yacht charters back then too. They were excellent. I went with the moorings in Belize. They gave us a credit for 3 free days as compensation for mechanical breakdowns. 

Let's just say, i have had enough experience to be knowledgeable. 

Lastly, I only wrote after I saw someone being criticized for their views because more people did not share them. I saw that as an invite to sign in. 

Btw, "welcome to the forum" would have been a nice thing to say in response to a newbies first post. 

That's how civilized people behave. 

Warren


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## Cruisingdad

Warren460 said:


> I was only stating facts. I still have a copy of the letter that I wrote to bimini yacht charters complaining of our horrible experience with her.
> 
> No grudge held here. I just have a long memory. I can choose how to spend my money.
> 
> Btw,The sailing in then grenadines was great.
> 
> It's interesting to see how things never change.
> 
> I chartered with sun yacht charters back then too. They were excellent. I went with the moorings in Belize. They gave us a credit for 3 free days as compensation for mechanical breakdowns.
> 
> Let's just say, in have had enough experience to be knowledgeable.
> 
> Lastly, I only wrote after I saw someone being criticized for their views because more people did not share them. I saw that as an invite to sign in.
> 
> Btw, "welcome to the forum" would have been a nice thing to say in response to a newbies first post.
> 
> That's how civilized people behave.
> 
> Warren


Warren,

We have had a LOT of issues (in that thread particularly) with people signing on and pretending they are someone else. So please understand that when you signed on with your first post in THAT thread, we had alarms going off all over.

Don't take it personally. We have fun here, but we also try and keep it honest. If you knew the history you would have done the same if you were us.

Brian


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## Warren460

Hi Brian

You sure are quick. 

I have barely finished editing my post and you have a reply. 

Nothing taken personally, I just don't know why people get so defensive for her. She made her bed. She should deal with the consequences whatever they may be. 

I can attest to the fact that I have never posted here before. 

I would suggest that alarms should go off. 

I read the entire thread before posting and I chose my words carefully so as to be very accurate. 

I also chose to leave out most details. I could have scanned the old letter and posted that. But what would be the point of that step. It would add very little. For example, I doubt that the glass pieces we found in our meat was her fault. 

I did not go into the poor condition of the boat as perhaps that was out of her control. But, the many things in her control and the way she treated us should be public. 

Warren


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## Cruisingdad

Warren460 said:


> Hi Brian
> 
> You sure are quick.
> 
> I have barely finished editing my post and you have a reply.
> 
> Nothing taken personally, I just don't know why people get so defensive for her. She made her bed. She should deal with the consequences whatever they may be.
> 
> I can attest to the fact that I have never posted here before.
> 
> I would suggest that alarms should go off.
> 
> I read the entire thread before posting and I chose my words carefully so as to be very accurate.
> 
> I also chose to leave out most details. I could have scanned the old letter and posted that. But what would be the point of that step. It would add very little. For example, I doubt that the glass pieces we found in our meat was her fault.
> 
> I did not go into the poor condition of the boat as perhaps that was out of her control. But, the many things in her control and the way she treated us should be public.
> 
> Warren


Warren,

It is not what you posted. It is that your first post was in this thread where we have had many issues. Do not take this thread as a representation of the entire forum, nor how we moderate it. If this post was only one of many posts you made (and not the first) we would not have been suspicious.

Anyways, hang around and have fun. SOunds like you have a lot you could contribute.

Brian


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## JonathanMoss

I have read with interest your comments about your experiences with BYC. I have chartered from them twice in the past and found them to be excellent. I now own a 52 ft Nauticat 525 ketch which I am looking to charter. But I would not allow my boat to go out barefoot. As a commercially endorsed Yachtmaster Offshore I would be skippering the boat myself, and looking after it. One of the companies I was going to contact was BYC.
If you are adamant that you have been defrauded then should your redress be via the legal system and not an internet forum. That way, whatever the result, other people would be able to see both sides of the dispute and the court's ruling.
Jonathan Moss


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## FarCry

Jonathon, welcome to Sailnet. In the future you might look up at the top right of a post and take note of the date. This thread was started nearly 14 years ago and the last post was nearly 5 years ago. By most standards that is very old and most likely far too old to seek redress from a court regarding an event from 2002.


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