Anchor Lines

It is always encouraging, from an industry standpoint, that on a weekly basis new Captains and potential yacht owners continue to contact our office to inquire about starting a new charter yacht business here in our little part of paradise. For myself, I see this as a reassuring economic indicator that the charter industry continues to thrive despite the economic challenges felt abroad and here at home. Sailors posses the need to be on the open seas like Stateside vacationers need to exercise their right to enjoy a family getaway.
The Caribbean has long sung her siren song to sailors and adventure seekers alike, and that song still rings true today. Operating a charter yacht business encompasses the best of the hospitality industry while also allowing its owner operators to enjoy a unique sort of lifestyle most just dream about in a Jimmy Buffet song.
So for all you soon to be sailors, considering a course change, I’d like to direct you to a quote worth pondering by a famous steamboat Captain, Mark Twain.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
And what better place to find your dream than in our United States Virgin Islands. Don’t be afraid to follow your dream. Contact your Virgin island Charter Yacht League and let us assist you in making your dreams come true. This is what we do.

Some subscribe to “the glass is half full” theory. I tend to take the positive stance that it is half full and waiting for me to fill it up on my own, just as full as I care to make it.

Visitors from around the world flock to the U.S. Virgin Islands on a yearly basis to enjoy the cool tropical breezes, the perfect sunrise and sunsets and the warm Caribbean hospitality that much to the disbelief of some, is the cornerstone of our tourism offering and the main reason ‘wanna-be’ islanders return year after year.

  But if your journey to the Caribbean only includes shopping, hiking and lounging by the pool of your vacation villa, you are not taking advantage of the full experience available to you and your glass full of memories will always remain half full.

You have not truly seen the beauty of our islands until you see it from the bow of a boat!

  Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm supporter of hiking along the aged tropical green trails that may be found throughout the National Parks of St John. No photograph or painting has yet to provide me the solace that walking along a pristine white sand beach can provide, and I still after all these years stand in awe of the red sun sinking into the ocean, and have pulled my jeep over on far too many rides home, to wait on the elusive green flash.

 But there is something out of body that happens to the soul once the engine has been turned off, the wind has blossomed the main sail, and you are one with the elements aboard a boat. It is as if a deity of whatever belief you subscribe to, has sent a hand down from above, to gently but firmly nudge you along. In a world full of petty competition and greed for greed’s sake, which all too often encroaches upon our little piece of paradise, our moments of true freedom have been so greatly curtailed that for some, it has past into the annals of forgotten lore that has been inherited from proceeding generations.

  There are many reasons man has taken to the sea for centuries. And while modern technology has provided us with a much safer and more accessible means of enjoying the boating experience, it has not replaced the pure thrill of being on a vessel under sail or power that is headed into the wind and taking you farther away from shore.

  Museums are for preserving the tangible evidence of marauders, explorers and privateers that once roamed these waters. But to place yourself on the sea, aboard a boat, is to truly appreciate and experience the power and nature of the open water, and to see through the eyes of those who traveled here before you, the beauty that is the U.S. Virgin Islands as seen from the water.    

Whether your tastes vary shopping to dining out, there is a long list of water based activities ranging from waterside cocktails at a favorite marina, to barbeque restaurant access on the waterfront to an evening of leisure found under the stars at a drive-in movie theater. Traveling along the various inlets, marinas and waterfronts of St Thomas by boat can provide you and your guests, friends and family a host of sometimes unexpected activities.

Sunday Brunch featuring an Emerald Isle flare can easily be found at Molly Malone’s located at American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook. This Irish mainstay has hosted sailors for decades and a salty story can always be found from the boating patrons at the bar. With easy access by boat to American Yacht Harbor, the office monitors channel 16 during business hours or channel 6 after the sun sets. Dock master Mike Faulk will be on-hand to welcome you ashore and provide directions. Those arriving after hours are encouraged to monitor channel 6 to announce your arrival. Security will then be able to assist you with available short term parking tie up. For those coming ashore by dinghy, a free dinghy dock is available on a first come first served basis for all vessels under twelve feet.   

From enjoying the sports fishing fleets on the East End to the main harbor of Charlotte Amalie, the new Yacht Haven Grande marina holds a little something for everyone. A variety of restaurants ranging from the eclectic to the casual as well as shopping galore. Full moon jazz concerts on the green and a farmers market featuring arts and crafts and homegrown herbs and vegetables usually not found in your average galley every other Sunday. Tie up at the dinghy dock outside of the marina office any time of the day or night space permitting. Yacht Haven Grande monitors channel 10 during the day and Corrine at the front desk is a delight. Call in to channel 16 or 10 after hours to reach security.

Got a hankering for authentic Texas Style Barbeque? “The hottest BBQ in the West…Indies”, Bill Collin’s Texas Pit is easily accessible by large and small boat alike.  The roadside stand can be found along the Charlotte Amalie waterfront across from Windward Passage Hotel. Tie up alongside, order from a lengthy menu of bbq favorites and enjoy ribs and brisket back on the boat. It sure beats any normal drive thru.

And what easier way to quench your thirst, provision the galley or even drop Fido off for a trim, than  by visiting Crown Bay marina. There is always plenty of ‘sea-speak’ to be found at Tickles Dockside Pub among the numerous boating patrons. Live music almost weekly is always a treat while your pet enjoys a day at the spa at Style a Dog. They even feature dog and kitty life jackets for man’s best friends.

A flash back to the past can be found at Honeymoon Beach on beautiful Water Island every Monday evening as Heidi’s Honeymoon Grill hosts the very popular drive-in movie night. Plenty of access by dinghy, the current films of the day are projected along a back drop of sail cloth between two palm trees and are contrasted by a colorful Caribbean sunset at show time. Popcorn, cotton candy, burgers and a full bar are available. Movies schedules are posted each week at the Crown Bay Marina office, the ferry dock or by calling Heidi herself at 340-690-0325.

Boating in and around St Thomas for many is a way of life, and as life first sprang from the sea, it is only appropriate that there be events and activities available to boaters of all types to celebrate the fact.

In November of 2008, I approached Ackley Media Group (www.amg.vi) Operations Director Scott Brake with the idea of a much needed Marine Community Talk Show, featuring a different guest each show and a call-in format to illicit questions and comments from the listening marine realated public.

(L-R  Your Host Erik Ackerson and frequent guest Duanne Hausch,owner of     Admiralty Dive Center Inc. www.admiraltydive.com ) 

In less than two weeks we were on the air and “On the Water” began it’s schedule of twice weekly programs every Wednesday from 3-4pm (St Thomas Time) and every Saturday from 8-9am. Little did I realize that 1 1/2 years later “On the Water” would have morphed into not only a very popular format for boaters both commercial and recreational to ask and comment on regulations and issues ranging from DPNR and U.S.Coast Guard to weather warnings and changes in local regulations, but also include every aspect of our local and Federal environmental agencies!

As we say on the program…call in to each show and make this program exactly what you want it to be at 340-774-8255.Listen on-line at www.vicl.org

“You can’t direct the wind…but you can adjust your sails”

I am constantly amazed by the world wide collection of talent and vision that pass through our tiny collection of islands here in the U.S.Virgin Islands.

This morning I had the pleasure to host Dr. David Googenheim,Senior fellow at the Ocean Foundation on my radio program “On the Water”. Dr. Googenheim is known the world over as the Ocean Doctor. A major contributor to Google Earth’s Oceans project, he has traveled the worlds exploring under the sea and looking to provide realistic measures by which to protect and preserve our fragile ocean environments.While most of us would think that our turning fifty would be a time to start making in-roads into checking off tasks on our ‘bucket list’, David has taken on the job of traveling the United States and their outlying Territories and giving “Fifty Speeches in Fifty States” to school children whose curiosity has of late been limited to texts and television sitcoms, and installing in them the desire to discover the vast oceans on our planet that researchers such as himself will tell you have only barely been documented. He has made me re-think my own milestone birthday celebration this year and think beyond balloons and cake as to what I might be able to pass along from my life’s observations and experiences. To learn more about the ‘Ocean Doctor’, go to his website at www.1planet1ocean.org . And as always we invite yoy to tune in to “On the Water” at www.vicl.org