3 Friends become Sailors at Sea
Captain’s Log: On Sunday Paul, Tim, and Al boarded Speculation at Crown Bay Marina around 5 pm. All 3 students were old friends and had the goal of becoming proficient with the catamaran to take their families out on a bareboat charter. Solo sail handling & maneuvering were chief objectives. We focused on the electronic chart plotter and navigation. We started off with a couple painkillers and a light appetizer. We had a crew introduction, discussed sailing goals, discussed locations, and sailing experience.
Catamaran Leopard 44 SPECULATION
Crew Jalil – Instructor Captain
ASA Students Paul, Tim, Al
Courses Completed 103/104/114 Cruising Catamaran
When: Sunday, November 13th, 2022 @ 5pm – Saturday, November 19th, 2022 @ 10am
On the first day of our class Captain Jalil showed us around the Catamaran with quick boat safety briefing with us. He went over every system in detail. He showed us how to use all of the key features listed below. Captain Jalil is a local St Thomain, he is patient and thorough and extremely knowledgeable about the Catamarans because he also does maintenance. He took us off the dock and we were underway in no time.
Sailing Route – Day 2
We departed Crown Bay 10:00. The crew had time to get a feel for maneuvers under power at Hassel island in St Thomas. Then we sailed S in 12kt winds with 1 reef in both main & jib. The mooring spot for the night was at anchor at Honeymoon Beach off of Water Island.
Sailing Route – Day 3
After the mooring class session, it was anchors aweigh! We sailed E close hauled in 15-18kt with 2 reefs in main & 1 in jib. The crew practiced Heave-To near Buck Island before a fun lunch and snorkel. The debrief was a beautiful sunset mooring in Christmas Cove, Great St James Island.
Sailing Route – Day 4
08:00 Cast off; anchoring practice. Proceeded under power through the cut. Point-of-sail drills in Pillsbury Sound in 8-10kt with 2 reefs in main & full jib. Picked up mooring at Honeymoon Beach STJ at 16:00. Tasty dinner at Woody Caribbean saloon in Cruz Bay.
Sailing Route – Day 5
10:30 Cast off; proceeded under power to Henley Cay for snorkeling. 12:00 Cast off; sailed N’E with 2-reefed main & 1-reefed jib in 12kt; upwind singlehanded sail handling practice; MOB practice. Picked up Mooring at Maho Bay, aka turtle bay, STJ at 16:45
Sailing Route – Day 6
13:00 Cast Off; sailed W’S in 12 G 18kt with 2-reefed main & full jib. Downwind sail handling practice; reefing practice. Dropped anchor in Secret Harbor at 16:15
Sailing Route – Day 7
10:00 Anchor aweigh. Sailed W’S in 8-10kt with 2-reefed main & full jib. Downwind sail handling practice. Snorkeling at Buck Island. Picked up a mooring at Honeymoon Beach WI at 17:00
KEY FEATURES:
4 Staterooms, w/Quiet Flush Electric Heads
Generator & Full Air Conditioning
Classic Main with Stackpack and Lazy Jacks & Furling Genoa
Electric Winch at Helm & Electric Windlass
VHF and AIS at Helm station
Swim Platform and Tender Lift
Numerous USB Ports & Extra Outlets
Solar Panels
Forward and Aft Cockpit Cushions
RO water Filtration System
Separate Fridge & Freezer
Charcoal BBQ
4 Burner Stove
Oven
Dingy with 20 HP Motor
Snorkeling & Safety Gear
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Sleeps: 8
Private Head & Shower Per Stateroom
LOA: 44′
Beam: 26.10′
Draft: 4.3′
Engines: 2 x 57HP
Fuel: 274g
Water: 300g