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  • Mark - Bluevana

    • 13m Lagoon 42
    • Antigua / Barbuda
    • Checked in 9 hours ago

Caribbean island hopper

I am offering 3 cabins on my 2023 Lagoon 42, 4 cabin catamaran for Bluevana's final adventure of 2024! We will be sailing and island hopping about 250-300 miles over 21 days. This is a cruising trip focused on adventure and exploring vs being rushed. Often times we spend a few days at a location. There are some great scuba dive and snorkeling sites , hiking and many amazing beaches to use our SUPs, kayaks and beach games. If conditions are good, we could get some kiteboarding and/or surfing in as well!

ITINERARY and DATES
• Crew to arrive to Antigua on Nov 23 and can plan to fly out of St. Martin on Dec 14. We will be exploring the many amazing places on Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Barts, St. Martin (French and Dutch sides) as well as Anguilla.

BOAT
• Bluevana (Nirvana on the Blue!) is a well equipped 2023 Lagoon 42 Catamaran with 4 private double cabins. She was received in Feb 2023 in La Rochelle, France.
• She has many upgraded amenities, including lithium power bank fed by twin Integrel generators and solar to quietly run watermaker and air conditioning. There is an induction cooktop, microwave/oven combo, gas grill, TV and Starlink
• There are 2 SUP's, double kayak, good fishing inventory as well as beach toys (football, frisbee, beach tennis).
• She has proven to sail well in a variety of conditions due to a good sail inventory with code 0 and furling gennaker as well as folding propellers.
• The boat is set up for offshore adventures and live-a-board in comfort.
• There is autopilot (heading and windvane) AIS, Quantum 2 Radar with collision avoidance technology, EPIRB, 8 person offshore lift raft, VHF at navigation station as well as handheld VHF at the helm, Iridium GO and all the safety equipment for offshore sailing including Spinlock 6D vests with harness and individual AIS MOB devices.
• I have exercise equipment on board as well!

MY SAILING EXPERIENCE
• I have been sailing since a young teenager and have not lost the passion! Prior to Bluevana I sailed in Canada, Mexico, Bahamas and the Mediterranean. Since I received Bluevana, I have sailed her across the Bay of Biscay and along the Spain and Portugal coast to Gibraltar. Then ventured to Morocco, Canary Islands and to Cape Verde then crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean arriving in Grenada. Since in the Caribbean I have sailed her to Antique via island hopping and exploring the Grenadines, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica and Guadeloupe as well as back down to Trinidad for her first haulout.

IDEAL CREW
• Ideal crew would be upbeat, outgoing, flexible, openminded and ready to make adventurous memories.
• Those with sailing experience will be welcome to help sail, set anchor, pick up mooring balls and dock. I would be happy to help share my experience with sailing, navigation, weather and passage planning. Those without sailing experience are welcome to learn as much as they want and help sail as well.
• This would be a great opportunity for those looking to buy a boat as Bluevana is set up well for offshore independent sailing and has many custom modifications for live-a-board as well as well as boat set-up and maintenance.
• This would be ideal for those looking to get a feel of the cruising lifestyle before purchasing their own vessel.
• This is not a typical charter so crew to participate in the regular daily chores like cooking, cleaning and keeping the living area organized etc

WHAT IS UNIQUE?
• Less expensive: Most captained charter usually charges $500 - $800 per day per cabin.
• Longer periods: We usually do 20-30 days which allows the feel and flexibility of what it is like to live on a Catamaran, experience a more relaxed journey and be able to pick better weather windows.
• Larger cruising ground: We explore multiple countries and make open water passages.

COST
• Crew to pay own travel expenses to and from the boat as well as $150 per day per double cabin. Contributions go towards 2 meals a day onboard (Breakfast and 1 other as well as snacks), customs fees for each country and boat running expenses (fuel, charter insurance, marina, mooring, marina fees etc). Crew responsible for personal alcohol (not while underway) as well 1 meals per day on shore, drinks and activities on land.
• If someone is looking for a formal captain charter with catering and are willing to pay $3000-6000 per week per cabin, there are many out there and some are quite good. I have heard many good things about Sailing Luna. Dream yacht and some other larger companies also offer captain charters as well.

REFERENCES
• References from crew can be provided.

show hide Position

Position

  • Crew positionFriendship

  • Availability 23 Nov 2024 until 14 Dec 2024

  • Expenses to/from vesselPaid by crew

  • Expenses onboardContribution on a shared basis

  • Team / SoloNot important

show hide Vessel

Vessel

  • TypeSailing Yacht

  • Make/modelLagoon 42

  • Length13 metres

  • Berth4

  • Sailing from Antigua / Barbuda , Jolly Harbor

  • Sailing to Saint Martin , Simpson Bay

  • Language spoke aboardEnglish

  • Boat descriptionBluevana is a new and well equipped Lagoon 42, 4 cabin catamaran. She has an all electric galley (induction cook top and microwave/convection oven), good inventory of cooking/storage supplies, 6 fridge/freezers, plenty of storage with custom cabinets and drawers. There are 5 efficient air conditioners and a 105L/hr watermaker. All the onboard electrical is powered by a large Victron lithium house bank (30.6kW) that is fed by 2000w solar and two Integrel power generators. Safety is a top priority so the boat has all the standard gear as well as vessel EPRIB, MOB1 on 3 offshore lifevests, 8 person life raft, well equipped grab bag, aux high output bilge set up and many spare plumbing, electrical and engine spare parts. There are extra fire suppression units and fire balls throughout the vessel. She performs very well under sail due to code 0, a furling gennaker and folding props. The boat has upgraded 57HP Yanmar engines. All electronics are Raymarine and has AIS, Quantum 2 radar and autopilot with windvane setting.

show hide Skipper

Skipper

  • NationalityCanadian/American

  • Age56

  • GenderMale

  • Fluent languages English

  • Qualifications ASA Bareboat Chartering (Intermediate Coastal Cruising)
    ASA Basic Keelboat
    ASA Coastal Navigation
    ASA Cruising Catamaran
    International Certificate Of Competency (ICC)
    PADI - Open Water

  • Sea Miles 10,000+

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Feedback

3

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Very trip to Trinidad, Mark is great!

5

I crewed on Bluevana's June 2024 trip from Martinique to Trinidad. What an absolute blast! Mark is a responsible and caring captain, and made sure we sailed to all the best spots. 3 week trip, everyone got along well thanks to Mark's interviewing, planning and logistics. I enjoyed every minute of the sail. This was my first time on a Cat, and my first time sailing the Windwards. I sail my 37 monohull, to Maine for 40 summers, and to the Bahamas / ICW for 1 year. I am looking forward to the next trip with Mark on Bluevana.

14th Oct 2024

Trans Atlantic on Bluevana

5

In January,2024, I joined Mark and Bluevana in Mindelo ( Cape Verdes) for the Transatlantic reposition to Grenada. Mark sails a very well equipped and maintained vessel. He is very capable as a skipper, and a delight to sail with. For this trip we had a total crew of 4 who literally flew in, met for the first time and pushed off for a transatlantic within 48 hours. Mark was instrumental in coordinating the logistics and (optional ) provided daily calisthenics. My basis for providing this recommendation is that this trip was my 6th Ocean crossing. It started with a great vessel and Captain and was successful for that reason. Unqualified positive recommendation!

29th Sep 2024

Mark & Bluvanna Checked Off Another Bucket list Item for Me! Great boat and skipper!

5

Three of us joined Mark on Bluevana for a terrific voyage down the Eastern Caribbean from Martinique to Trinidad. I have cruised and charted in New England and the Virgin Islands but never the Lesser Antilles. My goal was to try and visit as many islands as practical on our 3 week Island Hopper Tip. Mark and Bluvana delivered, as we made multiple stops in Martinique, Saint Lucia, Bequia, St Vincent, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Tobago Cays, Caribou, Palm Island and Trinidad! Bluevana is very well equipped and beautiful. But more importantly Mark is a great host and is very accommodating to ensure his guests are enjoying the trip. He is very easy going and we all really enjoyed our time together. Highly Recommended - I am personally staying tuned to see what other cruising journeys Mark develops.

29th Sep 2024

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