Boat rental in Pointe-a-Pitre · Bavaria — 36 (2002)

Marveda is a comfortable, clean, well supplied boat. She is fast and sails well into the wind. The engine is powerful and quiet. I really wanted to like this boat! But as soon as we hoisted the sails, it was apparent that she suffered from neglect. The rigging was frayed, salty and had far too much tension in the system. The roller furler was nonfunctional. Everything from hoisting the sails to closing the hatches took a lot of effort. Hoisting, reefing and furling the sails required going on deck and feeding the lines through by hand because there was so much friction in the system. The lifelines were rusty and could not be relied upon to keep you from falling overboard. The rudder banged around in the rudder bearing to an alarming degree. The deck leaked in a seaway, soaking our mattress. One of the ports leaked in a hard rain soaking the salon settee. I own an old boat- I know you have to put up with some things- but many of these problems are simply from lack of maintenance. The owners are charming. Julie does a beautiful job keeping the boat fresh and well stocked. David gave us great advice on where to sail. But he was not present during the boat orientation and did not tell us about any of the boat’s problems. Although he spent a couple hours on the boat after our sail socializing, he did not inspect the boat. Julie checked us out the following morning and said everything was ok. A week after we got home, our credit card was charged for $470 to repair the furling equipment which was broken when we got on the boat. Far from apologizing for sending us out with broken equipment, David is insisting we pay for his repairs. Similarly, we opted to rent a paddleboard for the week. Julie apologized that the finbox was broken but said they had repaired it with bondo and thought it would work. It didn’t. The fin fell out the first time the breeze hit it. Again, instead of apologizing for renting broken equipment, David charged me 45 euros for the rental (half price for nonfunctional equipment). What we realize now is that you are really taking your chances when you rent from an individual rather than a company. The escrow service and security deposit depends on both parties being honorable and willing to treat each other with respect. The owner had plenty of time after we returned to discuss this matter with us; he chose instead to wait until we had left and bill the deposit. I feel that we have been treated unethically. We have disputed the claim with the escrow service. However that dispute turns out, there is no question that this whole experience has left us with a very sour taste in our mouths and clouded over our memories of this vacation. We will never again trust to rent a boat from a private party. It's better to pay the extra money and go with a commercial charter service that treats its clients fairly and with respect.

We are so grateful to David and Julie for our recent charter onboard Marveda! Marveda was a beautiful boat to sail; she handled very well in a variety of conditions and was well-equipped for all of our needs. What made the trip extra special was the incredible care and service provided by both David and Julie. From the moment we reached out, communication was excellent, and helpful tips and recommendations were generously given. Julie and David went above and beyond for us to ensure we had everything we needed and more. Don't hesitate to charter Marveda! Book her now! In addition to a marvelous sailboat in a beautiful area of the Caribbean, you will be supported by two awesome human beings that made our trip a very memorable one. Our deepest gratitude, Julie and David. We are excited to sail Marveda again in the future and to have made two new friends.