Notice to OPO Mariners, March 1, 2008
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Hank Schmitt, P.O. Box 2032, Halesite, NY 11743
631-423-4988, 1-800-4PASSAGe, Fax 631-423-9009
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Editorial
The March 1st Notice is being written and sent to you from the BVI's. We have been
hear for 31/2 weeks and 20 OPO members have joined us for a very low price that we
first mentioned in a notice a few months ago and they took advantage of right away.
We filled up very quickly. We are offering a similar very low price for our European
Tour this summer and fall and we look forward to OPO members taking advantage of the
offering. Being away from the office detracts from the day to day workings in the office,
but we are making many new contacts in the islands and spreading the word to other cruisers
about our crew networking service. We have also run into several OPO members out cruising or
chartering on boats. We have also met many new Swan owners at the Swan and Scandinavian
Rendezvous which will also help us to gather new opportunities for our members once the
winter season ends and boats start moving again.
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Winter Caribbean Circuit
Heineken Regatta starts next week and we filled up a couple of months ago. The
next Regatta is the BVI Regatta March 31st to April 7th. We have three berths
left and the cost has been reduced to $1600 a person which included accommodations
on our chartered 47 foot support cat. The regatta included a fun race over to the
Bitter end resort and back with a day to play in North Sound, followed by three days
of racing back at Nanny Cay marina. If you have the time you can fly into St. Maarten
on March 28th for the sail over to the BVI's either on the support Cat with Captain
AJ Smith or aboard Avocation. After the regatta on April 7th we will sail back to St.
Maarten so you can sail back and fly round trip from St. Maarten flying home April 9th.
There is no extra charge for the extra four days so this is a great price for the
regatta plus more sailing time. Just call or e-mail Cathy in the office if you want
to join us. I will be back in the office March 12th to cover over final logistics
and will contact those already signed up for the regatta.
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Swan 48 Opportunities
Trans-at Swan 46 - The Swan 46 Aphrodite, which has been part of our annual fleet for the past three years, will be crossing from St. Maarten to Palma departing April 23rd. There is only one berth left. Gareth Hughes is the very capable and super experienced skipper. The price is $3500 which includes all expenses except your airfare. The trip will take one month. Avocation filled up quickly for her passage later in the season at $4500 per person.
Antigua Sailing Week - We have one berth left for Antigua Sailing Week since we had one cancellation. This is a full five days of racing and we have the same 47 foot support Cat for the regatta. Like BVI you have the option to fly to and from St. Maarten and sail over and back to Antigua with us for no extra charge. The cost is $2200 for the week. If you are interested in joining us for this last regatta of the season just let us know and we will fill in the details for you. Airfare is pretty good for this regatta since it is at the end of the busy season.
May return from the Caribbean - Avocation filled up months ago for the sail back from St. Maarten to New York. However we should have another Swan 48 departing the same week for Newport and also a Swan 37. The dates are to fly into St. Maarten May 10th for departure May 11th. This is our annual passage back from the Caribbean and we have made the trip every year since 1999. It is a very good first time offshore experience since we start in nice trade wind conditions and work into more weather after Bermuda. The trip takes two weeks and costs $2365 which includes everything except your airfare to and from the boat.
Bermuda to New York - There is one more opportunity to sail aboard Avocation before she departs for Europe in June. She is sailing to Bermuda at the end of May and is full on the way to Bermuda. However we are offering the opportunity to sail back from Bermuda to NY aboard Avocation for the low price of $1300 for the week including everything except your transportation to and from the boat. Plan to fly into Bermuda about June 1st and be back in NY by June 7th. This is another great first time offshore sail if you are looking to get your first offshore passage under your feet so you can help qualify for future free opportunities. This is the first time this opportunity is being offered so if wide open but should fill up quickly. Just let Cathy know in the office and I will be back in the office in a couple of weeks to finalize plans with you.
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European Tours
European Tour - As mentioned we are full for the Trans-at departing June 15th from New York and sailing to Gibraltar. We will be in Gibraltar by July 15th and will then have two weeks to sail to the Balearic Islands (Palma, Majorca,etc) and then on to Sardinia by about August 1st. Plan to Fly into Gib on the 15th and to fly back from Sardinia August 2nd or 3rd. to give us a little extra time. I will be the skipper. I have just sent in the new classified ads offering our Summer and Fall tour to anyone, but they will not be in the magazines until the April or May issues. Therefore OPO members get first dibs on these offering for only $150 a day (US) plus shared boat expenses split 5 ways. (In the Caribbean this has been about $100 per week, double this for the Med since the dollar is week, but these are still great prices and why our Caribbean weeks filled up so quickly. After the Swan Worlds end September 16th we will be offering a few more weeks at this low price. More dates and itinerary to follow next month.
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