LETTERS
GARMIN
Myron and Marina — There are two models of the Garmin InReach: the InReach SE and the InReach Explorer. The only difference is that the SE doesn't have the navigation capability that the Explorer version does. While it would be nice to have the navigation capability built in, if you're like most cruisers, you probably have numerous GPSs and iPads with navigation capability already, so it probably isn't necessary. When we checked on February 4, the SE version was selling on Amazon for $242, while the Explorer version was available for $314. In the big scheme of a cruising boat budget, $70 is chump change, so Latitude would recommend the Explorer. Naturally there are all kinds of accessories for both models that can kick up the price. For the first time in the 24-year history of the Baja Ha-Ha, the Grand Poobah is going to require that every There are two InReach models, and they entry be equipped with are priced differently. one of the following: an operational SSB, an InReach, an Iridium Go! or a Spot Messenger. This is for the safety of the captain and crew on each boat, to prevent the Coast Guard from wasting their resources, and so the Grand Poobah can get more sleep. ⇑⇓ LOOKING FOR THE WANDERER'S CHARTER ADVICE We're writing for the Wanderer's guidance and opinions on bareboat chartering in the Eastern Caribbean. We recently sold our Banshee 35 catamaran after a couple of years of not using her. We decided that we would rather charter once a year than dump money into a boat that we weren't using. I was talking to a friend of mine, well-known singlehanded sailor Peter Hogg, and he suggested I email you with some questions I had since you have done extensive sailing in the Caribbean. First, a bit about our sailing experience. My wife and I started our cruise with our Valiant 32 Algeria on the 1999 Ha-Ha. After Cabo, we spent a while going down the Mexico coast, then Costa Rica and Panama. We transited the Canal, enjoyed the San Blas Islands, and ended up in Roatan to wait out the 1998 hurricane season. We worked in Roatan for a few years, and ended up selling the Valiant to some friends down there. We moved back to the States in 2003. We bought the Banshee in Seattle that year and sailed her down to the Bay Area in May. We lived aboard for a year and daysailed until work got in the way of our sailing. Our kids are now 16 and 17. While they have dinghy experience, they don't have any open-water experience. We want our first charter experience with them to be fun rather than overwhelming. We're unfamiliar with the Eastern Caribbean and are hoping you can give us some guidance as to December conditions and ease of cruising. Everybody recommends the British Virgins, but we also hear that: 1) It's extremely crowded, 2) You mostly moor rather than use anchors, and 3) It's quick one-hour sails between destinations. We've also been reading about St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We understand that they are a lot less crowded, which sounds good to us; you anchor more, which also sounds good to us; but that it's more open ocean sailing and thus might
Page 32 •
Latitude 38
• March, 2017