Great Possibilities, but….

It’s challenging to write a review for this Tradewinds trip. Many aspects were wonderful, most, especially the Crew who were nothing short of spectacular. The boat on the other hand had many of the issues that you would expect on a vessel far past its prime. Both motors went down off and on throughout the entire trip with a considerable amount of smoke pouring out of the engine compartments each time. The auto pilot was broken. We had no hot water after the first day and among other odds and ends switches were falling off the walls. In a way I suppose it was good that the captain had to go into the engine compartment every time he wanted to start the generator because it gave him an opportunity to check for smoke🤔. Fortunately, due to a superb Crew at no time did any of the guests feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Most of the guests did not seem to mind invigorating showers. I should mention that I have been captain or crew on one type of boat or another many hundreds of times over the last 40 years. We regularly bareboat charter with the Moorings and other charter companies. I am well aware that even on a new boat stuff just happens🤪. It’s almost rare on a charter that nothing happens. This boat, however, is clearly well into its sunset years and in need of a major retrofit or replacement. Think about if you would rent a 10 or 15 year old car? Another area of concern is the “All Inclusive Fees”. Trade Winds charges a fee for consumable items like food, fuel, crew, etc.. We were clearly told that everyone pays the same Inclusive Fee. The issue is that Third Home Members are charged thousands more than everyone else on the boat. We definitely didn’t eat or drink more than anyone else. If this fee is truly for the cost of consumables it should be the same. If not, it’s a profit center not allowed by Third Home. We haven’t been able to get a clear answer on this. My wife and I came on this Tradewinds trip because as we are getting older, we recognize the possibility of not being able to sail ourselves. Tradewinds offered a wonderful opportunity for us to continue boating long into the future. We consider ourselves to be ideal candidates to join the Tradewinds club. We continue to believe in the Tradewinds program and business plan, but before joining, we would want to do some investigation as to the fleets age and Tradewinds plan for retrofit and/or replacement. Thank you for the opportunity to provide what I hope is constructive input. We continue to look forward to traveling with Tradewinds again sometime in the future. Finally, I wish to again compliment Tradewinds on a phenomenal Crew. This trip had many opportunities to become a disaster, but do to their fantastic personalities and capabilities The crew made everyone comfortable and the trip totally enjoyable. Thank you! ”

Magnificent

If any fellow members ever get the chance to experience this trip in Fiji I would highly recommend it. I could tell you about the crystal-clear waters, the five-star onboard meals, endless cocktails, swimming amongst hundreds of fish, the romantic lunch on a private beach, sailing around reefs and white sand islands - but instead I will just say that the Fijian people are some of the friendliest on the planet. Our captain Dodo and first-mate Jim, were beyond exceptional. It is a week that we will never forget. It is experiences like this that make ThirdHome a great club to be a part of. Thank you Benjamin for your efforts :) John ”

My only complaint of the whole week is that the experience wasn’t long enough!

This was a fantastic week sailing between islands, eating incredible food, diving, snorkeling, kayaking, reading, relaxing and taking a break from it all! The walks on the breathtaking Fijian islands connected me back to nature. We even visited the island from the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks! I swam and dived my heart out. Fiji itself is truly a little hidden gem. The people are incredibly nice, the islands are surrounded by the brightest blue warm waters I have ever seen, the coral is impressive and the weather is near perfect. During the week, we were lucky enough to visit a local village to enjoy a traditional Kava ceremony as well as listen to the beautiful singing of the Fijians. We also joined in on a little dance with the locals! We had a chance to shop the village markets, where I got myself a beautiful necklace and others picked up huge Conch shells, hand woven bags and beautifully designed sarongs. Overall, it was a wonderful week. The crew was friendly, and the food was delicious.”

Yasawa Island Chain in Fiji

The yacht is comfortable and beautiful. The captain and chef are outstanding. The cruise is a once in a lifetime spectacular unique experience. Our journey was long from the US to Fiji and it was well worth it. The captain chooses the itinerary and we trusted him 100%. He took us to bays where we were the only yacht anchored for most nights and the isolation was outstanding. The waters in the Yasawa are just like the pictures with clear and light green colors. The snorkeling was the best we've ever had. The chef is the sweetest soul and the most talented chef ever! He took us on a culinary adventure that was unbelievable. We don't know how he produced such delicious meals with unique "flavor bombs" on the yacht for 8 people (ridiculously incredible). Our fellow passengers were a delight and very inspiring people that we will never forget. The yacht has kayak, paddle boards, noodles, and snorkel equipment. We don't dive, but if you do there is diving equipment available. You don't need to pack much because the yacht has everything you need including water bottles! The yacht makes its own water and the taste is incredibly good. As a bonus, a family of dolphins joined us with splashing and fun that brought tears to my eyes. The experience has changed us forever and we are very grateful for Captain Steve and Chef Jim for making our experience better than we could have ever imagined.”

Sailing in Fiji

We sailed around the islands of Fiji for seven nights on a five-bedroom catamaran, of which we had one cabin. Fiji is beautiful with friendly people, and TradeWinds has fresh, new, clean boats elegantly appointed. We enjoyed the group that we were with, and Captain Steve and First Mate Jim took excellent care of us. The food was delicious, we never got seasick, and always felt safe.”

Absolutely amazing!

This trip was an unforgettable experience. The crew was very experienced, highly professional and a lot of fun. The food was incredibly tasteful and the menu very well thought out - great job Jim and Georgia for working so hard and feeding us everyday these delicious meals. And a special thanks to the skipper for taking us to the worlds most remote and unique diving spots in the world. Also, will never forget that surfing spot we discovered - Red Rocks! I would go on another tradewinds in a heartbeat. My only regret, not signing up on the spot! ”