Mark & Karen Brunelle

Mark and Karen Brunelle are Ex New Englanders living in Northern California where we learned to sail and live happily ever after.

Ours is a lucky and romantic life which we strive to never take for granted. When we do we try, with humility and haste, to get back to thanking the quirk of fate that allows us to live better than about 5.9 billion of our fellow humans.

Alameda, United States

10 days and man are we counting.

Our charter history started with a company we came to call the “Get what you pay for Yacht Charter Company”. They’re out of business. We’ve chartered with Tradewinds, Moorings, Horizon and this year we’re using Footloose, the second tier company for the Moorings. This is where Moorings boats go when they're over 5 years old. Five years isn't old for a privately owned yacht used and maintained at the pleasure of the owner but it's a long hard ride for a boat in charter. When price is critical, it's safe to say that you can get a 10-15% discount from the newer boats of the top tier companies. That discount isn't as attractive when you break it up among 2-4 couples but it's real money when you sail alone.

This year we’re on a five year old Beneteau 362. Our trip is 11 days and nights and our charter cost $3201 including all taxes, insurances, and permits. The 1st tier charter firms were running around $3400 for 8 days on a new or nearly new 32 foot boat. In addition to a little more waterline, the 36 footer adds auto pilot which I really like when we’re on our own. I get to run around the boat doing the sailor type things while Karen gets to lounge around topless. Perfect! Most of all, we’d totally rather take our chances on an older boat in order to spend 3 more days in paradise.

Here’s a picture of a 362 and a layout drawing.

A Beneteau 362 under sail

The Beneteau 362 plan

We also have a local ace in the hole. We met a really great woman at that Tradewinds company five years ago. She was the only woman among a bunch of Aussie and Caribbean men and she was the only one with a sense of responsibility about the business. We’ve kept in touch with her and she’s friends with both the Footloose site manager and their head boat mechanic. Andrea is letting them know that her great friends from California are coming and that they should make sure the boat we get is in tip top mechanical order. Andrea also opened her own bar this year! Now that’s what I call a win win.

written by

Mark & Karen Brunelle on November 13, 2008 from Alameda, United States

from the travel blog: British Virgin Islands Thanksgiving Cruise 2008

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Alameda, United States

Blogging our 5th sailing trip to the Caribbean came about in the serendipitous way that I imagine most blogs do. While looking for tools to produce an online presence for my business newsletters, I ran into a travel map on a friend of mine's business partner's site. It showed a cool map of the trip she is on right now and with a few clicks, here I am.

That business thing? I'm in mortgage banking. I've had a typical year for someone in my shoes. Business slumps, deals hard to close, frustrated people, plummeting net worth: The usual. My company changed hands mid year, creating chaos. A top firm recruited me to their flagship office in San Francisco meaning months of hard work before getting to the big bucks. JUST as the first 2 months of effort looked to pay off, the company closed it's doors less than two weeks ago.

Now, wouldn't you say this is the BEST time to zoom off to the Caribbean for 11 days of idyllic, naked bliss sailing with the love of my life?

Exactly.

written by

Mark & Karen Brunelle on November 11, 2008 from Alameda, United States

from the travel blog: British Virgin Islands Thanksgiving Cruise 2008

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Alameda, United States

So we're 12 days from leaving and we're already almost packed. Care for our little zoo is covered. Quito, the Lori is going on his own vacation to Tracy CA where he visits an oversized family of other birds. He'll come home with a few new words and a more humble attitude after realizing that he's not the only and far from the biggest bird on Earth. Tiller, the Toller is being cared for by Jackie Gordon of Island Pets. (If you live in Alameda and need pet care, this young woman is your choice-leave a comment if you want her contact info)

Mark has managed to cut his normal travel stuff almost in half, thanks to a new selection of high tech, ultra light t-shirts, underwear, and shorts.

The gear bag has all the electronics a modern traveler can't leave home without (EXCEPT: no laptop and our cellphones are delightfully useless in the BVI's) We have the big camera, the little camera (with waterproof housing) the video camera, the iPod and the iPod thing that plugs into a 12v outlet to send our music the boat's radio, GPS with waypoints all loaded, plus extra batteries and chargers. We've got a Leatherman, a sharp kitchen knife, flashlights, a Melita coffee cone and an assortment of sunscreen (including some from Canada containing Mexoryl. We'll let you know how it works) We're bringing a bunch of fishing gear to see if I can actually land something after my HUGE disappointment at losing two great fish on the trip to St. Barth's and St. Martin last year.

Books: I'm bringing The Whiskey Rebels, by David Liss this year thanks to a recommendation from Ed who never steers me wrong. It's a historical mystery which has an attack on Alexander Hamilton's new Central Bank as part of its central theme. Timely if you ask me. If this is like other years, I should get some writing done myself!

How many days left? Dang! Still 12.

written by

Mark & Karen Brunelle on November 11, 2008 from Alameda, United States

from the travel blog: British Virgin Islands Thanksgiving Cruise 2008

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