In an emergency, no one thinks of B&B's

[Morticia]

I'm wondering why not? Is it because people think hotels will have power regardless of surrounding outages, but that B&B's are homes that will also be without power? Or are B&B's perceived as 'vacation' spots? Too expensive? Just not in everyone's face all the time?
I ask because we had walk-ins last night who came because they saw our vacancy sign, after driving all over looking for a place to stay. ALL the hotels in towns all around us were full. They were turning guests away. (None, BTW, bothered to call to see if there were rooms at the smaller inns. So I called to let them know we had rooms.)
Later on had another call from a couple with no power who had called all the hotels and couldn't find a place to stay. But they didn't want to spend the money. ($105, discounted for the emergency, but I can't give the farm away.)
So, given that no B&B's in town were full, but all the hotels were and most said it was with 'refugees', what's the deal? There were no announcements anywhere saying that hotels were giving discounts to the stranded, just that there were shelters open.
What's your opinion?

 

[gillumhouse]

I think it is a combo: perceived expensive, if we have no power they won't - figuring the hotels will have a generator, and i think the main reason is B & B is not on the radar with many people. When they think of lodging it is hotel/motel. And when a B & B is brought up - look at most of the articles written, BIG, FANCY, EXPENSIVE - they think of all the above, never that it will be affordable for the average Joe. (They also think the ones that are affordable are affordable because they must be dumps! As in the no-tell motel is the cheapest one in town mentality. Another reason to keep our rates slightly higher than hotels.)

 

[Sanctuary]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market.

 

[swirt]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

 

[muirford]

I have seen the same thing with inauguration lodging. The hotels in town have been filled up for months but we have only got one reservation and most B&Bs in the area seem to be about the same. We have gotten calls occasionally from locals when power or water is out - they check to see if we have ours first - but most are people who know us some other way. I remember after Katrina that PAII and some of the state associations got the word out for any B&Bs that had long-term housing available for displaced residents.

 

[Sanctuary]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....

 

[Morticia]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

Yowza! We looked at your rates page the other day but no rates were posted. I guess it's nothing we'll be doing anytime soon...maybe the B&B side, tho!

 

[gillumhouse]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500.
Curiosity sets in - is that per room or per boatload? Curious as to if a group came on as B & B and divied up the charter rate..... Per room it would be? assuming full house?
Edited to state I am not gasping for air - I am sure running a ship ain't cheap - just curious.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

Yowza! We looked at your rates page the other day but no rates were posted. I guess it's nothing we'll be doing anytime soon...maybe the B&B side, tho!
.

Yowza! We looked at your rates page the other day but no rates were posted. I guess it's nothing we'll be doing anytime soon...maybe the B&B side, tho!

You should see the rates to fish off of Nags Head Outer Banks for a half day charter.
And that is to be on a stinky fishing boat - and you BETTER TIP! (Had to add that in, as that is an industry that is tip worthy)
Tipping [/h3]The Mate works for tips. The general rule of thumb is to tip like you would in a restaurant, 15% to 20% of the charter fee, based on the Mate’s performance.
An exceptional day may warrant a tip for the Captain. (*other rule of thumb per JBJ is IF THE FISH ARE ON you tip much more and if the deck hands take care fo you, you take care of them!)
Booking Rates/Payment [/h3]

• Full Day Offshore - Cash discounted price = $1550
• Full day Striper(Rock) - Cash discounted price = $900
• Half day Striper (Rock) - Cash discounted price = $600

Custom Trips include overnight and weekend trips. Call for pricing.
PS Other note from JBJ - btw with fuel prices down, many are still using diesel and that ain't down! So it costs big bucks to take these boats out.

 

[Sanctuary]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500.
Curiosity sets in - is that per room or per boatload? Curious as to if a group came on as B & B and divied up the charter rate..... Per room it would be? assuming full house?
Edited to state I am not gasping for air - I am sure running a ship ain't cheap - just curious.
.

It's for the boatload - up to 12 passengers - that's our legal limit. We used to be "USCG inspected passenger vessel" for 49 people. That's too many, and the "inspection" requirements were not in the best interests of the boat or safety. In fact, it's not about safety at all; it's about checking items off a list. What had to be done on this boat become an "inspected vessel" was NOT safe and put the vessel at risk of failure and sinking by mandating that we modify the engine rooms to cover up certain items that need to be inspected regularly. When I finally disassembled all the "inspected" modification crap just to get to my shaft hose, I found the clamps were wasted away from salt and corrosion. THAT COULD HAVE SUNK THE BOAT, as that hose slipping off would have left a 3" hole in the bottom of the boat, but the USCG said to "cover it up." I decided, no thank you... I'll step down to "uninspected passenger vessel" and take only 12 passengers. I'm not sure where I would have put 49 people anyway. I wouldn't even take 20 friends out, let alone 49 charter passengers! But, that's the next threshhold over 12. If you want to take 13, you need to be a inspected-rated vessel.
As for my website, my ISP stopped supporting FrontPage, so I haven't been able to edit my website with the charter rates and new photos. I'm trying to learn Dreamweaver so I can give the website a total make-over. My captain, Pascal, knows Dreamweaver well, and I may have to ask him to just do it for me, but I like to do things for myself and I'd like to learn this. If I don't get it soon, I'll ask him to fix it for me...after he finishes building our new dinghy.
If B&B guests come aboard and then decide to charter, we would credit a portion of their B&B room rate(s) against the price of the charter, almost giving them an overnight for free if they want a full day charter, but we don't advertise that. We don't want folks booking a half day charter and then expecting to sleep over and have breakfast. We only do the discount thing for those staying more than one night on B&B terms. It's sort of a gray area and we try to be fair and reasonable without being taken advantage of. We are, by a long shot, not the most expensive charter in Miami. Our companion yacht, Charmer, goes for nearly $5,000/day, but she's a different class of yacht. She's a fairly new 70-footer. In fact, we are just above the cheapest. We purposely didn't want to outbid the lowest priced yachts. Instead, we want people to charter Sanctuary because they appreciate a quality, classic Hatteras, not because she was cheapest thing they could find. I see the cheap boat on the dock go out a lot - it's a party boat with lots of young people, often drunk and puking upon return. I don't want that crowd. I'm not saying ya can't drink onboard, I'm just saying we don't want the frat party at sea.
The costs of mere existence can be staggering in addition to the price of fuel, alone. What folks don't see is: that our insurance is around $11,000/year with large deductibles - it basically only kicks in in the event of a catastrophic loss (hurricane, fire, sinking); every outing comes with risk when running the boat, i.e. if we blow an engine because a oil hose failed, that's a $40,000 repair (happened to a friend of mine - if it's really bad, new engines are $110,000/pair plus installation which means cutting a giant hole in the side of the boat to pluck the old ones out and put the new ones in with a fork lift); general maintenance runs around $30,000 if we don't do anything major; and then there's dockage and everyday stuff - provisioning, marketing, washing, detailing, etc. Miami is one of the most expensive places to dock, but it's where the business so....gotta just suck it up and pay it. So, when you start adding up what it really costs just to have Sanctuary in the slip and available to take you wherever you want to go, it's not like we're making a killing on this, but I agree...with prices what they are, it sure does look like a lucrative business. Contrary, I pretty much work for free and that's because I love what I do and I love keeping a vintage Hatteras what the late Mr. Hargrave (the architect) meant for her to be. I'm a purist when comes to a classic Hatteras - don't put wallpaper or paint on my teak walls, and don't do any funky upgrades that change her vintage lines! 'Cuz they don't make 'em like this anymore.

 

[Morticia]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500.
Curiosity sets in - is that per room or per boatload? Curious as to if a group came on as B & B and divied up the charter rate..... Per room it would be? assuming full house?
Edited to state I am not gasping for air - I am sure running a ship ain't cheap - just curious.
.

It's for the boatload - up to 12 passengers - that's our legal limit. We used to be "USCG inspected passenger vessel" for 49 people. That's too many, and the "inspection" requirements were not in the best interests of the boat or safety. In fact, it's not about safety at all; it's about checking items off a list. What had to be done on this boat become an "inspected vessel" was NOT safe and put the vessel at risk of failure and sinking by mandating that we modify the engine rooms to cover up certain items that need to be inspected regularly. When I finally disassembled all the "inspected" modification crap just to get to my shaft hose, I found the clamps were wasted away from salt and corrosion. THAT COULD HAVE SUNK THE BOAT, as that hose slipping off would have left a 3" hole in the bottom of the boat, but the USCG said to "cover it up." I decided, no thank you... I'll step down to "uninspected passenger vessel" and take only 12 passengers. I'm not sure where I would have put 49 people anyway. I wouldn't even take 20 friends out, let alone 49 charter passengers! But, that's the next threshhold over 12. If you want to take 13, you need to be a inspected-rated vessel.
As for my website, my ISP stopped supporting FrontPage, so I haven't been able to edit my website with the charter rates and new photos. I'm trying to learn Dreamweaver so I can give the website a total make-over. My captain, Pascal, knows Dreamweaver well, and I may have to ask him to just do it for me, but I like to do things for myself and I'd like to learn this. If I don't get it soon, I'll ask him to fix it for me...after he finishes building our new dinghy.
If B&B guests come aboard and then decide to charter, we would credit a portion of their B&B room rate(s) against the price of the charter, almost giving them an overnight for free if they want a full day charter, but we don't advertise that. We don't want folks booking a half day charter and then expecting to sleep over and have breakfast. We only do the discount thing for those staying more than one night on B&B terms. It's sort of a gray area and we try to be fair and reasonable without being taken advantage of. We are, by a long shot, not the most expensive charter in Miami. Our companion yacht, Charmer, goes for nearly $5,000/day, but she's a different class of yacht. She's a fairly new 70-footer. In fact, we are just above the cheapest. We purposely didn't want to outbid the lowest priced yachts. Instead, we want people to charter Sanctuary because they appreciate a quality, classic Hatteras, not because she was cheapest thing they could find. I see the cheap boat on the dock go out a lot - it's a party boat with lots of young people, often drunk and puking upon return. I don't want that crowd. I'm not saying ya can't drink onboard, I'm just saying we don't want the frat party at sea.
The costs of mere existence can be staggering in addition to the price of fuel, alone. What folks don't see is: that our insurance is around $11,000/year with large deductibles - it basically only kicks in in the event of a catastrophic loss (hurricane, fire, sinking); every outing comes with risk when running the boat, i.e. if we blow an engine because a oil hose failed, that's a $40,000 repair (happened to a friend of mine - if it's really bad, new engines are $110,000/pair plus installation which means cutting a giant hole in the side of the boat to pluck the old ones out and put the new ones in with a fork lift); general maintenance runs around $30,000 if we don't do anything major; and then there's dockage and everyday stuff - provisioning, marketing, washing, detailing, etc. Miami is one of the most expensive places to dock, but it's where the business so....gotta just suck it up and pay it. So, when you start adding up what it really costs just to have Sanctuary in the slip and available to take you wherever you want to go, it's not like we're making a killing on this, but I agree...with prices what they are, it sure does look like a lucrative business. Contrary, I pretty much work for free and that's because I love what I do and I love keeping a vintage Hatteras what the late Mr. Hargrave (the architect) meant for her to be. I'm a purist when comes to a classic Hatteras - don't put wallpaper or paint on my teak walls, and don't do any funky upgrades that change her vintage lines! 'Cuz they don't make 'em like this anymore.
.

As much as I complain about my expenses, I wouldn't want yours! My 'yowza' was because I have never even looked into chartering a boat for anything, so I had no idea.
As far as updating your site without the FP interface...ask the question here on the forum. I'm betting there's another way to do it besides learning a whole other program just to make those couple of changes (for right now, of course continue to learn!)

 

[gillumhouse]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500.
Curiosity sets in - is that per room or per boatload? Curious as to if a group came on as B & B and divied up the charter rate..... Per room it would be? assuming full house?
Edited to state I am not gasping for air - I am sure running a ship ain't cheap - just curious.
.

It's for the boatload - up to 12 passengers - that's our legal limit. We used to be "USCG inspected passenger vessel" for 49 people. That's too many, and the "inspection" requirements were not in the best interests of the boat or safety. In fact, it's not about safety at all; it's about checking items off a list. What had to be done on this boat become an "inspected vessel" was NOT safe and put the vessel at risk of failure and sinking by mandating that we modify the engine rooms to cover up certain items that need to be inspected regularly. When I finally disassembled all the "inspected" modification crap just to get to my shaft hose, I found the clamps were wasted away from salt and corrosion. THAT COULD HAVE SUNK THE BOAT, as that hose slipping off would have left a 3" hole in the bottom of the boat, but the USCG said to "cover it up." I decided, no thank you... I'll step down to "uninspected passenger vessel" and take only 12 passengers. I'm not sure where I would have put 49 people anyway. I wouldn't even take 20 friends out, let alone 49 charter passengers! But, that's the next threshhold over 12. If you want to take 13, you need to be a inspected-rated vessel.
As for my website, my ISP stopped supporting FrontPage, so I haven't been able to edit my website with the charter rates and new photos. I'm trying to learn Dreamweaver so I can give the website a total make-over. My captain, Pascal, knows Dreamweaver well, and I may have to ask him to just do it for me, but I like to do things for myself and I'd like to learn this. If I don't get it soon, I'll ask him to fix it for me...after he finishes building our new dinghy.
If B&B guests come aboard and then decide to charter, we would credit a portion of their B&B room rate(s) against the price of the charter, almost giving them an overnight for free if they want a full day charter, but we don't advertise that. We don't want folks booking a half day charter and then expecting to sleep over and have breakfast. We only do the discount thing for those staying more than one night on B&B terms. It's sort of a gray area and we try to be fair and reasonable without being taken advantage of. We are, by a long shot, not the most expensive charter in Miami. Our companion yacht, Charmer, goes for nearly $5,000/day, but she's a different class of yacht. She's a fairly new 70-footer. In fact, we are just above the cheapest. We purposely didn't want to outbid the lowest priced yachts. Instead, we want people to charter Sanctuary because they appreciate a quality, classic Hatteras, not because she was cheapest thing they could find. I see the cheap boat on the dock go out a lot - it's a party boat with lots of young people, often drunk and puking upon return. I don't want that crowd. I'm not saying ya can't drink onboard, I'm just saying we don't want the frat party at sea.
The costs of mere existence can be staggering in addition to the price of fuel, alone. What folks don't see is: that our insurance is around $11,000/year with large deductibles - it basically only kicks in in the event of a catastrophic loss (hurricane, fire, sinking); every outing comes with risk when running the boat, i.e. if we blow an engine because a oil hose failed, that's a $40,000 repair (happened to a friend of mine - if it's really bad, new engines are $110,000/pair plus installation which means cutting a giant hole in the side of the boat to pluck the old ones out and put the new ones in with a fork lift); general maintenance runs around $30,000 if we don't do anything major; and then there's dockage and everyday stuff - provisioning, marketing, washing, detailing, etc. Miami is one of the most expensive places to dock, but it's where the business so....gotta just suck it up and pay it. So, when you start adding up what it really costs just to have Sanctuary in the slip and available to take you wherever you want to go, it's not like we're making a killing on this, but I agree...with prices what they are, it sure does look like a lucrative business. Contrary, I pretty much work for free and that's because I love what I do and I love keeping a vintage Hatteras what the late Mr. Hargrave (the architect) meant for her to be. I'm a purist when comes to a classic Hatteras - don't put wallpaper or paint on my teak walls, and don't do any funky upgrades that change her vintage lines! 'Cuz they don't make 'em like this anymore.
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I knew the expenses would be in my obscene category. She is a beautiful ship. I really do understand your feelings about her. I also basically work for free to be able to live in the house and the City I want to live in. Whatever it costs - I want to be here. I do not think you would be happy - at this stage of your life at least (if ever) - having to live as a landlubber. Having taken 4 windjammer cruises off the coast of Maine, I love being at sea - even though the patch is a must. My schooner did just skirt the edge of sea and it was wonderful. (but I need my hills more...)

 

[Sanctuary]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

Yowza! We looked at your rates page the other day but no rates were posted. I guess it's nothing we'll be doing anytime soon...maybe the B&B side, tho!
.

Yowza! We looked at your rates page the other day but no rates were posted. I guess it's nothing we'll be doing anytime soon...maybe the B&B side, tho!

You should see the rates to fish off of Nags Head Outer Banks for a half day charter.
And that is to be on a stinky fishing boat - and you BETTER TIP! (Had to add that in, as that is an industry that is tip worthy)
Tipping [/h3]The Mate works for tips. The general rule of thumb is to tip like you would in a restaurant, 15% to 20% of the charter fee, based on the Mate’s performance.
An exceptional day may warrant a tip for the Captain. (*other rule of thumb per JBJ is IF THE FISH ARE ON you tip much more and if the deck hands take care fo you, you take care of them!)
Booking Rates/Payment [/h3]

• Full Day Offshore - Cash discounted price = $1550
• Full day Striper(Rock) - Cash discounted price = $900
• Half day Striper (Rock) - Cash discounted price = $600

Custom Trips include overnight and weekend trips. Call for pricing.
PS Other note from JBJ - btw with fuel prices down, many are still using diesel and that ain't down! So it costs big bucks to take these boats out.

.

You should see the rates to fish off of Nags Head Outer Banks for a half day charter.
Small world...Those guys are located in the place where and why Hatteras evolved. There were a couple of guys (founders of Hatteras) who were in the textile industry sitting around talking with their fishing buddies instead of out fishing due to angry sea conditions. The weather was bad enough, as was more often the case than not, that they guys wanted to build boat that could withstand the waves and seas of Cape Hatteras. The wooden boats were all that anyone knew back then. These guys wanted to build a "plastic" boat that would take them fishing when the woodies were forced to stay in. Everyone thought they were nuts. Perhaps....yet, the first fiberglass boat was born which would forever change the world's marine industry. They had no idea how strong, or not, fiberglass was, so all early Hatteras boats were overbuilt - they were like tanks - very heavy and thick. Today, it is the Hatteras tradition to be overbuilt. They didn't want to put their new plastic boat out there only to be crushed by the waves that they set out to conquer. They wanted to be able to go fishing when all the woodies had to stay home due to weather.
They built this boat inland in North Carolina and trucked it to the ocean. They named her Knit Wits, how fitting. She's still floating today, and what a show piece she is - just like the day she rolled out of that warehouse in High Point and was paraded down the street before being trucked to New Bern for launching. Hatteras found her rotting away in Mexico several years ago, bought her back, put her on a transport ship, and brought her back "home" to the plant that is now located in New Bern where they restored her to original condition. And that's were she is today. That is a milestone no other boat builder today can claim - having their very first build still in service. I found a short article and some photos of Knit Wits. Those seas look pretty scarey to me (second photo) - I wouldn't want to be out there, not even in a Hatt.
"

The Hatteras legend began on the barrier islands of the North Carolina shore where the frigid waters of the Labrador Current encounter the tropical Gulf Stream. The outcome is Diamond Shoals – home to some of the most turbulent and untamed waters in the Atlantic and some of the best sportfishing in the world.
Here in 1959 at Cape Hatteras, where nor'easters can blow almost as fiercely as hurricanes, Willis Slane envisioned building a boat that could conquer the waters of Diamond Shoals and surmount the Hatteras weather. It would not be an ordinary boat – no traditional wooden fishing boat could do this. This new boat would have to be rugged and robust to take the pounding of Hatteras waters. But most importantly, it would have to be a great sportfishing boat – big enough to handle a group of avid fishermen and comfortable enough for family back at the dock.
Breaking with all tradition, Slane chose a new material – fiberglass – to build this noteworthy yacht that launched an industry.

Hatteras produced its first sportfishing yacht on March 22, 1960, in the town of High Point, North Carolina. Christened the Knit Wits, she was a 41-foot twin cabin sportfisherman with a 14-foot beam and a pair of 275-hp Lincoln V-8s. The response was enthusiastic and the Hatteras legend was born. In a testament to the ruggedness that has become synonymous with Hatteras Yachts, the Knit Wits is still in service today after a fishing career that includes service in the Gulf of Mexico and Piñas Bay, Panama."

 

[gillumhouse]

"The aftermath" is a market I never thought of until now, and hope I never have to market, but just thinking about it...heck, my place would be sitting pretty assuming we survived the storm. We can make our own power for over a month on a 24/hour day schedule before needing fuel, and we can make our own fresh water from seawater (some of the finest distilled drinking water on the planet!). With that, we have all the comforts - air conditioning, cooking, laundry, etc. And assuming the satellite didn't fall out of space LOL, we would still have our TV network. Now, getting to us could be problematic since we're out on an island. But, we have a little boat on the roof that we lower down with a crane (That's called a dinghy or a tender) that we can use to get to shore and pick up people. I hope I never get the opportunity to test that market..

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.
.

Same reason the US sends an Aircraft Carrier to other parts of the world following sunami's and such. THe Carrier can generate huge amounts of electricity and fresh water. Hmmm you could almost make a go of navigating TO places in the wake of a storm to offer refuge.

Yes...almost. I have thought of doing something like that, for example, when the Super Bowl was in Jacksonville. While events like that can generate lots of revenue because our rates would not be our regular B&B rates, to travel to a storm area and then offer even our regular rates, the cost of getting there would be prohibitive for the revenue that could be generated. We burn over 50 gallons of diesel an HOUR (do the math - it's scarey!) trying to get somewhere quickly at about 20 knots (we call that "on the pins" which is usually when things break catastrophically in the engine room if they're gonna break). Moving at 10 knots/hour, however, I only burn about 12 gallons an hour, but it would take a while to get to a destination in time to serve the need unless it's real close, or we've got a lot of time to get there. That's why B&B is $160/night and a half day basic charter is $1,950 and full day is $2,500. Sometimes we get B&B guests who then inquire about a little trip out on the boat since they're already on the boat, and they are shocked at the difference in rates between B&B and a charter.
Moving to Jacksonville or Tampa for the Super Bowl is more reasonable because we can charge a LOT for our rooms. Finding dockage can be problematic. I didn't plan early enough to get a spot in Tampa this year, but Super Bowl is in Miami in 2010. Looking forward to it....
.

Yowza! We looked at your rates page the other day but no rates were posted. I guess it's nothing we'll be doing anytime soon...maybe the B&B side, tho!
.

Yowza! We looked at your rates page the other day but no rates were posted. I guess it's nothing we'll be doing anytime soon...maybe the B&B side, tho!

You should see the rates to fish off of Nags Head Outer Banks for a half day charter.
And that is to be on a stinky fishing boat - and you BETTER TIP! (Had to add that in, as that is an industry that is tip worthy)
Tipping [/h3]The Mate works for tips. The general rule of thumb is to tip like you would in a restaurant, 15% to 20% of the charter fee, based on the Mate’s performance.
An exceptional day may warrant a tip for the Captain. (*other rule of thumb per JBJ is IF THE FISH ARE ON you tip much more and if the deck hands take care fo you, you take care of them!)
Booking Rates/Payment [/h3]

• Full Day Offshore - Cash discounted price = $1550
• Full day Striper(Rock) - Cash discounted price = $900
• Half day Striper (Rock) - Cash discounted price = $600

Custom Trips include overnight and weekend trips. Call for pricing.
PS Other note from JBJ - btw with fuel prices down, many are still using diesel and that ain't down! So it costs big bucks to take these boats out.

.

You should see the rates to fish off of Nags Head Outer Banks for a half day charter.
Small world...Those guys are located in the place where and why Hatteras evolved. There were a couple of guys (founders of Hatteras) who were in the textile industry sitting around talking with their fishing buddies instead of out fishing due to angry sea conditions. The weather was bad enough, as was more often the case than not, that they guys wanted to build boat that could withstand the waves and seas of Cape Hatteras. The wooden boats were all that anyone knew back then. These guys wanted to build a "plastic" boat that would take them fishing when the woodies were forced to stay in. Everyone thought they were nuts. Perhaps....yet, the first fiberglass boat was born which would forever change the world's marine industry. They had no idea how strong, or not, fiberglass was, so all early Hatteras boats were overbuilt - they were like tanks - very heavy and thick. Today, it is the Hatteras tradition to be overbuilt. They didn't want to put their new plastic boat out there only to be crushed by the waves that they set out to conquer. They wanted to be able to go fishing when all the woodies had to stay home due to weather.
They built this boat inland in North Carolina and trucked it to the ocean. They named her Knit Wits, how fitting. She's still floating today, and what a show piece she is - just like the day she rolled out of that warehouse in High Point and was paraded down the street before being trucked to New Bern for launching. Hatteras found her rotting away in Mexico several years ago, bought her back, put her on a transport ship, and brought her back "home" to the plant that is now located in New Bern where they restored her to original condition. And that's were she is today. That is a milestone no other boat builder today can claim - having their very first build still in service. I found a short article and some photos of Knit Wits. Those seas look pretty scarey to me (second photo) - I wouldn't want to be out there, not even in a Hatt.
"

The Hatteras legend began on the barrier islands of the North Carolina shore where the frigid waters of the Labrador Current encounter the tropical Gulf Stream. The outcome is Diamond Shoals – home to some of the most turbulent and untamed waters in the Atlantic and some of the best sportfishing in the world.
Here in 1959 at Cape Hatteras, where nor'easters can blow almost as fiercely as hurricanes, Willis Slane envisioned building a boat that could conquer the waters of Diamond Shoals and surmount the Hatteras weather. It would not be an ordinary boat – no traditional wooden fishing boat could do this. This new boat would have to be rugged and robust to take the pounding of Hatteras waters. But most importantly, it would have to be a great sportfishing boat – big enough to handle a group of avid fishermen and comfortable enough for family back at the dock.
Breaking with all tradition, Slane chose a new material – fiberglass – to build this noteworthy yacht that launched an industry.

Hatteras produced its first sportfishing yacht on March 22, 1960, in the town of High Point, North Carolina. Christened the Knit Wits, she was a 41-foot twin cabin sportfisherman with a 14-foot beam and a pair of 275-hp Lincoln V-8s. The response was enthusiastic and the Hatteras legend was born. In a testament to the ruggedness that has become synonymous with Hatteras Yachts, the Knit Wits is still in service today after a fishing career that includes service in the Gulf of Mexico and Piñas Bay, Panama."
.

Neat!!