Have not used them but they got a terrible write up on another forum -I'll try to find the ink for you

Pia

This was posted on Tripadvisor March 12th 2008 by NY3travler
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147409-i432-k1812836-First_STJ_Trip_Report_3_7_3_11-St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

"Day 4 - Hans and Sail Safari excursion which i booked b/c it came highly recommended on this forum. Big mistake - it was awful. They take you out on a Hobie Cat...fits about 6 ppl total. I had the impression Hans (the owner/capt) would be taking us and since i talked to him a few times, made it seem like it was him. It ended up being a woman who was not capable of handling her own "sail and snorkel safari tour". She had very lil control of the sail boat and at one point almost knocked herself off of it! She knew very little of the island as I tried to ask her questions about STJ that she couldn't really answer and didnt know. Unfortunately, we booked the full day tour at 110/pp and had to rent our own snorkel gear as well. Our sail course was basically leave cruz bay and head towards this small island right across from Caneel bay - sail back and forth about 4 times (exact route), dock at the deserted beach across from Caneel Bay and ate a sandwich lunch, snorkel on your own as no one guides you or even helps you. We were kinda left there to hang out for 3 hrs. Rainstorm came and went and by then, my bf and i practically had hypothermia it was so cold. They didnt prepare us at all for that. Just told us to be prepared to get wet. But b/c its a hobie sail and low to the water, you are constantly getting slammed with cold water and being that its pretty windy out there, makes it much worse. I was also counting on this last day to see alot of STJ that we didnt get to see driving around but unfortunately, Hans sail only took us to 2 spots for a whole day excursion - 2 stops!!! That deserted island beach and then Gibney/Hawksnest beach (no snorkeling here as they advised too) which you can easily drive/taxi to from Cruz bay. Have to say i loved Gibney beach and so glad i got the chance spend some time there however, was not happy with wasting a day with Hans Sail. If i had known it would've been like this, I would've signed up for a day trip to BVI and see The Baths instead. "

Pia

Lovely - scratch that off the list. Thanks Pia.

In light of this, can you recommend any 1/2 day or full day sails - true sailing, not motoring - for 2 people? My wife has never been on a sailboat and wants to experience it. Big or small is ok, just wind powered.

Try Captain Phil on the Wayward Sailor - voted best on St John for the last 4 years. He tries to sail as much as he can and only will use the motor as a last resort. Most people love hi, but there are a few that don't - he is very particular about his boat (understandably) and some people do not care for his way - we think he is great a true sailor.
http://www.waywardsailor.net/

Another one that gets great reviews is Bread on the Water - here is their link and a link to a trip report from another forum (when you read it you will see their opinion of Capt Phil :))
http://www.sailbreadonthewater.com/
http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5056&highlight=bread+water

Pia

We LOVED the S/V BREATH.

www.sailbreath.com

e-mail: [email protected]

I did the sail safari, Neils was our captain. He was totally awesome, it was the best day of our trip. We had already snorkeled Henley Cay, so he took us to Hawksnest, and then to the far side of Lovango Cay. He was out there snorkeling with us, finding cool stuff and waving us over. He pretty much taught me to sail in the process and let me steer/work the sails some so I could get the hang of it. He found us a coconut that had fallen and still had some milk in it and taught me how to open it properly. Additionally, we were probably going to be 5 or 10 minutes late getting back already, but he was in no rush so instead of just sailing back into Cruz bay we rounded the bend and checked out Great Cruz Bay. This meant we probably ended up getting an extra hour for free. Maybe it depends on what captain you get, but if you can get Neils the Dutch Pirate as your captain, you are guaranteed to have a great time.

I'm so sorry those folks had a bad day. I have already contacted them for a full refund. Ideally we would have rescheduled for better weather but it was the last day of their trip. In foul weather sail boat charters can't venture as far and wide as usual.

The captain in question no longer works for us for obvious reasons. Our snorkel tours are guided and you do get wet on the boats - that's part of the fun!

Of course a rainy, cool day isn't fun on any sailing trip. You can read more of Sail Safaris reviews on Trip Advisor We are currently rated as the top attraction in Cruz Bay.

Captain Han
Sail Safaris St John
(866) 820 6906
Sail Safaris

My husband and I just went out with Sail Safaris on 8-3-08. We had a wonderful time! Han was our captain and he was very knowledgeable about the islands, the flora and fauna, and the sea life. He tailored our day sail to our snorkeling ability, and to show us snorkel areas that we could not access by foot. He provided a delicious snack and lunch and the day was everything that we had hoped it would be! Yes, we did get wet as they stated on their website, but it was great weather and that was part of the appeal for us.
I had read this unfavorable review before we went, but I also read 6 or 7 other reviews that were fantastic and as with all reviews you have to realize that you are not going to please all the people all the time. We are certainly glad that we did this trip.