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Letter to the editor

It's sailing without the headaches

SailTime members only have to show up at the marina and their boat is ready.

By PAUL SWIDER, Times Staff Writer
Published December 27, 2007

The prevailing joke in boating is that the two happiest days in an owner's life are the day he buys a boat and the day he sells it.

Between repairs and maintenance and cleaning, many boat owners dreaming of carefree sailing bail when reality sets in. But some have discovered fractional ownership through SailTime, which makes sailing one of its seven Hunters as easy as renting a car.

"I've been a boat owner before, and this is like night and day," said Mike Wasserman, who is a member of one of SailTime's 32-foot boats. "They take the work out of it."

SailTime's program is like a timeshare for a sailboat. Members reserve time on board then show up bringing only bedding and any food they might want for their sail.

A computerized checklist guides them through prepping to sail and closing the boat down after they're done. They need only clean as they would their kitchen or patio before leaving the boat for the next member. SailTime does all maintenance.

"This is a great way to sail," said Alice McGrorey, who, with her husband, Jack, is also a SailTime member. "It costs less than dock fees. They even pay for gas."

SailTime's headquarters are in Annapolis, Md., but the St. Petersburg base at the Harborage Marina, like 29 others around the United States, is locally owned and operated. The base opened in 2003 and has had strong membership since, said market manager Jerry Twomey.

"We've allowed people to have their dream without a catastrophe," Twomey said. "It's like learning to sail with training wheels. We're there if you need us, but we're not in your face if you don't."

SailTime requires its members to pass a test, but also teaches those who lack the skills. Members pay $500 to $1,100 a month, depending on boat size, for a one-eighth share of boat usage. They can quit at any time with no obligation and, with 90 days' notice, no financial penalty either.

Members can even profit from the arrangement if they wish to be a boat owner. SailTime owns two of its local boats with others belonging to owner-members like Jeanie and Dart Morales.

"It's the only way to own a boat," Jeanie said. "We get paid to sail."

Morales said she and her husband made the down payment two years ago on Eos, a 32-foot Hunter that, like all SailTime boats, has every imaginable extra included. Since then, not only does SailTime make their boat payments, it pays them a rental fee while also covering insurance and slip fees. At the end of five years, they take over the boat and its payments themselves.

Morales said she and her husband owned a boat before but sailed it less than they do their SailTime boat, even though they share this boat with seven other people. Each visit used to require cleaning and fixing because no one had touched the boat since they last sailed.

Bob Vance has owned five boats in his 35 years of sailing and says he'll never do it again. He is the sailing instructor for SailTime, but said if he didn't work for the company, he'd be a member.

"When I owned a boat, I'd get there and something is either leaking or wouldn't start," he said. "And it smelled, either of diesel or bilge."

SailTime boats, he said, are constantly maintained and have every bell and whistle a sailor could want. Espresso machines, flat-screen TVs, air conditioning and more are part of the package.

Sailing slots are roughly half days and each member is guaranteed seven every month. They can save them up and take the boat for a full week every other month instead. And any day a boat is available, a member can sign up online for a last-minute use that doesn't count against their monthly allotment.

The fees seem large for an entertainment, but Wasserman said it's less than he spent on his own boat and this one is better than what he could afford otherwise.

"If you're rich, you can buy a boat and hire someone to take care of it," he said. "This is access without the expense or the headache."

Paul Swider can be reached at pswider@sptimes.com or 892-2271.

sailtime.com

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Go to sailtime.com to find out how to become a member.

[Last modified December 26, 2007, 21:35:45]