In December 2017, my husband, Joe, and I quit our full-time jobs to pursue Sailing Kuma Too, a 47-foot catamaran offering sailing charters out of Dunedin, Florida. This year has certainly had its ups and downs – Everything from celebrating our first official charter to freezing the business because of a hiccup with the city, yet so far, it’s been a very successful year. We were averaging 3 charters per week in June, July and the beginning of August. With the afternoon summer storms in full force, school back in session, and red tide scaring tourists, we’ve been a little slower the second half of August and September.
Although, a boat charter business does not only mean working when there are guests on board. It is a B.O.A.T. after all. We’ve kept busy with boat projects, marketing efforts, and keeping Kuma Too stocked and ready to go for our upcoming charters.
Preparing a 47-foot catamaran for an all-inclusive charter is not easy feat either. We take pride in our product and have very high expectations for ourselves, our vessel, and our guests’ experience on board. Kuma Too gets a full detail before every charter. It takes the two of us about 4 hours to scrub the deck, hulls, and cockpit of Kuma Too. Once the outside is clean and shiny, we move onto the inside which takes another 2-3 hours. Each of the 3 passenger staterooms with private baths receive a deep clean as well as fresh linens. The floors, walls, and salon/galley are cleaned with white vinegar.
Now that Kuma is ready to accept guests, we shift to the galley to prepare the cuisine. All charters offered on Kuma Too include hors d‘oeuvres from the local market and beverages. Our favorite produce stand, Jam's, is down the street in a town called Largo (where we moved from 2 years ago), and we still shop there when the Dunedin Market is not available. It takes about an hour to prepare fresh fruit, veggie, and cheese and meat trays. For a full day charter, we provide additional snacks and include a prepared lunch, so each item adds a little more time. Then the most important task, get the beer on ice! We provide beer, wine, soda, and bottled water. We then dress the cockpit and sit down with a good book to wait for our guests.
We’ve enjoyed every minute of learning how to improve and perfect our product. To learn about charters on board Kuma Too, visit www.SailingKumaToo.com
Until next week, Happy Sailing!
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