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This is a great question without a right answer. Depending upon what everyone would like to do, the answer could be as few as 4-6 people total to as many as 10-12. If we’re just getting a bunch of friends together for a day of cruising, picnicking and partying – we can easily accommodate 10-12! If we are planning on serious tournament level fishing – we probably want 4-5 total. In figuring out how many people, if the adults are mostly 6’4” – 240 lb football players – you’ll probably want fewer. If half of the guests are ladies – we can take more people. Taking kids along is one of our MOST favorite things to do! They are a joy to have aboard and are ALWAYS welcome! Sir Reel doesn’t start to get crowded as fast with several kids as it does with the front four from the Miami Dolphins! Here are some general guidelines…
Fishing -
General trolling & fishing for fun – Depending upon the sea state, we can realistically and comfortably have 4-7 adults. More than that and we’re getting in each other’s way and someone might get hurt. In addition, keep in mind that the more people we have aboard – the less fish each person gets to reel in.
Sailfish, Swordfish and Wahoo Fishing – I prefer if we limit the total crew to 4-5 adults.
Diving -
Due to all of the gear scuba divers bring along, space is pretty limited on dive trips. If we’re scuba diving, we can take a maximum of 6 divers if we’re doing single tank dives on the trip or four divers if we’re doing a two tank per person trip. If we’re snorkeling, we’ve had as many as 10-12 people on board! If you’re interested in trying snorkeling, we have some extra gear (especially for kids!) that you’re welcome to try!
If we’re fishing within 3 miles of shore, EVERYBODY on board over 16 years of age (even if they’re not fishing) MUST have a current & valid Florida Fishing License.
If you need a fishing license, you can purchase them over the phone (at 1-888-347-4356), on-line (www.myFWC.com), at many stores in the area (e.g., any bait and tackle shop, Wal-Mart, Gander Mountain, etc.) or at any State of Florida Tax Collector’s Office (i.e., where you get your automobile license plates).
If we’re diving and you’re catching lobsters – you also MUST have a lobster stamp.
Whenever people are invited to join us, most people typically ask “How much does it cost?”
The simple answer is that it doesn’t “cost” you anything! This is NOT a charter operation and you don’t have to pay a dime! We invite people to come along because we totally LOVE sharing the ocean and everything to do with it with our family & friends! So, please understand that we don’t “charge” people to come and join us.
Now, with that said, we GREATLY appreciate that people understand that there are some very real expenses associated with running the boat and that they want to show their appreciation by sharing in those expenses!
To give you an understanding of how much a typical trip runs, here are some of the expenses and a ballpark idea of how much they run for different kinds of trips…
The Obvious
Fuel and Oil - Clearly Sir Reel needs to have fuel and oil – and boy does she like to drink! At the end of the day, she burns right around a gallon of gas per mile and a good gallon of oil for every 50 gallons of gas we burn. Gas at the marina is right around $4.00 per gallon and Yamalube runs around $20.00 per gallon.
The Less Obvious
Ice - Although Sir Reel has a refrigerator for sandwiches, etc., she also needs ice. There’s a large drink box that we typically put two 20 lb. bags of ice in. In addition, there’s a large cooler that (particularly if we’re fishing) will be filled with at least six more 20 lb. bags. The 20 lb. bags typically cost around $4.00 each. If we boat 2-3 days in a row – we only need to buy ice once.
Bait - Depending on the type of fishing we’re planning on doing and the availability and ease of us catching our own live bait, we will normally use around $10.00 of bait-catching rigs or up to $50.00 worth of fresh/frozen bait. I normally budget $30 for bait but, if possible, typically like to catch our own. If we’re targeting sailfish and people want to “go all out” and really maximize our chances – we’ll purchase up to three dozen live goggle-eyes (a/k/a sailfish candy) at up to $125.00 per dozen. (Yep – you read that right!). If we’re super seriously fishing for marlin or sailfish (e.g., in a tournament) – add another $200 for fresh mullet for the dredges! The results are amazing – and well worth it!!!
Bahamas Customs & Fishing Permits - If we’re making the short run to the Bahamas, you’ll need your passport and we’ll have to pay to clear customs and buy a fishing permit. The permit is $150.00 and is a must have.
Total Estimated Boat Expenses for Different Trips
Fishing
Live Baiting or Trolling for Tuna & Mahi – A really full-day typically runs $250-$500 all-in. Half-days can be as little as $150-$300.
Sailfishing – If we buy goggle-eyes add $100-$200. But – we burn less gas! Total trip will run $350-$500.
Swordfishing – For specially rigged squid & Spanish mackerel baits add $120 but, again, we burn less gas. Total trip ~ $350-$500.
Wahoo!!! High Speed Trolling for High Speed Steaks! – This burns a huge amount of fuel and we typically only do it the first hour of the morning or the late afternoon / early evening. The extra gas adds $100-$150 to any of the above.
Tarpon & Snook –These trips are seasonal and the expenses are fairly low – typically $50-$100.
Fly Fishing –There are typically two fly rods on board - a 12-wt. and a 9-wt. We love to try to catch saltwater gamefish on a fly – but know that it is really hard and the stars need to align! It doesn’t add anything to the expenses of the trip and is an absolute blast when we hook-up!!! Please don’t hesitate to ask to give it a try if we get fish in our spread!
Diving & Snorkeling
The diving and snorkeling in the Palm Beaches are truly world class! The great news is that the trips are, relatively speaking, pretty darn cheap and we have hundreds of incredible dive sites really close to the inlet! In addition, there are some pretty famous and absolutely beautiful reefs for everyone to snorkel on (for you not-yet-certified divers)!
Our total expenses for the boat are as follows:
2 – Tank Dive Trips (full day) with snorkeling & partying between dives ~ $75-$125
1 – Tank Dive Trips $25-$50
Great Snorkeling Fun for the Whole Family ~ $10-$60
Cruisin’ – Snoozin’ – Tubin’ & Sunsets
We’ve spent some truly wonderful times swimming, tubing, water skiing and wakeboarding from Sir Reel. In addition, we love to just load up the boat with the grill, steaks, shrimp cocktail and other tropical delights and head over to Peanut Island for picnics and partying! We can cruise around the island of Palm Beach (some of the mansions of the “rich and famous” are fun to see!) or explore West Palm Beach by water. To the north, the Intracoastal Waterway passes through some beautiful nature preserves – which makes for a wonderful evening cruise! And, there is plenty of waterfront dining to be enjoyed along the way!
We can lay back, have some wine, cheese & fruit while watching the sunset for a few dollars (literally $5-$10) or take a nice cruise for $50-$200 depending upon where we go & what we do. Tubing, wakeboarding and water skiing burns gas at about $120 per hour. A full day of cruising, picnicking & exploring with some tubing thrown in will run $150-$300
Wanna Go to the Bahamas, Mon?!!!
Want a REAL Sir Reel Adventure??!!! Let’s go to the Bahamas!!! They are literally less than a two hour boat ride from the marina. All we need to do is head due east out of the Palm Beach inlet and we’ll end up straight at Grand Bahama Island! If you want to play pirates of the Caribbean for a long weekend – it normally involves (not including hotel) around $750-$1,200 for total boat expenses and includes a LOT of boating, fishing, diving and fun!!!
Again, this is NOT a charter operation, but your help with the expenses is GREATLY appreciated!
All of the above costs are for the whole boat - NOT per person.
Her Vital Stats
Sir Reel is a Pursuit 3070 Offshore Center Console with twin 250-hp Yamaha Saltwater Series engines. Her length overall is 32’8” and she weighs between 10,500 and 12,500 lbs. depending upon how much fuel, oil and water she’s carrying. (And that’s without people, gear, ice, food, etc.!) Her beam (how wide she is) is 10’6” and her draft (how deep the water needs to be for her to still float) is 1’6” with the engines up and 3’9” with the engines fully down. She cruises at around 30 knots (that’s boat talk for about 35 mph) and her top end speed at wide open throttle (WOT) is pretty close to 40 kts (i.e, about 45 mph) if she has a light load (i.e, ¼ tank of gas and only one or two people on board) and a fairly clean bottom. She holds 310 gallons of gas in two tanks, 7.5 gallons of oil, 30 gallons of fresh (potable) water for showers, etc. and her livewell holds 44 gallons. Her fuel burn at best cruise is right around 30 gallons per hour and at full speed it’s every bit of 58-60 gallons per hour!
Boat Amenities
182 Qt. Cooler -This cooler has plenty of room for large food (e.g., watermelon), etc. In fact, it’s big enough to put some people in (don’t ask us how we know)!!!
Insulated Drink Cooler - We typically keep our drinks in a cooler under the seat just forward of the helm. It is big enough to hold several 12 packs plus waters, sodas, Gatorades & ice!
Plenty of Drink Holders
Mini-Refrigerator - Sure beats keeping sandwiches on ice in the cooler!
Private Head - It’s smaller than most people like, but hey – it works and you don’t have to hang your tush over the side!
Fish Box - It holds even more than the large cooler mentioned above!!! LOL!!!
Freshwater Shower - With hot water!
Stereo - With a CD Player! Please feel to bring along your preferred CD’s unless you happen to love Jimmy Buffett and other island/steel drum music!
Food & Drinks - You’ll be happier if you bring your own.
What Works Great –
• More is Better – You will be AMAZED at how much you’ll eat & drink.
• NO GLASS - PLEASE!
• Sub Sandwiches are always a hit!
• Finger Foods – especially M&M's, crackers & cookies.
• Fruit – esp. Fresh Pineapple, Watermelon, etc.
• SNACKS – SNACKS & MORE SNACKS!
What Doesn’t Work so Well –
• Fried Chicken – it makes the deck REALLY slippery. UGH.
• Things that require a lot of preparation.
Special Planning for Extra Fun -
• Bar-B-Que Grill - We have one for picnicking on the beach if people want to grill out. Just let us know beforehand so that we can bring it along!
• Beach Screen Room for Picnics - Ditto
Clothes-wise
In general –
• Windbreaker-type jacket.
• Foul weather gear if rain is forecast.
• Boat shoes, tennis shoes or marine boots. Black or hard soles can mar up the deck.
• If fishing, anticipate that your clothes could get wet, slimy and / or bloody (i.e., I DON’T recommend you wear your Gucci’s!).
Winter –
• If there’s ANY chance of cool/cold temps – PLEASE bring LOTS of warmth – in fact, more than you think you’ll need or want.
• Dress in layers so that you can shed layers as the day warms up.
Summer –
• Bathing Suits
• Flip Flops – Personally, I love ‘em but they’re REALLY dangerous when fishing
• Sun Cover-Ups
Sun Protection
• Sunglasses & Hat
• Sunscreen, Sunscreen & More Sunscreen - Lather it on Baby!
SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE – Being that we’re pretty darn close to the Tropics, PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE wear appropriate sun protection. I REALLY appreciate when people wear a LOT of sunscreen, hats, etc. and feel terrible when people find themselves getting burned.
NOTE: Please do NOT put your hands into the livewell if we’re live-bait fishing and you have sunscreen on your hands – it kills the bait! UGH!
Cooler - Bring it to take fish & lobsters home but leave in your car at the marina
Camera - You NEVER know what you might see!
Music CD’s – Sir Reel has a stereo on board & you’re welcome to play DJ!
Favorite Fishing Lures, Secret Spots, etc. - We always love to learn new tips & tricks from our friends!
BANANAS!!! – PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY!!! They are REALLLLLLLLLLY bad luck on a fishing boat!!! It doesn’t matter if they’re fresh, baked in Mom’s banana nut bread (another personal favorite!) or in a banana smoothie. THIS IS SERIOUS!!!! They are just NOT welcome aboard Sir Reel!!!!!
Fishing Gear – Everything you’ll need is already on board!
• Light Tackle Conventional & Spinning Gear for Sails, Kings, Blackfins, etc.
• Heavy Tackle for Swords, Marlin, Yellowfin, etc.
• Fly Rods & Reels for everything from Jacks to Tarpon to Sailfish
Binoculars – We have a great pair on the boat!
Books to Read Unless you REALLY want to try to get seasick. UGH.
We have a number of recommendations for our friends that are concerned about seasickness – and as such, it is very rare that we ever have problems. While the following is not guaranteed to keep you from getting sick, we have never had someone get sick who has followed all of the following. If you understand and adhere to these, you should be fine in (virtually) any sea condition we’re likely to encounter to enable you to have a truly enjoyable time!
Seasickness is believed to be caused by the brain getting confusing inputs from the eyes, ears and kinesthetic senses – and then short circuiting and taking it out on the stomach. Knowing this, the following are things you can do to prevent any queasy feelings – and we recommend all of them!
For starters, if possible get a good night’s sleep the night before and try to not have alcohol within 24 hrs. of the trip. If you like, feel free to bring beer or wine on board and you should be fine drinking some. Start preparing yourself early and your chances for a good trip are good!
If you take non-drowsy dramamine or bonine just prior to turning in the night before our trip and then again within an hour prior to us departing port you should be perfectly fine. Most of our friends never take any type of anti-nausea drugs and do great. With them, even the most seasick prone people have had no problems. We do keep non-drowsy dramamine in the first aid kit on the boat. Also, ginger (as in ginger ale & ginger snaps) is excellent for nausea and we typically have some on board.
Speaking of food, (although you would think otherwise) have and maintain a full stomach while at sea. Many people new to ocean boating are afraid of getting sick and assume that if their stomach is empty they won’t get sick. The exact opposite is the case. If you eat a good meal prior to going and then munch and drink regularly while on board you should be fine! Some people say that you shouldn’t eat fried or greasy foods the day prior to going to sea but we’ve never noticed a difference. Also, please remember that this is Florida – PLEASE keep yourself well hydrated.
To prevent your eyes and ears from confusing your brain (unless you know that you’re comfortable on the ocean) - please DO NOT read, stare at anything inside the boat (like the floor, fish finder, or instrument panel). The biggest risk you face for getting seasick is going into the cabin. If you do it only when necessary you’ll minimize your risk. Your eyes will tell your brain that you’re in a stationary room and the motion sensors in your ears and muscles will disagree.
Looking out (preferably forward) towards the horizon is a wonderful way to either keep from getting sick or to get yourself back to feeling good if need be. Additionally, we typically see dolphin (the Flipper kind), sea turtles, etc. on our trips and have even seen whales, manta rays, and submarines – which you definitely wouldn’t want to miss!
The stern (back) of the boat is the most stable and comfortable. The closer you are to the boat’s center of gravity/flotation, the less rocking and rolling you’ll experience. So, the further forward you go towards the bow and the higher off the water you go (e.g., up in the bridge/helm area), the more motion you’ll experience and the greater the likelihood of getting motion sickness.
• Boat Safety
We sincerely want your trip to be fun and safe. The following isn't here to bore you to tears with a bunch of legalese. Rather, it’s to ensure everyone has a great day on the water and that everyone goes home happy and safe.
Sir Reel is equipped with all of the latest U.S.C.G. safety and first aid equipment necessary for a safe and comfortable trip. Sir Reel has twin engines to provide power redundancy. There are two VHF transceiver radios aboard (one panel mounted and one fully submersible handheld), radar, and three satellite GPS systems – one of which is integrated to an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and the panel-mounted VHF. In the extremely unlikely event of a true emergency, by turning on the EPIRB the whole world of emergency rescue will know our position (within a mile) and that we need help. Likewise, pushing one button on the VHF will also broadcast our longitude/latitude position and our need for help to the world. Additionally, there are fresh signaling flares, life jackets, etc. on board plus a first aid kit. We take a great many precautions to assure you a wonderfully enjoyable, safe and comfortable trip.
• Getting On & Off the Boat
It is SUPER IMPORTANT to us that our trip begin and end on a great note. As such, it is our policy that SIR REEL DOES NOT LEAVE THE DOCK OR PULL UP TO THE DOCK WITHOUT EVERYONE EITHER ON BOARD OR STANDING BACK ON THE DOCK. It is the captain’s job to safely get the boat away from the dock and return her safely back. Many people offer to untie the last dock lines, push us off and then jump aboard – PLEASE DO NOT!!! We’ve watched many people do rather ugly face plants onto the decks of boats and docks. Likewise, when we return to the dock – PLEASE DO NOT JUMP ON OR OFF OF THE BOAT! Everyone is expected to remain in the boat until the engines are shut down or until the captain asks that you STEP ON OR OFF OF THE BOAT to fasten a dock line.
Equally as important is to NEVER TRY TO STOP OR SLOW THE BOAT WITH YOUR BODY – INCLUDING HANDS, FEET OR LEGS. Chances are good that Sir Reel will be weighing in somewhere around 6 TONS while we’re out cruising. Quite simply, you can’t stop her from hitting something or something from hitting her with your hands, feet, legs, etc. – and they could easily get seriously broken or even crushed. It’s great that you want to help keep her from getting bruised – but it would be far better for her to get a ding or two than you!
• Hanging Over the Bow or Side
Here’s where the kids get bummed out… it is ILLEGAL for the boat to be moving with people hanging over the bow or the sides of the boat. There’s no question that it’s a whole lot of fun to ride on the bow pulpit with your legs hanging over the bow – but it’s both unsafe and illegal. Please don’t! In addition, please do not reach over the side or hang leaning out over the side of the boat while it is in motion. It would really ruin a beautiful day on the water if someone went overboard and got hurt.
• Orientation & Safety Briefing
There will be an orientation to Sir Reel and a safety briefing prior to leaving the dock. Please ask questions to be sure that you know where things are (especially safety items) and how to work everything you might use (e.g., like the head).
• Waivers of Liability
Upon arriving at Sir Reel, we require everyone going out with us to sign our standard Waiver of Liability.
• Sun Protection
Not to sound like a broken record and get all preachy on you, but again, we’re mighty close to the Tropics and the sun is REALLY intense. Many people end up fried to a crisp – even on cloudy days! PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE – WEAR SUNSCREEN!
• Dangerous Fish
If we happen to hook up certain fish that could be dangerous – please do not take it personally if you’re asked/told to move someplace (quickly) or to stay back. There are many fish that we catch (in addition to sharks) that have extremely sharp teeth or bills and we definitely do NOT want anyone to accidentally get hurt. Once the fish is under control, everyone is welcome to see, touch, photograph, etc.!
LocationThe boat is docked at the Paradise Villas Condominiums in North Palm Beach, Florida. 104 Paradise Harbour Blvd., North Palm Beach, Florida 33408 Directions from I-95
1. Exit 77 for Northlake Blvd. 2. Turn east on Northlake Blvd. 3. Turn left at US-1. 4. Turn right onto Anchorage Drive. 5. Turn right at Corsair Drive. 6. Continue onto Paradise Harbour Blvd.
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