Gary

Had a wonderful time on the water! Boat was as described. Having the boat for an afternoon, we ended up sailing around the mooring/ anchorage area.

Great boat! Gary was very helpful during checkout and return!

Everything about this charter was smooth—good communication, generally accommodating, well maintained boat, etc. Gary makes sure that bareboat charterers are competent sailors, which I am quite in favor of. The marina is easily navigated, but if you haven't sailed Tampa Bay before, do your homework in advance... it is very shallow for a bay of that size. You really have to maintain awareness of where you are to stay out of trouble.

Gary and Captain H were great! We took the boat out captained one day and uncaptained the next. This was our first time navigating the intracoastal as well as sailing the Gulf of Mexico. No wind the first day but saw some dolphins. Great wind the second day in the gulf. Communication from Gary was great throughout the process - we’d absolutely rent from him again and recommend him and SmarterSail if you’re in the area!

Gary is a nice guy, but this boat is not appropriate for anything but a day sail. We arrived at 9 am and found Gary fixing the throttle cable. The boat needed water, fuel and the holding tank pumped. All the instruments on the mast top were broken and he had to go out and buy an anchor light. We did not get on the water until afternoon. A broken hatch poured in buckets of water during the rain. He gave me $100 back, instead of a day off the rental which would have been more appropriate.

Gary and the experience was great. I’ll definitely be booking with Gary again. Very responsive and a calm instructor. Good conversation as well. Thanks Gary.

Captain H provided a very thorough overview of Sea Chelle for our bareboat charter. She handled well and all equipment was is good order. Looking forward to the next opportunity to take her out! Thanks Gary and Captain H!

We arrived to find that we'd be chartering "Sea Chelle", configured slightly differently from the Hunter 29.5 that is pictured; nothing major: no dodger and soft boom vang. Contrary to any negative reviews I found here, Gary was communicative and the boat was well maintained and easy to sail. Thorough checklists for check-out, departure, etc. I appreciated Gary's flexibility in many regards though it's worth discussing insurance related rigidity (night sailing & in-person waiver signing).

Convenient location -- lots of cruising options, boat was well equipped and in good condition, Captain H was helpful and courteous -- we would charter again

In the first hour we saw 2-3 cownose rays and a dozen or so dolphins. The boat was older but everything worked and no bad smells. We had a great time.

Boat was clean and prep was fine. Boat was not in condition to be sailed. Repairs were made that delayed our departure. Once out we were unable to raise mainsail safely in rough water due to makeshift fittings that held sail to channel in mast were binding.

Very friendly and knowledgeable owner of the Hunter the boat ran great and we had a great time out there in the bay!!!!!! Can't wait to do it again

Great boat and owner. Boat itself is very easy to maneuver and operate. Very wide so it's great for taking a small group out. Gary will spend time with you to ensure you're familiar with the boat. He's an instructor so takes an instructors lens on the orientation. id be happy to rent again

Captain H was great and we had a wonderful day of sailing!

Gary is a great person to lease from. I have chartered both of his vessels and they are always ready to sail. He puts you through the obligatory checkout sail before sending you on your way. As an instructor, he will be sure to give you at least one morsel of sailing knowledge in that time ;-) . I did a day sail on his 23 and an overnight with his 29.5. Both were as expected and everything was in working order and Bristol fashion. I look forward to chartering from him again and would recommend him and his boats.

This boat is hard to recommend. It’s an older boat and while it might be mechanically sound, it’s run down and dirty.

For the money, there are better options out there.

Had a great time. It was a little stressful as it was my first time with a large sailboat but Gary was quite accommodating and helpful. The boat sailed nicely in the bay and was easy to sail under. Thanks Gary.

Great communication. No issues with pickup or drop off.

Captain H was very informative and interesting to talk to. Even though we didn't have much wind, we had a great time!

We had a great time sailing around the bay, out to the gulf, and back. The boat was roomy enough for our family of 6. We had only sailed small boats before this. Captain H was friendly and knowledgeable, and he taught us many new aspects of sailing, making the experience fun and rewarding. Thank you!

We enjoyed a really nice day out on the water. The boat was in good working order and a pleasure to sail. Gary was very thorough in making sure we knew how everything worked and where needed items were stowed. Thanks again Gary for a very good day!

We had so much fun! Captain H was awesome, really chill guy and a great teacher. He graciously explained some sailing basics and let us help out a bit. Highly recommended!

Gary was great and the boat was great!

Great boat, affordable charter in Tampa Bay, sails well, easy to sail with just two crew, fast and stable. Comfortable above and below. Lot of fun!

Gary is awesome. He was very helpful. He was at the boat early and had everything ready. He took the time to make sure we were familiar with this particular boat and the local area. The Hunter is amazing. It's in great shape and it's a joy to sail. I highly recommend renting from Gary.

Captain H did a great job; very professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.
I would recommend these guys without a doubt.

Capt Gary is great, the Hunter 30 was a joy to sail we were just missing some extra wind. We will be back for another trip, really appreciated that we could sleep on the boat overnight and how easy she is to sail.

Great overview of the area from Gary. Enjoyed the boat. We had a rousing sail on Tampa Bay hitting 7 knots!