The crew (Martin and Suzana) were exceptional. All facets of the boat, sailing, moorings, beaches, snorkeling, hikes, dining, baking, cocktails, amenities, education, history, etc., were handled thoroughly, professionally, and with warmth and kindness. Can’t say enough good things about the two of them. The rest of my family feels exactly the same way.
Suzana is a very good chef. Loved her variety and willingness to cater to our tastes. She also makes killer cocktails!
This was the trip of a lifetime. The boat fit the four of us comfortably. The Penny Jo is in excellent condition, and Martin was constantly improving and servicing the vessel to keep it in top form. I love to see that standard of care. It was nice to have A/C in the staterooms. It gets warm in those cabins without it. I also really appreciate the pivoting back wall on the Bali. It’s really nice to have the whole cabin opened up. There was a good amount of shade. Never underestimate the importance of getting out of the sun.
Highlights on our touring included the Bath, The Cave, hikes across islands to totally remote beaches, swimming with sharks, snorkeling a large number of reefs, multiple crashed planes, turtles, Martin’s drone (he’s an amazing drone photographer), the aquarium, catching a dorado and barracuda, every shade of blue water possible, and sailing instructions.
I covered much of this in the earlier section. The yacht was in great shape. No issues. It’s only a 44 ft boat, so we expected smaller cabins. I’m 6’4” and my son is 6’6”. Having queen beds was great. We only went to the cabins to sleep, so they were fine. Really glad for the A/C. Suzana kept the cockpit in great shape despite us leaving towels and clothes laying around. She constantly kept the kitchen clean. We all agreed that 6 guests on this boat would have been a little cramped. Our group of 4 was perfect.
We used the Sun Chill daily. It’s not comfortable for more than two people. Everyone slides to the middle. The kids liked it, I did not. Some used the paddleboards and had fun. We snorkeled several times a day. It was our primary recreation. Absolutely loved the water, reefs, sea life, corals. There are some good currents in places, but Martin watched us like a hawk and made sure we were safe and picked up. We’re experienced, so currents weren’t an issue. I’ve got about 500 pictures from the underwater GoPro Martin loaned us for every swim.
Suzana is a very good chef. Always three courses at dinner with great variety, we love seafood and she prepared great salmon, grouper, tuna, and lobster. Didn’t know Martin was a baker. Excellent sourdough bread, wheat bread, and from-scratch thin crust pizza! Great strong coffee in the morning. They followed preferences perfectly. We asked to try items from their native Slovenia, and Suzana made several dishes for us. They were family recipes and we loved them. Always more than enough food, snacks, mimosas, cocktails, cold beer, and very good wines.
Martin and Suzana were fantastic. We love them both and would love to sail with them again someday. Helpful, kind, considerate, and friendly. Martin and Suzana really know sailing and hospitality. We became friends on our trip.
Could have stayed for another week! The pace was exactly what we wanted it to be. Martin and Suzana were well tuned into our desires. Having never been in the Exumas, we trusted them to help manage the pace and events. We couldn’t be happier with how it worked out. Never bored or hurried.
We loved our trip!
~Tim Krueger
