Jerry

Mid Sept '09 I skippered a bare boat charter out of Split, from ABA Vela. I would NEVER charter a boat from ABA Vela again. After check out, which only included a basic inventory of what was on the boat, we left the harbor and sailed for Hvar. Upon arriving at Hvar, we found the first problems - we were at a mooring and had a dinghy that leaked, and a motor with a broken shear pin. We were able to fix the motor ourselves, but ABA Vela had no fix for the leak except to bail it out occasionally. On the next day, we found that the instruments at the helm showed a 15 degree error in heading, and the port and starboard wind instruments would not agree with each other. On Wed we lost all instruments. Called ABA and they told us to see a mechanic in Korchula, which was our next stop. Mechanic advised us that the alternator had failed causing a voltage drop & power loss, he did not have a replacement, and that we should charge up at marina every night. He did not have a fix for the nav system. This worked for a day at a time, but we wanted to anchor in nice bays, not moor at a marina, with the extra cost and loss of the ambiance that we came to Croaia to enjoy. So we had to do without power some days. Fortunately we had clear weather so we could navigate by chart & compass.

When we arrived back in Split, we discussed all of this with ABA Vela manager, and asked for some adjustment in our charter fee. I said that at least he should pay for the marina fees which we had to incur to charge the batteries since we had not planned any overnight stops at marinas. He refused to even consider it, told us to read our contract, that our options were to stay in Korchula to wait for parts, or wait for two days for a different boat. This attitude is unacceptable. We understand that some things fail during a charter. This alternator problem was a known problem (according to the Korchula mechanic). We did expect that ABA would at least be sympathetic. They even told me that the heading error between the compass and the nav system was not unusual. Any skipper knows that compass deviation in that area is less than two degrees. Charter companies like Moorings, etc would be very embarassed if this happened on one of their boats, but not ABA Vela.

I recommend that potential charter skippers stay away from ABA Vela - they are likely to have problems.

Posted: October 13th, 2009 | Report This Comment