10/02/2019
Happy Time Sign-Off
It’s about time!
We should have made this announcement on Facebook nine months ago, but life got busy and we kept putting Facebook on the backburner…
At the end of April 2018 and our seventh charter season, we ceased charter operations on Happy Time.
After their final charter, Caitlin and Jeff turned Happy Time over to us and we sailed her from St. Thomas home to Hampton, VA via the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas, approximately 1600 nautical miles.
We spent the summer in Virginia doing maintenance and repairs, deep cleaning and transforming Happy Time into a private yacht. We also did a couple of short cruises in the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay. In November we sailed her offshore from Hampton to Florida, about 800 NM. She is currently berthed in Hollywood, FL just south of Ft. Lauderdale.
Our experience in the charter business may have drained our wallets, but it has enriched our lives. We met so many amazing people over the years and we were blessed to have wonderful crews all seven seasons. We also like to think that Happy Time provided the setting for amazing vacations for our many charter guests.
During our offshore passages to Virginia and then to Florida, we came to appreciate our little yacht more than ever. She has proven herself to be a rugged boat and we still think she is far prettier than the mass production boats out there.
We hope that Happy Time has many years of great sailing ahead of her, but here is a brief summary of her history to date:
Beginning with her 6,000 NM maiden voyage from Cape Town, South Africa to the US in 2010 and ending with her trip from Virginia to Florida last November, we estimate that Happy has about 30,000 NM under her keels.
Happy Time has done over 110 charters and provided a vacation experience for more than 500 guests.
Her crews have served more than 10,000 meals to her charter guests.
At least 32 different brokers have booked their clients on Happy Time.
Her little 29 HP Yanmar engines have more than 4200 hours on them and are still going strong.
She is on her third generator and it has about 1900 hours of use.
While in offseason storage at Nanny Cay, she survived a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, the strongest storm ever recorded in the open Atlantic region. She was one of the first intact boats back in the water at Nanny Cay after the storm.
All three of Happy Time’s captains, Tom Coleman, Brian Roach and Jeff Nichols, have moved on to bigger yachts after Happy Time.
To our crews:
Tom and Melony Coleman
Brian Roach, Devin Silverthorne-Lillie, Frances Doran and Ava Kovach
Jeff and Caitlin Nichols
Thank you for taking care of and constantly improving Happy Time and for taking such good care of all your charter guests. Your jobs were incredibly hard and relentlessly challenging, but somehow you made it look easy!
To our managers and clearinghouses:
Bob Carson & Dick Schoonover at Southern Trades/Charterport BVI
Kathleen Mullen at Regency
Thanks for your guidance, support and patience with us.
To our charter guests:
We will always be grateful for your business and trust.
Fair winds and following seas to all friends of Happy Time!
Steve & Ann Irby
