Ebb & Flow - Crewed Catamaran Charter

Our holiday on the Ebb & Flow was off the charts exceptional. The boat is in perfect condition. It’s clean, functional, efficient, well laid out and so comfortable. It’s just fun to be on it. Missy & Travis (our captains) are perhaps even more exceptional than the boat itself. Their years and years of experience shines through and they make everything they do look effortless. They knew what to suggest as activities and destinations based upon inputs we provided while taking into account sea conditions, weather and other local information. I’ve been a certified diver since 1973 and have dived with a lot of dive masters. None came close to being as good as Travis and Missy. Their calm demeanor put all of us at ease, especially for those first few dives (it had been 15 years for my now adult kids). They are professional divers and even formally instruct other Dive Masters. Solid, competent Dive Masters make all the difference, and we had the best. The food (and service too) was outstanding. Missy takes the lead, but Travis runs the bbq. The one vegetarian in our group was very happy with her preparations (I wouldn’t know, I like meat protein). We thoroughly enjoyed every meal, especially when complemented by really nice wines and having Misty, a trained sommelier, walked us through what we were enjoying and how to appreciate the finer aspects. Both of them make some darn good rum-based specialty drinks. Ahhh, the BVA island life. This testimonial is real and sincere. When something comes together that is this good, the people involved deserve to be recognized and applauded. Bravo to everyone, including the BVIYC team that recommended this boat and crew for our trip.
David G, March 2024, Ebb & Flow

Margaret Harrington and Taylor Smith—owners and operators of Ebb and Flow—provided nothing short of an extraordinary Caribbean charter experience. Our seven days onboard created a lifetime of memories. Our first contact with Margaret and Taylor was two weeks prior on a Zoom call, where we collectively clarified our expectations and preferences for the charter. Once onboard the vessel, Taylor would review our goals, expectations, proposed activities, layout the next day’s itinerary, and ports of call. Both Margaret and Taylor strike an incredible balance of formality/informality, professionalism/approachability, and definiteness/flexibility.

Ebb and Flow is beautifully maintained with an attention to detail by the crew that felt like we were staying at a 5-star hotel. Several activities were standout to our family. We spent the majority of our time on the vessel, but we enjoyed three different land-based adventures: the Baths on Virgin Gorda, a Jeep and snorkeling tour around Anegada, and a hike to the bubble pools on Jost Van Dyke. While aboard Ebb and Flow, we were exposed to the most beautiful snorkeling. Taylor is a certified Scuba Instructor and provided certification – and for two of us, this was our first exposure to scuba diving. Taylor is a highly qualified and competent instructor. His tutelage and leadership were a true highlight of the trip. Margaret directed most of our snorkeling adventures, yoga instruction, and cocktail/mocktail creation around happy hour. Her knowledge of fish and coral made every swim experience an amazing underwater adventure! We also got a chance to try e-foils—a great new experience for all of us. Taylor and Margaret would invite and allow the entire family to be involved with sailing when the conditions would allow. I grew up with sailing, so I really wanted to be a part of helping where I could. Other family members chose a much less active role in sailing, and this was great.

On our charter, Margaret and Taylor employed the services of Chef Kim Stoklasa of @YachtBVI. Kim worked tirelessly to create exceptional breakfasts, lunches, appetizers, dinners, and desserts. Her vast experience shined as each meal seemed to outdo the preceding one. She touched based frequently regarding meal preferences, tastes, timing, and portion size. Every meal was fantastic; however, some of our most memorable dishes were her shakshuka, a kale quinoa salad, fish tacos, lamb chops, and grilled artichokes – all beautifully plated and garnished! Every meal had a fantastic balance of seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. We also got a sampling of Kim’s amazing personalized sauces and locally sourced items. Prior to our trip she spent a fair amount of time feeling out our preferences, allergies, and tolerance for culinary freedom on her part. The variety of tastes and meal presentations she created was so much a part of the total charter experience. Kudos to Kim!

Our family had an AMAZING vacation on Ebb & Flow catamaran - both the boat and the crew, Margaret & Taylor made it one of our best family trips ever! It started with the planning, which was seamless with Caite at Uncharted and the crew, who went to great lengths to learn each of our individual preferences. They were professional, with safety always in mind, and incredibly friendly and fun, knowledgeable about the BVI with interesting and enjoyable stories everywhere we went. There were so many activities that we didn´t even get to do them all! The food was excellent - Margaret is an exceptional cook! and the cocktails were expertly prepared by Taylor! It was an exciting, relaxing, fun, delicious vacation and hopefully we will be able to do it again with the same boat & crew!

Dear Taylor and Margaret,

Thank you for a wonderful fortnight sailing around the BVI. Anne and I had an amazing time exploring these beautiful islands under your local guidance. The trip was enhanced by your insightfulness of the pirate stories - fact and fiction - that made these lovely islands come to life. Does this make me more Whitebeard than Blackbeard?

Thank you for helping me take a walk down memory lane. Anne definitely enjoyed the diving - I certainly enjoyed supervising her from above. Also, the snorkeling was fantastic too.

Thank you, Margaret, for your delicious food and superb portion sizes. We were definitely satisfied, not stuffed. Anne took lots of food photos, which is most unusual - so you really impressed on the catering.

On the skippering side, I enjoyed our technical sailing chats. Taylor - you are very knowledgeable, most informative and pragmatic. It helped me make several decisions during the fortnight.

Overall, thanks again for making the trip a special fortnight.

Best wishes,
Blaine and Anne

Taylor and Margaret,

Thank you for making this trip special for my whole family. Ebb & Flow was luxurious, comfortable, and immaculately maintained. I really appreciated coming home each night to a turned down bed (king sized!) with A/C, mood lighting, and pleasant scents.

Taylor, thank you for entertaining us with your jokes and stories, and for being an excellent guide to us in a new place. Thanks so much for setting up kitesurfing for me and helping me during it.
Margaret, thanks for taking us on snorkeling adventures and showing us lots of fish and buried treasure! The food was spectacular, I feel so much healthier overall than I did when starting this trip. My favorite meal was the snapper, indian food was a close second. Favorite dessert was olive oil lavender cake. Thanks for going above and beyond for my Mom for Mother’s Day and her birthday, we really appreciated that.

The trip was a “10” and M&T made it a “12”. What a great way to spend time with your family! BEST VACATION EVER!!

Sincerely,
AJ, Tony, Kelli, Mercedes, Alexis, Oscar

Taylor and Margaret,

Thank you so much for the wonderful hospitality and immaculate boat. We felt so pampered and leave Ebb & Flow fully rejuvenated! So appreciate your healthy meals.

Highlights are snorkeling with Margaret the Mermaid, jumping off Willy T’s, Taylor’s famous bloody marys, and so much more. Please visit us in the mountains anytime and we look forward to seeing you next season!

XOXO,
Amy and Jim Wood
Deer Valley, Utah

Sally, Mark, and Lucy,

From the Naked Frenchman of Peter Island, to the Bubbly Pools of Jost Van Dyke, and all the fabulous snorkeling - what a treat!
You all went above and beyond to make our trip AMAZING in every way.

Sally, you are an amazing chef! We enjoyed it all…

Thank you for all of the memories. We will cherish them!

PS. How could we forget the disco party!!

Love,
Jill, Blaine, Jocelyn, Eric

This was the most fabulous trip we have ever had. We have traveled to many places around the world, but this was by far the most relaxing and enjoyable trip!

Sally, you are an amazing chef and your food was outstanding. Mark, your daily drink specials were truly delicious!

You are a wonderful team and we will miss you both. We felt like we were part of your family. Lots of laughs and adventures we shared. Couldn’t have shared this with anyone else! So lucky that you came back to charter just in time for the Judd Family to arrive.

Enjoy your new adventures in your RV!

Judd Family

Sally and Mark,

What an amazing trip we all had!! You two provided such fun and care in everything. From the amazing meals, the beautiful scenes, and wonderful experiences - could not have asked for more. Please come visit us in NC and let us repay the hospitality.

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2023!!

Love,
The Hansen Family

You guys brought it up to ´TOP NOTCH´...your passion, knowledge, and experience shined through just like the sun. Thanks for the fun ride and safe travels my friends.

Margaret & Taylor - What can we say... you guys were incredible! From a super passionate captain & very thoughtful dive instructor to an amazing chef and dive master, your skills and capabilities were not soon to be forgotten. Although the old folks pooped out easily, you guys were fantastic with the very active teens...way to flex!!! We really enjoyed your hospitality and your company and will certainly miss our time together. Thanks for tolerating the ´f´ bombs (across all ages)!

Until we sail together again, The Kalvenes

Margaret & Taylor -

Thank you for giving our family an adventure, a bonding experience, and a week in paradise that we will forever cherish! The food was spectacular, the cocktails divine, the SCUBA and snorkeling were majestic, the hiking was amazing, the sailing superb, the games of CAH and Mexican Train Dominoes and Chess and Shut the Box and Uno were so memorable the birthday/graduation celebration was beyond our wildest expectations - and yet, what we will all remember with greatest affection ,love ad admiration is how the two of you approached each moment with such care, thoughtfulness and genuine, heartfelt dedication. And the ferry on the chocolate mousse and apple crumble bakes was also being able to share our stories, our unique holiday celebrations and such joy and laughter together. We are forever grateful - thank you!! ´Shabat Shalom´

Love,

The Lebovitz

´Most memorable EVER!´

Thank you so much for the most memorable and relaxing vacation ever! Your smiles are contagious and your generosity and warm personalities made for such a great week! Thank you for all the awesome dives, wakeboarding, and of course delicious food and drinks.

We will never forget how you made us all so comfortable and the sweet way in which you interacted with both Mallory and Brynn. Your patience and hug hearts have certainly left an impact on our family! We are counting down the days until next spring break already in hopes that we can spend another week in paradise with both of you! Enjoy your time in the islands, continue to laugh and love - it suits you both so well!!

Thank you for the memories, they will never be forgotten!

The Vish´s

This has truly been one of the best vacations we have ever taken!
The food, the weather, the hospitality have all been unsurpassed. We loved getting to know your beautiful islands, and getting to know you!
Now, as we head home to our 4th Nor’easter blizzard this March, we appreciate more than ever what a paradise you have shown us and we are determined to come back again soon!
Fair seas and good winds to you both
The Bonchek family

This has truly been one of the best vacations we have ever taken!
The food, the weather, the hospitality have all been unsurpassed. We loved getting to know your beautiful islands, and getting to know you!
Now, as we head home to our 4th Nor’easter blizzard this March, we appreciate more than ever what a paradise you have shown us and we are determined to come back again soon!
Fair seas and good winds to you both
The Bonchek family

Thank you both for the best vacation of our lives.
See you SOON!!
Love the Ferris family; Ron, Jen, Ronnie, Natalie and Sam
(and they did as they rebooked within 24hrs of returning home!)