GUEST COMMENTS

March 7 - 14, 2020

What a way to celebrate a 50th birthday for wonderful guys and great friends. Lots of memories made aboard the Catatonic. Thanks so much for making our vacation memorable James and Jill, Joe and Seanna, Peter and Christine

February 8 -15, 2020

Sandy and Dirk, I think the best way to sum this trip up is perfection!! This trip has been amazing! The food, service, hospitality, accommodations have been five-star all the way! This has been the trip of a lifetime! We really enjoyed all the beautiful scenery. The conditions were just perfect for us! We felt so safe and confident the entire trip. We were talking this morning and we decided that we cannot pick one perfect day or beach because every day and every place was perfect. Thank you both so much for helping us make a memory of a lifetime. Blessings and love, Paul, Valerie, Gail and Dixie

January 26 – February 1, 2020

Dirk & Sandy – what an amazing adventure we have had! Thank you for hosting us to an exciting, relaxing, and memorable catamaran experience. You exceeded our expectations! You two make a wonderful team and Sandy, your cooking was fantastic! Thank you for meeting all our request from gluten and dairy free to vegetarian. You accommodated all those needs with delicious meals. You went above and beyond. Dirk, you always guided us in the right direction for great dives, fun snorkeling, and beautiful surroundings. You are both so flexible and accommodating to our high energy adventurous group. Thank you for putting us all at ease as guests of the Catatonic 500. You blessed us in every way! - The Pryors

Sandy and dirk, wow, what an amazing week my expectations were exceeded. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality. The food was amazing. Thank you for accommodating all of our special food requests. I know we were the group who probably stayed on the boat the most. Why leave paradise? I will never forget the night we docked by Necker Island. I have never seen a more beautiful sky. Sandy, thank you for the best week of meals I have ever had. Everything was so fresh and flavorful. I pray that would God would bless your Life’s a gather as you so joyfully serve others. - The Chapmans and Willinghams

December 29, 2019 – January 5, 2020

Dirk & Sandy – Thank you for hosting us this week. We came from all o er the country to spend New Year's together. We appreciate your hospitality. The food was wonderful and we appreciate being so well taken care of. Our favorietes of the week were diving, fishing, sunning, exploring the beautiful island spots and spending time with friends. We will be dreamig of our week and look forward to planning our next. Happy New YEar! - Jodi and Chris, Mike and Kim, Layne and Gina

December 21 – 28, 2019

Thank you Dirk and Sandy for a wonderful week. It has been an amazing trip and a fabulous way to spend Christmas 2019! You have both been great hosts all around. The food has been wonderful, the diving beautiful, fun evening stops and great sailing, too.

Thanks for making our trip special and for opening your home to us. We have memories that we will take home and cherish!

- Dianne Terry and Michael --GO TIGERS! --

December 8 – 15, 2019

Dirk & Sandy – This trip was exactly what we needed to celebrate two special birthdays and to cap off a year in our lives that was unlike any other. Your genuine hospitality and welcoming spirit made the trip even more remarkable. We are definitely leaving with two new friends. You are both adventurous, inspiring people, and you have in your own way encouraged us to be more adventurous. We cherish the times we had on the trip to relax, laugh and unwind. We will definitely be back! Chance and Nicole

Dirk and Sandy, I am not sure we have words to express how amazing this trip was. We have forever been spoiled since this was our first time sailing for a week.
Your kindness, patience, and generosity have been outstanding. Turning 50 with our dear friends has been an experience I will never forget (and thank you for the birthday cheesecake!!!). We will cherish our memories aboard Catatonic and our two new special friends.
Thank you for everything – a PERFECT trip!
– Shawn and Kathie

November 23 – 30, 2019

Dirk and Sandy, what an amazing and truly special time! The food, the diving, fishing, and sailing were incredible, but both of you are the cherry on top. It’s always a joy when kindred spirits meet. Can’t wait to visit you and Catatonic again!

Dirk and Sandy, thank you for a truly amazing week! Everything was absolutely wonderful! Diving with Dirk was a highlight, as I never thought I would do something like that. Your patience and calm demeanor made it so easy. Knowing there was a cocktail at the end didn’t hurt either! Sandy, you are an amazing hostess! Seeing my tuna become our sushi lunch is a memory I will cherish! — Jill

July 10 – 17, 2019

Dear Dirk and Sandy, thank you so much for having us on the Catatonic! It was a fun-filled adventure. We had a wonderful experience we will never forget! – Natalie and family

August 11 – 18, 2019

Great ride with Chef Sandy and Captain Dirk and many more memories on Instagram (#yachtcatatonic)! Nothing better than being Catatonic! Cheers, mates! – Steve

We loved our week on Catatonic! Great sails and peaceful New England evenings. Can’t wait for next time. – Lisa

June 17 – 24, 2019

Sandy and Dirk – we cannot begin to express our gratitude for such a wonderful week. Thanks so much for a fun-filled, stress-free week. The food, accommodations, diving, Snuba, etc. were just what we needed. We will stay in touch and hopefully be back next year. – Gail, Joe, Andrew, Aidan, Eric and Hannah

June 2 – 9, 2019

Dirk and Sandy – Suzan and I want to thank you for a fabulous week. It has been a wonderful rest full of adventure. Diving the wreck of the Rhone was certainly a highlight. We love your yacht. The whole experience was fantastic. The food was exceptional, the diving and boating demonstrated the highest levels of safety and professionalism. You have sparked an interest in yachting as a family! Thank you. We met professionally, we are leaving as friends. Fair winds and following seas. – Jeff and Suzan

Sandy and Dirk – Thank you for an amazing adventure! You have been such great hosts. We love your boat and the meals have been so delicious! It was awesome to dive from the boat and fishing was so fun! Thanks again – Bret and Bridget

April 6 -13, 2019

Dirk and Sandy – we can’t thank you enough for a fabulous vacation. We enjoyed our time on your beautiful catamaran and loved getting to know you both. The food was amazing and so were all of the beautiful destinations you took us to. Love, Chuck and Cindy

Sandy and Dirk – I can’t begin to thank you for an incredible vacation!! We had such an amazing time. You were both wonderful hosts. Dirk made sure we saw everything and Luke dove great sites! He was able to help me paddle board. Sandy’s cooking was top shelf! The food was delicious. We couldn’t have imagined a better trip! — Bonnie and Luke

March 23 – 30, 2019

You made our vacation truly a wonderful experience. You kept our 13, 13, and 11 year old boys totally engaged and off their devices as much as possible. You have been unconditionally hospitable and tirelessly accommodating. The food was amazing! “Some of the best food I’ve ever had” says the 11 year old! Endless, wonderful activities, SCUBA, tubing, fishing, paddle boarding, rum drinking….thank you for a wonderful adventure, we’ll be back!

March 5 – 12, 2019

Thank you for giving us a beautiful week in paradise! We fit so much in during what felt like a way too short of a stay. We had fun, sun, and laughs that will last us only until the next time we can come back and visit again. Wishing you lots of success and joy until we meet again.

You two are special people to make useful so welcome your home – plus to best professional and notice everything while playing hard with us too. The best hit of the diving was feeding the lion fish to the shark. We will be coming back!

Sometimes you hear you can never recreate a great trip, but you both helped us find an even better experience than our 2016 trip. So glad we could help support the efforts to rebuild the area after Irma. All our best to you both, Cat 500, and Kittytonic! Ahoy!

Thank you for a wonderful first trip to paradise! So many fun things to see and do! It was great having the insider’s scoop on the different excursions. Dirk, the dives were amazing and the sailing was masterful! Thank you for showing the ropes on fishing and sailing. Sandy, thank you for fantastic food and for being hostess, chef, and first mate! You are a great pair! Keep sailing!

February 16 – 23, 2019

Thanks for an amazing week, showing us the best of the best of the BVI. We loved the diving, especially the wrecks, and all the delicious food. Thanks Dirk for your patience in working with John on the kiteboarding – what a special treat for him! A fabulous way for us to celebrate the big 5-0 and share time together as a family. Thanks for making it so special!

February 1 – 8, 2019

What a way to celebrate turning 40! Such an experience with the gourmet meals, drinks in hand, stories, relaxation and overall 5 star hospitality on board.

We appreciate you guys introducing us to so many things: snorkeling, fishing, SNUBA, paddle boarding and touring all of the beautiful islands with the fun beach bars! BVI has not disappointed!

All of these things have helped us grow our relationships as couples, friends and will leave us with memories we can talk about for years to come.

January 23, 2019 – January 30, 2019

Dreams do come true!! Best trip ever…Virgin Gorda had to be our favorite bit of paradise. Food was spectacular. Came as guests, left as friends! We will be back!

January 12, 2019 – January 19, 2019

The Leeward Islands were amazing, amazing yachts at St. Barts, secluded beaches on Anguilla, great dining at Grand Case, and Saba was amazing for SCUBA. The food was spectacular especially fresh catch of the day…twice! Second time back and already planning our next trip.

December 26, 2018 – January 5, 2019

We had an awesome time aboard Catatonic 500 with Sandy and Dirk sailing the Leeward Islands of St Maarten, St Barth’s and Anguilla for 10 days. There were 6 of us, my wife and I, our two teenage daughters , and two of their friends. This was the 3rd time we chartered with Catatonic (Twice in the BVI) We would charter with them whenever possible! All our trips from Food/drinks, Locations they recommend, excursions/activities have always been beyond our expectations. Sandy and Dirk have an endless amount of energy and were always ready to entertain the girls, and us, whether it was tubing, a trip to the beach, taking a walk through towns, fishing etc. Our first sailing trip was on Catatonic, it was so much better than being at a luxury resort (where you are stuck on the same beach every day, same lounger etc.) that now we only Sail ! We highly recommend taking a trip on Catatonic, it changed our views on what a real vacation should be!

December 15 – 22, 2018

We are so grateful – we had an amazing time and we are thankful for all you have done to make our trip extraordinary. Cheers to your upcoming St Maarten trip and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

November 17 – 24, 2018

Thanks for an amazing experience in the Virgin Islands! We couldn’t even wear you out! Skiing past the Willy T, wakeboarding, fishing, diving, paddle boarding, and “bean bagging.” Too much fun with so many toys to play with! Thank you for everything, we are already planning to come back to visit our newest friends, Sandy and Dirk. – Stacy, Lucas, Grace and Luke

November 7 – 14, 2018

We want to thank you both so much for a spectacular vacation! What you both have given us is the memory of a lifetime! Both you and Dirk are masters in what you love to do. Sandy, your love for cooking shows in the many wonderful dishes you prepared for us! Dirk, your knowledge in running Catatonic 500 made us feel safe at all times. We loved your toys and the activities on board made us feel alive! Thank you for introducing us to your local friends who keep the Virgin Islands what they are. Thank you for helping us check just one more thing off our bucket list. – Donna and Randy

June 30th – July 14th 2018

So where do I begin?

We started in Newport first loading our gear and then having lunch ashore. We departed from the fuel dock at the Newport yachting center as perotti’s were not accommodating despite dirk having cleared it with them the night before!

Our itinerary week 1 was block island to cuttyhunk to menemsha to Hadley’s harbor to Nantucket and then MV. Weather was perfect except for a lack of wind! Lots of swimming, paddle boarding, card games. Fun cocktails, meals as requested – lite, healthy and delicious.

We were able to bring my dad’s scooter which allowed us some mobility for meals ashore. Several days my dad requested to stay put instead of eating ashore as he tires out. sandy and Dirk graciously accommodated. They are both welcoming and generous people. My dad tried to reciprocate by splicing a few worn lines! It felt like we had known them for a long time. We shared travel logs, pictures and videos. Dirk was forever offering activities and Sandy would participate in all the evening card games with the girls! Very sensitive to our needs and anticipating desires!

Dirk is a knowledgeable and skillful captain… my dad (also a captain ) always attentive to these matters spent wonderful hours together with him at the helm. Dirk was always up for adventure and exploration whereas other skippers we’ve have always seem to take the easy route where less effort was required! (Philippe now wants a drone!)
Week 1 was very family like, we ate lunch and dinners aboard together.

Week 2 we exchanged our 2 girls for another couple and added another family member, and we enjoyed cocktails and long boating hours together.

Week 2 we went to Provincetown and literally went whale hunting and paddled with the harbor seals! We stopped in wellsfleet to see the French semifinals. Stopped in pocasset For incredible lobster salad and an exciting navigation thru the narrows and shoal! Back to Hadley’s for the night. Then to Nantucket (again! My cousins hadn’t visited yet) for more good food at the Pearl and Dune. Last night in cuttyhunk before Newport! Lunched on board in Breton’s cove next to my dad’s mooring. We offloaded again at the NYC which was perfect!

The trip was everything we were looking for and more!
Thanks for arranging it for us! They are to be highly recommended!

Best regards,
Laurel

...And from years prior...

"Thanks for a great week on the Catatonic! Best vacation ever! Great crew, boat, accommodations and scenery" - K. Allen

"Best boat in the Caribbean!!!!! The Crew will show you the time of your life!!!! Great food, a lot of sun and great people!!! R. Berg

"Best family vacation ever!" L. Hanson

"Slowly adjusting to reality after an incredible charter in the BVI's...Thanks again to our AMAZING crew on the Catatonic!"

C. Smith

"...thank you both again for a wonderful week of sailing, snorkeling, diving, eating & drinking! ... it was such a great trip" S. Kneeshaw

“In the morning we sailed off to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. We took the dinghy almost ashore and swam the rest of the way so we could hike through the caves to get to the tide pools inside. We also went snorkeling at the Baths and swam in huge boulders with different fish and even saw some cuttlefish and a giant sting ray on the way back to the boat. Then I got to sail the boat into North Sound!”

- Piper, Age 9

"The last time I had a vacation like this was... NEVER!" - John R.

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