Soniya is a Dean 44 catamaran. She combines the best of two worlds – all the comfort and convenience of cataramans (no danger of that g n’t falling off the table!), but still has great sailing performance.
She has 2 double guest cabins up f’ard; one of the aft cabins can be a (cosy) double bed, or probably better used as a bunkbed cabin. The owner/skipper Kareem has a huge range of fun “water toys” – check out the video of us trying out some yoga moves on his enormous SUP. (Yes, of course – we all went into the water like dominos! Beer o’clock on the SUP turned into a better idea…
Like all other boats in the Philippines, Soniya charters out just to full groups. However, when our SeaScape team put together one of our shareboat groups, there’s chance for you to join as a single/couple, etc – you don’t need to worry about recruiting a whole group of friends!
Of course, if you already have a group of buddies ready and rarin’ to go – you can pick whatever dates are available!
Layout
- 4 cabins in total
- 2 double forward cabins
- 1 small double / bunkbeds aft cabin
- 1 crew aft cabin
Owner/skipper on Soniya – Kareem
Having spent most of his early professional life in the media business in Hong Kong, Kareem picked up a love of sailing there.
He soon realised, however, that dodging containers and other various vessels around the crowded Hong Kong waters wasn’t really his style… and “living the dream” was something he wanted to do whilst he was still in his prime years, no waiting around for retirement!
So from one extreme of shoulder-to-shoulder population to the pristine, open waters of the Philippines – Kareem has now made these islands home; cruising and chartering for the past 6 years!
| Skipper | Informal sailing instruction available too, if desired. |
| First mate / cook | Top class food, both local and Western. Our cooks do all the provisioning, cooking and cleanup for meals on board |
| Soft drinks, tea, coffee, bottled water | Always available |
| Fresh fruit | Always available |
| Breakfast, lunches & dinners all onboard, except the final night dinner | Our grand finale dinner is often ashore, at the gorgeous Al Faro (the "lighthouse") |
| Boat running costs | Mooring fees, fuel, water, local taxes, end-of-trip cleaning. |
| Airfares and transfers | Our local knowledge is at your service, though we don’t directly book travel |
| Personal insurance | We very, VERY highly recommend travel insurance. It is not yet obligatory, but new laws may soon require at least medical coverage. |
| Optional onshore excursions | |
| Food and drink ashore | The last evening's dinner is usually ashore (not included in "package" cost) |
| Marine National Park fees. | Payable for some environmentally-protected beaches and bays. It's a nominal amount by our western standards. |
| Scuba dive package (full equipment + compressor supplied onboard | 40 euros per dive. Usually one dive/pp/day, additional by special request | Includes full scuba kit and dive leader |
| 3 person kayak(s) | 15 euros/day | |
| Stand Up paddle board | 15 euros/day |
Some of Kareem’s stunning drone shots
Techie Specs
- Built in Cowes, UK specifically for chartering in the tropics. Full refit in 2009.
- Length: 60′
- Beam: 18′
- Guests: 8
- Crew: 2
- Fuel capacity: 1,400 litres
- Fresh water: 2035 litres
- Watermaker 60 l/hr
- Engine: Perkins 128hp
- Rigging: Slab-reefed main, furling genoa
- Electricity: 12V / 220V
- Fans in all cabins
Boat toys
- Tender + 30 engine hp
- Flat screen TV and movie library
- Optional sea kayaks & SUPs
- Snorkelling & fishing equipment
- 4 full sets of scuba gear, plus dive compressor
- Towing “donut” for the kids
- Wakeboard