Sail Time - Power Time!

Born in Mobile, Christopher Jones spent many summers at his grandparents’ home in Point Clear. It was there that he grew to love sailing on a small Sunfish on Mobile Bay. When he was a teenager, his dad, Skip Jones, purchased a 37’ Tayana and took the kids on long journeys over multiple days. Having been around sailboats most of his life, Christopher summarizes it by saying, “I’ve survived many cruises with my dad.” As an adult, he took advantage of other opportunities to sail in New York harbor, Chesapeake Bay, and San Francisco Bay.  More recently, he also has experienced the two best days of a boat owner’s life: the day he purchased his first boat and the day he sold it.

After starting his career in Washington DC as a policy analyst and subsequent stints in the northeast and Atlanta as a business systems consultant, he and his wife moved to Mobile where he began a career in telecommunications. Nearly a decade ago they moved to Fairhope. In late 2020 Christopher launched SailTime Alabama and PowerTime Alabama, which are exclusive boat membership programs. His territory includes the central Gulf Coast from Mobile to Panama City. Whether they prefer sailboats or powerboats, members can enjoy boating aboard a well-outfitted and professionally maintained late model boat at a fraction of the cost of individual boat ownership.

Membership aboard each boat is limited to an owner and seven members, all of whom are provided training for their specific boat. Time throughout the month is distributed equally among the members.  Maintained by the base staff, the boat is ready for use when members arrive at the marina. It is a hassle-free and worry-free way to experience time on the water. Christopher is hoping to attract more owner members who like the idea of owning a new boat and, through the membership program, receive a check at the end of the month.

How he got into this business is another story. It’s a harrowing tale. In August 2020, Hurricane Laura was a deadly and destructive Category 4 hurricane bearing down on the Louisiana coast. A captain, sailing a boat from Key West to Houston, found himself in the path of the storm. Having lost the mainsail, the jib, the generator and almost out of fuel, he headed into Mobile Bay hoping to find safety.

Turns out the captain was a fraternity brother of Christopher’s brother-in-law, Corbin Porter. As the delivery captain entered Mobile Bay, he ran out of fuel. The captain called a childhood friend from Mobile who quickly headed to the distressed boat with enough fuel to complete the journey into Fly Creek. That night Christopher and Corbin had dinner with the captain who was an owner member of SailTime Houston. And that’s how Christopher learned about the uniquely structured boat membership program.  Before the year ended, he had established SailTime Alabama and PowerTime Alabama on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

For SailTime Alabama, Christopher has three sailboats. For day sailing, he keeps a 26’ Colgate at Fly Creek Marina in Fairhope.  This is also his teaching boat. An affiliate school of the American Sailing Association, SailTime Alabama offers sailing classes throughout the week aboard the Colgate, whose name is Knot On Line in reference not only to the preferred method for learning to sail but also to the COVID times when the business was launched.

His other sailboats are Coastal Distancing, Beneteau Oceanis 30.1, and Happy Ours, a Beneteau Oceanis 40.1. These sailboats are brand new, well-equipped and the heart of his SailTime program. While mostly used by members throughout the month, they are also used for advanced classes like coastal cruising, bareboat cruising, and offshore sailing.  Each has a head (the bathroom on a boat), a galley (the kitchen), and two cabins, which provide comfortable accommodations for overnight voyages. His longest class provides a five-day, four-night cruise along the gulf coast.  Plans are developing for an offshore class to cross the Gulf of Mexico down to St. Petersburg, FL, and another class to make the journey back to Fairhope.

For PowerTime Alabama, Christopher has a 23’ Sea Hunt center console, named Knot Virtual, in a boat lift at Bear Point Harbor in Orange Beach. Like with sailboats, new members receive instruction before operating the boat themselves. Other boats will be added as owner members join the program.  The gem of the fleet is the Dolores Catherine, a 1936 Biloxi Lugger built originally as a fishing vessel by the Covacevich Shipyard on the Mississippi coast and beautifully restored as a lugger by his father Skip Jones. Located at Fly Creek Marina in Fairhope, the Dolores Catherine is now available for charter for up to six guests.

Christopher might be found around the marinas or perhaps at his office at 9 South Summit Street in Fairhope.  Or you can reach him at 251 900-SAIL or 251-900-POWER, depending on your boating preference. As Christopher now explains, “With SailTIme or PowerTIme, owners can experience the third best day of a boat owner’s life:  you still own the boat, a professional maintains it, members pay to access it, and you get a check at the end of the month.

Welcome aboard!