The Charter Connection Blog

Most people tend to avoid taking a Caribbean yacht charter in the fall due to the hurricane season, but this coming September and October, there is a yacht moving to an exciting destination that is below the normal hurricane route. ‘Sublime’, a popular crewed sailing yacht generally based in the Virgin Islands, is heading to Bonaire, in the south western Caribbean. Very few private yacht charters visit this exciting destination, but it is one of Captain Brian’s favorite islands. Bonaire has been consistently ranked as one of the world’s top five scuba diving destinations. The yacht would be used for daysails and a ‘floating hotel’ as they are not allowed to anchor and are too large for the moorings. There are no charter fleets, due to the strict regulations imposed by the government of Bonaire, which means the coral is undamaged and the snorkeling and diving are truly spectacular.

Brian is offering special lower rates that are competitive with the local accommodations. Breakfast, lunch, appetizers and reasonable bar are included, as well as diving. Dinners would be taken ashore and air refills would be additional. Please request literature, email or call us (800 621 7855) if you are interested in joining Sublime in Bonaire.

The 56′ Sea Ray ‘CENTRE COURT’ is offering a super discount from April - June 2008. 2 guests will charter for $10,800 (down from $12,000) and 4 guests are $12,800 (down from $14,000)! She can start a charter in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands or Tortola, British Virgin Islands and even St Martin in The Leeward Islands, by special arrangement. This crew is known for their hospitality and Petra’s culinary skills - even offering a menu a’la carte! Call or email us for availability (800-621-7855).

ADVENTURERS WANTED! Starting in mid-June, the 38 foot Island Packet, Gypsy Queen, and her captain Bob White will be heading from The Leeward Islands to The Grenadines and Venezuela, with the intent of taking along guests seeking a more ‘cruising oriented’ experience. The trips are in two week segments, with a nominal fee of $3,000 for up to two persons. The normal boat expenses and provisioning will be shared by all and a $1,000 advance deposit toward expenses is due on boarding (any unused portion will be refunded). An interesting alternative to most private crewed sailing charters.

The plan currently stands as such:

Antigua to St. Lucia - last two weeks of June
St. Lucia to Grenada - July 1st
Grenada to St. Lucia - mid July
Grenada to Los Roques (this includes 2 overnight sails) mid August
Los Roques - Sept 1
Los Roques to Puerto La Cruz (one overnight) - mid September

For those looking to get a bit more cruising experience, and looking to function as ‘crew’ on their trip, this is an affordable opportunity not to be missed! Call or email us for availability (800-621-7855).

For many years, bareboat yacht charter customers have asked us for the largest cat available. This request makes sense as the reason many groups go with a catamaran rather than a monohull is for the sheer space. Until relatively recently, the largest cats available were in the 46 - 48 foot range, but no longer.

Voyage Charters started offering their 50 foot Voyage 500 models a few years back. This whole line of cats, while being rather low-slung in the bridgedeck, are known for their performance. Aside from the obvious benefit of having gobs of space that comes with a boat that takes up 1350 square feet of water, these 50s were a breakthrough for 5 couples wanting to bareboat charter without having to take 2 yachts. The 5th berth is not a full-fledged equal to other 4 cabins, being really a crew cabin; however, it is a double bed and offers a real step up from using forepeak berths or a convertible salon. Voyage operates from Soper’s Hole, and their Voyage 500 cats range from $7000 to $12,900 per week, depending on date and particular yacht chosen.

Not to be outdone, The Catamaran Company now offers Lagoon 500s for bareboat charter. The 500 is from the new line of Lagoons, also including the Lagoon 440, that has the unique flybridge helm station. This yacht also offers 5 cabins, with the 5th cabin being a proper cabin, albeit furnished with upper/lower single bunks, making the yacht perfect for families. The Lagoon 500 ranges from $8100 to $11900 per week, and is available in the British Virgin Islands as well as the Grenadines.

Fifty feet isn’t big enough? Ok, The Catamaran Company also offers a Lagoon 570 as a bareboat - yes, a 57 foot cat. This is almost unheard of in bareboat chartering, and truly is the biggest catamaran available for bareboat yacht chartering. The 570 boasts 5 cabins, but like the Voyage 500, the 5th cabin is a double bed but was really intended as a crew cabin. The 570 is the best choice for those who want the most space possible in a cat, and is really best for 4 couples. The pricing is very reasonable for the yacht, ranging from $8650 to $11650 per week. The Catamaran Company naturally has more stringent qualification requirements for this yacht, and asks for two qualified skipper’s resumes to charter this boat as a bareboat.

If you’re interested in catamaran yacht charters, and are interested in any cat, large or small, contact us and let us know what you have in mind. We’ll be happy to give you availability and pricing for your dates, and recommend a suitable cat for you and your guests.

It’s always surprised me that the demand for either crewed or bareboat yacht charters in Belize isn’t far greater. Perhaps it’s one of those places that people simply don’t know enough about yet, and speaking selfishly that’s a good thing in many ways. I was reminded of this during the past week as I helped two different customers explore the sailing possibilities there. As is often the case, and one of the reasons I love working in the charter industry, fond memories of my own vacations are refreshed in chatting through various anchorages to visit and activities to take part in.

Simply put, Belize is a spectacular destination. It has all you expect from the typical Caribbean yacht charter destination - myriad low lying sandy palm-strewn islands with steady trade winds to afford easy island hopping. Some have larger towns with eclectic shops and unique restaurants, some have smaller towns, and some have nothing but what you bring along and a nice coral garden to snorkel.

As if that weren’t enough, Belize offers so much more. It’s of course known for its diving and snorkeling on the world’s second largest barrier reef; but, often overlooked by the sailor is a fascinating interior, filled with everything from Mayan ruins, (the ancient Mayan city of Caracol in Western Belize is believed to rival in size its better known neighbor Tikal, in Guatemala), to free-flowing rivers surrounded by lush jungle, it even has a pine forest as well as the world’s only jaguar preserve. While Ed Hamilton & Company specialize in arranging yacht charters, and it might not be in our best interests, I do recommend reserving some time in your vacation to do a land based stay to explore Belize’s mainland wonders.

Clearly I get carried away - back to the sailing. The cruising ground could be described as two halves. The northern half is accessed from San Pedro on well-known Ambergris Caye, and generally speaking, has larger islands with more population and development. San Pedro itself is perhaps the most touristy town in Belize with its many dive resorts due to a 5 minute ride to numerous dive sites on the barrier reef, but somehow retains its charm as a colonial village filled with friendly people who possess a disarmingly genuine nature. The island hopping is easier here, albeit the water is very shallow and I would choose to sail from here if I were more interested in a mix of culture and island ambience, with the easiest access to a variety of dive operators. TMM operates a fleet of catamarans from San Pedro, a 5 minute ride from the airport.

The southern ‘half’ of the cruising ground is accessed from Placencia, where The Moorings operates a fleet of both monohulls and catamarans. As you go south, the Belizean coastline bends in to the west, giving more, (and deeper), water in between the mainland and the barrier reef. This area has a wonderland of sparsely to uninhabited cayes to explore, many of which are part of national parks. One can still find a few restaurants at resorts on some of the cayes, and this area is a great choice for people who want to enjoy the natural beauty from their yacht, and don’t require nightlife. You have a bit more room to stretch your legs, so in my view the sailing itself is also better in this area.

On a bareboat charter, all of the sailing takes place inside the barrier reef, so you can explore all the cayes in relatively flat water sailing conditions. If you take a skipper aboard your yacht, or opt for a fully crewed yacht, you can also access the outlying atolls of Turneffe, Lighthouse, and Glover’s Reef, which are a must for the serious diver.

At Ed Hamilton & Company, our role is to paint as accurate a picture of boats, crews, and destinations as possible for our customers, and we strive to highlight the positives as equally as the negatives. As I’ve written this blog entry, I’ve been searching for the downsides of Belize to note, and have come up relatively empty. I do recognize my own bias, so will say that if you are looking for shopping, continuous nightlife, and 5 star resort after 5 star resort, don’t go to Belize; if you’re looking for the opposite of that, go there, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve been twice, and can’t wait to go back

The latest Charter Connection Newsletter asked readers to vote if they felt Air Conditioning was a necessity when choosing a Bareboat. The advantages of A/C are obvious, but the article pointed out some of the disadvantages which might not be so evident, particularly as most Bareboat Charter Companies charge for A/C in some form or another. The results are also interesting. Currently only 28% say ‘Yes’, 43% say ‘No’ and 28% are not worried, so an amazing 70% don’t feel it is a requirement. The comments are also informative and cover a wide range of views. If you are surprised that so many people feel this way, read the article! You can also add your vote to this survey, and any previous ones.

TMM was the first Bareboat Company to add A/C to a significant number of their boats. Sunsail and Moorings offer it on their larger cats and monohulls, but the trend is to not install it in the midsize and smaller monohulls due to the reliability of the smaller generators. Horizon, BVI Yacht Charters, Voyage, Footloose, Conch and The Catamaran Company all have boats with A/C, as do most of the bareboat power boats.

The Bareboat Charter Companies would be only too happy to do without the maintenance headaches a generator and A/C cause. Our suggestion would be to have it available on the premier boats, but add a charge for those that wish to use it, in fairness to those who don’t.

We would love to hear your feedback. There’s now no need to register to add a comment. Just click on the ‘comments’ link below!

Sunsail has started announcing their Reef Weeks for next winter much earlier than usual. Reef Weeks are a discount unique to Sunsail in which bareboat charters for specific weeks are discounted by 15% to 25%, sometimes even in high season. Single Reef Weeks are 15% off, and Double Reef Weeks are 25% off.

With Reef Weeks, all of Sunsail’s Caribbean yacht charters are discounted for the given week, with the exception of catamarans 43 feet and larger and monohulls 48 feet and larger. The current weeks are:

Single Reef Weeks:

April 12 - 19, 2008
May 17 - 24, 2008
November 1 - 8, 2008
January 24 - 31, 2009

Double Reef Weeks:

April 5 - 12, 2008
May 24 - 31, 2008
December 13 - 20, 2008

These are great offers if you’re able to go during one of the Reef Weeks. Sunsail also has other special offers if your schedule doesn’t match a Reef Week.

Let us know what you have in mind for your next charter and we’ll be happy to discuss pricing and availability, and make some recommendations on suitable yachts for you.

If you’ve been considering a yacht charter, but high airfares have been holding you back, now may be the time to take another look. American Airlines has launched a spring sale on flights to the Caribbean. As airline sales often are, the exact details are a bit vague, but it appears that tickets must be booked by March 31st for departure by May 30th.

Despite the seemingly nebulous details, a check of midweek airfares this spring yields some prices that are simply too good to pass up:

Non-stop New York to St. Thomas - $287

Non-stop Miami to St. Thomas - $257

With Tortola and the wonders of the British Virgin Islands cruising ground a 40 minute ferry ride away, flying into St. Thomas is a completely viable option. When planning your flights, remember to factor in that the ferry stops running around 5pm, so it’s best to land by 3:30 or so.

Remember to reserve soon, airfares like this won’t last long!