The Charter Connection Blog

You don’t have to be a celebrity to get married like one! MTV contacted us a short while ago, looking for couples between 18 and 28 who are getting married on a yacht or in an exotic location during August. We can email you the details and contact information. The new show is called ‘True Life’ and provides a window into the lives of young Americans. Subjects for the series include living with a disorder, living in poverty, returning from Iraq, etc. MTV is currently casting ‘True Life: I’m Having a Destination Wedding’ and are looking for couples with interesting stories to tell about their wedding/relationship. They are particularly interested in why you wanted an unusual wedding and why you chose the destination you did. If you’re interested, email or call Ed Hamilton & Co at 800 621 7855. You could make your wedding even more extraordinary by having MTV document your journey!

We can show you how a private yacht charter can be the ultimate honeymoon, or romantic setting for exchanging vows. You can choose to be pampered by a private crew (some crews specialize in honeymoons and know how to spoil you while still giving you plenty of privacy), or qualified sailors can enjoy the freedom of a bareboat charter. Either way, there is no timetable - the itinerary and each day’s activities are up to you. Even the menu on a crewed yacht is planned around both your preferences!

If a Honeymoon Yacht Charter sounds romantic, we can help you find the right boat, and more importantly, the right crew. We know them well and have over 25 years experience matching personalities and interests. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, where you can tell us about your plans. Check out our Honeymoon guideline pages and wedding requirements for the more popular Caribbean Islands. To get the feel of a typical charter, take a look at our Bareboat Slide Show in The British Virgin Islands or our Crewed Yacht Charter Slide Show in The Grenadines.

We are particularly pleased to welcome back Geoff and Bambi Alexander, crew of ‘Alexis‘. Catamarans tend to be expensive for just two guests, but this 38′ Admiral is a perfect choice for a couple, though she can actually accommodate up to 4 guests in her two double cabins. ‘Alexis’ charters in the BVI and US Virgin Islands at a very reasonable inclusive charter fee - $6500 for two guests and $7900 for four. This South African crew offers high quality dining, conversation and hospitality. If you are interested in receiving more information about ‘Alexis’ and her crew, or any other private yacht charters, please email Ed Hamilton & Co or go to our website.

The 96′ luxury motor yacht Bermuda IV has four spaces open on a scuba charter August 9 - 14, 2008, sailing around Bermuda. At this late date, they are willing to reduce the rate by $600 per person for the remaining cabins. The discounted cost of the 5 day charter is $2,400 per person. This is all inclusive - there are no hidden costs (besides airfare and a tip for the crew). Even if you are not keen on scuba diving, there’s plenty to do. See St. Georges, Dockyard, Hamilton and Mangrove Bay. Bermuda is only a two hour flight from the East Coast. We know this luxurious boat and crew well and can certainly recommend her. See Emily’s Tortola charter on her in our newsletter.

Contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site or email us if you are interested.

The British Virgin Island Port Tax, which has been causing so much heated debate, has been shelved, at least for now. Crewed yacht charters on compliant BVI based boats would not have been affected, but charter yachts sailing in The BVI but based in other areas, such as St. Thomas and St. Martin could have been faced with substantial additional costs, which probably would have been passed on to the charterer, possibly retroactively!

In a statement released today in Tortola, The Chief Minister, The Honourable Ralph O’Neal, said that the Government had received considerable representations by local associations, maritime agents and others, both locally and abroad, and had reversed the decision ‘in an attempt to protect the Territory’s competitive edge as a yachting destination.’ Just shows that voicing one’s concerns can make a difference!

The Chief Minister also announced a 7 member focus group, which includes some local mariners, so the yachting industry is represented.

At Ed Hamilton & Co, we are of course very relieved that this crisis has been averted, at least for now. We were not looking forward to making all those phone calls to existing clients, informing them their vacation would suddenly cost several hundred dollars more! Many thanks to all those involved.

The recent private yacht charter show in Tortola, in The British Virgin Islands, was a great success. Because this is a smaller show, there was plenty of time for charter brokers to really sit down with crews and get to know them.

I felt there were two major stand-outs among the new boats exhibiting at the show, a 2007 44′ Dean Catamaran, ‘BLUE BAYOU’ and the 47′ Catana Catamaran ‘GENESIS’.

‘BLUE BAYOU’ (no website yet) was commissioned by owner/captain Walt Bohren after viewing this and many other models at a charter yacht show. This catamaran can accommodate up to six guests in three double cabins. The staterooms boast wonderful ventilation (even though she also has full A/C) and en-suite heads with separate showers - a novelty on a 44′ cat! Walt has also outfitted her with many other custom features for storage, etc which makes the yacht very efficient, yet maintains her beauty.

‘GENESIS’ is also owner operated. Petr and Tracy Stejskal have been on their 2000 Catana for 6 years and have decided to open their home to guests. One might think a yacht that has been a live-aboard for a husband and wife may have a ‘cruiser’ feel, however, ‘GENESIS’ is as stunning as if she had been built for charter yesterday. This 47′ vessel caters to only 2 guests with her large Master Cabin taking up nearly the entire Starboard Hull. With Petr’s former experience as a Merchant Marine and Tracy’s qualifications from crewing on motor yachts, they are ideal hosts to show you around the Grenadines.

Please contact Ed Hamilton & Co if you would like more information regarding these catamaran yacht charters or any other charter options.

From Dalyan, we sailed southeast down the coast, to The Bay of Fethiye, arriving in time for lunch. We motored through a relatively narrow entrance between two islands, into the beautiful sheltered cruising ground known as Skopea Limani. This lovely area is strewn with pretty bays and places to explore.

Most yachts drop an anchor and tie a stern line to a tree ashore. In July and August these anchorages get crowded, both with charter yachts and local holidaymakers, but in May we could pick a bay and have it to ourselves. We anchored close to Kapi Creek for lunch and a swim. It’s possible to spend several days here, but schedules had to be met and we motored past such highlights as The Wall and The Tombs, to anchor closer to Gocek for the night.

Not only did Izzet produce a spectacular dinner for us, he also serenaded us with some beautiful local songs. We knew he was a talented chef, but learned he also grew up in a musical family. His singing was just wonderful in the warm clear night air. It was so lovely that the large white motoryacht anchored nearby stopped their expensive live music to listen! If you charter Blue Capricorn and enjoy Turkish music, encourage him to play for you.

The next morning we had business to do in Gocek and motored into the harbor. We met with the crews of Anam Cara and Panta Rhei, two conventional sailing yachts with British crews that offer good value in the 50′ range. I spent the afternoon visiting bareboat charter companies, as this is a popular bareboat cruising ground. Moorings / Sunsail have a large base here, as do some lesser known operations such as Top Yacht.

Gocek is a town expanding in every direction. On either side of the old waterfront and square, new marinas and upscale villas are being built everywhere, to accommodate the influx of new tourists in the season. It felt ironic to be sitting in an open-air cafe in the Square, uploading a blog to the internet, as the sounds of the ‘azaan’ summoned the faithful to mid-afternoon prayer. Turkey is such an area of contrasts, a fascinating mixture of old and new. Local people are amazingly friendly, unlike some of the more ‘discovered’ places and there is as much ancient history here as any other part of The Mediterranean.

Our trip came to an end early the next morning, when a driver took us to Dalaman Airport, now only a few minutes away using the new tunnel, and we caught a flight to Istanbul. Then it was British Airways to London’s new terminal 5, and on to Boston, where it was still daylight when we landed that evening. In one day we had moved from one world to another.

Contact Ed Hamilton & Co - we would be happy to give you more information on Blue Capricorn and other crewed charter yachts or bareboat charters in Turkey. Note - when using the above link to Blue Capricorn, you need to scroll down the page to see the yacht’s website.