The Charter Connection Blog

There is some good news for travelers arriving in the USVI too late to make the last 4 pm ferry across to Tortola. The Premier and Minister for Tourism have announced a late ferry from Red Hook, St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola. The ferry will be offered Thursdays through Sundays at 9 pm with the actual time of departure from Red Hook subject to the arrival time of the last flights out of the US mainland. This action has been taken in an effort to welcome more yacht charter and hotel guests to the BVI in light of the recent cancellation of service by many airline carriers.

The service is offered on a trial basis, but is expected to continue through the duration of high tourism season.

You can view the regular ferry schedule on the Ed Hamilton & Co website.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

To show how last minute some charters can be, at around 11:00 am on Christmas Eve we received confirmation that 5 guests had flights into St. Martin and wanted to charter a nice yacht starting Friday, December 26th.

These dates are always difficult, even when booking months ahead, but we managed to find him Campai, a beautiful 72′ monohull which was ideal for this client and his family. She was unfortunately in Antigua, so the yacht needed to provision quickly and the three crew had to start sailing that night to get to St. Martin in time for the charter.

It was therefore imperative to get each guest’s food preferences to the boat as quickly as possible. The last one was received and on its way by 1:03 pm. Our clients receive a nice printed booklet with separate food preferences for each guest in the party, but though not as pretty, all this information is also in the on-line preference form, which many guests end up using. It is particularly convenient when guests are scattered all over the country, as can submit their preferences individually. It is also useful when time is of the essence!

The contracts were prepared and emailed to the client’s agent by 11:46 am and the signed papers received at 2:28. The fully executed copy was returned by the yacht’s owner at 4:18 pm the same day, Christmas Eve!

The client and his family arrived 48 hours later and the captain was at the airport to meet them. They are currently sailing around the The Leeward Islands and will be in St. Barts for New Year’s Eve, which was one of his requests. We wish him, and all our readers, a happy and fruitful New Year.

A big thanks to Karen at Nicholson and to Matt and Jill on Campai - a true ‘can do’ crew. The picture shows Campai’s lovely master cabin.

We don’t recommend booking any charter this close, as we can do much more for you when we have time to talk about preferences and options. It’s nice to know however, that with all our paperwork, payment and preference services available on-line, we are fully capable of achieving the seemingly impossible.

Call us today at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.

There’s always a last minute flurry of inquiries in December, for Christmas and New Year charters, and normally there’s nothing available. This year has been different, as several excellent crewed yachts had their Christmas and New Year bookings canceled. It’s been a frustrating couple of weeks, because although some boats are open, getting flights to The Caribbean is neither cheap nor easy. As the holidays begin, we also have to also worry about owners’ agents closing their offices and crews making their own holiday arrangements, thinking a charter isn’t likely.

Megayachts traditionally book late for the holidays, but crewed yachts up to around 80 feet are generally booked solidly by late summer, and this year was no exception. Most of the openings were from cancellations in the Fall, where people were willing to lose their full deposit, which shows just how desperate the downturn has been for many people.

On the plus side, because the mid-sized yachts have traditionally booked so far ahead, the Caribbean winter season is not at all bad. Calendars for the very large yachts show much more availability, but many of these yachts do not need, or want, to be fully booked.

Our feeling is that there will always be people who charter regularly, year to year. Popular boats that offer high standards at a fair price and typically book well ahead, will still be busy, even in these slower times. The second tier boats, that tend to fill when availability becomes tight, might not be in as good a position, until confidence in the economy returns. As always, we will be looking for value for money, rather than lowest prices regardless of quality, in these coming months.
So if you are considering a last minute Caribbean Yacht Charter for New Year and can get flights, call us today at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans. Time is certainly running out, but we have the resources to still make this happen.

Looking for a private yacht charter but don’t have a full week to spare? Amaryllis is offering a mini crewed sailing charter around St. John, in The US Virgin Islands. This 45′ Privilege Catamaran with crew, Bruce and Laura Masterson, is offering a 2-5 day USVI package with no short charter surcharge. Staying in US waters avoids clearing in and out of customs. The boat can pick up in St. Thomas or St. John so if you are looking to pair a charter with a villa or hotel stay, this is an ideal offering! St. John is 2/3 National Park and is studded with secluded anchorages, gorgeous beaches and wonderful snorkeling. Check out some of the less frequented bays on the south side, such as Great and Little Lameshur, and Salt Pond Bays (old personal favorites). There are also amazing hikes to historical ruins and the only petroglyphs found in the Virgin Islands.

Contact us today to check available dates for this great getaway! Call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.