The Charter Connection Blog

Whether you’re bareboating the Caribbean for the first time, or you’re an experienced Caribbean sailor looking to explore somewhere new, a great way to get your feet wet is to sail in a flotilla. When it comes to flotillas, there are few operators who do a better job than the company who pioneered the concept - Sunsail.

Sunsail is a well known and very popular bareboat company, but few people realize that Sunsail started some 35 years ago as a small organization with a few boats offering flotilla sailing vacations in the Greek Islands. When many potential or active bareboaters hear the word “flotilla,” they immediately think of a rather uninspiring and regimented game of follow the leader. With a Sunsail flotilla, nothing could be further from the truth.

The concept behind Sunsail’s flotillas is actually more based in the social aspect than it is in providing a stepping stone, but they can be used either way. Their flotilla format can be as loose or as scheduled as you like. While Sunsail publishes an itinerary for their flotillas, (which is subject to change depending on weather, events not to be missed, or even consensus of the flotilla party), the schedule is more of a guideline. You sail on your own boat, with up to 12 other boats and a lead Sunsail boat with a skipper, flotilla hostess, and engineer. There is a port to meet up in at the end of the sailing day, and the course you take to get there is up to you - if you want to follow the lead boat, you can; if you want to take your own tack and simply meet the group that evening at anchor, that’s fine too.

Some experienced sailors also use flotillas to become comfortable with a new area. If you’ve sailed your own boat in the Northeast for years, for example, but have never sailed the Caribbean, a flotilla is a great confidence builder. Not familiar with Med-mooring? The flotilla skipper can show you the ropes and help make your vacation seamless. Worried about finding a good restaurant or speaking the local language? The flotilla hostess can help ease you into the locale.

While a flotilla can readily be used to become familiar with a new sailing area, don’t overlook the social benefit. At the end of each sailing day, you have the opportunity to get together and relive the day’s great sail with other like-minded sailors. In the summer months, in particular, a flotilla is a great way for families with children to find ready-made playmates.

Sunsail offers 26 different flotilla routes in the British Virgin Islands, Grenadines, Croatia, Greece and Turkey, so there’s plenty of variety for all tastes. In most cases, any of Sunsail’s available bareboats can be added to the flotilla, and the flotilla fee covers not only the knowledge and service of your lead crew, but also fuel, yacht insurance, welcome punch party and breakfast pack. There’s no better time to try the flotilla concept, as Sunsail is offering 25% off Caribbean flotillas this spring and summer, when you confirm by May 30th.

If you would like to know more, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site and tell us about your plans. Not only have we booked many flotilla vacations, we have even run them in Tortola, so are very familiar with all aspects of flotilla chartering.

One of our guests chartering a bareboat with a skipper brought up an interesting point in her post charter comments. The skipper, who she met 5 minutes before their charter, was unsuitable and another had to be found, delaying her departure. The problem had nothing to do with the ability of the captain, who would have worked well in a different situation.

We always stress in our literature and when booking a charter, that in the case of a skippered bareboat, the skipper you get is generally allocated by the bareboat company just before the charter and even if allocated earlier (as was true in this case), the company always has the right to switch crews before the charter. There is virtually no ‘matching of skippers to guests’ and with most bareboat companies, guests know nothing about the skipper they will actually be spending the week with.

This particular situation would have been caught and resolved if the client was booking a captain only crewed boat. These are private boats, run by a permanent skipper, who maintains and operates the yacht. Just like the private fully crewed yachts, we know a lot about these skippers and can make recommendations as to which one would best fit your group. Because this is an individual boat rather than one picked from a fleet, we can accurately describe its condition and the equipment it carries.

So there are some advantages to a private captain only charter, but this type of charter is not the best choice for everyone. In the following situations, taking a skippered bareboat might be the better alternative.

1: While many private ‘captain only’ boats are comparably priced to the larger skippered bareboat charters (and can offer better value), it is certainly possible to charter a smaller bareboat from a company and add a skipper for less money (We would be happy to make a price comparison for your particular situation and show you your total cost in both cases).

2: There are plenty of people that feel they can get along with any skipper and are willing to take their chances. We would stress that most bareboat charter companies are careful about who they hire. Candidates are obviously qualified, but the companies also look for people who are congenial. The bottom line though is that personalities vary and even two nice people don’t always get along! Personality clashes are far less likely when we know who the skipper will be and have had a chance to match him or her with the group.

3: If you are a semi experienced bareboater and just need  a skipper for a few days to gain confidence and brush up on your skills, taking a skippered bareboat makes a lot of sense and is a quick way to get qualified for the next time you charter. If you want a relaxing vacation with a chance to take the helm and learn a bit about sailing, take a private crewed boat, but if the eventual aim is to bareboat, go the skippered bareboat route. Not only will you get the instruction, you will be gaining experience on the type of boat you will be chartering and will become familiar with the check out procedure and operations of the company, so next time things will be much more familiar.

We book every type of charter - bareboat, skippered bareboat, crewed yachts in a bareboat company’s fleet, captain only private crewed yachts, head boats (ie book a cabin on a fully crewed boat) and fully crewed private yacht charters. All have their different advantages, but because we have been booking all these different types of charters for many years, we are in an excellent position to describe them from an independent viewpoint and suggest how suitable each would be for your group.

For any charter involving a skipper, it is important to remember that the crew is generally going to have an enormous influence on the success of the charter. Unless the whole object is to get qualified to bareboat in the future, someone considering a skippered bareboat should also look closely at a fully crewed private boat. You avoid paying for the overhead of the bareboat company, plus meals, wine, bar and even the chef are included!

To get started, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.

‘Tonina’, one of the best new flybridge model Lagoon 51’s,  is taking $1,000 off her regular rates. There are plenty of specials this summer, but relatively few popular British Virgin Island yachts are offering discounts for next winter. You do need to book soon to take advantage of this as the special is not likely to last long.

This beautiful, customized 51′ catamaran has been very tastefully decorated throughout. Her three guest cabins have queen sized beds with neutral colored linens and ensuite heads with separate showers. Her salon is attractive, with brown and orange accents and a table for inside dining. On deck, there is a settee forward of the salon area and trampolines for sunning. The flybridge is a big feature of this relatively new lagoon design.

Peter and Karen own ‘Tonina’, and their passion for chartering shows. Both were formerly in the Information Technology Industry, before changing careers. Peter has been sailing since he was a young boy and is happy to share his knowledge with guests. He shares the cooking and sailing duties with partner, Karen, and together they are a dynamic, accommodating crew.

Karen met Peter while on vacation, and his infectious love of sailing got her hooked on boats. She focuses primarily on Mediterranean style cuisine, with light tomato/wine based sauces and a wide variety of influences from Italian to Moroccan to Oriental.

This is a boat and crew we book regularly - our past charterers and repeat guests confirm they are a spectacular team! If you would like to charter ‘Tonina’ or would like information on other similar catamaran yacht charters, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.

Fidelity, a 46′ Jeanneau based in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, has two guests interested in a ‘per cabin’ charter and are looking for another couple to fill the boat. Dates are very flexible and could be in May/June or November/early December.

Per couple, 7 night prices are $2999 for the aft cabin or $3999 for the larger forward cabin. This price includes all meals, wine and open bar. The other party is a couple in their 60’s.

If you feel this could work for you, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.

‘Pas De Deux’ is one of our favorite Fontaine-Pajot 60s. She has three guest cabins, all accessed from the saloon. The master cabin is in the port hull and features a walk around queen size bed, desk with laptop computer and internet access. Two identical double cabins are forward, with queen size beds that taper at the foot. Each cabin has luxurious 1200 count Egyptian cotton sheets, true mattresses, individual air conditioning, an ensuite head, attractive portholes, DVD players and original oil paintings. The crew take the starboard aft cabin.

The decks are wide and uncluttered, and large trampolines and bow seats forward are great for sun seekers. Scuba diving is available and access to and from the dinghy is very easy with large, wide transom steps leading to the modern open cockpit. A center oval cockpit table easily accommodates 6 guests. Lovely china and table settings make both interior and outside dining a luxurious experience. The comfortable saloon has two large, soft leather settees and is separated from the fully equipped galley and dining area by a bar.

The boat is of course only half the story. Harvey and Tracy are a first class English crew.

Before he was 18, Harvey had raced J24s along the coast of England, delivered yachts for the Moorings worldwide  and passed his Yacht Master Certificate.  He used to be a competitive swimmer and enjoys skiing, bicycling and all other sports.

Tracy is a fun, energetic hostess. She was involved in competitive dancing for six years, from Disco Freestyle to Rock and Roll. She originally trained to be an air hostess and loves to travel.

Young and enthusiastic, they offer a high level of service to their charter guests. They work very well together and are a wonderful charter team.

‘Pas De Deux’s regular charter fee in the British Virgin Islands, is $3,250 per person for 7 nights, including first class meals, wines and open bar. Up until December 14th you can enjoy the same standard of luxury and service for just $2,600. This is a special worth noting!

If you would like to charter ‘Pas De Deux’ or would like information on other similar catamaran yacht charters, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.

At the end of Lynne’s excellent article on how to access the internet, rent cellphones and connect iPods, we asked for a vote on how important these items are to charter guests. The results are interesting.

Responses are still coming in, but the surprise so far is how many people feel they don’t need an internet connection (currently 44%). True, many cruising grounds have plenty of internet cafes, but we find a wi-fi connection on a boat pretty useful (but then we’re not normally on vacation!).

iPods are of course incredibly popular and make a lot of sense, but we were surprised by how many people said it was a feature they actively looked for when choosing a boat (currently 68%). This is a pretty strong message to the remaining crewed boats that still do not offer iPod docks, particularly as they are so easy to install.

Take a look at the full results, plus the comments many readers have added. You can also see the results from other surveys we have featured in previous newsletters, and by clicking on the titles, you can add your own vote for any past survey that interests you. For more great articles on both bareboat and crewed yacht charters, check out this month’s newsletter.

The photograph shows how easy it is to view Ed Hamilton & Co ’s website on your iPhone, even in The Caribbean!