The Charter Connection Blog

Mediterranean Bareboat Specials:
All of Sunsail’s Med bases: May 1 - June 30, September 1 - October 31: 10% off all charters.
10% off charters booked at least 6 months in advance. Excludes Easter.

Caribbean Bareboat Specials:
Many companies are offering free days this year, and they’re starting a bit earlier than usual. Most free day specials in the past few years have started in July, or even as late as August.

TMM is offering 10 for 7 at all bases June 6 - October 31.

Horizon is offering 10 for 7 in Tortola from May 1 - October 31, and has some great offers on small monohulls in Tortola - charter fees as low as $1500 per week.

Even Moorings is offering free days: June 15 - Sept 30, 6 days for 5, 9 for 7, or 13 for 10, (excludes the Moorings 4600 and new Moorings 54.5).

Dream Yacht Charter - up to 30% off all monohulls up to 45 feet, and the Catana 41 and 50′ cats.

Visit our bareboat specials page. For more information on these and many other bareboat charter companies and boats, call us at 800 621 7855, email us at info@ed-hamilton.com, check out the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or ask us to suggest some specific boats that fit your requirements!

‘Sayang’, a popular Jeanneau 54, is offering 8 days for the price of 7 through the month of July. Paul and Ratna also offer a ‘Romantic Getaway for Two’ special! We have had 22 successful charters on this boat. Flexible layout for up to six but particularly suitable for four. Excellent boat and crew.

‘Viking Dream’ was voted best multihull up to 50′ at the last two consecutive Tortola broker shows (2010 and 2009), which is almost unheard of! They are offering $1000 off for selected fall dates. Recommended.

‘NSS Pattam’, the 84′ classic DeFever motor yacht, is offering a $500 per person discount on fully crewed charters and $350 per person discount on B&B charters taking place in June or July.

Voyage is taking 20% off their fleet of bareboat sail cats and 15% off crewed sailing charters through July. Ask us for specifics.

We’ll find you the best value. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us at info@ed-hamilton.com, visit the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or let us suggest some boats and crews suitable for your group!

Have you ever wondered where the crewed yacht chefs buy their organic produce in Tortola? Aragorn Dick-Read is better known as a sculptor and supporter of the local arts (he created those fireball sculptures in Trellis Bay), but he and his wife also own a local produce business. Revitalizing old terraced farmland on the more fertile north side of Tortola, they created ‘Good Moon Farm’ and have built up a network of local farmers to supply Mega Yachts and crewed charter chefs with quality organic produce. In addition to crewed yachts, they supply several restaurants, villa rentals and bareboaters willing to pay a little extra for produce that has never been sprayed and hasn’t arrived on a ship.

The apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree and in this case, Aragorn is following a family tradition. His father, Robert Dick-Read, was one of the pioneers in the early development of present day Tortola. Some of his schemes, such as a rental car business, were ahead of their time (his VW Beetles were killed by the terrible roads of the late 60s), but his big break was the Ample Hamper, which supplied provisions to the new evolving charter industry. He was the founder and first owner, and his flamboyant enthusiasm behind the counter played a big part in its success. For those who remember him, he is doing well at 80 and is still scheming!

If you’re considering a charter, we have been in this industry since it started! Call us (800 621 7855), email info@ed-hamilton.com, or visit the Ed Hamilton & Co website. If you tell us more about your requirements , we can suggest some suitable boats and crews!

We wish Aragorn well, not only in this venture, but also with his sculpture and his efforts to keep Caribbean art and old traditions alive.

For most people, it’s 3 to 4 months before the boat goes back in the water. Here in Maine we’re told we are having an easier winter than states further south. We’re certainly more comfortable coping with snow, but in reality, most of us are already ready for winter to end.

Book a Caribbean yacht charter in late February or March, and when you return, the weather will be improving and splashing the boat will be a tolerable few weeks away!

Additionally the best weather in the Caribbean is traditionally in later March and April, when the trade winds have settled and are blowing steadily, but in truth the differences are small. January and February are also great times to charter, with the added bonus of getting away from the worst weather up north.

Pick up the phone before the next Nor’easter arrives. The brokers at Ed Hamilton & Co. can have you on a plane before you know it. Tell us about your group and let us suggest some great bareboat charter companies or private crewed yachts. You can call us at 800 621 7855 or email us at info@ed-hamilton.com.

The picture shows the charter base at West Indies Yachts, which Ed managed from 1973 to 1975. An early client sent it to us recently, saying that it was taken at the start of their first charter, with his wife and two sons, in 1974. Many sailing adventures followed, but it was this charter that opened a new world for them! He and his wife are no longer sailing, but live in a comfortable retirement community overlooking the Severn River in Annapolis. He particularly enjoyed The Last Resort and asked if we knew of a CD of Tony Snell as they have many happy memories of watching him perform (as do we all).

West Indies Yachts originally started in the Lagoon at St. Thomas, at the base later used by Trawlers in Paradise. Ed was working as a manager at The Moorings, but at 26, saw the change as a challenge and an opportunity. His first job as manager was to move the 9 boat fleet to Maya Cove, Tortola, but because only three boats had functioning engines, each one had to tow two boats behind them to get there! The fleet consisted of three neglected Ohlson 38s (beautiful sailing yachts) and some inexpensively built Coronados (base price was around $25,000 which was cheap for a new 41 footer even in those days). These were replaced with more upscale Gulfstar 41s and 43s. The WIY base was later used by Sunsail as their Maya Cove work dock. More pictures.

Rough beginnings but what a great opportunity it turned out to be. Ed has spent his life in the charter industry and has never regretted those early decisions. Ed Hamilton & Co.

The lovely 80′ ‘Matelot’ is offering 10 days for the price of 7 in September, to round out her successful season in Tahiti. This is a great time to visit the Society Islands. The August heat has gone and the winter rainy season hasn’t arrived!

Matelot is a beautiful, sleek, Nauta 80, designed by Bruce Farr and built by the Southern Wind Shipyard. Her captain, Angus Fuller, knows the area well and has prepared two examples of possible itineraries, one for the Society Islands (Tahiti) and one for the more northern and remote Tuamotu Islands. We hope you enjoy them and they inspire you to visit one of the last truly pristine cruising grounds in the world!

When you’re ready, Ed Hamilton & Co. can help you with all aspects of your charter. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us at info@ed-hamilton.com, or tell us your plans so we can suggest some suitable bareboat charter companies or yachts with crews!

The Moorings kept a fleet for many years at the beautiful Secret Harbor Resort, on the south coast of Grenada. They closed this some time ago, but have just announced they will be opening a base in the new Port Louis Marina. Old timers will remember the somewhat run down Grenada Yacht Services Marina, in the lagoon just south of the main town of St Georges. This has been bought out by Camper and Nicholson and replaced with a new marina aimed at megayachts. The lovely marina, with pool, bar and restaurants, is mostly completed, but much of the surrounding area, which is being developed by Peter de Savary, is still in the planning stages. Guests can take a short ferry ride across to the center of town, and there are also US style supermarkets for provisioning nearby.

Grenada is below the normal hurricane route, but the lagoon is also particularly well protected from storms, which is a big bonus for bareboat fleet operators and the owners of the megayachts that plan to base their boats there.

When sailing in the Grenadines, it is important to remember the direction of the prevailing winds. Heading north from Grenada to Carriacou, and the popular islands of the Grenadines, involves sailing into the wind and seas. These can be considerable in the winter, particularly in the open sea just north of Grenada. It is not generally a good idea to visit the Grenadines from Grenada, but doing a one way the other way, starting in the islands and finishing in Grenada (which Moorings offers for around $1,100) is a different story. Once in the lee of Grenada you might run out of wind and have to motor, but if you particularly want to visit Grenada, rather than spend the whole time in the Grenadines, this is an easy trip and one we often recommend, particularly to our crewed clients.

Another option for anyone starting out of Grenada, is to head south. There are virtually no anchorages along the western side of the island, which is generally steep to, but the southern coast has many bays and beaches. It is even possible to explore some of the eastern (windward) coast but this is generally best left to crewed boats. If you have sailed the Grenadines several times, the south coast might be a nice (though smaller) alternative. Grenada itself is a fascinating island and taking a taxi to visit some of the interior forests, distilleries and sites is well worthwhile. Horizon Yacht Charters also has a bareboat base in Grenada, at True Blue Bay, conveniently located on the southern coast. They will deliver a yacht to the Grenadines for charterers looking for a one way charter, for an additional charge.

Moorings has a base in St. Lucia, so a one way to Grenada is possible, but we would recommend taking more than a week if starting this far north. There are excellent flights into St. Lucia (and Grenada), but starting from Marigot involves a relatively long sail across open water to reach the southern end of St. Vincent, Bequia, the Tobago Cays and the other attractions of this lovely cruising ground. Moorings also has a base in Canouan, but now that American Eagle has stopped flights to the island, getting there is not as easy, plus the base is in a very unprotected anchorage. Apart from this, Canouan is a very convenient starting point to see the highlights of the area. St. Vincent is another good starting port, both for crewed and bareboat charters.

We know these islands extremely well and have been booking charters here for almost 30 years. You can contact us at info@ed-hamilton.com, find more Grenadines information on the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or tell us your plans so we can send you some boat and itinerary suggestions.

We’ve tempted you with the last six posts describing our recent travels around the beautiful Mediterranean, but here’s the best news! With the value of the EURO dropping to just 1.23 US dollars, there has never been a better time to take a charter in Europe.

Turkey, The Greek Islands (Ionian, Saronic, Cyclades, Dodecanese), Croatia, Italy, France - take a look back through the previous posts and pick an area. For many more photographs, check out our Facebook page. We would love to tell you more.

Email us your questions or ask us to recommend a selection of charter yachts that fit your plans. There’s also more information on the Ed Hamilton & Co website. Bareboat charters, crewed yachts, sail, power, traditional gulets, modern multihulls - there’s something for everyone. If you’ve ever dreamed of discovering something new, now is the time!