The Charter Connection Blog

Alton Brown, star of the Food Network’s Good Eats, and main commentator on Iron Chef America is taking on a new adventure. He and his producers have chartered two catamarans to dine their way through The Caribbean in the 4 part series ‘Feasting on Waves’.

If you missed the premiere last night, it will be repeated at 8pm Sept 10th, 6pm Sept 13th and 2pm Sept 14th, all on The Food Network.
The second show in the series starts at 10pm Sept 14th.

‘Chef de Mer‘ is one of the yachts featured in this special TV program.

See how Ed Hamilton & Co can help you plan your own gourmet private yacht charter in The Caribbean!

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.

How far out should we reserve is a common question we get. The topic is as complex as the answer is simple - book as soon as you know when, where, and what you want to charter.

Some people feel that by waiting to the last minute, they’ll get the best deal. While charter companies do often offer last minute discounts, it’s almost never the best value for your money as of course the only boats available are the ones that no one else wanted - there’s typically a reason for that! The average Caribbean bareboat yacht charter costs around $5000 when you factor in airfare and peripheral costs, so saving a few hundred dollars to get a lesser boat just isn’t a bargain, in my view.

Some of the best deals, and I mean a great boat at a lower price, are actually had by booking 8 months to a year out. Some of the smaller bareboat companies have newer, unique designs with great equipment in their fleets, and their prices don’t reflect the charge for the charter company brand that you pay with some of the big companies. Of course as they’re not big companies with a homogenized fleet approach, there aren’t many of these boats available, so you need to book early to get them.

A rough guideline of when to book goes a bit like this: Christmas/New Years - book a year out, specifically if you want a catamaran, and especially if you want a larger and/or newer one. Holidays like President’s Week, Easter, or any school vacation weeks - book 8 months out to get the pick of the litter. Any High Season, non-holiday week in the winter - book 6 months out. Even summer in the Caribbean, again especially if you want a catamaran, can be very heavily booked 6 months out.

Of course the above guideline is very rough; you could contact us for a charter to depart two weeks from now, and provided you were flexible, I’m sure we could find you something suitable. Sometimes the boats that are passed over by the general public are great boats, but they might have a layout not meant for the mainstream yet it could be perfect for you.

It is a complex topic in that there is no specific answer or concrete formula; but, if you’re considering a charter in the future, there’s no question that the earlier you start planning, the more choices you have. Even if you’re not going to be ready to reserve for months from now, we’re happy to help you start the planning and steer you in the right direction with recommendations, so let us know what you have in mind!

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.

Speaking of summer destinations, Sunsail announced quite an incredible special offer for Tahiti today: Charters that are booked by March 31, 2008 and sail by July 31, 2008 are 30% off. Returning Sunsailors save 5% on top of this offer.

What makes this such a notable offer, aside from simply the rather large discount itself, is that July is the high season for Tahiti. April through July is a wonderful time to sail there, with the driest and windiest period peaking in July and August. If you’re familiar with Caribbean seasons, simply think of them as reversed.

For the very best deals, plan your charter to end before June 21st, as you’ll qualify for the discount as well as catch the rates before the increase to the July/August high season period.

The cruising ground itself is actually not Tahiti, but the Leeward Islands of Raiatea, Tahaa, Huahine and of course, Bora Bora. Sunsail operates a fleet of monohulls and catamarans from Marina Apooiti on the island of Raiatea. Please contact us for more information on the sailing in Tahiti and the yachts available there.

If my previous post on the Caribbean sailing seasons didn’t sufficiently allay your fears of tropical storm systems interrupting your sailing vacation; or if you can only get away from August to October when the statistical risk of storms in the Eastern Caribbean is higher, then you may want to consider sailing the Grenadines.

The Grenadines is a magical cruising destination, and when compared with the ever popular British Virgin Islands, a relatively undiscovered one. The beauty of considering it for spring and summer sailing is that it lies south of the route that tropical storms or hurricanes generally take. While it is known to have more aggressive sailing conditions than the Virgins, (which could be said of almost anywhere!), the summer affords far more benign conditions with its more gentle winds and lack of groundswell, making it the perfect time to sail this area for the first time.

Several bareboat yacht charter companies now operate from the heart of this cruising ground: TMM, Sunsail and Barefoot Yacht Charters operate from St. Vincent; The Moorings is located in Canouan; and The Catamaran Company has recently opened a base at Union Island. If you’d prefer to start further south, Horizon Yacht Charters operates from Grenada, and also offers complimentary one way charters to Grenada, embarking at Union Island.

If crewed yacht charters are more your style, there are usually more yachts to choose from in the Grenadines during the summer months.