The Charter Connection Blog

New Year and Christmas have been heavily booked for months and some of the larger Catamarans have been sold out for a year, but we do have some nice options open, particularly in the $4-5,000 per person, per week range.

One of the more popular 80′ monohulls is still open in The British Virgin Islands for a party of 6.

The 76′, 10 passenger catamaran Zingara is one of the most luxurious charter yachts of her type available anywhere. Her holiday charter, which was booked months ago, had to cancel this week. She is open for Christmas but already has a tentative booking for New Year, which we can challenge if you can move quickly! They don’t get much better than this.

The 67′ Catamaran Marmot has also had a cancellation. She has four cabins but is really more comfortable for just six guests.

Smaller and mid-size sailboats are tougher to find, although there are more monohulls than cats available. The cost of flights over the holidays becomes more of an issue and they are difficult to get. If you missed out this year, you might want to think about booking for next year. You might be surprised by how many savvy charterers already have!

The owners of larger luxury Motor Yachts often announce their holiday charter plans much closer to the season, so availability is currently much better than for crewed sailing charters, but of course prices are considerably higher. Most are based in St. Martin or Antigua.

If you are considering a last minute Holiday Charter, don’t wait. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.

We occasionally hear from clients interested in exploring the Turks & Caicos. This beautiful cruising ground, just a short 2 hour flight from Fort Lauderdale, consists of 8 main islands and more than 20 smaller islands, with over 230 miles of beach front. The area has also been rated by some, as one of the top 10 Scuba diving destinations in the world.

There are relatively few yachts who charter here, but Arabella, the 160 schooner has added another trip to this destination after their first cabin-charter cruise to the Turks & Caicos sold out!  This trip will be held from May 30th - June 5th. She books charters by the cabin and rates for staterooms vary from $1050 - $1750 per person (based on double occupancy).

If you are interested in getting more information on this chance to charter in a new cruising ground, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans. .

ALOHA MALOLO, the 65 foot custom crewed charter yacht, is joining the Green Movement and offering a low ecological impact charter.  Guests looking for a more planet friendly cruise, without the sound of a generator, will be impressed that Eric and Evelin power their batteries with solar panels and wind. All produce and meats are bought from local sources when possible and they double filter their water so that guests do not feel they have to drink from disposable plastic bottles.

Unlike many US or British Virgin Islands based boats, Aloha Malolo spent the summer chartering in The San Blas Islands, off Panama. Their guests enjoyed plenty of live lobster and crab, deserted palm fringed islands with picture perfect white sandy beaches and lots of smiling faces!
They have made many improvements to the boat, including three additional opening hatches in the staterooms, new upholstery, new canvas, new dinghy, a new tapered queen bed in the forward stateroom (she has four queen beds now), newly painted decks, new over-sized fishing gear, bigger TV, 70 more DVD movies (almost 600 DVD’s total), new sound system, which is ipod compatible, new hammock and sun awning, 8 sets of new gear for scuba diving, new watermaker and a lot more.

Ask us for details of this and other fine charter yachts. We’ll help you find the one that’s right 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.

The impressive 82 foot Nautor Swan ASTRO DE L’EST is available for a unique charter, taking part in the Rolex Transatlantic Race. Her fee for the race is 90,000 EUROS all inclusive, or about 3,750 pp/pw. She accommodates 8 guests, in two double and two twin cabins. The race begins in Tenerife, in The Canary Islands, on November 24th and the yacht is estimated to arrive in The Caribbean, in Saint Martin, on the 12th of December. ASTRO DE L’EST is an excellent competitor with her PBO composite standing rigging, racing keel, carbon spars, race sails and Genackers.

We get plenty of requests for long distance crewed sailing charters. This would be a sail of a lifetime, and you would even eat well all the way across The Atlantic! Interested? Call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, and tell us about your plans.

After viewing 50+ charter yachts and over 100 captains, cooks and mates in just four days at The Marmaris Crewed Charter Yacht Show, it’s time for some relaxation. Crewed yacht charters are a unique way to explore this wonderful coastline, and we traveled in style on ‘Blue Capricorn’. We had already picked this yacht as one of the best values of the show and our instincts were right. There are few 90 foot private yacht charters that offer this kind of comfort and level of service for such a reasonable price. In September, which is so much nicer than July and August, 12 guests can charter her for a week for around $1,100 per person, plus expenses, yet because of her layout with two huge master staterooms fore and aft, don’t rule her out as a sumptuous two couple yacht at just over $3,300 per person, plus expenses. She has a traditional motor sailor profile, with enormous flat decks, plenty of sunning space and a large dining table for all those delicious, unhurried, Mediterranean style meals (more on that later).

Look for our next post for a description of the wonderful 3 day charter we had on this yacht, sailing from Marmaris to Gocek along the Turkish Coast.

Contact us - we would be happy to give you more information on this and other charter yachts in Turkey.

The Marmaris Show is one of the most enjoyable Crewed Yacht Charter Shows. The rows of Turkish gulets confirm that this country is different, but one is also immediately aware of so much genuine goodwill. Boat owners and crews in Turkey really do want to encourage overseas visitors and take a genuine interest in everyone. Yes, of course shop keepers are keen to sell their wares, from carpets to ice creams, but they have learned that this can be done with kindness. Taking a cup of tea with a shop owner is often an expected part of the process, whether buying or not. This is not just a sales ploy - it is a mark of respect and friendship, and often occurs even when nothing is to be gained. Another lesson for the western world is how Turkish families look after each other, including less fortunate family members. We never saw any homeless people on the streets and no one asked us for money. American clients in particular are often initially concerned about traveling to Turkey for their vacation, but not only is this popular cruising ground one of the best values in The Mediterranean, it is also one of the friendliest.

The Charter Yacht Show started with a party in Marmaris Castle, overlooking the harbor. The setting couldn’t have been more romantic, particularly when the Turkish trio (piano, accordion and violin) started playing Carlos Gardel’s Tango, used in the film ‘The Scent of a Woman’, just as the sun set!

It takes many people to make a show successful, but Chem Boz and his New Zealand wife, Vicky, deserve special mention. They are based right in Marmaris and could not have been more helpful.
There were 55 yachts in the show. Most were locally built gulets - traditional wooden craft suited to this area. Standards, build quality, and prices vary enormously. Some of the more recent yachts have become very luxurious with little emphasis on the sailing, but we also enjoyed seeing some of the older, more original designs, such as ‘Timer’. There were also some excellent motorsailers, which are not traditional gulets but have somewhat similar lines. The 12 berth ‘Blue Capricorn’ was a particularly nice example and at around 8,400 Euros ($13,500) per week (May, September and October), plus expenses, offered excellent value for a yacht of this caliber and standard of service.

At the top end, the 12 berth ‘Mare Nostrum’ was exquisite and at around 40,000 Euros ($64,000) per week plus expenses, was priced 20,000 Euros less than some boats that were not as nice. The reason for this ‘lower’ price? The owner wanted to keep her affordable for the clients on his previous, less expensive yacht. Expect prices to rise.

For those interested in more conventional sailing yachts, there were also some nice monohulls in the 50 to 60 foot range.

Call (800 621 7855), email or request literature from the Ed Hamilton & Co website if you would like information on these yachts, or any of the many other crewed private yacht charters or bareboat charters we offer.

The show ended with a party at the upscale Maris Resort. The yacht ‘Trinity I’ provided stylish transportation to the waterfront restaurant. Incidentally this was another yacht that left an impression - a good, economical choice for those considering luxury motor yacht charters.

Following so closely after Poros, which incidentally was another fabulous show, it was very noticeable how much less expensive crewed sailing charters are in Turkey. Some comparable boats cost more than twice the price in the Greek Islands. The coast of Turkey offers wonderful cruising and some of the best archaeological sites in the Mediterranean (Ephesus, Dalyan etc.), but for those that want to visit Greek Islands, it is not difficult to cruise the Dodecanese while still starting and finishing in Turkey, and taking advantage of the lower prices. The best time to visit the area is from mid May to the end of June and from September to mid October. It’s best to avoid July and particularly August, when The Aegean can become too hot, too crowded and too windy.

Contact us - we would be happy to help you plan an Aegean vacation for this Fall!

Many larger power yachts reposition for the spring and summer months to New England and the Mediterranean, leaving a shortage of luxury motor yachts for charter in The Caribbean. This year, SHALIMAR, a 118′ Benetti Tri Deck will be remaining in the Caribbean, taking advantage of the calm waters, sunny skies and minimal crowds. Based in Tortola, in The British Virgin Islands, she can also charter in St. Martin and any islands further south, as far as The Grenadines.

She is able to accommodate 10 guests in her 5 cabins and charters for $60,000 per week, plus expenses. Shalimar is also one of the few power yachts offering scuba diving directly from the boat, carrying 8 full sets of dive gear, a dive compressor and a nitrox mixer.

Call or email us if you would like more information on Shalimar (800-621-7855). If you would like more information on other motor yachts or crewed sailing charters, just let us know the type of private yacht charter you are looking for.

ADVENTURERS WANTED! Starting in mid-June, the 38 foot Island Packet, Gypsy Queen, and her captain Bob White will be heading from The Leeward Islands to The Grenadines and Venezuela, with the intent of taking along guests seeking a more ‘cruising oriented’ experience. The trips are in two week segments, with a nominal fee of $3,000 for up to two persons. The normal boat expenses and provisioning will be shared by all and a $1,000 advance deposit toward expenses is due on boarding (any unused portion will be refunded). An interesting alternative to most private crewed sailing charters.

The plan currently stands as such:

Antigua to St. Lucia - last two weeks of June
St. Lucia to Grenada - July 1st
Grenada to St. Lucia - mid July
Grenada to Los Roques (this includes 2 overnight sails) mid August
Los Roques - Sept 1
Los Roques to Puerto La Cruz (one overnight) - mid September

For those looking to get a bit more cruising experience, and looking to function as ‘crew’ on their trip, this is an affordable opportunity not to be missed! Call or email us for availability (800-621-7855).