The Charter Connection Blog

While Hurricane Gustaf, Hanna and Ike create headlines in The US, it seems that for now, The Virgin Islands and The Eastern Caribbean Islands (St. Martin to The Grenadines) have escaped any major storms. This has been the pattern in recent years, but it is imperative for anyone sailing there in September and October to buy a trip cancellation policy that specifically covers named storms. Ed Hamilton & Co offers their clients two choices of suitable packages.

Weather patterns have certainly changed over the years. When Ed started his bareboat charter company in the 70’s, he could honestly say the last hurricane to hit the British Virgin Islands was in 1927! In the late 70’s a hurricane did approach The BVI, but it conveniently downgraded to a tropical depression as it passed over, so the statement was still true! Incidentally, Ed remembers the eye passing right over Tortola. Suddenly the wind and rain ceased and the whole night sky was full of stars. Like a lunar eclipse, the eye wall then slowly covered the sky again and the rain and wind resumed - from the opposite direction.

All this changed in the 80’s, when some vicious storms hit The Virgins and later Grenada, but recent years have been kinder.

For people willing to put up with the possibility of trip interruption, there are certainly some bareboat bargains out there and the islands are delightfully uncrowded. Winds tend to be much lighter, so the seas are calmer and the water clearer - ideal for snorkelers and scuba diving. Most crewed boats haul out by August and the crews take well deserved vacations, but there are some who charter throughout the summer.

While storms are not impossible in November, this can be a great time to charter, before the winter snow birds arrive and the harbors start filling up

If a charter sounds interesting, we can help you find the right boat. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site, where you can tell us about your plans.

Thank you Dick for the photograph. It was taken from his house in Tortola a few days ago!

This month’s ‘Charter Connection‘ Newsletter, which was emailed to subscribers last week, included an article describing the many different yacht charter destinations around the world. Readers were invited to vote on any cruising grounds they had visited on either a crewed yacht or bareboat charter and for the purpose of this vote, these areas were divided into the following categories:

BVI / US Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands, Grenadines, Western Caribbean, Bahamas / Florida, Western Mediterranean, Croatia, Greek Islands, Turkey, New England, Pacific Islands, New Zealand / Australia and Asia

You can view the initial results as they start to come in. It seems that most people only voted on their favorites, which they naturally rated as a ‘3′, so there are some ‘perfect scores’. We expect this to change as more people vote.

If you haven’t voted yet, feel free to do so, and if you only voted for your top choice, we’d love to hear about those other areas you visited and how you felt they compared.

You can also vote on the past surveys we have run, accessed via the results page. It is always satisfying to see a surge of votes come in after each ‘Charter Connection’ mailing, some for articles over a year old! For this reason we keep all articles open and update the results as they change.

If you would like us to describe any of these beautiful cruising grounds or the fine charter yachts that sail there, call us at 800 621 7855, or email us, or visit The Ed Hamilton & Co website.

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).

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.

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.

Due to an owner cancellation, Argonauta V is available from today until March 9th. If you’re considering a large, luxury crewed catamaran charter, take a look at her. She’s available in The British Virgin Islands, The Leeward Islands (St. Martin, Antigua) and The Grenadines. In the summer she heads for The Western Mediterranean (Balearics, Corsica, French Riviera and Italy).

Welcome to The Charter Connection. This Blog will address every aspect of Bareboat Charters and Crewed Yacht charters. It will include news of the various Bareboat Charter Companies such as The Moorings, Sunsail, Footloose, TMM and Horizon. If you don’t have sufficient sailing experience, we will discuss Private Yacht Charters with a crew, including a honeymoon yacht charter, crewed sailing charters or luxury motor yacht charters. We will also compare the many possible yacht charter destinations all over the world - Tortola, in the popular British Virgin Islands, The beautiful Tobago Cays in The Grenadines, the many cruising grounds in The Mediterranean, The Pacific Islands and many more.

Use the links in this post as a source of information on everything to do with yacht charter!