The Charter Connection Blog

With American Airlines cutting flights to The Caribbean, yacht charter guests are often having to find alternative carriers. Small companies, such as Cape Air, are becoming popular for short inter-island flights. In a trip to St Thomas and The British Virgin Islands last week, we decided to try them out.

Cape Air uses 9 passenger, Cessna 402s. These are small planes, so anyone particularly afraid of flying, even in the larger jets, might consider staying with the major airlines. Having said that, the pilots are personable and the flight can indeed be a fun experience - a great start to your Caribbean vacation.

When arriving in San Juan, the transfer is not quite as convenient as using the larger airlines, as Cape Air’s desk is hidden away and quite a hike from the AA terminal. The gate number is not marked on the AA monitors, so just ask.

When the plane is full, it often cannot carry all the heavier luggage, so try to travel light. Both Emily (flying the previous day) and myself lost bags, but they were delivered to the boat show the next day at no charge.

Avoid tight connections because, like most Caribbean carriers, things run on island time and flights can be delayed, sometimes through no fault of the airline. Smaller planes are also more effected by weather, which can also cause delays.

Seats are assigned as you board the plane, to distribute the weight evenly. If you are tall, as I am, the best seat is by the door. One lucky passenger gets to sit by the pilot.

The plane often flies lower than a jet so the views are spectacular.

If you need advice on getting to your yacht charter, email or call Ed Hamilton & Co at 800 621 7855. It’s all part of the service when you charter through us.

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.

A big thanks to everyone who sent us pictures of Hurricane Omar. While this storm was thankfully somewhat of an anticlimax in the US and British Virgin Islands, The Leeward Islands certainly had some damage and we received several pictures of flooded cars and downed trees, both in St. Martin and in Antigua (Jolly Harbour was particularly hard hit).

Rather than showing photographs of flood damage, which is rapidly being cleaned up, the pictures featured here were taken of the entrance to Marigot Bay, St. Lucia, many miles further south. Though Omar was miles away, the storm surge was impressive, particularly considering this is the leeward side of the island. No damage, just great pictures. Thank you Dick and crewed charter yacht ‘Frangines’ (she’s the catamaran in the foreground) for sending them to us.

Hurricanes affect The Eastern Caribbean far less than Florida and islands further west, though we certainly cannot say they don’t happen. So a storm like Omar, even though it had relatively little effect on the Caribbean Yacht Charter Industry, is news. This is the slow season, so we only had a few charters affected.

Most trip cancellation insurance covers weather interruptions, but for full coverage, it is important to select the right company. We can give you lots of advice with this.

If you don’t mind taking a chance of your charter being cut short, there are all kinds of bareboat charter bargains to be had. Email or call Ed Hamilton & Co at 800 621 7855.

Hurricane Omar tracked slightly east of his projected path, passing through The Anegada Passage between The British Virgin Islands and St Martin last night. Thankful residents and crews in The Virgins billed it as a relative ‘non event’ - more rain than wind. If anything, St Martin was more affected, as the storm was not expected to pass this close and less preparation was done. From the people we have heard from this morning, St. Croix had closed roads and trees down, St. Thomas lost power, Tortola is still without power as of this writing and St. Maarten lost some roofs and trees, although we understand there might be more damage in the marinas in Simpson Bay. The storm came from the ‘wrong’ direction, so much of the southwest of the island was less protected. Some small tornadoes were reported in this area.

One reason for the lack of more wide spread damage was that the storm moved very quickly through the area. After stalling for days further south, it raced past the Virgins at 25 knots and is expected to decrease in intensity as it meets cooler water. Judging from the relatively few precautions some private boat owners took in The Virgins, this is a good thing. The Virgins haven’t had a direct hit from a major hurricane for many years and I wonder if this has made people take them less seriously.

The weather is already back to normal, with light winds and lovely sunshine. Email or call Ed Hamilton & Co at 800 621 7855 if you have any questions about Caribbean weather or bareboat charter bargains during these low season months.

A big thank you to our friends in The Caribbean, for letting us know. Glad you’re all OK.

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.

When we go to the boat shows, we first look at the new additions to the yacht charter fleet and meet the new crews, but the veterans often have a few surprises up their sleeves!

Yachts are constantly upgrading mechanically and cosmetically and a beautiful example of this is the 1997 Lagoon, ‘Priorities’. This 8 passenger cat has transformed herself this summer from her standard white hull to a beautiful claret. She is sure to stand out among her competitors in The Drake’s Channel this year!

We would be happy to show you this and other fine 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.

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!

You don’t have to be a celebrity to get married like one! MTV contacted us a short while ago, looking for couples between 18 and 28 who are getting married on a yacht or in an exotic location during August. We can email you the details and contact information. The new show is called ‘True Life’ and provides a window into the lives of young Americans. Subjects for the series include living with a disorder, living in poverty, returning from Iraq, etc. MTV is currently casting ‘True Life: I’m Having a Destination Wedding’ and are looking for couples with interesting stories to tell about their wedding/relationship. They are particularly interested in why you wanted an unusual wedding and why you chose the destination you did. If you’re interested, email or call Ed Hamilton & Co at 800 621 7855. You could make your wedding even more extraordinary by having MTV document your journey!

We can show you how a private yacht charter can be the ultimate honeymoon, or romantic setting for exchanging vows. You can choose to be pampered by a private crew (some crews specialize in honeymoons and know how to spoil you while still giving you plenty of privacy), or qualified sailors can enjoy the freedom of a bareboat charter. Either way, there is no timetable - the itinerary and each day’s activities are up to you. Even the menu on a crewed yacht is planned around both your preferences!

If a Honeymoon Yacht Charter sounds romantic, we can help you find the right boat, and more importantly, the right crew. We know them well and have over 25 years experience matching personalities and interests. 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. Check out our Honeymoon guideline pages and wedding requirements for the more popular Caribbean Islands. To get the feel of a typical charter, take a look at our Bareboat Slide Show in The British Virgin Islands or our Crewed Yacht Charter Slide Show in The Grenadines.