The Charter Connection Blog

‘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.

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.

We have talked to many friends in the islands and most of the news is positive. Power is gradually being restored and things are getting back to normal. There is however little news coming from Anegada which seems to have been affected the most, with flooding, several damaged buildings and many docks unusable. On Tortola, quite a few trees are down and vegetation damaged, but with all that sunshine everything grows back quickly and the island will look much the same in a few weeks. Bomba’s Shack will need to be rebuilt again, but being largely built of driftwood, he is used to doing this and it won’t be long before the full moon parties resume.

Thank you Tanya for permission to use your photographs. I particularly liked the one of Paraquita Bay. Few people know what goes into safeguarding all those bareboats when a storm threatens. Paraquita Bay has a narrow entrance and is not a popular charter destination but it has long been a hurricane refuge. The entrance has since been dredged, but in the early days we sometimes had to heel the boats over to get them in and then each bareboat company would try to anchor their yachts to avoid them hitting others.

As the top picture shows, much has changed. The companies have permanent storm moorings bow and stern, so more boats can be accommodated and damage between boats (always the biggest problem) is minimized. Companies often leave much of their fleet here through late August, September and October, which are traditionally slow, but once they move out, Paraquita is filled with empty rows of white mooring balls!

The first time we used Paraquita Bay in 1973, I remember a white knuckled Charley Carey, with his entire Moorings fleet safely inside, hoping that the heavy storm surge didn’t permanently seal up the entrance!

The second picture is of Maya Cove and the third of Beef Island, during the hurricane. To see more pictures and larger copies of these, visit our Facebook page.

Earl hasn’t finished quite yet and we are getting ready for him all the way up in Wiscasset, Maine! He’s due here Friday night and Saturday morning!

It was great to see Charlie and Ginny Cary named one the ‘Top 40 Sailors Who Made A Difference’ in SAIL magazine’s 40th anniversary issue. I knew them well.

Charlie and Ginny first came to the Virgin Islands in the late 60’s to retire. To keep busy, they bought four Pearson 35’s with Tony Reynold and some other friends from the oil industry back home in New Orleans, with the idea of starting a bareboat charter company.

They called their company The Moorings.

I first met them in 1972, when I had just sailed in to Road Town, Tortola from England. I was a young man of 25 and was desperately looking for a job. Charlie had just taken delivery of 15 Morgan Out Island 41s. I eventually convinced him to hire me and I worked for him for just over a year, before running another bareboat charter company and eventually starting my own in 1975. Ed Hamilton & Co came in 1982.

Charlie and Ginny were a wonderful team. Ginny was the one that always seemed to get everything done, but Charlie was the soft spoken boss! Looking at The Moorings empire today, with 32 bases worldwide, in every conceivable cruising ground from New Zealand to The Pacific North West, it is easy to forget how this company began.

In the early 70s they rented an office and dock space in front of the ‘new’ Waterfront Condominiums in Road Town, next to the Francis Drake Pub. This was a smart move, as it looked like they owned the whole complex, as the above picture shows. Charlie always did have big ideas! Having such a small staff, he and Ginny were very much involved in the day to day activities.

In the bareboat business, you learn to expect the unexpected, but I remember them being so disappointed when two of their brand new boats collided – they were the only two boats sailing that afternoon in the whole of the Drakes Channel and they managed to hit each other! If I remember correctly, one was being delivered from the US, with the delivery crew still on board. We could all fill books with stories like these!

On a personal note, I owe an enormous amount to Charlie and Ginny, as do many of their early staff.

Charlie never seemed to mind that his managers moved on to other bareboat charter companies. In the mid ’70s, when the industry was less competitive than today, the heads of all the BVI companies used to meet for lunch at the Treasure Isle Hotel, to share stories and supposedly discuss policy, etc. I remember Charlie looking round the table and realizing that he had employed and trained every single manager except one! It was to his credit that he accepted this as an enormous compliment!

Charlie and Ginny always owned a boat in their fleet, which they named ‘Flying Ginny’. It was always the best kept and had the top crew. Their last boat, ‘Flying Ginny VII’ is indeed still chartering (privately). She’s a very popular Lagoon 55, run by an English couple, Tom and Gemma.

Charlie also enjoyed fast powerboats and it was no accident that The Moorings chase boat (‘Windchaser’) was a nice new Bertram 28. On my weekly trips to St. Thomas to pick up supplies, I was always instructed to cruise at the rated rpm, but when Charlie was aboard he loved to ‘red line’ it. The two of us had some thrilling rides together!

The Moorings was eventually sold to a European travel group – a fact that was not widely broadcast in the US. For most people chartering in the Caribbean, The Moorings was as American as apple pie.

Later a group of American investors bought the company back and Charlie, once again, became a figurehead. While not as involved in the day-to-day business, it was great to see him at boat shows and Moorings events. Ginny’s health failed and he retired (once more) in The Bahamas and Florida. He died June 14th, 2007 at Vero Beach, Florida.

Ed

The Cooper Island Beach Club has been a popular BVI destination for both bareboats and crewed charter guests from the early 1970s when it began. Back then, one small building housed a restaurant where Jan Short cooked great meals and her husband Tim entertained with stories of his travels. Chartering had barely started and they were lucky if more than two boats anchored there overnight in high season. Tim would row out to each boat, to invite them ashore. I’m not sure if it was the pirate image with his beard and pipe, or the Cornish accent, but they invariably joined him.

In conjunction with Long Bay Hotel, the club expanded enormously. The new bar, now out on the beach and the enlarged restaurant, became incredibly popular. A dive shop opened up, so charterers wanting to dive the Rhone and other nearby spots could do so, while the rest of their party relaxed or partied on the beach. Even in the early days ferries came from Tortola, particularly on the weekend, so many families made a day of it (it originally was a club that members could join).

The name has never changed, but the club now has new owners, who have added and upgraded cottages, building on the resort concept. Their new restaurant opened last month and the reports we have received have been good. We would love to hear from any charterers who have had a meal, or spent time there recently. How did you enjoy the atmosphere, the facility and the food? Send us an email or use our new Facebook page which is an excellent place to pass on comments and share views. Visit the Ed Hamilton & Co site for information on other popular stops in the British Virgin Islands.

The top picture is of the new bar / restaurant, but we couldn’t resist adding Ed’s pictures of Cooper Island in 1974. Tim and Jan are the couple in the center and Miles Cortner is on the left. Miles worked for the then largest bareboat company, CSY. In the mid 70s he sailed off on his beautiful yacht ‘Sea Swan’ (which he built with his wife, Betty Lou) and cruised for the rest of his life. The bottom picture shows the empty bay and the Wharram cat that Tim and Jan sailed from England. We really have been there since chartering in the BVI began!

For the full list you should go to our Crewed Yacht Specials pages, but here are a few examples. All prices and specials are for 7 nights, 8 days:

‘Spirit’, 46′ Hunter. A good example of how a crew can make the difference! One of the stand outs among the bargain priced boats. $5,500 for two, including all meals and reasonable bar. Current Special: $500 ‘Give Us A Reason’ discount.

‘Hypnautic’, 44′ Lagoon 440 cat. Popular boat with the new flybridge design and a nice master cabin. $9,900 for 2, $12,500 for 6, including all meals and reasonable bar. Current Special: Honeymoon Special - $9500 for 2, includes any romantic getaways!

‘Crystal Clear’ 54′ CT. Full of old world charm. Romantic ‘great cabin’ aft, with transom windows. Charly is a showman - prepare to be pampered. $8,250 for 2, $9,950 for 4, including meals and reasonable bar. Current Specials: Valentine’s Special - all inclusive for 2 people, open bar including champagne, chocolates, flowers & gifts $5950 for 7 nights. Good for all of February 2010! Book for 2010 before March 15, 2010 and save 10% on the listed rate!

‘Tonina’, 51′ Lagoon. One of the best of the 500s, particularly well run and nicely decorated. $15,990 for 6, including meals and reasonable bar. Current Specials: $1000 discount from regular price for charters 7 nights or more, for early 2010 (excluding holidays).

All the above are based in the Virgin Islands. For a charter in the Grenadines, try:

‘Sudiki’, 62′ Gulfstar. Roomy, comfortable monohull with a large master aft. Duff and Christine have lived in the Grenadines for many years and can provide a truly ‘local’ experience. $6,500 for 2, $8,500 for 4 including all meals, ex bar. Current Special: Honeymoon Special! $4950 for two, inclusive except 3 dinners ashore and bar.

‘Akasha’, 76′ Matrix cat. Top of the line in her class. $48,000 for 10, including meals and reasonable bar. British Virgin Islands to Grenada. Current Special: Two 40-minute complimentary massages per charter and 5 complimentary dives per week. This boat doesn’t need to offer specials to keep a full calendar. If you can afford her, book her - you won’t be disappointed.

You can find more specials on the Ed Hamilton & Co website. These are great examples but relatively few boats are offering specials and your best choice might not be on this list. They might already be priced right or perhaps offer more (remember, a good crew is more important than the yacht). With or without specials, the boats that have full calendars generally have them for a reason.

We have been personally selecting the best boats for our clients for 28 years and not only do we know these boats and crews particularly well, we have the experience to successfully match crews and guests, and to determine what really does represent good value. Email us or ask us to suggest some suitable yachts. All our advice and services are free, yet helping you choose the right boat and crew could make all the difference to your vacation.

Promenade, the popular 65 foot trimaran based in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, has lowered her summer rates. Between May 15th and September 1st, up to 10 guests can charter her for $17,990 for 7 nights, including all meals and ship’s bar. With approval, she can even carry 12 guests.

Sleek and fast, this older style trimaran was built in 1980, but is in great shape. Three cabins have double berths, the other two have twin beds that can be converted to a king. The pontoons are narrow (quite difficult access) but the accommodations are spacious and comfortable without being fancy. The pontoon cabins have private heads while the three cabins aft share two heads. The shaded cockpit is huge, running the width of the boat and there is unlimited sunning space on the enormous uncluttered flat decks. She carries a particularly wide range of scuba diving, ski and water toys.

If you have a large group, she might be the perfect choice for your summer Caribbean yacht charter. Call us at 800 621 7855 or email us.

Looking for something else? Browse through the Ed Hamilton & Co site or tell us your plans, so we can start selecting a suitable yacht for you.