The Charter Connection Blog

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!

Belize is a great cruising ground but while there are many bareboat options, boat selection can be limited for crewed charters. We are therefore pleased to announce that two popular cats from the eastern Caribbean will be basing there this winter.

Chartering in Belize is quite different from the Virgins or the eastern Caribbean chain. There are very few restaurants/bars ashore and it is possible to hardly see another sail for the week in the more remote areas. Not all people are looking for this amount of solitude, but for those who are, this is a wonderful destination, particularly for anyone interested in scuba diving. The waters are generally shallow and protected by the spectacular Belize Barrier Reef, which is over 180 miles long (second longest in the world).

Gazelle is one of the exciting new Gunboat 66’s - a new breed of cats combining incredible speed with comfort. These designs are full of interesting ideas, including an additional forward ‘cockpit’ for handling lines. Both the salon and covered cockpit aft are particularly spacious and have an open feel. The master cabin is forward, to port, with a smaller cabin aft. A third cabin is forward, to starboard, with access past the galley. Berths in the forward cabins are quite high, but comfortable. The fine woodwork is unusual in such a performance boat. Six guests can charter her for a week for $3,834 pp including all meals and reasonable bar. Her popular crew, Jon and Nicki, have done several excellent charters for us on their previous boat, Mawali. They are currently in New England (see recent picture passing famous NY landmark), but will be sailing the boat south in the fall. Between December and February, they will visit Cuba, Mexico, Belize, Guatamala and Panama. In March they head to the Galapagos and then on to Tahiti…

Infinity is one of the popular 50′ Simonis/Voyage cats. She was built in 2001 and has chartered in the British Virgin Islands since then. She is now based in Belize, at Ambergris Caye. Her crew, Ian and Janey, are keen divers and would be happy to take you to the great dive sites of this unspoiled area. Her six person rate is $2250 pp, including all meals, bar, diving and dive gear.

We also want to mention Legacy, although she is not a new addition and not the same style of boat. Legacy has been chartering in Belize for a while and is particularly popular with serious divers or larger groups looking for more casual service and accommodations. She is a 64′ custom catamaran that can accommodate up to 12 guests, though 10 is more practical. Access to some cabins is through others. Her six person rate is $2,668 pp and ten is $2,401 pp, including all meals, bar, diving (up to 4 per day) and dive gear. Note that this price is for six nights, not seven, but they are currently running a special until December 15th, offering a free 7th night and one guest free for 8 or more guests.

If you are looking for a quality charter in an unusual destination this winter, call us at 800 621 7855, or email us at info@ed-hamilton.com. There’s more destinations on the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or you can tell us about your plans so we can suggest some other areas, boats and crews!

In the Mediterranean, Anahita is using the same figures, but instead of Euros, they are now US dollars! $8,500 for 2, $10,000 for 4 and $11,500 for 6, plus expenses. In addition, she is offering 8 days for the price of 7. She can charter in the Western or Eastern Med or Croatia with no delivery fees.

In the Caribbean, the popular 65′ catamaran True North has shaved $5,000 of their price for this summer and next winter. She is now $24,500 for 6 and $26,500 for 8 ($3,313 per person) for 7 nights, and this includes all meals, open ships bar, and scuba diving (scuba courses also available at extra cost). During August and September she moves to the Grenadines, but otherwise she is available anywhere from the British Virgin Islands and Antigua, to Grenada, depending on her booking calendar.

Further north, in New England, the 123′ luxury ketch Galileo G has dropped her rate to $39,000 plus expenses. This glorious yacht was designed for world cruising by Sparkman and Stephens and built by Palmer Johnson. The classic interior was done by John Munford. All are great names in the yachting industry! She accommodates up to 6 guests in three comfortable cabins. The master is however so huge and magnificent (it comes complete with a private study/reading room) that she could also be the ultimate private yacht charter for just two guests! Extravagant? Of course. Worth it? Absolutely!

We can find you the best value in every price range. You can call us at 800 621 7855, email us at info@ed-hamilton.com, read more on the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or tell us about your plans so we can suggest some suitable boats and crews!

Charter Yacht SUBLIME is offering a special deal for recent Grads in the month of June. One graduate goes free with a June booking of five or more guests for a week long charter in the British and US Virgin Islands.

Crew Brian and Stephanie Johnson are fun, accommodating hosts and offer free diving and dive instruction.

For those who do not have an interest in exploring the ocean from below, they also have a 90hp outboard on their tender, capable of pulling adults and kids alike on waterskis, wakeboards, tubes, etc. For a quieter activity, there are floating sun mats, snorkel gear, a kayak and fishing gear.

SUBLIME is currently available for the remainder of June. Contact us at info@ed-hamilton.com, check out the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or fill out a form for more information about this and other exciting offers!

SVG Airlines announced new scheduled flights into St. Lucia’s Hewanorra airport, which will connect with many international carriers. There are two airports in St. Lucia and it is not practical to transfer between them. Traditionally many of the commuter airlines flew out of the northern airport, Vigie Fields, so these new flights will make getting to the smaller islands in the Grenadines even easier. SVG now runs flights from Hewanorra to St. Vincent, Bequia and Canouan. They can also arrange charter flights to any island. Their fleet ranges from smaller Cessnas etc to Twin Otters and smaller jets (used mainly for charter flights).

Winair also announced they are resuming service into the British Virgin Islands, from St. Martin and Antigua. Flights are timed to connect with major trans Atlantic air carriers such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. The St. Maarten service will also connect with several US cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago and New York. There will be 21 flights between Tortola, St. Maarten and Antigua each week, using Jet Stream aircraft which carry 19 passengers. Winair enjoys privileges with several airlines enabling passengers to often check their baggage through to their final destination.

We are full service brokerage and can help you with all aspects of your yacht charter. Email us for more information, check out the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or ask us to suggest some crewed or bareboat options to start planning your holiday.

Fran & Stu are presently half-way between Panama and the Galapagos en-route to Tonga on their catamaran, ‘Two If By Sea’. They report fair winds, clear skies and an uneventful passage so far. The Canal transit was great, without dramas or problems.

They have produced a new website to promote their venture, which covers everything from flight information, activities and what to expect from a vacation aboard ‘Two if by Sea’ in Tonga.

We have had many successful charters on this boat.  She made her name in the British Virgin Islands, but Stu and Fran love exploring less known places, so decided to relocate to unspoiled Bocas del Toro, Panama (see our past newsletter article), where they spent last season.

They plan to charter in Vava’u, Tonga for 2 years starting this September, eventually moving on to Fiji and New Caledonia. Tonga is traditionally a bareboat destination and there are few boats based there that have a full-time professional crew. In addition, ‘Two if by Sea’ can offer scuba diving at any level (Stu and Fran are both PADI instructors), plus a wealth of water toys for guests’ use. Based on our past experience with this great boat and crew, we feel they will be very popular and look forward to helping them fill their calendar.

Sounds interesting? Email us for more information on ‘Two if by Sea’ and start planning a holiday of a lifetime in the Pacific Islands. Considering other areas? We can suggest other crewed sailing charters in all kinds of romantic destinations. There’s more information on the Ed Hamilton & Co website.

Version 4.0 of the Navionics’ iPhone charts is now out. If you own an iPhone and are planning a yacht charter in the Caribbean, Bahamas or New England you should get this app. It’s even a pretty good reason to buy an iPhone! The new version has Google overlays over the land, so you can easily identify landmarks. The iPhone gps, particularly in older models, isn’t accurate enough to replace your chart plotter but this app is incredibly useful as a backup, a dinghy gps, or a tool to plan an itinerary before you even take your charter. See our article describing version 3, which shows some of the many things you can do. Prices now start at $4.99 - the same charts in your chart plotter can cost several times this!

Back home, I use the Maine iPhone charts all the time when planning our trips or checking out the next anchorage. Scrolling and zooming is much easier than using a chart plotter. Charts for the whole US East Coast cost $14.99!

Ed Hamilton & Co’s Steve McCrea recently chartered a Moorings 4300 bareboat in the British Virgin Islands and took these two pictures as he was approaching Cooper Island. The top picture shows the Raymarine chart plotter on the Moorings boat, which used the same Navionics charts as the iPhone. The second picture, taken a couple of minutes earlier, shows his phone giving the same position (the chart is turned so north is upwards). Steve says his iPhone (the latest version) was every bit as accurate as the plotter and the fix on each device was identical!

You can find many Virgin Island crewed charter deals on our website’s ’specials’ page, so we don’t post every one in our blog, but these two caught our eye.

Pas de Deux is offering 7 nights for the price of 6 from now until July 7th! Six guests can therefore have 7 nights on this great 60′ cat for $2786 p.p. instead of $3250, including all meals and open bar. Harvey and Tracy are an excellent young crew. This is a good price for a 60′ cat offering this standard of quality.

For two guests looking for an inexpensive 54′ monohull, the Gulfstar Verna Breeze is offering full board and half board specials up until December 15th, 2010.

Full Board all inclusive special - $5999 for 2 adults. $500 for each additional child.
Half board (7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners) $5499 for 2 adults. $400 for each additional child.

This 1987 Lazzara design had a refit in 2006 and is in nice shape. She has a traditional interior with plenty of varnished wood and lots of charm.

For deals offered by bareboat charter companies check out our bareboat specials on the Ed Hamilton & Co website. Click on your favorite cruising ground for a full list.