The Charter Connection Blog

‘Analisa’ is offering a snowbird special. $1,000 off a 7 night 4 pax charter, $750 off for 3 and $500 off a 2 pax, taking place before June 2011. This 60′ Hatteras motor yacht is already economically priced at $3,375 per person for 4, per week, including all meals, open ship’s bar, water toys, cruising taxes, unlimited generator and free fuel up to 20 hours (more than adequate for a 7 day charter).

The special applies for 7 night charters, but they also will charter for shorter periods without adding the customary surcharge to the prorated weekly rate. They offer half board rates for those wishing to eat several meals ashore, but with the price of local restaurants, the inclusive rate is generally the better value. She’s best for 4, but families of 6 can be accommodated, with two children in the salon, sharing a head with the crew.

Peter Scully and Ruth Pinnell have cruised on Analisa for 10years, but put her through an extensive refit before chartering her, so everything is new and in great shape. Meet them both in their excellent promotional video.

Her comfortable master cabin features a queen berth and a second guest cabin has two singles which can be converted to a sideways queen. The 15′ tender has a 60hp engine which can pull a variety of water toys, including adult and child water skis, a tube and a wake board. There are also two double kayaks, underwater cameras (video and still), floating mats and fishing gear. She can start charters in the US Virgin Islands or the British Virgin Islands.

We specialize in finding you the best value regardless of price range. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us at info@ed-hamilton.com, take a look at the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or tell us about your plans and we will suggest some boats and crews we feel would be suitable for your group!

Here’s a way of having an inexpensive romantic Valentine charter and renew your vows at the same time! Tim and Angela are offering a special for charters over Valentine’s Day on their lovely 46′ yacht ‘Spirit’.

In addition to all meals and open bar, they are including free champagne throughout the week (let it flow), engraved gifts, a DVD of your happy adventures above and below the water, and champagne beach picnics! On Valentines Day itself, you can join the traditional group wedding vow renewal ceremony, held just before sunset at beautiful Trunk Bay, St. John. A tropical fruit platter and (of course) champagne, will be served after the ceremony, on the beach. Also included is a tandem ride rendezvous parasail with a bird’s eye view of St. John, St Thomas and the western British Virgin Islands.
All this for a total of $5900 for two, for the week, plus gratuity. Preferred pick up is the US Virgin Islands for this special.

Feeling romantic? Ed Hamilton & Co can provide the perfect setting for any honeymoon yacht charter or celebration, so tell us your plans and call us at 800 621 7855 or send us an email at info@ed-hamilton.com.

P.S. See if you can guess the name of the beach in the photograph (hint it was taken a few years ago)! The answer is on our company FaceBook page.

Christmas is only 9 days away, but we are still getting last minute requests for the holidays. Almost more surprising is that we are finding suitable boats and booking them! The savvy shoppers are booking for NEXT year, where they can get what they want before the regulars rebook for 2011/12, but if you’re looking for a last minute get away, here are some suggestions for this year. Prices are holiday rates for one week and include all meals and open bar unless stated.

Open from Dec 27 - Jan 11, Tachyon has to be a deal in the Grenadines. Jacque is joining Eric for this charter, so this week she is fully crewed for up to 6 guests, for $11,900 (reduced from $14,900).

Magpie ($8,700/2, $10,300/4)and Sudiki ($9,400/2, $12,000/4) are two other options in the Grenadines, open for both holidays.

In the British and US Virgin Islands, the popular Sandcastle ($13,420/2, $14,420/4) is open for Christmas, up to Dec 27, and Reaction ($20,000 up to 8 ), with their fun crew, is open to Dec 28.

Honiara ($8,470 up to 4) and Crystal Clear ($8,950/2, $10,950/4) are open for both holidays and Amaryllis ($9,350/2, $10,450/4, $12,100/6) is open for New Year from the 30th.

123Relax ($5,445/2, $7,150/4, $8,778/6, plus bar in Leewards) is an inexpensive option in St. Martin but she needs to finish on the 1st.

Thinking of a different New Year in the uncrowded islands of Belize? Be pampered on the exciting Gunboat 66, Gazelle ($23,100 up to 4, $25,300/6), open from the 30th.

Check into flights first, but if you can get there, we can have you celebrating in the sunshine this holiday! Email us now at Ed Hamilton & Co.

The St Thomas charter yacht show was held for the third year at Yacht Haven Grande, in Charlotte Amalie. The setting is gorgeous with the landscaped area, host of restaurants and boutique shops surrounding the docks.

Twenty-eight yachts were in attendance, and brokers could see a wide range of boats from the 46′ Hunter SPIRIT, specializing in two guest vacations, to the 56′ Marquises Catamaran, GOOD NEWS, all the way up to the 120′ Broward, M/Y FREEDOM.

I had the honor of having lunch aboard the latter, and had an outstanding meal by chef Quinn Corbett, who incidentally hails from Maine. Quinn showcased his talents well and his menu was amazing. The starter was sauteed shrimp with house smoked bacon and sweet corn, finished with white wine, fresh thyme and butter and served on southern grits.

The main course consisted of a mixed grill of chicken breast with a cranberry-orange chutney, quail with dried fruit and nut bread stuffing, Merguez sausage with traditional Harissa sauce, and a fresh goat cheese crumble, served with grilled veggies and an Israeli couscous. And just when we thought we’d eaten too much, out came the dessert. A Chef’s selection of truffles, fruit fondu, mini whoopie pies, rosemary shortbread, mini ice cream sandwiches, peanut butter cups and blondies. There were clean plates all around. FREEDOM can host up to 9 guests in 4 cabins, the Master Cabin has a King bed, there are two Queen cabins and a cabin with twin beds and a pullman.

I was also treated to lunch aboard the 54′ Lazzara, Verna Breeze. Chris and Kelly are wonderful hosts and the online brochure does not do the boat justice. This comfortable sailer features amazingly spacious, flat decks.  Kelly prepared prosciutto wrapped asparagus spears, yin yan soup, and grilled lobster.  Dessert was grilled pineapple with dipping sauce. Stellar. VERNA BREEZE is a great boat for a single couple or a family with one or two kids. Her master has a queen and an additional cabin offers over/under singles.

The boat show was a great success, and I had the opportunity to visit with crews and yachts I was already familiar with as well as see some exciting new options for charter. Email us or give us a call at 800 621 7855, and we can help you find the perfect yacht and crew for your vacation!

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.

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!

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

“We just returned home from a fabulous week aboard the S/Y Swish.  Emily and Euros were absolutely amazing!  Euros took us on wonderful and unique dives and really did a spectacular job navigating for us.  They both took the time to maximize the sail from the US Virgin Islands through the BVI.  We really were able to see and do so much.  Emily’s culinary skills were just delicious!  She really made an effort to make every meal special.  It was 5-star dining at every meal.  In addition, Emily and Euros surprised us with a Birthday Party for Robert on our last night, including a beautiful birthday cake and a special music mix.

We had a wonderful time and would highly recommend Emily and Euros and the S/Y Swish.  Thank you for strongly recommending that we go with this yacht and this crew.  You matched us perfectly!  Thank you.”

For all but the largest charter yachts, we have always stressed that selecting the right crew is even more important than choosing the right boat. For more information on ‘Swish’, Euros and Emily, and the many other fine yachts and crews we book regularly, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site and tell us about your plans. We know these boats and crews very well and will take the time to match you with the right combination!