The Charter Connection Blog

‘Minx’. Based near Monaco, this Azimut 68 could speed you along the French Riviera and across to Corsica in style. Her low weekly rate is 27,000 EUROS but she is reducing this by 15% for early summer charters.

‘Zoom Zoom Zoom’. Sumptuous, stylish 161′ Trinity. Modern lines outside but a lovely classic, comfortable interior. Spectacular split level master has panoramic views and 9′ headroom! Rate reduced from $245,000 to $190,000 for all remaining dates this summer.

‘Damrak II’. Lovely new 70′ Sunreef power cat. Clever layout gives enormous space and particularly nice master cabin facing forward. 8 guests. Her reduced introductory rate is $42,000.

‘Ohana’. Famous 142′ Perini Navi sailing yacht, with sleek lines and an enormous flybridge. Modern styling inside and out. 10 guests. Reduced from 105,000 EUROS to 80,000 EUROS early summer.

We can find you the best value in any price range. 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 for your group!

‘Matelot’. This lovely sleek Bruce Farr designed Southern Wind is offering 20% off her regular rate of 25,000 EUROS for early summer dates in Croatia.

‘Sundara’, a popular Turkish built 113′ sailing yacht already has a busy calendar in Croatia, but she has reduced her rate from 35,000 to 31,500 EUROS for available weeks in July.

‘Paris A’ is a fast and flashy 114′ Maiora. She cruises in the Greek Islands but also charters in Turkey. Summer rates have been reduced from 91,000 to 68,500 EUROS peak months and 70,000 to 59,500 EUROS other months. Sleeps up to 12. Lots of toys.

‘Elisa’. This Italian built 107′ Akhir can reach 25 knots. She is based near Athens, but will charter in Croatia with no delivery fee. Her rate has been reduced from a high of 70,000 EUROS to a flat rate of 59,000 EUROS all summer.

‘HB 1′, at the opposite spectrum, is a 145′ traditional wooden gulet motor sailor accommodating up to 40 guests in 20 en suite cabins. Her price has been reduced to 46,000 EUROS for charters finishing before July 5th.

For more information on these boats and many others, call us at 800 621 7855, email us at info@ed-hamilton.com, take a look at the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or ask us to suggest some specific boats and crews for your group!

Mediterranean Bareboat Specials:
All of Sunsail’s Med bases: May 1 - June 30, September 1 - October 31: 10% off all charters.
10% off charters booked at least 6 months in advance. Excludes Easter.

Caribbean Bareboat Specials:
Many companies are offering free days this year, and they’re starting a bit earlier than usual. Most free day specials in the past few years have started in July, or even as late as August.

TMM is offering 10 for 7 at all bases June 6 - October 31.

Horizon is offering 10 for 7 in Tortola from May 1 - October 31, and has some great offers on small monohulls in Tortola - charter fees as low as $1500 per week.

Even Moorings is offering free days: June 15 - Sept 30, 6 days for 5, 9 for 7, or 13 for 10, (excludes the Moorings 4600 and new Moorings 54.5).

Dream Yacht Charter - up to 30% off all monohulls up to 45 feet, and the Catana 41 and 50′ cats.

Visit our bareboat specials page. For more information on these and many other bareboat charter companies and boats, call us at 800 621 7855, email us at info@ed-hamilton.com, check out the Ed Hamilton & Co website, or ask us to suggest some specific boats that fit your requirements!

There are relatively few yachts that can accommodate a large party (30 guests) in such luxury, so if you want to treat your company executives, extended family or special group to a holiday of a lifetime, consider RM Elegant. Your guests will sleep well in 15 comfortable cabins, including two luxury suites, but the main attraction is the service they will receive and the sheer size, comfort and diversity of this 237′ ship.

The enormous sun deck runs almost the full length. Enjoy the view from a deckchair or the jacuzzi, or host a party, all without another uninvited guest in sight! Guests can dine in a variety of spaces, from casual to formal. Those that feel the need can utilize the state of the art business center, while others can spend their time being pampered in her excellent spa. For the active, she has every water toy you could imagine!

RM Elegant is currently in the Caribbean, on her way to her winter home in St. Martin, but this is a yacht that can go virtually anywhere, so ask us if you have a special request. In the summer she heads back to the Mediterranean, to her base in the French Riviera. Take a look at her brochure and dream!

So much luxury for just 30 special guests is obviously not inexpensive, but if you’re looking for a business or group treat, this is top end! At Ed Hamilton & Co we specialize in finding those perfect solutions, so tell us about your plans and call us at 800 621 7855 or email us at info@ed-hamilton.com.

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!

We’ve tempted you with the last six posts describing our recent travels around the beautiful Mediterranean, but here’s the best news! With the value of the EURO dropping to just 1.23 US dollars, there has never been a better time to take a charter in Europe.

Turkey, The Greek Islands (Ionian, Saronic, Cyclades, Dodecanese), Croatia, Italy, France - take a look back through the previous posts and pick an area. For many more photographs, check out our Facebook page. We would love to tell you more.

Email us your questions or ask us to recommend a selection of charter yachts that fit your plans. There’s also more information on the Ed Hamilton & Co website. Bareboat charters, crewed yachts, sail, power, traditional gulets, modern multihulls - there’s something for everyone. If you’ve ever dreamed of discovering something new, now is the time!

The Ionian Islands, on the western side of Greece, are our last charter destination on this trip and not only have we run out of time, the fine weather that has followed us the last 12 days changed dramatically just after we arrived. I managed to take a few photographs, but once the rain came there was little point in taking more!

While private crewed motor yachts and sailboats operate all the way down this coast, the Ionian Islands are best known as a bareboat cruising ground, as the sailing is relatively easy and there are many small harbors to visit. There are several flights from Athens into Aktion airport and from there it is a short ride to Levkas, at the north end of the island with the same name. The cruising ground is around Levkas and along the inside coast of Kefallinia.

The western coast of Greece enjoys a different climate and as you can see from these photographs, these islands have far more trees and vegetation compared to say the Cyclades. Many first time bareboaters automatically consider the better known Greek islands to the east, but chartering in the Ionian makes a lot of sense. We can tell you the pros and cons of each area.

We hope you have enjoyed these posts and photographs from our ‘Eastern Mediterranean Charter Destinations’ trip. The islands are as beautiful as ever and most of the boats we saw were well up to standard. When it comes time to consider a charter, do please contact us (phone 800 621 7855, email or request boat suggestions). It costs no more to book through Ed Hamilton & Co and our local knowledge of the area and the fleets can make all the difference to your holiday.

We are heading back to the Cyclades Islands of Greece. Compared to Turkey and the Saronic Gulf, this area involves much more open sailing and winds can be particularly strong later in the summer. As the photographs show however, the weather we are having for this trip is just beautiful, with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s. May and September are excellent months to visit these islands. The two most famous are Mykonos, which is everyone’s idea of what a Greek island should look like (small white box shaped houses with blue doors and curved edges) and Santorini, which is nothing like anything you have ever seen.

We have always said that if you like wild (expensive) nightlife and don’t mind all the trimmings and prices that come with the jet set,  then you will love Mykonos.  Be warned that we found some stores selling jewelry at twice and even three times the prices back in the US.  By local law, all residential buildings have to be the same design and while this keeps the traditional character, the sheer number of mostly holiday houses that have now been built on the island can make one wish for more variety. Having said that, the island is a photographer or artist’s dream and the narrow streets in the main town of Mykonos are very pretty. We just feel it is all a bit commercial.

Santorini is very different, but while it is on everyone’s list, it is actually quite hard to visit on charter. The islands are all that still shows of the rim of a sunken volcano, so the water in the center is extremely deep and there are few places to anchor. When the wind gets up, there are strong downdrafts and little protection, so some bareboat charter companies ask that you keep a crew member on the boat at all times, which can take away from the enjoyment. This is not as much of a problem for a private crewed charter, and we have sometimes used Santorini or Mykonos as a finishing port, allowing guests to spend a few days on the island after their charter.

Fira, the main town of Santorini, sits on the ridge. To say the view is spectacular is of course an understatement. The town is lively, with many narrow streets filled with stores, restaurants and nightclubs, but the atmosphere is more relaxed. Unlike many other islands, the town and even tourism, are relatively recent. Remember this is an active volcano (the last eruption was in 1950), but visitors should not be concerned as today these things are accurately forecast. There is an excellent ferry service from Athens and several nearby islands (and even a small airport), so you can visit Santorini before or after your holiday.

Santorini is the name given to the whole group of islands formed by this sunken volcano, but if you have trouble finding it in the atlas, look for Thira, which is the name of the main island and is sometimes more prominently marked.

Much of the Mediterranean can get crowded in July and August but the weather can also become unpredictable in the Cyclades during these months, with strong Meltemi winds, which is an additional reason to try to sail here in May and June, or September and early October, rather than at the height of the season. When chartering in the summer, your itinerary might well depend on the weather and in extreme conditions, boats can be ordered by the port authority to stay in the harbor. Keeping things flexible is therefore important. Ed Hamilton & Co can give you first hand advice when chartering in the Cyclades or any of the Greek Islands.