The Charter Connection Blog

Traditionally most of the popular charter yachts visiting New England during the summer are booked during August for the New Yacht Yacht Club Cruise, or various other cruising clubs. The 155th annual NYYC cruise this summer is July 29 to August 6, finishing in Newport, but they are also running a cruise in Maine, from August 8 to 14. If you are dreaming of visiting quaint Nantucket or Martha’s Vinyard, or exploring the fabulous coast of Maine during peak season, it’s certainly not too early to start looking!

The ever popular 67′ ‘Aurora’ is still available. Ken and Gisele Lannamann are her great new crew. You might remember them from when they ran ‘Gadget’, the famous vintage Hinckley previously owned by Walter Cronkite and later by the creator of Inspector Gadget! Fabulous crew with an in depth knowledge of New England. The beautiful master aft makes her ideal for 2 guests looking for luxury.

‘More Magic’ is a brand new 67′ Discovery. The owner’s already blocked off July 29 to August 15, but if your dates are flexible, this is a spectacular modern design. The fore and aft double cabins are fairly equal, with a smaller double to port, all trimmed in beautiful light mahogany. This is not a boat for young families as the owner has an 8 year minimum age limit, but she’s ideal for two or perhaps three couples, or teenagers.

The 72′ ‘Campai’ already has a booking in August (4 to 9), but is also a popular New England choice and her established crew has plenty of local knowledge.

For something more traditional, the 57′ schooner ‘Bonnie Lynn’ offers seamanship classes as well as traditional charters, primarily on the coast of Maine.

For motor yacht fans, the 63′ Burger ‘Victorian Rose’ was built in 1963 but has been beautifully restored from the keel up over the last three years. Great way to see New England in traditional old world style.

Ed Hamilton & Co is based in Maine and we know New England like the back of our hands! If you’re looking for a boat for the NYYC cruise or just getting away on a private yacht charter, call us at 800 621 7855, or email us at info@ed-hamilton.com. If you tell us a bit about your plans, we will suggest some suitable boats and crews!

Right now we’re only dreaming of summer up here in Maine, but it will arrive before you know it! Our good friends Bonnie and Earl McKenzie have announced they will be running their Seamanship Classes in Maine again this summer, on their beautiful schooner ‘Bonnie Lynn’. This is of course in addition to the regular private crewed sailing charters they offer.

‘Bonnie Lynn’ is a beautiful 57′ schooner, built in 1998 and completed from the hull up by her proud owners. We have done many charters with this fine crew.

It’s not too early to book your New England holiday and planning it will help you get through the rest of the winter! Contact us at Ed Hamilton & Co and tell us your plans. You can call us at 800 621 7855 or email us at info@ed-hamilton.com.We would be happy to talk more about Bonnie Lynn or make other suggestions for your group.

For most people, it’s 3 to 4 months before the boat goes back in the water. Here in Maine we’re told we are having an easier winter than states further south. We’re certainly more comfortable coping with snow, but in reality, most of us are already ready for winter to end.

Book a Caribbean yacht charter in late February or March, and when you return, the weather will be improving and splashing the boat will be a tolerable few weeks away!

Additionally the best weather in the Caribbean is traditionally in later March and April, when the trade winds have settled and are blowing steadily, but in truth the differences are small. January and February are also great times to charter, with the added bonus of getting away from the worst weather up north.

Pick up the phone before the next Nor’easter arrives. The brokers at Ed Hamilton & Co. can have you on a plane before you know it. Tell us about your group and let us suggest some great bareboat charter companies or private crewed yachts. You can call us at 800 621 7855 or email us at info@ed-hamilton.com.

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!

For lovers of modern boats built along traditional lines, they don’t get much prettier than the 57′ Bruce King designed cutter Saskianna. She’s offering lower rates if you book her in New England before June 15th. $8,500 for 2, plus expenses.

Email us for more details on Saskiana, or ask us to suggest some other private yacht charters in New England. There are also other specials and 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!

The popular crewed charter yacht Anahita will sail to the Mediterranean May 1st. If you have ever dreamed of sailing the Atlantic, she has two berths still open.

Anahita is a 62′ Dynamique monohull. Bijan, her owner, has sailed her thousands of miles from Newfoundland and Maine, to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. He came to the US from Persia in 1957, and was a celebrated ballet dancer in New York until the age of thirty. He became a successful real estate developer for ten years, before retiring to yachting. He loves watersports, boats, photography and exploring new places. He also enjoys teaching others to sail, if they should wish to learn. This would be a great boat and captain for a first transatlantic experience.

We have had several excellent charters with Bijan. He still has limited availability in the Caribbean this winter. Once in the Med, he will be available in France and Western Italy, including Corsica, in June and September, but will move to Croatia, Montenegro and the Greek Islands during July and August.

If this sounds interesting, call us at 800 621 7855 or email us. For more general information, look at the Ed Hamilton & Co site or tell us about your plans and we will send you suggestions of suitable private yacht charters.