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.

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.

Bold Island was just as beautiful in the morning! We motored through the Thorofare, past Stonington, which is a busy fishing harbor and not a good choice for an overnight - the lobster boats will have you awake before dawn!

The coast of Maine is a perfect cruising ground as it is possible to choose a number of relatively sheltered passages between the huge number of islands, without entering the ocean. From Deer Isle, we headed across to the narrow Fox Isle Thorofare, which divides Vinalhaven and North Haven, two lovely islands with all kinds of anchorages if you have time to linger. We stopped briefly at the yard in North Haven for fuel, then on to Muscle Ridge Channel.

There’s an anchorage either side of Birch Island just east of the channel, with more beaches and an old granite quarry. The kids loved to collect sea urchins and sing to the shells of snails and crabs to get them to come out. Yes, it does work! They also enjoyed hunting for small pieces of granite worn into the shape of a heart and came back with a bag full.

The weather again co-operated for our last night and we enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner under the stars. A perfect night.

Next day, the wind freshened slightly from the SW, but it was a relatively smooth ride offshore in 4′ seas and brilliant sunshine. We were back in Wiscasset by mid afternoon.

A yacht charter is a wonderful way to see the Maine coast, because so many of the attractions are offshore. We were on a fast motor yacht, but it would be perfectly possible to do a one way charter covering the same area in 7 nights on a sailboat.

Late August and September are the best months to cruise in Maine. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site and tell us about your plans.

See also ‘Day 1 and 2′ and ‘Day 3 and 4′.

Bucks Harbor is a pretty, well protected cove. It has an active sailing club with a popular kids program. Bucks Harbor Marine have several moorings (the $30 charge includes the use of a welcome shower), as well as fuel and friendly staff.

The weather was again calm and we enjoyed the shear beauty of Maine as we motored down Eggemoggin Reach and past Swan Island. As we rounded Great Gott Island, the hills of Mount Desert came into view and we headed up to Southwest Harbor, home of Hinckley Yachts.

Even with the slowdown of the boat building industry, there were plenty of spectacular yachts in every harbor we visited. We anchored in Valley Cove, a short distance up Somes Sound, for lunch. This Sound is the closest thing to a Fjord that we have on the East Coast and is worth the detour.

After looking at more beautiful yachts in Northeast Harbor, we headed out to sea, and motored up the eastern side of the island to Bar Harbor for the night.

This touristy town has it’s own charm. There are plenty of interesting stores that stay busy even late in the evening, and a wide variety of restaurants, bars and nightlife.

The next day we explored the town but by mid afternoon were ready to head to a quieter anchorage for the night. Bold Island, just off the Deer Island Thoroughfare was perfect, and the grandchildren particularly enjoyed the beautiful shell beaches on the small islands that surround this lovely spot.

We know the coast of Maine well and can help you explore this beautiful cruising ground. Call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site and tell us about your plans.

See also ‘Day 1 and 2′ and ‘Day 5 and 6′.

Friday afternoon, we left Wiscasset for a 5 night mini vacation on the Maine Coast.

Motoring down the beautiful Sheepscot River, we passed through the busy swing bridge to Southport Island and headed out past Boothbay Harbor. Our destination that night was Christmas Cove, on the next peninsula. We took a mooring and enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Coveside Restaurant.

In the 1980/90s we based our Norrad Sailing School at Coveside. Ed and his instructors spent many hours sailing daysailers in this area, in all kinds of conditions. I remember one group of students who arrived in thick fog. We spent the day sailing around the inner harbor and it was only when the fog lifted that afternoon that they realized they had spent the day cris-crossing such a tiny area - they thought they had sailed miles!

It was wonderful to see the restaurant flourishing and that so many of the dinner guests were from boats cruising the area. This is definitely a popular hang out, so you do need reservations.

Saturday was calm. We wanted to spend as much time as possible Down East, so we headed offshore, missing Muscongus Bay, although you could spend a couple of days exploring the islands and harbors in this bay.

After passing through Muscle Ridge Channel, we headed up to Camden, where we were lucky enough to find a dock close to the popular Waterfront Restaurant. After a delicious lunch, we walked around the town. Later that afternoon, we headed up to Islesboro, with its beautiful mansions and spectacular yachts. Penobscot Bay is a fabulous place to sail, with plenty of wide open water, yet is relatively protected from ocean swells. The cruising yachtsman has some interesting harbors to visit, both on the mainland and the islands. After passing historic Castine, we entered Eggemoggin Reach and moored for the night at Bucks Harbor.

The coast of Maine is our back yard, so if you are considering a yacht charter to explore this beautiful cruising ground, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or contact us through the Ed Hamilton & Co site and tell us about your plans.

See also ‘Day 3 and 4′ and ‘Day 5 and 6′.

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We told readers how to use an iPhone as a GPS/Chart plotter in our recent newsletter, but have just learned that it’s not just us that think this is a great idea!  Navionics, the people who make these iPhone charts, has won an NMMA Innovation Award at the Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show in Orlando. One judge commented that ‘nowhere is the convergence of traditional boat/plotter navigation, water based outdoor activities and various online communities coming together more visibly than with Navionics Mobile for the iPhone’ (quoted from ‘The Cruising Compass’).

The other great news is that Navionics has announced that they will continue to offer these charts, via Apple iTunes, at the original low price, starting at $4.99! The charts are incredibly high quality - we even use them on the Maine Coast! We don’t substitute the iPhone for our main plotter, but we do find it amazingly helpful when off the boat or in the dinghy, and the price cannot be beaten! It could also be an emergency backup if the boat system went down.

There is much more to this application than charts. Navionics Mobile 2.2 can tie in photos of your Caribbean yacht charter, and can upload everything, including your route and special highlights to Facebook etc. Endless possibilities.

Read the original article in our Newsletter (subscribe while you’re there!). For more information, call us at 800 621 7855, email us, or visit the Ed Hamilton & Co site.