Charter

  Charlie’s occupation as a charter yacht skipper/instructor takes him around the islands several times a month and as such he has to deal with all types of personalities. There are delightful ones, difficult ones, those easy to please, others …

  The nation’s largest recreational boat and yacht retailer celebrates its emerald anniversary with several activities this year including classes, fun days and getaways. MarineMax, headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, started nearly a half century ago when chairman and chief executive …

Talk about a transformation! St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands’-based captain Oriel Blake grew up inland, between rural Sussex and London in the UK, where she studied anthropology at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. It looked …

We cast off from the dock at Grenada’s Port Louis Marina and ease into the channel leading to the Carenage at St. George’s. The sun shimmers on the water as we glide past a parade of majestic Georgian buildings made …

With much of the Northern Leewards still suffering from the devastating effects of the horrendous storms of August and September 2017 the events bring to mind the pirate days of yore. How villainous pirates plundered unarmed seafarers and helpless civilians; …

A slightly deaf ear, a breaking wave at just the wrong moment or perhaps an interruption by a shipmate can cause confusion in a word, phrase or sentence to create an unintentional change in meaning. The other day I was describing …

For many visitors to the Caribbean the escape from February weather is one of the primary motives. In northern climes February is the worst month; freezing temperatures, ice, snow, short daylight hours and long nights. The Caribbean is different; balmy …

Sail dominated chartering in the Caribbean islands right from the start. On the crewed front, it was a 70ft schooner named Mollihawk that Commander Nicholson first chartered off Antigua nearly seven decades ago. On the bareboat side, it was four …

The Moorings and Sunsail reopened operations in St. Martin in February, just four months after the Caribbean’s record-breaking hurricane activity and just in time for the sold-out St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. Both brands are operating from their new charter base …

Two chefs won top prizes at the USVI Charter Yacht Show’s Culinary Competition, held November 12th at Yacht Haven Grande on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Melissa ‘Missy’ Kom, chef aboard the 47ft Leopard catamaran, Pisces, earned first place in …

They have sailed the world, yet chose to settle and start a company in the Caribbean. James Pascall and business partner Jacqui Pascall have worked together for the past 18 years as owners of the Horizon Yacht Charter base at …

What a year it’s been. 2017 is now having its last gasp and all of us who survived the devastating storms, floods and related deprivations will be glad it’s gone. We didn’t have any crippling wild fires, volcanic eruptions or …

Phew … Thank heavens 2017 is now behind us. What a year of devastation it was: fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes – all of biblical proportions. As a cruising sailor for over twenty years Charlie often said that life was best …

It’s that time of year again – for annual boatshows – where yachts strut their stuff and convince the brokers who book them that there is only one yacht that can provide the vacation experience of a lifetime – Yours. …

Operating a charter yacht is a dream career for many people. However, the industry has become much more professionalized than the care-free, regulation-free, tax-free days of half a century ago. What is needed to successfully charter as crew or owner …

She could swim before she could walk, earned her PADI dive certification by age 12 and two years later worked at a marina where as an employee she could regularly take out the rental house boats, ski boats and jet …

Chartering is a huge revenue earner for the Caribbean. This tourism sector is the single most important for many island nations and it involves several facets – bareboat chartering, sail training and crewed yacht charters. The latter involves fully catered …

Cruising grounds that range from deserted beaches in off-the-beaten-track destinations to those offering the glitz and glamor of big city dining and dancing. These are the opportunities for chartering in South Florida and the Bahamas. Its hard to find this …

Seeing and being seen is what the Caribbean’s charter yacht shows are all about. The seeing comes by the brokers, the industry’s sales force, who tour the yachts and interview the crews. The being seen is on the part of …