Multi-family charters of a crewed catamaran cost about the same as a week on a cruise ship—and provide a lot more personalized attention.

These yachts are considered entry-level in the world of yacht charter. They do not have weekly base rates in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many high-quality, crewed catamarans in the BVI have weekly base rates that range from $8,000 to $14,000 depending on the size of the yacht and the number of crew. Even if you add an estimated 15 percent for additional expenses such as food, alcohol, and crew gratuity, the weekly base rates still only range from $9,200 to $16,100.

Two or three couples who are friends and decide to charter together can split these rates equally. Three couples aboard a $12,000-a-week charter yacht, then, are each paying just $4,000. That’s $2,000 per person, all inclusive—meaning all the snorkeling you want, all the sailing you want, and all the food cooked precisely as you personally like it. The per-person price for a multi-family charter is well in line with a high-quality cruise ship or even an inclusive resort that caters to guests seeking a luxury experience.
The only difference is not price; it’s personalization. With yacht charter, it’s just you and your friends on the yacht. You’re not surrounded by thousands of strangers the way you would be aboard a cruise ship or at a resort. And you’re not paying a nickel extra for that privacy.

Even better, with sailing catamarans, you’re almost always receiving an equal experience, too. While some larger yachts have a superior master suite and then other, smaller cabins, many sailing catamarans in the BVI have cabins that are equal or very similar in size and amenities. Nobody will feel as though they got a “lesser” experience for the same vacation investment.

Charter brokers can work with groups of any sizes to book charter yachts in this multi-family way. The split pricing can be written directly into the contract, or a single person can be designated the “lead charterer” and do the organization of funds on your end instead. As with so many things about yacht charter, the preference is yours.

Charter brokers also can talk to you about the cabin arrangements on various boats—say, if one couple is bringing children and another couple is not. Some BVI charter yachts are laid out specifically for these types of groups, allowing the adults some extra privacy and the kids a space that’s sized more for them.

No matter your personal needs, a multi-family charter can be a terrific way to try yacht charter at an affordable price. Just beware: You’re going to see some bigger, fancier boats while you’re there. You just may get hooked and want to charter one of those next.

The Signature 58 comes with a skipper and chef, for a truly relaxing Tahiti vacation.

The Signature 58 cat will host a party of six in three private cabins with queen-sized beds and en-suite baths. Meals can be taken inside at the crescent-shaped settee or outside in the large aft cockpit and lounge. These meals are prepared by Pauline Barbat, your own chef, who will customize everything to your preferences. There’s no clean up duty either.

Meals can be taken in the large aft cockpit.

You can sunbathe in the trampolines forward or access the clear water from the wide swim platforms aft. The yacht is air-conditioned throughout and offers a TV and DVD player for anyone opting for indoor entertainment. However, if you’re ready to hit the water, you’ll find gear and equipment for snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, windsurfing and fishing. A dinghy with a large outboard even provides waterskiing or wakeboarding for the very active.

A week-long charter starts at $28,000 and the minimum charter length is five days. Didier Alphen, the professional captain, will suggest itineraries based on your interests and sense of adventure, so you can island hop between Huahine, Raiatea and Tahaa, or spend the entire time gazing up at the magnificent Bora Bora peak of Otemanu. You can stop and snorkel with manta rays or find a secluded anchorage where no one on a cruise ship will ever be able to visit. There’s just no substitute for the local knowledge that your crew will be able to provide, whether paddling up a lush narrow river, visiting Tahitian religious temples or marae, or getting to know the flora of Tahaa with a pre-arranged private botanical tour.

This indulgent all-inclusive adventure is the ultimate way to enjoy sailing in the many islands of French Polynesia, where the tradewinds always blow and the water is an enticing aquamarine. Best of all, the trip to this remote and exotic locale is only an eight-hour flight from Los Angeles with another 45-minute hop from the city of Papeete to Raiatea.

For more about Tahiti yacht Charter, read Tahiti: Ready for its Closeup

For more details, visit the Moorings website.

The Moorings 393 PC Powercat is another thoughtful collaboration between designer Gino Morrelli and builders Robertson & Caine of South Africa.

Designed by the California naval architecture firm Morrelli and Melvin, the 393 PC was conceived based on charter customer feedback. The current Moorings 372 PC was very popular, but only offered two cabins. The Moorings 393 PC features three cabins and two heads, and offers three levels of living space including the hull accommodations, the main deck and cockpit, and the flybridge where the helm is positioned.

The 393 PC is based on a 38-foot sailing catamaran design introduced two years ago and launched as the Moorings 39. “We made some significant modifications to turn a sailing cat into a power cat,” says designer Gino Morrelli. “First, we redesigned the bottom completely from just above the waterline. Power cats need less rocker overall and a flatter run aft with a prop tunnel to keep the draft down. Second, we put a staircase up to the flybridge where the old helm used to be on the 38. The flybridge adds real estate, provides great visibility when docking, and is a fun place to hang out. Finally, we added fuel tankage [211 gallons total] and larger engines [twin 110-hp Yanmars]. The boat is slightly heavier so the bottom shape accommodates this bit of extra displacement, but when you take off the rig and sails, there’s all sorts of extra weight that can be added without changing the structural integrity.”

The interior layout features three cabins and two head compartments.

The Moorings 393 PC has a top speed of 17 knots and will cruise at 12 to 14 knots. For the design team, this meant that the laminate needed to be beefed up in places to accommodate the greater powering speeds. Also, the forward trampoline was replaced with a solid surface to help with any pounding. This area is now a cushion-covered tanning platform.

The Moorings 393 PC is outfitted with air-conditioning, a genset, upgraded electronics, a flat screen TV/DVD combo, solar panels, and electric flushing toilets.

The first Moorings 393 PCs are expected to sail out of the Moorings base in the British Virgin Islands beginning in November 2011.

Most of the charter boats in French Polynesia today are catamarans, and their shallow draft is appreciated.

Getting Acclimated
Ia ora na (“hello”). After landing at Faa’a airport in Papeete on the island of Tahiti Nui (“big island”), most people take a few days to orient themselves before stepping aboard their charter boat. For North Americans, this is easy as Tahiti is three hours behind Pacific Standard Time, so up at 6:00am with the sun isn’t hard even if staying up much past 9:00pm is.

A must see in town is the municipal market where you can grab breakfast in the form of fruit, pastries or a variety of Tahitian goodies and then spend an hour or two taking in the colors of the local wares. The first floor is mainly food and flowers and the second includes handicrafts and souvenirs.

An afternoon bus or car tour of Tahiti Nui will lead to stops at the Gauguin Museum, the James Norman Hall house (co-author of Mutiny on the Bounty, 1932) and Point Venus lighthouse where both captains Cook and Bligh landed at various times. After six o’clock, the place to be is the newly rebuilt Gare Maritime, the main quay on Boulevard Pomare. As night falls, les roulottes, or food trucks, roll in and serve up delicious fish, stir fry, curry, pizza, poisson cru (marinated fish like ceviche), salads, and crepes in a fun outdoor atmosphere. It’s the cheapest and best grub you’ll find in Tahiti and a great way to spend time with the locals.

The next day, hop a ferry to Moorea, which was probably the centerpiece of your pool deck sunset the night before. Rent a moped or car and circumnavigate the lush island with its jagged peaks, stopping at the rum distillery and fruit juice factory for samples. If you’re staying the night, you will find the Intercontinental or Sofitel provide charming over-water bungalows that you’ll probably photograph a hundred times before you leave.

Moorea provides a centerpiece of this pool deck sunset.

Maeva (“welcome”) to Your Charter Yacht
After your Windward Islands sojourn, a 45 minute flight from Papeete to Raiatea, followed by a 5 minute car ride will deposit you on the docks at Apooiti marina, home of both Sunsail and Tahiti Yacht Charters (TYC). Moorings boats are around the corner but in the same vicinity. Do your technical checkout and chart briefing while the crew heads to the town of Uturoa by taxi to fill out a partial provisioning from the charter company.

Most of the charter boats in the area today are catamarans rather than monohulls and that’s a good thing. Not only are catamarans more sociable platforms for multiple couples, but their draft comes in handy in the skinny water near the motus (islands on the fringing reefs). I know that ten years ago, my sail to the back side of Bora Bora on a monohull was more of a nail-biter than it was this time on a Lagoon 380. Amazing what two feet less of draft can do.

It’s also amazing what returns in a taxi when you send six people for food – unquestionably, too much. Everything is expensive in Tahiti because most of it is shipped in, so shopping local or French brands will stretch your dollar, or franc (CFP). Mangos, pineapples, bananas, papaya, guava, coconuts and pamplemousse (grapefruit) are excellent. If you want watermelon, be prepared to pay upwards of $40 for two mid-sized melons. French wines and cheeses are terrific as is the mahi mahi mousse, a kind of fish pate that, combined with the ever-present and cheap baguettes of French bread and a chilled white wine, make a happy hour very happy.

Hurepiti Bay is about two hours from the charter bases.

Heading Out
Raiatea and Tahaa share a fringing reef so it’s easy to stay in protected waters for the first day or two. Heading up to Tahaa about two hours from the base is Hurepiti Bay. Alain and Christina Plantier, who sailed their 32’ plywood boat to Tahiti from France some 30 years ago, today provide a memorable 4×4 land tour. He’s a botanist and together they built a Robinson Crusoe homestead that is green architecture at its best. A 4-hour tour ($65) includes a visit to their home and grounds, a stop to feed coconuts to chickens, multiple gorgeous photo opportunities, a chance to sample local fruits, and a reason to learn more about vanilla pollination than you ever imagined. Alain will even provide noni, the fruit of a tree in the coffee family. Noni became popular several years ago and has been touted as a healthful magic bullet, supposedly providing everything from a slew of vitamins to a cure for cancer. And it had better be the fountain of youth because I can’t image any other reason to choke it down; it smells and tastes like boiled sweat socks.

Alain Plantier pollinates vanilla.

After a morning stop at one of Tahaa’s many black pearl farms (most businesses are open by 7:00 am) it’s time to head for one of the passes. Depending on the length of your charter, you may choose to bash to weather first and visit Huahine about 22 miles east. This is the least developed of the bigger Society Islands and you can enter from either Avamoa or Avapehi pass and anchor near the town of Fare. I found that a great way to see the island was to rent a bike and ride over the northern tip to visit the stone fish traps in Lac Maeva, the many maraes or religious sites, the copra drying beds, and the sacred eels in the fresh water river. These eels average 5 feet in length, have blue eyes, and will embarrass themselves for a taste of canned fish.

It’s too far to make the downwind run from Huahine all the way to Bora Bora during daylight, so break up the trip and re-enter Raiatea’s reef via Irihu pass. In Faaroa Bay you can take the dinghy on an Indiana Jones-esque trip up a river. The river can be narrow and shallow and a paddle or drag over the shallows without the use of the outboard is sometimes necessary. Back near the reef, three miles south in Onoa bay is Marea Taputapuatea, one of the major religious sites on what is known to Tahitians as the Sacred Island – Raiatea, mother to all the other islands, including the “first born,” Bora Bora.

The reef on the south side of Bora Bora requires careful navigation.

The First Born
Sometimes, the weather is such that Huahine is out of the question on a week-long charter. Many boats run immediately down to Bora Bora, the most photographed and mystical of the islands. You can almost hear the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s song Bali Hai when entering Bora’s Teavanui pass on the west side. Turn right and duck in behind Topua motu, the remnants of an ancient volcano, for an afternoon kayak paddle followed by a quick run to the village of Vaitape for ice. We’ll take more Hinano too, mauruuru (“thank you”). Try dinner at Bloody Mary’s, a palapa style building with a sand floor that serves great fish in a tropical atmosphere. If you’re lucky, grab one of Bloody Mary’s moorings. If you’re not lucky, head around the corner to drop the hook in shallower depths because near the central islands, the water is deep, dark and usually fouled with something. One of the boats in our group dragged up a huge anchor chain from something that might have sailed by a century ago.

In the morning, it’s time for the trek to paradise on the back side of Bora Bora. Check your charts often. In fact, be zen and become one with your charts. In our most recent fleet of ten boats, two grounded within the first two days. Binoculars and the depth sounder will become your best friends when negotiating the reefs. And remember that in French Polynesia, it is NOT Red, Right, Returning. Having the hook down before the sun gets low and the glare obscures the shallow reefs is key.

It’s easy to become obsessed with Otemanu, Bora Bora’s main mountain that rises 2,300 feet above the crystal lagoon. It is hard to resist as a backdrop to just about every photo, including ones taken from Le Meridien’s beautiful deck bar where you can enjoy a fruity cocktail for $25. As I said, nothing is cheap in Tahiti.

Bloody Mary’s serves great fish in a tropical atmosphere, and offers moorings to a lucky few.

Snorkeling along the central reef or through the Lagoonarium ($55), a kind of underwater zoo, is a nice way to compare the mantle colors of the clams that embed themselves into the coral heads. Anchoring is easy so long as you avoid the coral heads because in a tussle with one of them, you’re bound to lose. A second night can be spent four miles south near another beautiful motu where you can then enjoy some early morning drift snorkeling. You have to love any place that gives directions like, “Best anchorage is near the five tallest coconut trees on the white sand beach.”

It’s possible to make it back around Bora, out the pass, and across open water to Raiatea in one day, but be prepared for 20-30 knot headwinds in the afternoon and a lot of pounding. Then settle in for one more idyllic evening, maybe on a mooring by Taravana Yacht Club on Tahaa, to soak up the last sunset and grab another Hinano.

Most of the Society Islands are around 16 degrees south latitude so the days are short, the temps are steady between 75-90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the tide is about a foot—which can make a difference if you’ve got a keel perched on a coral head. The diving is not always clear or colorful, the motus are often private or reserved for hotel guests, and the prices are steep. But the people are friendly and the scenery is incomparable. Even if you chafe at the thought of $25 cocktails, you can’t beat the view.

For a detailed one or two week itinerary, read Tahiti Itineraries.

Ipharra and Che spar in tropical waters.

Launched in July 2010, Che is now sailing the Caribbean and will go back to the Mediterranean for charters this summer. After her worldwide premiere at the Cannes International Boat Show 2011, she will sail off to Venice.

For more information, contact Sunreef Yachts Charter.

A graphic of the Aeroyacht 110 under sail

Picture enjoying the private library, gym, or “beach club” sun platforms that fold outboard from the hull transoms. The entertainment center will be top of the line, and a creative LED lighting system not only renders windows opaque but allows the mood to be changed from “family” to “night club”—and back again the next evening.

The Aeroyacht 110's deck layout includes everything a charter guest might need for a relaxing vacation.

The Aeroyacht 110 will also get its charter guests to new destinations quickly, without too much strain on ears or the environment. This high-performance sailing superyacht has many eco-friendly features, including wind and wave generators and solar panels that allow the yacht to run silently. The lightweight composite structure also reduces fuel consumption. With expected speeds similar to an offshore powerboat, this cat will have an unlimited operating radius under sail and a range exceeding 2800 nautical miles under power. The 44′ beam will minimize heeling angle and the roll at anchor.

And for those guests who want to explore even farther afield, the yacht can be equipped with a personal amphibious airplane which will be launched and retrieved from a hydraulic platform on the aft deck.

For more information, visit the Sunreef Yachts website.

The 114-foot Sunreef sailing catamaran Che

“To me and to our charter guests, the beauty of these islands is in the swimming, the snorkeling, and the beaches,” says Rabasse, who runs the 114-foot Sunreef sailing catamaran Che. “For us, a place like Sint Maarten is good as a base where we can provision, get parts, things like this. For guests who want to swim, snorkel, and go to the beach, though, the areas around the three islands have more than enough to do for seven nights.”

Rabasse says St. Maarten is an excellent place to begin a beach and snorkel itinerary because the airport is so close to Marigot Bay and Simpson Bay. Within 15 minutes of stepping into a taxi or a dinghy right outside the airport, you can be aboard your boat sailing off to quiet and calm. If you arrive late to Sint Maarten and need to anchor for the night, Rabasse recommends Grand Case (pronounced kass). It’s quieter than the other bays, he says, and it does offer a few bars onshore for anyone who wants to make a visit.

Excellent visibility and lots of underwater life make snorkeling a real treat. Photo by Doug Logan

One of Rabasse’s favorite nearby snorkeling holes is a small island called Rocher Creole that lies just off Grand Case beach on Sint Maarten’s northwestern corner. Local scuba companies often recommend Creole Rock to divers easing back into the sport, as the anchorage is well protected and the reef is large. Pay attention to the schedules of local tour boats and you should be able to avoid them altogether.

Another of Rabasse’s preferred beach and snorkel spots is Tintamarre, a small island just off the northeastern coast of Sint Maarten. Tintamarre is just large enough to have once been home to a regional airline, but today the fastest-moving modes of transportation are often goats hustling through the brush. This island is popular with day-trippers and has beach bars, as well as good reefs with colorful fish for snorkeling. Again, timing is everything if you want to avoid the crowds.

When Rabasse sets sail from Sint Maarten to Anguilla, he prefers to avoid the local marinas entirely. Instead, he heads to Dog Island or Prickly Pear, both of which are off Anguilla’s northwest coast.

A purple sea fan contrasts with a spiny urchin in the shallows. Photo by Doug Logan

“They are the best around Anguilla for snorkeling and diving,” he says. “After a few days at Rocher Creole and Tintamarre, and then Prickly Pear and Dog Island, guests are very relaxed. They are a little bit ready for some civilization, but they are loving the quiet and calm.”

That’s when Rabasse sails from Anguilla to St. Barth’s. He likes to plan a stop at Isle Fourche, which is an uninhabited rock about halfway between Sint Maarten and St. Barth’s. Ile Fourche has a well-protected anchorage that is ideal for an afternoon of lunching, swimming, and kayaking up to the beach. This anchorage, on the island’s southwest side, also puts you within easy cruising distance of Gustavia Harbour on St. Barth’s, where you can choose the marina if you wish—but where Rabasse always prefers to anchor out.

“From the harbor at Gustavia, it is easy to get ashore by dinghy when you want to be at restaurants or bars, but also faster to pick up anchor and leave when you are ready to go back to the beaches and calm,” he says. “There is no waiting in traffic jams with all the lines from the other boats at the dock.”

He says there are enough great beaches around St. Barth’s for several days’ worth of sailing, with a return each night to the protected anchorage at Gustavia. One of Rabasse’s favorite day sails is to Colombier Beach, which is accessible only by boat or by hiking trail. It thus is a yachtie favorite, offering what essentially feels like a private beach.

Also on St. Barth’s, Rabasse recommends Anse de Grande Saline, which is a favorite among locals as well as among captains seeking protected anchorages for the day. Be aware that while nude sunbathing is prohibited on St. Barth’s, visitors sometimes bend the rules at this particular beach.

“The thing about choosing these beaches on St. Barth’s is that you want to look at the weather,” Rabasse says. “There are plenty of great spots to anchor off a beach, but when the weather turns, it can get really rolling. So if you choose with the weather each day and then go back to Gustavia to be protected at night, that is the best of all possibilities.”

The Moorings 50.5

A sail area of 1268 square feet and a deep bulb keel (6’6” total draft) should provide lively and weatherly performance in the tradewinds.

The Moorings 3900

The 50.5 is available for charter in the Moorings fleets in the British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, St. Martin, and Grenada.

The company’s latest catamaran, the Moorings 3900, is another well-coordinated collaboration between the design team of Morrelli & Melvin and builders Robertson & Caine of South Africa. A development of the award-winning Leopard 38, the Moorings 3900 is set up with three double cabins and two head compartments. The saloon and cockpit are both designed to maximize the dual pursuits of most charterers – enjoying life in and on the water, and relaxing belowdecks. A raised steering station to starboard under a hard-top bimini offers good visibility all around, and the helmsman has winches and sail controls right at hand.

The 3900 will be available in The Moorings’ charter fleets in Greece starting in June, 2011, and later in the year in the British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

The Moorings Boat Ownership Progam has just two boat models, the Moorings 372 PC and 474 PC.

Psst – want to feel like you’re getting away with grand larceny? The Moorings Boat Ownership Program lets you purchase a new power cruiser and skip out of paying for its dockage, maintenance, service, parts and labor, and insurance through the first five high seasons you own the boat – and gives you a guaranteed monthly revenue check to help offset your boat loan.
“When you compare it to private ownership – that’s when people say this is too good to be true,” said Franck Bauguil , vice president, yacht ownership & sales, of TUI Marine, The Moorings’ parent company. “This is a unique program, and we are the only company that guarantees to cover all operating expenses and guarantees revenues as well.”

The trade-off is that participating owners can only use their boats for a maximum of 12 weeks a year; the rest of the time, it is offered for charter as part of The Moorings Powerboat Vacations’ professionally maintained and operated fleet. So, this program is not for those who want to keep their boat in their backyards or are phobic about having a stranger sleeping in their berth. But, in these overworked and over-committed times, 12 weeks of cruising is about all the time that many boat owners can possibly manage.

And the program offers a unique degree of flexibility – participants can trade time aboard their own boat for a charter on an identical model in another destination where The Moorings Powerboat Vacations operates a base, including The Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Baja Mexico, the Seychelles, Thailand and Australia. Owners can upgrade to a larger boat and only pay the difference in the charter fee. In fact, they can even swap for a week or two aboard one of the company’s hundreds of sailing charter yachts located in exotic destinations around the world.

“No other company offers such a flexible usage system, and such a large choice of destinations,” Bauguil said.

Bookings are made utilizing a points system that encourages boat usage during off-peak weeks as well as high-demand times like holidays. Owners are awarded 42 privilege points that they can redeem for advance bookings in high season (two points per day) and low season (1 point per day), as well as an additional 42 points for short-notice bookings.

Power cats have more interior volume than monohulls the same length.

The Moorings Boat Ownership Progam has just two boat models, the Moorings 372 PC and 474 PC. Both are fiberglass power catamarans built by Robertson and Caine, South Africa’s largest boat manufacturer, which produces all The Moorings’ private label boats as well as Leopard brand sailing and power cats.

“Initially, we thought we would be able to utilize mainstream powerboat products,” Bauguil said. But after trying out a number of different models in a charter environment, he said, “We have abandoned the idea of monohulls. We need an easy-to-maintain boat. We need a catamaran.”

In the end, The Moorings went back to Robertson and Caine, longtime builder of its sailing fleet, to commission custom power versions of their popular sailing cats. “We control the product, the design, the price and the delivery,” Bauguil said.

The advantages of two hulls over one are myriad, he reported. Power cats provide a more stable platform both under way and at anchor, making a charter vacation more comfortable for those unused to the water. They have a shallower draft than monohulls, allowing them to get closer to shore; their design also allows easy access to the water itself. These boats are highly maneuverable, thanks to the separation between the engines. “The boat can rotate 360 [degrees] in its own length with no need for a bow thruster, since the engines are 20-plus feet apart,” he said.

Power cats also are more efficient. “The fuel consumption compared to monohulls is not even close. We are looking at huge savings on fuel – and therefore, also emissions,” Bauguil said. This gives the Moorings Power Cats a longer range. In fact, they are delivered transatlantic from South Africa to the BVI on their own bottoms – a real testament to their seaworthiness. “They have professional skippers who run one engine at a time. It’s a great shakedown,” he said. “And when they arrive, they are checked all over again.”

Finally, a power cat has more interior volume than a monohull with a comparable LOA, due to its wide beam and twin hulls. The Moorings 372 PC, for example, has two staterooms (one in either hull), each with ensuite head and shower. The main deck encompasses a large salon with full galley and roomy dinette. Entertaining space is also maximized in the cockpit and on the flybridge, both of which are shaded against the midday sun. The Moorings 372 PC, equipped with twin 110-hp Yanmar diesels, is competitively priced at $348,000, which includes upgrades and delivery to the charter fleet base.

The 474 is a very comfortable boat for eight people.

The larger Moorings 474 PC is an even more successful model. “This is a true four-cabin boat, with ensuite baths and showers,” Bauguil said. “It has the flybridge of a much bigger boat.”

The 474 is loaded with standard equipment, including a stainless steel davit system that makes launching and retrieving the dinghy a breeze. There’s a fold-out swim platform in addition to boarding steps on the twin hull transoms. This is a very comfortable boat for eight people –the entire group can be seated together in the cockpit, at the dining table in the wide salon/galley, and also on the flybridge. Four equivalent staterooms, located in the hulls, ensure that no one will feel slighted. “You can be eight people on this boat and never see each other,” Bauguil said.

The 474 PC features a highly efficient hull design by racing catamaran gurus Morelli & Melvin. The price of The Moorings 474 PC is $537,000, which includes upgrades and delivery to the base. “For that, they are getting a lot of space, and they are getting a lot of value,” Bauguil said, adding. “The resale is good as well.”

Despite all these advantages, Bauguil admits that power cats are still a tough sell for many traditional powerboaters. “That is the same problem we had when we introduced the sailing catamarans to the U.S. in 1990s,” he said. Today, the docks at sailboat shows are lined with cats. “When people see the product, they think it’s incredible.”

The Moorings Boat Ownership Program covers a boat for its first five or six high seasons, depending on its location—a policy that ensures that The Moorings charter fleets are renewed at a rate of about 20 percent a year. The program is designed to provide participants with services that cover the entire lifecycle of the vessel, including third-party financing from approved lenders. At the end of the contract, about 20 percent of owners keep their boat, he reported, and 25 percent trade it in for a new boat. For the rest, The Moorings offers brokerage services in key regions around the world.

“Throughout the process, there is an owner relations concierge service. They have one person they talk to in order to book their holidays, etc.,” Bauguil said. “It’s very seamless, and it’s handled from A to Z.”

Owners can rest assured that The Moorings Boat Ownership Program will still be around when their boat “graduates” from its charter duties. TUI Marine is a division of TUI Travel PLC, one of the largest leisure travel groups in the world. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, it services over 30 million customers annually. For its part, TUI Marine, which is headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., owns not only The Moorings but also Sunsail and Footloose Sailing Charters, with a total of more than 1,450 yachts in 40 locations around the world.

For more information, visit the Moorings website.

Editor’s Note: Louisa Beckett has been involved with boating ever since her father, Kenneth Rudeen, sailing editor for Sports Illustrated, took her to her first America’s Cup at age eleven. As former editor of Motor Boating and ShowBoats International magazines, she has covered the marine industry from PWCs to superyachts.

Catamarans have opened up the charter market due to their stability and roominess. Photo: Dean Barnes

Springtime for us is synonymous with regatta season. Since the mid 1990s, we’ve annually migrated to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Heineken International Regatta, back to home base in the U.S. Virgin Islands and St. Thomas for the International Rolex Regatta, and finally east to the British Virgin Island of Tortola for the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. This year, these must-do northern Caribbean regattas matched up in dates to create two weeks and three weekends of cruising and racing bliss in one of the best cruising grounds in the world.

Puerto Rico now offers many bareboat or crewed yacht charters. Photo: Dean Barnes

CHARTER OPPORTUNITIES

It used to be tough to find a bareboat or crewed yacht in Puerto Rico to cruise the Spanish Virgin Islands. That’s all changing now thanks to the island’s governor signing into law last fall the Nautical Tourism Act of 2009. One of the provisions of this Act allows for tax-free purchase of vessels over 30 feet, if contracted for chartering with a Puerto Rico certified charter company for chartering at least six months of the year.

Jose Luis Rivera, Catalina and Dufour dealer for the Caribbean and Central America and owner of the new Nautifull charters and cruising club based in the new 162-slip marina at the Palmas del Mar Resort Community, on the island’s southeast coast, says, “We understand Puerto Rico to be currently the only U.S. jurisdiction offering this very attractive deal to promote “hotel rooms in the water” as we have named them. It also creates “tourist marinas” certification if they meet certain service and amenities requirements to properly serve transients and charterers effectively. Other tax and lodging-related benefits and prioritized financing are being negotiated and legislated at the moment.”

Nautifull’s fleet includes a Baltic 43, Dufour Performance 34 and Dufour Performance yachts. The company offers a mixed bag of customized sailing opportunities from learn-to-sail (U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat, Bareboat Cruising and Coastal Passage Making and Bareboat) packages to overnight and 5- to 7-day bareboat or crewed charters with either USCG-certified captains only or captains and chefs. His company is also the exclusive operator for yacht charters out of the new plush W Retreat & Spa that opened on Vieques in April.

There are several bareboat and crewed charter companies in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. These include operations such as CYOA, Island Yachts and Trawlers in Paradise based in St. Thomas, and the Moorings, Sunsail and Horizon Yacht Charters in Tortola. The Virgin Islands Charteryacht League and Charter Yacht Society (CYS) of the British Virgin Islands each have over 100 member yachts for crewed charters. Monohull, multihull and power yachts are all available.

A greater sophistication and number of amenities on board are what charter guests now demand and companies offer.

John Jacobs, owner of CYOA, based in St. Thomas’ Frenchtown Marina, says “That means, for example, roller furling jib and main, a full refrigerator and air conditioning, electric windlass, autopilot and chart plotters, with inflatable dinghy equipped with 15 HP engine.”

St. Thomas offers world class racing and many charter options. Photo: Dean Barnes

Charter yachts are getting bigger.

Kathy Mullen, owner of Regency Yacht Charters and a director for Northrop and Johnson Yacht Sales, based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, says, “A two person charter use to be 40 foot; now it’s 50 to 55-feet. A 50-foot multihull is now considered medium size. Big means 70 to 100 feet.”

Catamarans have opened up the charter market due to their stability and roominess.

Dick Schoonover, who manages the clearinghouse, CharterPort BVI, in Tortola, says, “It’s still all about catamarans for us, except that what you are seeing now is the advent of the cat-with-flybridge. I think the popularity of our 10 passenger Silhouette 76 cats has much to do with their flybridges – an amenity found on motoryachts – and is reflected in yachts as small as Lagoon 44s. The other thing that is new in cats is the master suite concept, taking up an entire hull rather than the typical catamaran layout – a cabin in each corner.”

The downturn in the economy has created other opportunities.

Janet Oliver, administrator at the CYS of the BVI, says, “half board charters are being offered. This means breakfast and lunch are included with dinner at guests’ expense ashore.”

More requests are coming in, says Erik Ackerson, executive director of the Virgin Islands Charteryacht League (VICL), based at Yacht Haven Grande, on St. Thomas, “for captain-only charters.”

The business costs of chartering have not gone down in this recessionary economy, thus lowered rates are not the norm. However, many crewed operators have started to add more value.

This has taken the form, says the VICL’s Ackerson, “of offering spa or beauty treatments, massage, tai chi, yoga, dive certification and sailing instruction.”

WHERE & WHEN TO GO

Weekend or week-long sailing itineraries are definitely more customized than cookie-cutter considering the sheer number of islands, islets and cays in the Virgin Islands.

Nautifull’s Rivera says about Puerto Rico, “You can sail northeast from Palmas to Cayo Santiago (Monkey Island) in about an hour and a half. It’s a nice anchorage and good for swimming, although you can’t go ashore because it is a sanctuary.”

The island is home to over 1200 free-roaming Rhesus monkeys.

Vieques is two to three hours east by sail.

St. John's natural beauty creates a beautiful background for cruising. Photo: Dean Barnes

There are a steadily increasing number of charterers who want to cruise to Vieques and Culebra, says CYOA’s Jacobs. “We restrict these destinations to our newer vessels because these island’s don’t have the support services the U.S. and British Virgin Islands so. Both are spectacular for an entire week’s cruise or to combine with a sail to St. John and Tortola depending on time.”

The bioluminescent bay on Vieques is a big draw. Single celled organisms called dinoflagelates in the water produce the bioluminescence or ‘glow in the dark’ feature here.

Capt. Camille Vickers, who leads captain-only charters for CYOA, says, “There’s a good anchorage in the town of Esperanza and a tour company there that leads trips to Mosquito or the bioluminescent bay at night.”

North and east of Culebra, the 1-mile long island of Culebrita is rimmed with beaches. “There are to large tidal pools on the east side that are just like natural Jacuzzis. The water is very warm,” says Vickers.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the VICL’s Ackerson says, “Many people like to circumnavigate St. John. Mooring balls are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and the waters are pristine because two third of the island is national park.”

Further east in the BVI, CharterPort’s Schoonover adds, “There are several new projects out there. Scrub Island is now on-line, and there is a new resort planned for Anegada’s north shore, replacing the existing Sands hotel. White Bay on Jost van Dyke continues to grow with a wide range of beach bars and restaurants. It used to be Sandcastles, and that was it.”

Finally, anytime of year is great for chartering except the prime hurricane months of September and October.

High season, when charter companies are busiest, anchorages most crowded and regatta season is in full swing, spans from December through May. However, says the VICL’s Ackerson, “June, July and the beginning of August are very nice because this is usually when the weather is nicest and the sea is calm.”

Editor’s Note: For more information and charter listings in the area, visit the Yachtworldcharters.com Caribbean page.

Carol Bareuther has lived in St. Thomas since 1986 and has written about a wide range of marine topics in the Virgin Islands. She and photographer Dean Barnes have two children who grew up in the VI and have seawater in their blood.