Charter

The Moorings, BoatU.S., Hold Great Flotilla in BVI

By Peter Janssen on October 9, 2019 Charter

2019 BVI BoatU.S. Flotilla Recap & Photos Published: August 13, 2019 Tina Huewe Comments The Moorings has a long-standing relationship with the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) – an organization that supports the interest of recreational boaters. In 2014, we partnered for the first time to create the annual BoatU.S. Flotilla, which invites members to come together in a beautiful destination, mingle and of course get out on the water! Here’s the latest recap: Our 6th annual BoatU.S. Flotilla in the enchanting British Virgin Islands – this year spearheaded by Captain Dunbar, Tina Huewe (The Moorings…

Cruise to Downton Abbey on the Luxurious Magna Carta

By Peter Janssen on September 16, 2019 Charter

You watched the TV series, and you may be planning to see the movie (it opens in theaters across the U.S. on Sept. 20). Now you can sign up for a luxury cruise on the eight-passenger hotel barge Magna Carta on the River Thames to Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey, and you can put yourself in many of the rooms you’ve seen on the show or wander around the estate’s 1,000 acres of parkland. There are still some cabins available for the rest of this season, and they start at $4,750 per person based on double occupancy. But you…

Northwest Explorations Plans New Flotilla to Desolation Sound

By Peter Janssen on September 1, 2019 Charter

Now that we’re into September, there are still plenty of good cruising days left, even in the remote areas of the Pacific Northwest. And Northwest Explorations in Bellingham, Washington, is offering shoulder-season discounts for a two-week flotilla heading to Desolation Sound, one of the most beautiful spots around. For Northwest Explorations, the shoulder season rates start on Sept. 14. You can charter a boat of your own at a discount, or join a flotilla, where you cruise in company and with the expertise of a lead boat with an experienced crew. Over the years, Northwest Explorations has put together many…

Horizon Yacht Charters Adds New Luxury Nautitech Powerboat 47 to BVI Fleet

By Peter Janssen on January 14, 2019 Charter

Horizon Yacht Charters is adding a new, luxurious Bavaria Nautitech Powercat 47 to its fleet in the British Virgin Islands. The new cat, with four staterooms, all with en suite heads and showers, will make its U.S. debut at the Miami International Boat Show from Feb. 14 through 18. It will be available for charter at the big Horizon charter base on Nanny Cay in Tortola this spring. The fully equipped Nautitech 47 has large social and living areas everywhere. The cat’s massive beam, more than 24 feet, means you can enjoy condo-like comfort throughout the boat. The light, efficient…

New Ocean-Crossing Leopard 51 PC: A Big, Fast, Family Cruiser or Charter Boat

By Peter Janssen on January 1, 2019 Boat Reviews, Charter, Cruising Life

A seakindly, large, long-range cruising boat, the new Leopard 51 PC comes in either a three- or four-cabin configuration, and is designed for either private or charter use. In either configuration, the Leopard 51, which is delivered on its own bottom from the Robertson & Caine yard in Cape Town, South Africa, is a fuel-efficient family cruiser with a nice turn of speed and enough interior volume to make a long cruise or charter enjoyable and comfortable. Designed by the Dutch firm of Simonis Voogd, the Leopard 51, with a beam of more than 25 feet, provides a stable platform…

NW Explorations Adds a Flagship Nordhavn 60 to Its Charter Fleet

By Peter Janssen on December 11, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

Northwest Explorations, the charter company in Bellingham, Washington, that specializes in running summer flotillas to Alaska, the San Juans and Desolation Sound, just added a 60-foot Nordhavn to its 18-boat fleet. Puffin Quest is the first Nordhavn and the largest boat in the Northwest fleet, which has more Grand Banks than any other brand. Puffin Quest, like all Nordhavns, is a true blue-water expedition boat (a Nordhavn 40 circled the globe in 2001 and 2002), and is powered by a single 330-hp John Deere diesel. It cruises at 8 knots and tops out at 10 knots. The boat also has an 80-hp…

St. Barts: A Magnet for the Rich and Famous for New Year’s Eve and an Island Paradise for the Rest of Us All Year Round

By Peter Janssen on November 27, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

It’s only a few weeks until St. Barts, the eight-square-mile island in the West Indies that seems like a part of France, becomes the yachting center of the world. Well, the rich-and-famous yachting center of the world, that is. Because between Christmas and New Years the gorgeous, protected harbor at Gustavia, the island’s capital, is filled wall-to-wall with beautiful yachts and beautiful people. That’s all well and good, but if you’re like me and the rest of us, that means you’ll probably be spending your holidays somewhere else. But it also means that there are 50 or so other weeks…

Colgate’s Offshore School Adds Fountaine-Pajot 37 Power Cat to Cape Coral Fleet

By Peter Janssen on November 11, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

Now you can charter a spacious Fountaine Pajot MY 37 power catamaran at the Offshore Sailing and Power Cruising School in Cape Coral, Florida. The school also offers a new six-day US Powerboating certification course, starting Nov. 19. The well-found, French-built Fountaine Pajot 37 power cat will be part of the Offshore fleet at its base at the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village and Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral. Steve Colgate, the Offshore founder and chairman, said, “Due to the increased requests of our students for power catamaran training so they can charter on their own, we…

The Ultimate Ten-Day BVI Charter Itinerary from The Moorings

By Peter Janssen on November 7, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

The British Virgin Islands are among the world’s best cruising grounds, and have been for generations. They were hit hard by the hurricanes last fall, which decimated some charter fleets, but they have bounced back. Here’s a fun story from The Moorings, the worldwide charter giant, about the ultimate ten-day charter vacation there. Here’s how it starts: “There’s just something about the BVI. We can’t seem to get enough, and neither can our guests. So even if you’ve island-hopped your way through this Caribbean cruising playground once, twice, or ten times before, follow along with our very own Laura Brafford,…

Six Reasons To Take a Crewed Charter Vacation. Reason One: Leave Your Worries Behind

By Peter Janssen on October 29, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

Every once in a while, we all should have a chance to treat ourselves, to do something simply because it’s fun, or adventuresome or memorable. That’s the way I think about taking a crewed charter vacation. Over the years, I’ve done this both ways – chartered bareboat, and chartered crewed. Bareboat, of course, is where the charter company gives you the boat and you do everything yourself. That’s all great; you get to play captain again but in a new setting in a new boat. A crewed charter, however, is where you just show up, and the charter company does…

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