Charter

European Waterways Starts New “Girls’ Getaway” Charters on Luxury Canal Barges

By Peter Janssen on September 10, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

Here’s a new idea from European Waterways, the company that runs 17 hotel barges in nine countries, from the Scottish Highlands to the Midi in the South of France: “Girls’ Getaway” charters, aimed at the growing market of women traveling on their own or who want to create their own charters with families and friends. The Girls’ Getaways can be very flexible and organized around such themes as culinary excursions, wine appreciation, wellness or simply walking along scenic towpaths. “Today’s women travelers are more confident and independent than ever before,” says Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways. “The social…

St. Lucia: A Charter and Cruising Jewel in the Windward Islands with a Rich Life on Shore and on the Water

By Peter Janssen on August 22, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

With The Pitons, iconic twin volcanic peaks towering some 2,000 feet above Soufriere Bay, St. Lucia is easily the most recognizable islands in the Windward chain in the Caribbean. But St. Lucia also is one of the jewels of the Windwards, just south of Martinique and north of St. Vincent, a rich and rewarding charter and cruising destination with protected harbors, golden beaches, inviting diving sites, and lush mountain rainforests beckoning with wild orchids, giant ferns and tropical birds. The 27-mile-long island has two state-of-the-art marinas. IGY Rodney Bay is in the north of St. Lucia, nestled in an inner…

To Totally Relax, Take a Le Boat Charter Through the Canals in the South of France

By Peter Janssen on August 15, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

For a different kind of charter vacation, think about an idyllic, serene and totally relaxing canal cruise in the Petite Camargue area in the south of France. Life on a 49-foot canal boat from Le Boat, with three staterooms, all with en suite heads and showers, is about as easy as it can ever can be, and watching the sun go down from the top deck, eating some local cheese and oysters and sipping some of the local rosé is pretty hard to beat. Here’s a first-person story from The Guardian about four people spending five days along the Canal du…

One Woman’s Story: The Lost Art of Traveling Slowly: What I Learned Cruising Canada’s Rideau Canal

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

“‘But…’ my husband hesitated. ‘You don’t have a license.’ My best friend was less diplomatic. Her text message simply read: ‘ARE THEY MAD?’ “None of my nearest and dearest could quite believe someone was going to let me – a ham-fisted, maladroit non-driver, who even managed to fail the cycling proficiency test – pilot a boat. I’ll admit it; I was a little surprised myself. So when I set off down the Rideau Canal on a Canadian boating holiday it was with the sun on my face, my knuckles white on the wheel and a determination to prove everyone wrong.…

What You Need to Take on Your Next Charter Vacation. Tips from The Moorings

By Peter Janssen on June 25, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

Here’s some great advice from The Moorings, the worldwide charter powerhouse, about what to take on your next charter vacation. If you’ve never gone on a charter before, read this and take heed; if you’re a veteran of many charters before (lucky you) then this could serve as an easy reminder of what to take (or leave home) next time. The basic rule of thumb for a successful charter is that less is more. You really don’t need to take a lot of stuff. After all, charter boats are pretty much their own self-contained universe. But you’ll still need some…

Annual Mother Goose Flotilla Just Cruises through Alaska’s Wrangell Narrows on Way to Juneau

By Peter Janssen on June 21, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life

The annual Mother Goose Flotilla from NW Explorations is cruising way up in Alaska, having left its home base in Bellingham, Washington, on May 19. Seven boats in the flotilla have cruised through the San Juans and up the Inside Passage along the British Columbia coast to Petersburg, Alaska, planning to reach Juneau on June 24. The flotilla just cruised through the Wrangell Narrows, a long, almost straight-line passage separating Mitkof and Kuprenof Islands, that is so narrow that the Coast Guard has placed more than 70 ATONs – cans, nuns, day markers, range markers – to keep mariners off…

Now You Can Charter an Aquila 44 Power Cat to Cruise Australia’s Incredible Whitsunday Islands

By Peter Janssen on June 18, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

The Whitsunday Islands, a collection of 74 largely uninhabited islands between the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef, are some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. The water is filled with coral and marine life, while the islands are speckled with white sand beaches, rainforests and hiking trails. And that’s before you get to the Aboriginal caves, fjord-like inlets, or bays overflown by colonies of butterflies. Now MarineMax Vacations has teamed up with Cumberland Charter Yachts and Luxury Yachts Whitsundays to offer the popular Aquila 44 power cat for charter in the Whitsundays…

Le Boat Opens North American Boat Rental Operations on Canada’s Historic Rideau Canal

By Peter Janssen on May 29, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

Le Boat, the largest boat rental company in Europe, just opened its first operation in North America on the historic Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada. The company, which has 16 bases in eight different countries, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Kilmarnock Lock Station on the Rideau Canal, with three of their new Horizon Cruisers among the first vessels to transit the lock to start the 2018 boating season. The Rideau Canal winds 125 miles through picturesque towns, unspoiled lakes and rolling pastoral countryside from Kingston, on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, up to Ottawa,…

Five Best Places To Snorkel in the BVI: Grab Your Mask and Fins

By Peter Janssen on May 15, 2018 Charter, Cruising Life, Destinations

The British Virgin Islands have been a cruising and chartering paradise for generations; the waters are clear blue, the winds usually mild, the navigation easy and often line of sight, the people are friendly, and when you get tired of one island, it’s easy to head for another one. And then there’s the snorkeling. The BVI were hit hard by the hurricanes last fall, but now things are getting back to normal. The only problem with snorkeling in the BVI now is deciding where to go first, or second, or…To help you decide, here’s a list of the top five snorkeling…

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