Lots and lots of people focus on water toys when trying to decide which charter yacht is best for them. Jet Skis, Wave Runners, Laser sailboats, sea kayaks, Windsurfers, water skis, wakeboards–these are the kinds of fun-makers that typically grab charter clients’ attention in brochures.

I’m a water baby, too, and I can be quite happy for hours while playing with any or all of the above. But when onboard high-tech yachts, I also enjoy hanging out in the pilothouse with the crew, checking out the electronic “toys” at the helm.

I found a kindred spirit at the Antigua charter show in Nick Scales. He’s the first mate onboard Exuma C, a 111-foot luxury motoryacht that’s part of the Fraser Yachts fleet. During my tour of the yacht’s pilothouse, Nick showed me the display monitor for Exuma C’s scanning sonar, built by the marine electronics company Furuno.

Sounds like pretty dry stuff, right? Not in Nick’s eyes, which started to dance.

He explained that the sonar includes a telescoping arm that extends beneath the yacht’s hull, collecting data about the sea floor that is transmitted back onto the pilothouse display. “You’re supposed to use it to find fish,” he explained, “but we were watching the Continental Shelf come up as we crossed the Atlantic. It was incredibly cool.”

I’d sure like to see that–and a lot of the other things that today’s high-tech pilothouse equipment can display. If you feel the same way, talk to your reputable charter broker about yachts like Exuma C that have guest-accessible pilothouses and crews who enjoy sharing what they know. There are a lot of them out there just waiting for the chance to show you the hottest new techie toys in action.

I love it when the good guy wins.

Such was the case this week at the annual Antigua charter yacht show, where Geoffrey Fisher, the chef onboard the 115-foot motoryacht Wheels, took home the grand prize in the chef’s competition.

The interesting thing about Geoffrey is that he’s only been in the yacht charter business for about nine months. Up until March of this year, he’d been working in restaurants in and around London, England. He took home the boat show’s grand prize after completing just one season of actual charters–beating out charter chefs who’ve been in the business for years.

All of which helps to explain why this humble, unassuming guy looked like he’d been hit by a truck when the contest judges called out his name and made special reference to how good his dessert had been. They said it was hard to forget his rum chocolate fondant with coconut pannacotta and mango sorbet, served alongside a shot of espresso laced with vanilla syrup, pineapple syrup, Tia Maria and Malibu rum, then topped with homemade rum raisin ice cream and toasted coconut.

(I think I gained five pounds just by typing that.)

Just a few hours before Geoffrey’s competitors learned the ingredients in his winning recipe, he’d been sitting with me inside the pilothouse onboard Wheels (part of the Cavendish White fleet) and doing an exclusive CharterWave interview. At the time, he told me, “I like doing desserts. The dessert is the last thing on your mind when you walk away from the table. You can do hot, cold, soft, crisp… that’s where art and design come in.”

That an eager, talented chef like Geoffrey took home this year’s grand prize leaves my heart as warm as those judges’ bellies were full. Look for my full interview with Geoffrey–along with photos of some of his favorite dessert recipes–soon in the CharterWave crew interviews section.

Having now returned to the home office following 10 days of Caribbean charter boat shows, I must admit I’m not much in the mood for going too far beyond my favorite easy chair. However, if I were, I’m thrilled to know that I would have options in the expedition charter yacht market.

For those of you unfamiliar with expedition yachts, they look like commercial boats from the outside but are true yachts through and through, with gorgeous interiors, first-rate crews and award-winning chefs. The only real difference (charter-wise) between expedition yachts and sleek white yachts is the way they look, with the expedition boats made to be self-sufficient and safe in far-off lands, and the sleek white yachts made to cruise comfortably on inland waters.
I was quite heartened at the recent charter shows to learn that three expedition yachts are planning to go beyond the traditional cruising grounds of the Caribbean and Mediterranean–and to offer charters along the way. It’s just wonderful to see expedition yachts doing what they were built to do: explore and play off the beaten course.

Tivoli, for instance, is preparing to cruise across the Atlantic to northern Russia, then down a winding river to St. Petersburg before going onward to fabulous northern European cities including Copenhagen. This lovely 90-foot yacht, part of the fleet at Nicholson Yachts, will offer charters for six guests along the way at a weekly base rate of $29,500 (or about $6,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included). She’s the first charter yacht I know of  in that price range to do this route in at least five years, which makes the possibilities quite exciting.

Next on my list is Big Aron, part of the fleet at Camper & Nicholsons International. Big Aron is in a different price league than Tivoli–a base rate of $195,000 per week for 10 guests (or about $24,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included)–but the yacht’s upcoming travels are just as exciting. From what I learned during my personal tour this week, the crew are preparing to head to the South Pacific and offer charters there starting in March or April. Again, it’s a destination where few yachts travel.

Last but not least is Sherakhan, also part of the Camper & Nicholsons fleet. This nearly 230-foot-long gigayacht takes as many as 26 guests at a time at a whopping weekly base rate of $475,200 (about $23,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included). Sherakhan is truly one of the most spectacular charter yachts in the world (based on my firsthand look around the boat), and she’s heading down to Patagonia for the summer of 2007. The trip will make her one of the few, if not the only, proper gigayacht ever to offer charters there amid the small and large cruise ships.

These yachts’ itineraries are quite exciting, not just because of the fabulous destinations but because the boats’ owners are using each yacht the way it was intended to be used. And they’re setting a precedent to show that there will be plenty of charter business along the way.

For those of us who enjoy chartering, the trend means there could be even more yachts “following the charter money” to even more exotic destinations in the future. You can bet I’ll be onboard for every excellent expedition that comes my way, and I hope you will be packing your bags, as well.