An editor from a magazine that doesn’t regularly cover charter e-mailed me late yesterday to ask whether I’d be interested in writing a feature about the “best charter yacht of the year.”

I replied something like this: “Sure, but how many categories will there be? Best new launch? Best motoryacht over 150 feet, and then under 150 feet? Best sailing yacht? Best chef? Best choice of new cruising ground? Best work by a charter crew to please guests in a difficult situation? Best yacht for families with young children? Best yacht for couples who want to split the bill? How many categories are we talking about here?”

His reply was that there will be just one category. Out of the thousands of charter yachts on the world’s waters, the magazine plans to feature just four or five, with one declared the best. The owner-operated sailing catamarans in Tortola will have to go up against the 250-foot motoryacts in Monaco. There’s no doubt that even the best of the little boats are going to get blown away by the big-money competition.

There’s nothing wrong with a story like this, as long as you, the reader, understand that what one magazine says is the best charter yacht isn’t always the best charter yacht for you. It’s simply the best charter yacht as defined by any given article’s editor.

In this case, the magazine’s criteria in naming the best charter yacht of the year seems to be simply finding the newest, flashiest yacht. As any regular reader of CharterWave knows, the fact that a yacht is new and flashy may have absolutely nothing to do with what you personally want to enjoy during your charter vacation.

The newest yacht, for instance, may not offer scuba diving, while an older–and quite lovely–yacht could have that activity. If you’re a diver, the newest yacht is going to be a bust. You’re better off chartering the good ol’ girl instead.

Keep this information in mind the next time you read an article (even one written by me!) that purports to tell you which charter yachts are better than others.

Remember: The beauty of charter vacations is that they are customized to your personal preferences. Odds are there’s not a magazine out there that knows your desires as well as you know them yourself.

Two of the sailing yachts added to the First Impressions section of the CharterWave database for January have double cockpits–a term you should know if you’re trying to learn about yacht design differences that can affect your sailing charter.

A cockpit onboard a sailboat is traditionally the sunken-in place on deck where the captain and crew drive the boat and handle the lines, and where everyone sits while the boat is under way.

Some sailboats nowadays have what are known as double cockpits, meaning there are two sunken-in places on deck–one for guests to sit, and one where the captain and crew can do the work of sailing the boat.

As a visual reference, here’s the double cockpit onboard the sailing yacht Patient Falcon:

The photo is taken from the aft cockpit, overlooking the “guest cockpit.”

Here’s another example, shot from the same angle onboard the sailing yacht Fearless:

What I like about double cockpits is that they allow more space for you, your family and your friends to spread out without getting in the way of the crew. Put another way, double cockpits allow the crew to do the work of sailing the boat without making you feel as though they’re right on top of you.

One sailing yacht we’ve profiled here on CharterWave, called Stenella, has a triple cockpit design–offering the same benefits with even more room to spread out on deck.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with sailing yachts that have single cockpits. In fact, I quite like them personally, because I thoroughly enjoy chatting with the crew and lending a hand with the sailing duties.

But if you’re a person who is more interested in privacy onboard than being together with the crew, then you might look for a sailing yacht with a double- or triple-cockpit design. Talk to your charter broker about yachts with this design feature, and keep it in mind when you’re looking through brochures.

A quick addendum to this morning’s blog post: My signing for Have the Whole Boat will be on Thursday, April 12, at the Bluewater Books store in Fort Lauderdale.

Tell all your friends, and look for publicity in the upcoming months!