Well, folks, today is my second wedding anniversary. My husband and I have reservations for a lovely dinner this evening followed by a trip next month up to Montreal, Canada, for a long weekend of leaf-peeping and apple cider tasting.

More than a few family members have asked me why we’re not going on a short charter yacht vacation instead. “I guess it’s too expensive for just a second anniversary,” one quipped. Another added, “Aren’t those yachts priced by the week? You can’t do a three- or four-day getaway.”

Oh, how wrong they are.

On the question of cost, there are plenty of charter yacht vacations that are onboard fully crewed boats and yet cost just a few thousand dollars a week. This is especially true in the Virgin Islands, where some all-inclusive yachts are designed specifically for couples to charter on their own without breaking the bank.

On the question of time, yes, it’s true that charter yachts have base rates listed for a weeklong vacation. But if you want to be onboard for only three or four days, any reputable charter broker can negotiate the yacht’s price down to reflect the actual usage. Typically, you can divide the weekly rate by seven (as in days) and then just pay for the days that you actually spend onboard.

So why, then, are my husband and I forgoing a charter for this particular anniversary celebration? To be honest, it’s because there are a few restaurants in Montreal and Upstate New York that my husband and I have had our eyes on for years. Frankly, a yacht is just a bit impractical in the inland mountains!

It’s hard to believe, but August is almost over… and that means it’s time for charter yachts to begin moving from their summer to their winter locations. I know this because in the past few days, I’ve received two e-mails from management companies promoting “repositioning” itineraries in places that charter yachts don’t typically cruise.

The first seasonal opportunity is from Churchill Yacht Partners, which has the 90-foot motoryacht Trilogy preparing to cruise down the Hudson River from Upstate New York to Manhattan–just in time for the colorful autumn leaf-peeping season. The second opportunity is from Northrop & Johnson, which has the 88-foot motoryacht Bellflower heading to the Chesapeake Bay and the Carolinas. Golfers, in particular, tend to love that rarely available itinerary.

You can ask any reputable charter broker about these and other repositioning charters, which sometimes can be negotiated in terms of price because the yacht’s owner has to move his boat with or without charter guests onboard. As more charter yachts prepare to move at summer’s end, more of these kinds of interesting opportunities will pop up.

I’m preparing to spend a few days next month onboard a yacht off the coast of Phuket, Thailand (yes, I’ll post a full review for you on CharterWave and I plan to blog from the yacht each day). E-mails were flying all day yesterday among the charter brokers who will be onboard at the same time. Everyone is trying to figure out how much of a gratuity is appropriate for the yacht’s crew.

It’s interesting to me that charter brokers themselves don’t have a standard for what is an appropriate yacht charter tip. If you recall, I blogged back in May about tipping being a major focus of discussion at the annual, industry-only charter yacht show in Italy. Some people think 5 percent is appropriate. Others feel that anything less than 20 percent is an insult.

If you’re trying to figure out what kind of gratuity you might want to leave your charter yacht crew, check out our feature on tipping in the Charterwave Helpful Articles section. It offers insights from both the United States and Europe into traditional tipping practices, so you can rest assured that you’ll tip “appropriately” no matter what kind of service you receive.