As I go from yacht to yacht at the annual industry-only charter show here in Genoa, I make a point of asking where the boat will be moving after the summer Mediterranean season is over. Historically, the answer is “Caribbean.” It’s so common, it’s almost like a reflex.

Not anymore. This year, for the first time, at least one or two crew each day are telling me that they are likely to head to the Maldives this winter, followed by the Seychelles, both in the Indian Ocean. Apparently, there is a law in the Maldives that allows yachts to stay only for 31 days before their customs clearance expires, so the Maldives-Seychelles pairing becomes necessary to fill the entire season of winter months.

The reasons I’m hearing for this new trend are:

* There is not enough charter business in the Caribbean to support the expense of moving a yacht there from the Mediterranean. The cost to reposition some of the larger motoryachts for alternating Med/Caribbean seasons approaches $500,000, and this past winter, more than a few boats reported making the move without recouping the expense in charter revenue. Some say the U.S. economy is a key reason for that, with traditional Caribbean customers from America failing to book their usual number of winter vacations.

* A key, growing segment of the charter industry is in Russia and the Middle East, where more and more people can afford yacht charter–but do not necessarily want to fly across so many time zones to enjoy it. They prefer the islands and beaches in the Maldives because they are, as the Caribbean is for Americans, closer to home.

* Changing global weather patterns mean it has been rainier and windier in the Caribbean than in seasons past. I have no evidence to support this one, but I heard it from two different yacht crews, so it is taking hold as a rumor, at a minimum. I’ll do some research on this for you in the coming weeks to see whether it is, indeed, true.

* Experienced yacht owners and charter clients are tiring of the Caribbean. It has been the primary winter location for many years now, and people are looking to vacation someplace new. For many charter clients, the Seychelles and Maldives are an exotic, enticing option.

As any regular reader of CharterWave knows, I’m a big fan of yachts moving into new places. From my perspective, this is a good trend that is developing. It will allow more options for charter clients in terms of destinations.

Of course, plenty of charter yachts will still be availble this winter in the Caribbean, which will remain a lovely destination for many types of cruising vacations. To me, it’s just nice to know that anyone seeking a charter vacation has ever-expanding choices.

The Triton, an excellent monthly newspaper written primarily for yacht crew, reported this week that the Italian island of Sardinia has changed the structure under which it is taxing yachts that dock at its ports. This affects charter clients as much as the yachts themselves, because when you book a charter, you pay for expenses such as taxes in addition to your yacht’s base rate.

According to The Triton’s article, Sardinia’s luxury tax will now be charged on a weekly instead of an annual basis. In many cases, this means the government will be able to collect more money from visiting yachts over the course of the June 1-September 30 summer cruising season.

For a charter yacht between about 100 and 200 feet long, the new weekly tax rate is 2,500 euro, or the equivalent of $3,872 at today’s exchange rate. It is not pro-rated, meaning you will be asked to pay the full amount if you stay for only two or three days of a seven-day Mediterranean charter.

Sardinia began imposing its luxury tax in 2006, and many charter yachts have avoided paying it by anchoring out instead of docking at the local marinas. If you’re planning a charter to Sardinia this summer, keep that in mind as an option. Simply cruising ashore in your charter yacht’s dinghy, instead of stepping ashore from a marina slip, can literally save you thousands of dollars.

The photograph above is of the recently renovated (look at that gorgeous wood!) galley onboard the 115-foot Trinity motoryacht Watercolours. She’s currently in the British Virgin Islands, as are a good number of charter yachts, but I’ve learned from management company Northrop & Johnson that Watercolours is heading to the unusual destination of the Turks and Caicos Islands beginning in mid-May.

I absolutely love the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are south of the Bahamas, so close on a map that they look as though they’re an extension of them. I’ve been back to the Turks and Caicos twice for personal vacations, since I’m a scuba fan and the islands are well-known for having some of the best reef diving on the planet.

It’s rare to find charter yachts in the Turks and Caicos, though, because marina infrastructure is still developing. Typically, charter yachts that don’t go to the Mediterranean each May will move from the Virgins in the winter up to the Bahamas or New England for the summer, skipping the Turks and Caicos completely. That Watercolours is going to offer a few weeks of charters there is unusual, an opportunity that doesn’t come around too often on this size motoryacht.

It’s also worth noting that Watercolours is outfitted to help guests enjoy the underwater environment that makes the Turks and Caicos so special. The yacht tows a 32-foot Intrepid center-console tender to get you to the best snorkeling grounds, has an eight-person Brownie’s Third Lung for pseudo-scuba diving, and even has a fighting chair on the aft deck for fishing straight from the main yacht.

I’m jonesing to go back to the Turks and Caicos and meet the boat as I write this. If you’re interested, too, contact any reputable charter broker. Watercolours takes eight guests at a weekly base rate of $49,500 (which includes use of the Intrepid).