Trina Howes has 10 years of experience in the charter industry finding great pleasure in creating the best yachting vacations possible. E-mail Trina
Beverly Parsons has been chartering since 1969. She is a licensed, bonded broker and a founding member of the professional groups AYCA and CYBA International. Contact Beverly.
Liz Howard joined Fraser Yachts as a charter broker in 2002 after more than 15 years in the maritime industry. E-mail Liz.
Michael Sawyer of Infinity Yacht Charters has unique access to charter yachts and crew from Alaska to Mexico. Contact Michael.
Sharon Bahmer is an expert at booking charters in the Americas, from Alaska to Brazil. She's also a member of FYBA and CYBA. E-mail Sharon
Shannon Webster is a longtime AYCA member. She books yachts worldwide from 80 to 400 feet long. Email Shannon
Nicole Caulfield is licensed, bonded, and a longtime member of FYBA and AYCA. She brings a unique perspective as a broker, having worked aboard yachts for nearly 10 years. Email Nicole
Ed Hamilton has worked in every part of the charter industry over the last 37 years and heads one of the largest, most respected charter brokerages.
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First Impression: King’s Ransom
Date toured: November 2008
Each of the three yachts are the same all-inclusive price--$47,500 for 10 guests with four crew, as of this writing—and each yacht offers the same exact layout. There’s a large master stateroom on the main level, forward of the main saloon, and all the other guest cabins are one level down, in the catamaran’s hulls. Each cabin has its own private bathroom, and all the beds are walk-arounds instead of climb-ups, which are common on other Virgin Islands catamarans. What makes King’s Ransom, ZIngara, and Akasha different are the crew who run each boat. On King’s Ransom, the captain-chef team is comprised of husband and wife Peter and Colleen Leube, who previously spent two years running the 58-foot sailing catamaran Fantasy Island in the Caribbean. They developed a good reputation there for serving as many as 10 guests, the same number that King’s Ransom will take (with an additional stewardess and deckhand onboard). Colleen, who serves as chef, says her main qualification is that she loves to eat. “I won’t give guests anything that I wouldn’t eat myself,” she told me. “I make a lot of South African dishes, like a curry-flavored beef and lamb. I also cook Caribbean-style food, which the guests usually love.” On Fantasy Island, the Luebes said, they had six repeat clients out of 25 charters done last year. That’s a pretty good ratio, one that is a result, no doubt, of Colleen’s attitude that “whatever it takes, t hat’s what we do to give our guests the best.” King’s Ransom is part of the fleet at CharterPortBVI. Any reputable charter broker can tell you more or help you book a week onboard.—Kim Kavin |
The 76-foot sailing catamaran King’s Ransom is the third identical sistership from the same owner (the other two are