Pride

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.

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

Michael Sawyer of Infinity Yacht Charters has unique access to charter yachts and crew from Alaska to Mexico. Contact Michael.

Trina Howes has 10 years of experience in the charter industry finding great pleasure in creating the best yachting vacations possible. E-mail Trina

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

Gertrud Annevelink's many years of charter experience are your free local knowledge. E-mail Gertrud

Shannon Webster is a longtime AYCA member. She books yachts worldwide from 80 to 400 feet long. Email Shannon

Liz Howard joined Fraser Yachts as a charter broker in 2002 after more than 15 years in the maritime industry. E-mail Liz.

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.

Pride

Date toured: June 2007

The 58-foot sailing yacht Pride immediately caught my attention at the industry-only charter yacht show in Newport, Rhode Island, for the simple reason that she’s a catamaran. You don’t get many of those available for charter up New England way.
Sailing catamarans are all the rage these days down in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, as well as over in Australia, where charterers love the easy water access and all the onboard space they offer when compared with traditional yachts of the same length. Cats are also a lot more stable on the water than monohull sailing yachts, so they’re a great boat for first-timers who are worried about the boat heeling over in strong winds, but who still want to enjoy the fun of sailing.
Why more catamarans haven’t come up New England way is a bit of a mystery, but my guess is that it’s because the Newport-to-Bar Harbor corridor is full of old-money love for classic sailing yacht designs. A “sexy” boat in Maine is one made of real wood, maybe painted blue with a red bootstripe, and v Pride owners arnished within an inch of its life. No matter how roomy or stable a catamaran like Pride is, I think a lot of New Englanders would still see her as a funny-shaped, glaring white monstrosity that has a dickens of a time fitting into a regular-width slip at the dock.
Long live blasphemy, I say: Sailing catamarans are fantastic to cruise onboard anywhere in the world, and I hope more of them join Pride in the New England area during the summer charter seasons to come.
I also hope they have crews as interesting as Jack and Susan Boye, the couple who own and run Pride as they live out their second-career dreams of a life on the water. (Jack’s also a well-known sailboat racer; see our exclusive interview for more on that.) What I like about the Boyes is that they’re not trying to compete with the fresh-out-of-college kids who run a lot of charter boats like nonstop fun factories. Instead, the Boyes are welcoming all kinds of charter clients, including those who are older and want to simply cruise comfortably while enjoying the scenery. That the Boyes live in Maine also helps, as they’re just thrilled to introduce guests to their home waters.
Pride is part of the Flagship fleet. She takes six guests at a weekly base rate of $15,900, or about $3,300 per person with typical 25-percent expenses factored in. Contact any reputable charter broker for booking details.—Kim Kavin