CharterWave eNews

June 2006

Barchetta First to offer Submarine
Talk about reaching new depths! The newly launched 157-foot motoryacht Barchetta just became the first charter yacht in the world to offer a personal submarine—adding a $50,000 SportSub to its water-toy lineup of Jet Skis, Nitrox scuba equipment, Windsurfers, and more. CharterWave’s experts already have an invitation to step onboard, and we’ll post our insider’s first-hand report from about 130 feet below the ocean’s surface just as soon as we get out to the yacht for a look-see.

Barchetta was built by Christensen Shipyards and is managed for charter by Churchill Yacht Partners. Her base weekly rate is $220,000 for 12 guests, or about $23,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included.

We’ve already seen her unique art deco interior with our own eyes, and we like it (read our First Impression of Barchetta).

At last report, the yacht was headed south from Seattle for a winter cruising season on Mexico’s West Coast with a brand-new captain and crew. We’ll check them out, too, when we get onboard and report back with exclusive details for CharterWave subscribers.

Crewed Charter of the Month: Kayana in Alaska
It’s the thick of summer in the northern hemisphere, which means oodles of bareboats and crewed yachts alike are vying for business in the Med. Those cruises in Spain, France and Italy are lovely, of course, but if you’re looking for something a bit more exotic, we’ve found it—a half-world away in Alaska.

Kayana is a 120-foot motoryacht, the larger of two boats in the CEO Expeditions fleet. She cruises in Alaska every summer, which means her crew have more combined knowledge about the natural beauty and wildlife than any other crew onboard yachts that just pass through the area for a single season.

We’ve had the pleasure of cruising onboard from Juneau to Sitka, and you can read our full review if you're a CharterWave member.

For now, suffice to say we had a terrific time, were well tended to by the crew, and were so enthused with the wildlife and sights that we didn’t mind about the yacht’s interior renovations still being completed.

Marsh Harbour: A Bareboating Paradise
We’re just back from a powercat bareboating cruise with Offshore Sailing School and The Moorings in the Abacos section of the Bahamas (look for our full review in CharterWave’s members-only section soon). We don’t want to let the cat out of the bag on what we thought of our boat and instructor, but we can tell you that we were reminded about what a terrific base Marsh Harbour is for first-time bareboaters or instructional charter students—especially for anybody who loves snorkeling and scuba diving.

If you’re thinking about taking the plunge into bareboating for the first time, consider trying it here. Marsh Harbour is easy to get to, especially for Americans, with direct flights from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and other major cities in Florida. The airport is about a 15-minute cab ride from The Moorings marina base, where you’ll find a swimming pool, showers, restaurants, and even a real grocery store and Internet access within about a 10-minute walk.

Even better, the Dive Abaco shop is adjacent to The Moorings office, so you can pick up all your snorkeling and scuba gear when you meet your bareboat, then drop it off easily on your way from the boat back to the airport.

You’ll even have a fairly easy time finding the best snorkeling and diving spots during your charter, since the Abacos are easier to navigate than a lot of other places. The islands are pretty close together and, thus, easy to see and compare against your charts.

Katie Macpherson Joins IYC
Charter broker Katie Macpherson has joined the International Yacht Collection team in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Katie chartered boats quite a bit with her family while growing up, then entered the industry by serving as an assistant to Jennifer Saia, president of The Sacks Group. She later left Sacks to become an entry-level charter broker with Nigel Burgess in Fort Lauderdale. When Nigel Burgess closed its Lauderdale offices and moved to Miami, Katie decided to stay in the city and move over to International Yacht Collection’s brand-new corporate headquarters on Southeast 17th Street.

You can reach Katie to discuss booking a charter by calling toll-free, (888) 213-7577, or by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .


New Members-Only Crewed Yacht Reviews Added to the CharterWave Database This Month
Motoryacht Kayana in Alaska
Motoryacht Sovereign in New England
Sailing Yacht Pacific Eagle in New Zealand

New Members-Only Bareboat Reviews Added to the CharterWave Database This Month
Powercat on Chesapeake Bay

New Members-Only First Impressions Added to the CharterWave Database This Month
Motoryacht Barchetta
Motoryacht Galaxy
Motoryacht Christina O