CharterWave eNews

October 2006

Everybody’s Surfing the CharterWave
Traffic on CharterWave.com is expected to increase by thousands of page views this month as editor Kim Kavin promotes the website in conjunction with the massive Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

“Until now, we’ve limited CharterWave access to a smaller group of users while we worked out all the kinks in the new website,” Kim explains. “I’m thrilled that we’re now ready to welcome the broader public to CharterWave. The more people who enjoy the content, use the forums, and post responses to the blog, the better everyone’s experience with yacht charter vacations can be.”

Kim will attend the Fort Lauderdale show at the end of October, promoting both CharterWave and her new book, Have the Whole Boat: The Insider’s Guide to Private Yacht Charter Vacations.

If you plan to be at the boat show and would like Kim to sign your copy of Have the Whole Boat, stop by the Power & Motoryacht magazine booth at Bahia Mar (next to the food court) from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 29.

We’re Scouting for You at FLIBS
When Kim’s not busy promoting CharterWave at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, she’ll be touring the docks with an eye toward bringing CharterWave subscribers the insider's scoop on all the newest charter yachts.

Check out Kim’s blog for a first look at the best bareboats and crewed yachts she finds, and look for her extended insider’s report in the November issue of CharterWave eNews—which will include a lot of new First Impressions for CharterWave subscribers to access!

Motoryacht Caribbean Sparkle Offers CharterWave Subscribers Exclusive Deal Worth $4,400
The newest offer in the CharterWave members-only Deals & Discounts section is from the 107-foot motoryacht Caribbean Sparkle. This yacht, part of the fleet at International Yacht Collection, is offering a free eight day with the booking of a seven-day charter.

That’s a $4,400 value!

The offer is good only for the winter 2006/2007 season in the Florida area, where Caribbean Sparkle is based. The yacht takes six guests with four crew and has a weekly base rate of $31,000 (about $6,500 per person with 25-percent expenses included).

If you're a member of the CharterWave community, you can take advantage of this exclusive offer.


Crewed Yacht of the Month: Infatuation in Italy
We had the exceptional pleasure of cruising with this stunning 136-foot sailing yacht’s owners along the Italian coastline—and we can tell you that they are nice people who want very much for their charter guests to be catered to perfectly.

While we were onboard Infatuation, we appreciated the way the crew lived up to the owners’ high expectations for first-class service. We were treated just as well as they were, and we believe charter guests will receive the same top-notch service, as well. That’s good stuff, especially when you’re onboard one of the prettiest new sailing yachts to come out of the venerable Dutch boatbuilding yards in recent years.

Infatuation has a base rate of $70,000 per week for eight guests, or about $11,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included. The yacht is part of the fleet at Nigel Burgess, and you can learn more by going to www.NigelBurgess.com or by working with any reputable charter broker.

Check out our full review of Infatuation if you're a member of the CharterWave community. Our feature is chock-full of information about both the yacht and the owners’ vision for using it in the charter marketplace.


New High Energy Available for Charters in England
There’s big charter news coming out of the United Kingdom: The brand-new 82-foot Sunseeker High Energy just joined the fleet at Sunseeker Charters, making her the largest locally based motoryacht available for luxury crewed charters in British waters.

Sunseekers are known for their sleek, express-cruiser styling, but this 82 is a true luxury motoryacht all the way. She has a master stateroom on the bottom deck, spanning the full width of the yacht and including an en suite bathroom. The VIP guest cabin is forward on the same deck, also with its own en suite facilities. Two additional guest cabins have twin beds, making this an ideal yacht to charter for two couples with kids.

Crew’s quarters are all the way aft, behind the engine room, so charter guests should enjoy a great deal of privacy.

High Energy will be based in Southampton. She takes 12 guests at a weekly base rate of 36,000 pounds, which was equivalent to about $68,000 at presstime (or about $7,000 per person with 25-percent expenses included).

You can learn more about the boat at www.SunseekerCharters.net, or by contacting any reputable charter broker.

New Instructional Course at Offshore Sailing School
Steve and Doris Colgate’s well-known Offshore Sailing School is introducing a new, weeklong instructional charter course called “Fast Track to Power Cruising.” The school also is offering more than 20 percent off the school’s usual rates for three-day “Learn to Sail” classes this fall.

The new course is held onboard powercats managed by NauticBlue, the powerboat division of The Moorings. CharterWave editor Kim Kavin was among the first journalists to see what the course has to offer during a recent cruise in the Abacos section of the Bahamas. She’ll have her full review of the yacht, instructor, and course offerings posted for CharterWave subscribers soon, but suffice to say she highly recommends this particular school’s method of incorporating instruction into actual cruising (instead of making students learn at the same dock day after day).

If you’re interested in bareboating onboard a fast powercat (28 knots!) and are taking the intelligent step of getting some instruction beforehand, this is the place to go. We haven’t seen the company’s “Learn to Sail” courses firsthand yet, but based on our experience with the powercat classes, we think they’ll be pretty good, too—especially at the discounted rate mentioned above.

Learn more at www.OffshoreSailing.com.

Southwest Florida Yachts Offers Bareboat Special
Fort Myers-based SFY is giving away two free days with any three-day or longer charter that ends before October 31. If you’re looking for a last-minute getaway, that’s practically getting one of the company’s bareboats at half price.

CharterWave editor Kim Kavin has spent a good deal of time at the company’s Marinatown location on Florida’s West Coast, and it’s a first-class operation. Check out the CharterWave Bareboat of the Month in this issue of eNews if you want detailed proof.

The SFY team, led hands-on by husband and wife Vic and Barb Hansen, offers sailboats and powerboats alike, with the latter including mostly slower trawlers (which make excellent bareboats for beginners). Learn more at www.swfyachts.com.

Bareboat of the Month: Blue Note on Florida’s West Coast
Our CharterWave expert spent a week onboard the 36-foot trawler yacht Blue Note, and we are pleased to be able to recommend the yacht for bareboat vacations and instructional charters alike.

Our onboard review included a look at the training provided by Florida Sailing & Cruising School, whose instructors give classes onboard boats like Blue Note that are part of the Southwest Florida Yachts fleet in North Fort Myers. Blue Note is a slow yacht—perfect for beginners and first-time bareboaters—and she’s a bit older, too, which means you won’t feel too worried about accidentally smacking into pilings while learning to dock.

If you’re looking for flash and glamour, this is not the yacht for you. However, if you want a reliable, seaworthy, comfortable boat for learning the ins and outs of hands-on chartering, then Blue Note hits exactly the right style—especially when your instructor is as terrific as ours was.

You can read our full review and learn more about our recommended instructor if you're a member of the CharterWave community, or click over to www.swfyachts.com for direct access to the bareboat company and instructional school.

Broker DJ Parker Launches Own Business
Longtime crewed yacht charter broker DJ Parker has left The Sacks Group to open her own independent charter booking agency in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Parker is well respected as one of the most knowledgeable brokers in the business, having started her career as one of the first female yacht charter captains. She has traveled extensively around the world onboard yachts, including several cruises with CharterWave editor Kim Kavin in Costa Rica, the Pacific Northwest, and the British Virgin Islands.

We here at CharterWave can recommend DJ highly, having watched her put her expertise to use for her charter clients firsthand. She's one of the brokers featured in our in-depth interview section, as well.

To reach her and discuss crewed yacht bookings, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Broker Tom Collins Joins Nigel Burgess
Just as quickly as one well-known broker is leaving a major management company, another well-known broker has joined one.

This time, it’s Tom Collins, formerly of Tom Collins Yachts Worldwide in Miami Beach, Florida. From now on, you can call him Tom Collins of Nigel Burgess Ltd.

Tom has more than 20 years’ experience in the charter industry, starting out as a bareboat skipper and working his way into his own business booking bareboats and crewed yachts alike. He’ll have to give up those bareboats now that he’s with Nigel Burgess—which handles only large, luxury crewed yachts—but we’re sure Tom will never give up his trademark good nature.

His personal website remains active at www.TomCollinsYachts.com, or you can reach him through www.NigelBurgess.com.

Have the Whole Boat Wins Award, Is Featured in Power & Motoryacht Magazine
CharterWave editor Kim Kavin’s new book, Have the Whole Boat, has been awarded Editor's Choice designation from publisher iUniverse. Only a fraction of the books iUniverse prints receive this honor, which is based on the quality of the author's work.

Have the Whole Boat also won accolades in this month’s issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine. Editor-in-Chief Richard Thiel, writing in his Lead Line column, says, “Anyone thinking about chartering needs this book.” That’s pretty high praise from the man who’s been running the number-one consumer marine magazine in America for nearly two decades.

Order your copy of Have the Whole Boat today by clicking here.

New Members-Only Crewed Yacht Reviews Added to the CharterWave Database This Month
Motoryacht Endurance in the San Juan Islands
Motoryacht Oh Que Luna in Greece
Motoryacht Princess Marcie on Harbour Island, Bahamas
Sailing Yacht Infatuation in Italy

New Members-Only Bareboat Reviews Added to the CharterWave Database This Month
Trawler Blue Note in Southwest Florida

New Members-Only First Impressions Added to the CharterWave Database This Month
Motoryacht Mary-Jean
Sailing Yacht Whisper