Sailing Cats Dominate Boat Shows in U.S. and British Virgin Islands
CharterWave editor Kim Kavin was on the docks in St. Thomas and Tortola last month for the annual, industry only charter yacht shows leading up to the winter season in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. The docks were bursting with sailing catamarans, which outnumbered powerboats and monohull sailboats by a ratio of at least 10-to-1.
“As recently as 10 or 15 years ago, the opposite was what you’d find in the Virgin Islands,” Kim says. “It was all monohull sailboats, all the time. The charter market has completely flipped. All the demand nowadays is for sailing catamarans, which are roomier and don’t heel over under way.”
With so many sailing cats available in similar size and price ranges, it’s more important than ever for you to be able to tell what makes one boat different from the next. Kim started posting her First Impression reviews and Crew Interviews on CharterWave this month, including this vidcast with the chef onboard the 65-foot sailing catamaran True North.
“When you get down to it, there are now so many cats in the same size and price range that the crew, the cabin layouts, and the onboard amenities really do make all the difference,” Kim says. “That’s why we go to the shows and post our independent reviews on CharterWave.
“You need to know which crews are young and active, which are older and more relaxed, and which boats are actually providing everything they promise in their brochures—and at a fair price.”

Welcome New Sponsor: International Yacht Charter Group
We’re excited to welcome International Yacht Charter Group this month as CharterWave’s newest sponsor—not just because it’s a reputable charter company, but also because its owners are among the savviest brokers in the world when it comes to doing business on the Web.
The brokers who work at International Yacht Charter Group are members of three out of the world’s four premier professional associations: MYBA, FYBA and CYBA International. Company President Janet Bloomfield and broker Patty Wilson also are regularly seen at major boat shows worldwide, inspecting boats and interviewing crew to make sure they have all the latest, up-to-date information. That’s the kind of diligence we here at CharterWave look for in a reputable company, and it's a big part of the reason why we’re so happy to have International Yacht Charter Group as a sponsor.
The company was founded by CEO Derek Holding, who previously had a successful career working in Internet development. The IYCG website is one of the most complete online, regularly ranking at the top of search engines and winning new clients. That Holding and the IYCG team now see CharterWave as a valuable online partner makes us proud. They know a good website when they see one, and we’re thrilled to have them as one of CharterWave’s sponsors.
Click here to head over to International Yacht Charter Group’s sponsored page—where the company’s brokers are going to begin blogging this month, straight from the much-anticipated Caribbean yacht charter shows.

Chef Vidcast Proves Exceptionally Popular
Last month’s new vidcast of charter yacht chef Lauren Mackin was downloaded 84 times—during just its first two hours on the Internet.
That kind of response is what we here at CharterWave like to see, and we hear you loud and clear in your desire for multimedia content. Look for more in-the-galley vidcasts in the months ahead, plus other onboard vidcasts, video interviews with reputable charter brokers, and audio-only podcasts that you can download and take with you during your next airline flight or jog. Click here for our index of multimedia offerings.

We’re Scouting for You on Antigua, Sint Maarten, Anguilla, St. Barth’s
CharterWave editor Kim Kavin is flying back to the Caribbean this month for the annual, industry-only boat shows on Antigua and Sint Maarten—as well as for a few days of cruising around nearby Anguilla and St. Barth’s.
She’ll have notebook and camera in hand, as always, and has some special video interviews planned with top-dollar megayacht crew. Keep an eye on our First Impressions and Audio/Video pages for the latest reviews and interviews, as well as on the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog for reports directly from all four islands.

Readership Stats and What They Mean
There was an interesting article in a media journal this month about how newspapers are trying to figure out how to reach their former readers online. Sites like The New York Times boast traffic of millions of readers a day—but according to this article, each reader is only staying a little more than a minute.
That statistic caught our eye here at CharterWave, because compared with people who read sites like The New York Times for an average of 68 seconds per day, our CharterWave readers average four times that amount during each visit. We have yet to have a month where the average CharterWave reader stayed on our site less than two minutes, and our average “reader stay” during our first 14 months in operation is two minutes, 49 seconds per reader, per visit.
What these statistics mean is that yes, other sites may have more people going to them, but CharterWave is the place where readers stay longer to actually read the content. Readers trust us when it's time to sit down and learn about yacht charter. A case in point: One of our readers looked at 22 of our articles in a single sitting—and that’s serious readership in any form of media.

Dream Cruises Radio Tour Set to Begin
If you hear a radio ad for an upcoming show about yacht charter vacations, the odds are that it will feature CharterWave editor Kim Kavin.
That’s because publisher iUniverse has plans to sponsor a three-month radio tour beginning this month to promote the second edition of Kim’s charter book, Dream Cruises: The Insider’s Guide to Private Yacht Vacations. Kim also will be promoting CharterWave to the hundreds of thousands of listeners on radio stations across the United States.
“It’s so exciting to have so much momentum with both Dream Cruises and CharterWave after just a single year,” Kim says. “The public is really responding to the idea of yacht charter, which most people simply don’t know is a vacation option until they hear me talk about it or read my writing about it.”
Keep an eye on the CharterWave Audio/Video section for links to listen to recent radio shows. And if you’d like to check out the new edition of Kim’s book, please click here.

Best of the Editor’s Blog
"Do the Math:" One of the more interesting conversations that keeps coming up here at the charter show on Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, is about the difference you can see in service when you understand the number of weeks of charter a boat does each year... Read More...

Best of the Sponsored Blogs
From the Regency Yacht Vacations blog: "Planning Your Charter": Hard to believe, but those clients who want the prefect choice are already looking at their options for this summer in the Mediterranean... Read More...

Last Chance for 2007 Advertising Rates
New Year’s Day is less than a month away, and with it will come the new 2008 advertising rates for sponsored pages here on CharterWave.
If you’re interested in signing on at our first-year, introductory prices—starting at just $50 per month—then check out our online media kit and contact editor Kim Kavin before December 31. She’s at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Crewed Motoryacht of the Month: Wanderlust
The 118-foot Wanderlust is neither the newest nor the fanciest, but it’s great for families that like to fish—which the owner is trying to lure with an enticing weekly rate.
Click here to read our exclusive First Impression review.

Crewed Sailing Yacht of the Month: Bliss
Looking for Hollywood-style pampering during your charter? This yacht’s chef used to be the personal assistant for Spice Girl Mel B. and Oasis singer Noel Gallagher. Check out our exclusive First Impression review by clicking here.

Captain of the Month: Kristian Sondergaard
Capt. Sondergaard impressed us not just with his friendly attitude, but also with the hard work he did to upgrade his new sailing catamaran from her prior state of disrepair. We got hold of him for an exclusive interview during last month's Tortola charter yacht show. Click here to see what he had to say.

Chef of the Month: Emily Williams
We really like this Virgin Islands sailing catamaran chef—and we’re not alone. She took home first prize at last month’s annual cooking competition on Tortola, beating out all of the other charter chefs.
We got this exclusive interview with her the morning after she won the big award.

Charter Broker of the Month: Elaine Stewart
Elaine is the only reputable broker we know personally from the state of Georgia. Her Southern hospitality, plus her patience and deep industry knowledge, are ideal for first-time charter clients. Click here for our exclusive interview with Elaine.

Fleet and Management Company News
BCR Yachts is promoting the 82-foot sailing yacht Aqua Equinox 5, which still has availability for charters in the Caribbean this February and March. She takes up to six guests at a weekly base rate of 24,000 euros… Also still available in the Caribbean this winter is the 78-foot sailing yacht Rusalka, which you can learn more about in our exclusive CharterWave First Impression…

Burgess Yachts went online this month with a sparkling new website…

Camper & Nicholsons International has welcomed the 130-foot motoryacht Parvati (previously known as Elisabeth F) back into its charter fleet. She’s just gone through an extensive refit and will be available in the Caribbean this winter, then the Mediterranean for summer 2008... Camper & Nicholsons also is promoting the 111-foot motoryacht VvS1, which is on its way to New Zealand to offer charters…

Churchill Yacht Partners has added the 108-foot motoryacht Chanticleer to its fleet. Built in 1973 and once the personal yacht of 1940s songstress Francis Langford, the boat was completely refit in 2007. Her base rates start at $33,000, which includes five crew, in New England and the Virgin Islands…

Emerald Yacht-Ship says the 172-foot Taipan III and the 63-foot Taipan IV have both just begun a four-month charter in and around Thailand in Southeast Asia. The yachts will open up for charter bookings again sometime in the summer of 2008…

Fraser Yachts Worldwide reports that the brand-new, 124-foot Hakvoort motoryacht Perle Bleue booked a full-price, two-week holiday charter just after it made its debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October. At a weekly base rate of $145,000, that makes Perle Bleue one of the top-dollar charter yachts for eight guests on the worldwide market. Click here to read our exclusive First Impression review…

International Yacht Collection has added three motoryachts to its fleet, all of which are available this winter in the Caribbean. The 115-foot El Jefe was built in 1989 and just completed a refit. She takes eight to ten guests at a weekly base rate of $47,500. The 128-foot Mia Elise was built in 2000. She takes eight guests at a weekly base rate of $75,000. And last but not least, the brand-new 146-foot Christensen motoryacht Party Girl takes 12 guests, with rates still to be determined…

Nicholson Yachts is tooting the horn of Jonny Spector and Meredith Hestor, the new crew onboard the 62-foot sailing yacht Conundrum, which won the “best blender drink” contest at last month’s St. Thomas charter yacht show… Nicholson Yachts also has the 83-foot sailing yacht Fortuna available for last-minute holiday charters beginning in Fort de France on the Caribbean island Martinique…

Northrop & Johnson has added the 118-foot motoryacht Watercolours to its fleet. The yacht was built in 1991 and completed an extensive refit this past summer, including transforming the dining room into a country-kitchen galley with a panoramic view of the water. The yacht takes eight guests at a weekly base rate of $49,500…

Orca Yacht Charters is promoting the 85-foot motoryacht Sisu and the 57-foot sailing yacht Western, both of which are still available for last-minute Christmas and New Year’s charter bookings in Mexico. The base rates are $5,000 to $35,000 per week…

Primo Yacht Charter still has a few yachts available for this spring’s Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival. They include the 147-foot motoryacht Secret Life, the 146-foot motoryacht Costa Magna and the 98-foot motoryacht Ladies First…

Sunseeker Charters, in partnership with the British-based boatbuilder Sunseeker, has opened new charter offices that bring their total number to five. You can now find Sunseeker Charters representatives in offices in Mayfair (London), Monaco, Beaulieu-Sur-Mer, La Napoule, and Cannes…

The Shipyard Group still has a half-dozen motoryachts available for holiday charters this winter. They include the 78-foot Bella Sophia at $18,000 a week, the 73-foot Sedrop at $28,500 per week, the 72-foot Quite Enough at $15,500 per week, the 70-foot Our Little Paradise (new to the fleet last month) at $19,500 per week, the 68-foot Straight to Voicemail at $16,500 per week, and the 71-foot Litchfield Lady at $11,000 per week. Those rates are all base prices, and the boats take between four and eight guests apiece…

New First Impressions Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Argyll, 153-foot motoryacht
Bliss, 58-foot sailing catamaran
Breanker, 55-foot sailing catamaran
NewVida, 164-foot motoryacht
True North, 65-foot sailing catamaran
Wanderlust, 118-foot motoryacht

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Capt. Kristian Sondergaard, s/y Breanker
Chef Lauren Mackin, s/y True North
Chef Emily Williams, s/y Swish

New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Elaine Stewart, Elaine Stewart Yacht Charters

New Vidcasts Posted on CharterWave This Month:
In the galley with chef Lauren Mackin, s/y True North
Tour of Yacht Haven Grande on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Support the Sponsors Who Support CharterWave:
BoatBookings.com

International Yacht Charter Group

Regency Yacht Vacations