A quick blog post for you all this morning from the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which opens to media and VIPs in a few hours (and to the general public tomorrow).

I walked the docks for a few hours last night, talking with charter brokers from various companies as they prepared for today's press events. To a person, each told me that charter bookings for the winter season--and in particular the Caribbean--are better than they were at this time last year, but that plenty of yachts still have availability and owners willing to negotiate published rates.

That includes for holiday weeks, which in years past would have been long-ago booked by now at premium prices. "Not every owner will deal," one charter broker told me, "but enough will that I am still finding good opportunities for my clients."

As further evidence that what I'm hearing on the Fort Lauderdale docks is true, I received an e-mail this morning from Edmiston & Company in Monte Carlo saying that the owner of the 252-foot motoryacht Samar is dropping his lowest weekly base rate from €650,000 to €475,000--and that he is open to further negotiation for any Caribbean booking of 10 days or more.

I'll keep my ear to the ground again today, of course, and will have more for you here on the CharterWave Daily Editor's Blog tonight after my first day of touring yachts at this year's Fort Lauderdale show.

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