Canadian Yachting October 2019 - 70

Caribbean/West Indies

A private charter can have some
upsides as well as down. I once chose a
privately-owned boat that was coming out
of charter with a very reputable secondtier company and was being relocated. I
was able to charter the boat and travel
from Nassau to Miami via the Berry
Islands and Grand Bahama for a very
good price. Because I knew the owner
and the boat was coming out of charter
with a reputable company, I had no
qualms about taking the boat. In addition, I was able to help the owner move
the boat and he got a break from sailing.
I was even able to sail at night because
there was not the normal charter restriction from sailing after sunset.
Even if you know the owner of the
boat well, make sure all of the agreements are in writing, including condition
of the boat, damage waiver or deductible,
equipment on board, responsibility for
refueling, waste pump out, sailing exclusions - times and locations - basically all
of the things that would be spelled out in
a charter agreement.

Choosing a Destination
- A Global Perspective
Three companies seem to dominate the
global perspective. The Moorings - celebrating its 50-year anniversary (https:/
/www.moorings.com/about-us/companyhistory) this year - and Sunsail are both

6

part of Travelopia Holdings Ltd. which
also owns le boat and Leopard
Catamarans. The third global player,
Dream Yacht Charters has grown through
acquisition of smaller operators and
bringing them in under one umbrella.
Founded in France in 2001, Dream Yacht
Charters is a private company that charters yachts in the Indian Ocean, the
Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Australia,
the Pacific, North America, and the
Bahamas. Trade Only Today (27 Mar
2019) reported that Dream Yacht
Charters claims to be the largest charter
organization in the world with over 1,000
boats in 50 locations.
It is not until we start breaking down
the market into cruising regions that we
see the niche, regional, smaller and local
charter companies. There is no way we
can list every company, so check
CharterWorld's list of charter companies
at (charterworld.com).
Each charter company uses slightly
different terms for each region, so we
have chosen to divide the chartering
world into six major regions (in alphabetical order):
* Americas, including North, Central
and South America
* Atlantic, including France,
Scandinavia, UK
* Caribbean/West Indies, including
Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, Great
Antilles, Lesser Antilles (Windward

Canadian Yachting CHARTER Handbook

and Leeward Islands) Venezuela
* Mediterranean, including Croatia,
Greece, Italy, Spain,
* South Pacific / Australia, including
Tahiti, Tonga
* Southeast Asia, including Seychelles,
Thailand
This does not mean we are covering
every charter company or destination.
Quite simply we cannot, but now that
you know these regions are covered by
the majors, you know there will be local
providers as well.
So why go with one of the larger, more
established companies? You will probably
pay a little more, but the Moorings,
Sunsail and Dream Yacht Charters bring
more than just a boat in a sunny location
to the value equation by providing a
greater number of services and more convenience than many of the small and
medium charter companies.
For many charters, there is great value
in spending a little more to save time,
aggravation and/or risk. If you have the
time, are persistent and are risk averse,
then doing all of your own research to
find a gem may be appropriate for you.
How do you maximize the value of
your charter decision? Read on for strategies and tips to maximize your charter
experience.

OCTOBER 2019
http://www.charterworld.com https://www.moorings.com/about-us/company-history https://www.moorings.com/about-us/company-history https://www.moorings.com/about-us/company-history
Canadian Yachting October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting October 2019
