World Ocean Day: What can we do together to help preserve our seas?

Today is World Ocean Day, a day to celebrate and honour the importance of our oceans. This year’s theme is ‘Planet Ocean: tides are changing.’

The oceans are our lifeline, literally. They provide us with 70% of our oxygen and cover 71% of the Earth’s surface. Without them, both humanity and our yachting industry would cease to exist.

At Boatbookings, we understand that we are united by oceans and reliant upon their health. We have long been an advocate for protecting them and continue to do so. To ensure their survival in the future we need more collective action.

What are the main threats facing our oceans? 

It is important to identify the main threats facing our oceans in order to understand what the issues are why we should protect them, and how to work to do so.

  • Plastic pollution: An equivalent of one truckload of plastic enters the oceans every minute, damaging the ecosystems and entering the food chain.
  • Overfishing: 90% of the world’s wild fish are either fully or over-exploited due to destructive fishing practices. 
  • Ocean Warming: Increasing ocean temperatures are affecting marine species and ecosystems and driving up sea levels. 

Why else do we want to protect them?

  • It is the ultimate playground: The ocean is different everywhere you go, from Greece to Croatia, to the Bahamas, to the Pacific. You can do so many things on, in and under the oceans. It is full of life’s great, diverse adventures, think kayaking fjords to scuba diving with reef sharks.
  • We share it: The oceans are a valuable resource that is utilised and shared around the globe. The oceans shape cultures and traditions and living by the sea has such an impact on your life, whether that be what you eat, where you work, or how you spend your time. 
  • The Biodiversity: The oceans are home to an incredible array of biodiversity, including millions of species that many are still yet to be discovered. Healthy oceans can support complex ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass, which all provide habitats and feeding grounds.
  • Makes us feel good: Research has shown that bodies of water are strongly linked to your brain releasing feel-good hormones. Who wouldn’t be happy on a crewed charter catamaran in Tahiti

What can we do onboard a crewed charter?

There are so many ways we can help protect and conserve our oceans. Both small and large changes can make a world of difference to the health of our oceans and the overall sustainability of our planet. Here are some top ways this World Ocean Day you can help:

  • Make sure you choose one of our more sustainable electric charter catamarans for this summer. From electric to hybrid, there are so many green options out there. 
  • Offset your carbon emissions. You can use our carbon offset calculator to work them out. 
  • Reduce your plastic waste onboard. You can specify on your preference sheet that you would like to minimize single-use plastic wherever possible. For example, through reusable bottles, filtered water, and refillable toiletries onboard a crewed charter. 
  • Support and get involved in any local ocean conservation initiatives, from beach clean up’s in the BVI’s to supporting local communities in the Bahamas. 
  • Eat locally and seasonally onboard. You can ask your onboard chef to source sustainably and ethically throughout your trip. This will reduce your carbon footprint onboard due to the reduced air miles. 
  • It is important to understand why there are specific anchoring regulations in place and to always adhere to these. Your crew will ensure that you anchor in an environmentally-safe spot without damaging what is below, especially the coral reef.

While it is essential to recognize and acknowledge all the themes and topics behind World Ocean Day, we should work to protect and conserve our oceans every day. We ensure our clients take the protection of oceans seriously. At Boatbookings, we started this by helping facilitate greener chartering, leading the charge to provide our clients with a more sustainable charter fleet and practices. For a greener charter this year, contact the Boatbookings team today.

Your need-to-know guide to yachting in 2020

Boatbookings is recognised for its industry knowledge and professionalism. We are independent and our sole focus is to ensure you charter a yacht which matches your requirements. Don’t leave your vacations and corporate events to chance, leave it to the professionals. We are proud of our client testimonials and look forward to working with you in 2020.

Charter Broker Ben has highlighted the experiences you should book in the first 3 months of 2020 to make this year extra special. We can’t wait to supercharge your holidays! 

January 2020

With almost 80% of the prime summer dates and reputable catamarans already booked, it’s essential to move forward in January and proceed with your summer island-hopping adventure in GreeceCroatia, and the Amalfi Coast

Choose Greece’s Saronic Gulf for warm hospitality, Croatia’s Kornati National Park for isolated anchorages and the Amalfi Coast for mouthwatering cuisine. Selecting a catamaran will provide extra stability, low fuel consumptions and massive volumes to holiday in style.

February 2020

The half-term holidays are just around the corner and it’s time to start planning the major 2020 holidays. You have to book your BVI Crewed Catamaran and St Barths Motor Yacht charters for New Years now, or you will miss out on the quality yachts, experienced crews and your flights!

If you want to try something different, go diving in Indonesia’s iconic Raja Ampat, try surfing in New Caledonia or embark on a Thai culinary adventure from Phuket. There’s still time to book your last-minute Spring Break 2020 getaway to swim with the pigs in the Bahamas.

March 2020

You really should have finalised your dates for your summer Mediterranean motor yacht charter by March, or you will only have a handful of yachts to review.

Private yacht charters are bespoke and everyone has their own style. We can adapt any itinerary to suit your group; the French Riviera can cater to those looking for everything from Provencal farmhouse dining to Michelin starred restaurants in Monaco. Alternatively, escape the jet-set and explore the fortified towns of Corsica and dive into Sardinia for peace and tranquillity. 

The world is your oyster and we want you to make the most of it in 2020. Our Broker Team continues to travel the world in search of the most picturesque anchorages for water sports, sampling the best regional restaurants and making helpful contacts so your ideas become reality. 2020 will prove to be the best holiday season yet!

The 2019 Mediterranean Yacht Show

It’s almost time for your Boatbookings crewed yacht charter brokers to attend the annual Mediterranean Yacht Show (MEDYS) in Nafplion, Greece. With 107 yachts on display measuring over 3000m in length, the 2019 MEDYS is going to be the most successful yacht show to date. Today, we will take a look at three of our favourite yachts exhibiting from the 4-8 May 2019.

MELITI | Lagoon 560

MEDYS 2019 will showcase the best motor and sailing yachts available for charter in Greece, as well as some of our favourite Greek crewed catamarans. MELITI is a luxurious Lagoon 560 catamaran, accommodating 10 guests in 5 cabins for sailing charter through the Saronic and Cyclades islands. With Captian Stelios at the helm, you will discover tranquil bays, breathtaking anchorages and unrivalled sunsets. Bring your camera!

PARIS A | Maiora 115

In addition to catamarans, MEDYS 2019 will showcase the best Greece crewed motor yachts. PARIS A continues to be one of our favourites in the 100-120 feet range, offering five spacious suites, a large flybridge and a great selection of water toys. Furthermore, she has a dedicated crew, as well as a superb chef in Dionisios for summer 2019. We look forward to being dazzled with his creations!

BLISS | Heesen 44m

BLISS has just benefitted from an extensive winter refit and is therefore in sparkling condition for the summer 2019 Greek yachting season. Experienced Captain Takis, and his dedicated crew of 8 will show you the best Cyclades Islands Motor Yacht Itinerary with stops in the magical Mykonos and picturesque Paros.

Stay tuned for our full MEDYS 2019 report and continue to follow the action via the Boatbookings Instagram page.

Captivating Catana Catamarans – BALI LINE

Bali cats, how what where and when?

(Artist: John Webber, artist aboard Cook’s ship. Source: Scanned from page 20 of the following book. Grant, Glenn (2004) Hawai`i Looking Back: An illustrated History of the Islands, Mutual Publishing, pp. 454pp)

The 1600s marks the birth of the new multihull ideology which would later become one of the most recognized yacht models across the sailing community. It was first believed to have been two logs bound together and later developed into two cannons being held together to give that famous multi-style. Catamarans have moved on from this once prehistoric engineering into some of the most celebrated yachts in the world. This was not without skepticism, the first recorded Catamaran designed by William Petty was not a commercial success. The multihull design was virtually unused for around 160 years following its initial introduction.

Come the mid-1900’s century catamarans started to come into a league of their own. The cat designs traveled worldwide, with England and the Americas jumping on the bandwagon to start producing the multihull sailing yachts. Famed for stability, these yachts started to beat Monohulls in regattas all over the world. Nowadays catamarans exude luxury and racing excellence.

They’ve become so popular in the sailing-holiday-cruising-style due to their space, catamarans are not only novice sailors favorites but are fast becoming the Luxury crewed alternatives to monohulls. This versatile yacht can be utilized in many different ways, not only been built for cruising but have also developed into hydrofoiling racing cats and power cats .

We have Bali catamarans based in some of the most elite sailing destinations in the world. If you are after luxury, space, and easy sailing then this yacht is for you! Space is hard to find on monohull yachts that are under 40ft, but even with 32 ft cat space will never become an issue. Built for speed and cruising, these yachts are perfect for exploring shallow waters around the Caribbean, or island hopping in the Greek or Croatian islands.

With large Balis accommodating up to 12 guests, these yachts provide ample space for a stunning charter with family and friends. Bali has furnished their yachts to a high specification creating a dynamic, comfortable sail. Bali catamarans are pioneers in the way that they develop their yachts. They are always searching for rules to break, and putting sailors comfort and ease of sailing at the forefront of everything they create. Check out our catamaran yacht charter guide for more information on chartering a catamaran.