If you’re planning on traveling to the world cup in South Africa next summer, we now have a good supply of yachts for all of your corporate entertainment and accommodation needs. Cape Town or Durban. Read more about chartering a yacht for the football world cup here.
Category Archives: Indian Ocean
Market update and outlook for Chartering this fall
Everyone asks us how the summer went and what is going on in the charter market these days, so here are our views on the market and and a few of our expectations for the remainder of the year.
About midway through July, demand for Mediterranean charters picked up dramatically – last minute charters came out of the woodwork and we’ve been inundated ever since. Anecdotal stories from other industries such as villa rentals generally say that same thing. People wanted deals, but in the end they still wanted a great holiday, despite the recession.
We believe that there is much more confidence amongst charterers, and that this will continue into the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Asia/Pacific high seasons from December through April. We’ve seen our traffic and enquiries accelerate (more than double from last September when the world was falling apart) and our operators in the Caribbean say that Christmas and New Years availability is becoming scarce. If you’re planning a charter during this peak period in the Caribbean, especially the BVI, then best to contact Boatbookings.com soon to discuss the boats that are remaining (we’ve created a nice listing of BVI Yacht Charter Availability here. Unfortunately, with the rebound in the economy, the possibility of “deals” during this peak period is dramatically diminished.
We’ve also seen a significant pick-up in demand for the Indian Ocean – especially in the Seychelles and Maldives. Because these are longer haul destinations, they seem to be picking up a bit more slowly, so there is still good availability, but if the current trend continues we wouldn’t recommend waiting until the last minute and looking for deals, or you may be disappointed.
Thailand got hit with a double whammy at the end of 2008. Just as the world economy was falling apart, the Bangkok international airport was closed by political protesters, heavily impacting the tourism sector in general. This lead to much lower demand in the first half of 2009, and some amazing charter deals being available to counteract all the bad publicity.
But just as our Asia Charter Manager was starting to wonder if the world was still in love with Thailand, July/August has seen a dramatic rise in enquiries and bookings for Thailand charters. As Europeans return from their summer vacations, we expect this increase in demand to continue. In fact, like every year, most cats are already booked up many months in advance for the peak periods of Christmas and New Year in Phuket.
As for the Mediterranean next summer – it’s anybody’s guess, but we certainly expect that next summer will be significantly stronger than this year, so don’t expect the type of deals that we were seeing this year. It may sound self serving, but the best way to guarantee the current prices and get a bit of a discount as well is to get an early booking discount – which generally means booking your summer charter before the end of the year.
Boatbookings.com Expert Commentary – Mauritius and the Indian Ocean
Our charter consultants know so much about the area, we decided to do an ongoing series of expert advice about key things to know, what to do, and trends in the regions. We start with an interview with Peter Piper, the original Charter Consultant at Boatbookings.com, who has relocated to Mauritius (someone has to do it) to cover the Indian Ocean. Here are his comments:
Peter, tell me what you’re seeing in the Indian Ocean Charter Scene right now.
Despite the global recession, we’re seeing great growth in our Indian Ocean business since we opened our office about a year ago. The market in general is growing about 10% per year. People are coming here because the weather is normally great, there’s amazing diving and snorkeling, and it’s new, interesting and exotic. You can find anything you want in the Indian Ocean.
What are the main destinations?
Right now we’re seeing the most demand for the Maldives and Mauritius. The Maldives are a fantastic destination for people who really want to relax, or for a honeymoon or romantic cruise. Mauritius, having a culture that has evolved from African, European and Asian traders, offers a bit of everything, from great sailing, to exotic food, to nightlife. I personally think that Mauritius offers it all, but I’m a bit biased because I live here!
What type of yachts do you normally charter?
The most common charter is a crewed catamaran. It’s relaxing, has plenty of space, rests close to the water, and it really is perfect for these islands. It is important to note, that because of the coral, there are no bareboats allowed here. But the skipper gives you a much better understanding of the area and is normally happy for you to sail the boat if you want!
There are a few great new motor yachts starting to appear in the Indian Ocean. We have two beautiful new Azimuts in the Maldives, and will soon have a unique superyacht called Ocean Solace (pictured) that is arriving in Mauritius.
Regarding Mauritius, what type of itinerary do you recommend?
Most charters we do circle the island, and definitely visit the two groups of islands to the north and east of Mauritius. There is fantastic diving between the islands in the north – Coin de Mire, Flat Island and Gabriel Island. Ile aux Cerfs, to the east, is also a beautiful island, perfect for a relaxing day. Then after you’ve had plenty of diving, relaxing and solitude, you can always visit the main port cities such as Grand Baie or Port Louis for great restaurants, entertainment, and even casinos if that’s what you’re looking for.
What do people do in the Maldives?
Like everywhere in the Indian Ocean, diving, snorkelling, and just plain relaxing are the major activities there. Plus of course island hopping. That’s why we recommend it for a honeymoon – you couldn’t imagine a better place for a relaxed honeymoon in a romantic island setting, with your view changing every day. We have a number of boats that specialise in pampering you during a first, second or third honeymoon! See our Honeymoon Yacht Charter Guide for more information.
When is the best time to charter in these areas?
The nicest time of year in Mauritius is from May to December. The Maldives are best from November to April, so you have a great destination in the Indian Ocean year round!
But aren’t these waters dangerous because of Pirates?
We have never had a problem! I get lots of calls asking if it’s safe, and point out that the pirate activity is 3000 nautical miles to the north. Mauritius and the Maldives are very relaxed places. Pirates want tankers that can pay million dollar ransoms, not pleasure boats.
If you would like to know more about these areas, you can contact Peter at [email protected] or call him at +230 919 4848 or skype him at peterjpiper. Please also read our Mauritius Yacht Charter Guide and our Maldives Yacht Charter Guide for additional background on these two paradises.
Rescue at Sea on ADVENTURER
We had perhaps our most unusual charter ever last week. Peter, who runs our Mauritius office, got a call on Friday night at 9pm from a marine insurance company saying that a super tanker had been disabled at sea near Reunion island and they needed urgently to send a boat with spare parts and technicians to fix her.
Giving up his Friday night, Peter found an amazing yacht, got the contract signed, and arranged for all payments by 3 am! The yacht left the next morning, and had delivered the technicians and parts by the following day.
Too bad it wasn’t a pleasure cruise, because this is one exciting yacht. ADVENTURER, a power trimaran, runs at 24 knots, carries up to 50 passengers, and has set world speed records.
If you would be interested in chartering her for a pleasure charter, or a rescue at sea, we’d be happy to help!
Ever thought of having your wedding and honeymoon in the same place? This catamaran yacht in Mauritius offers you the perfect solution
Weddings are supposed to be fantastic spectacles to show the world how much we really love the ones we want to spend the rest of our lives with and honeymoons, a moment of indulgent peace to collect your relationship together before hurtling into a lifelong journey of matrimonial bliss. The pressure and stress of making it altogether perfect can sometimes take away from the essence of what it is you are actually embarking on. There are some things in this world that are however, designed to help you make the whole experience less stressful and more enjoyable like this great way to have your wedding take place on a beautiful Catamaran in Mauritius before cruising off in it after the celebrations have taken place into a gorgeous sunset to enjoy what this lovely little island has to offer.
The Cat Cruiser, as it is affectionately referred to, can comfortably support a group of 37 and so is perfect for the couple looking for an intimate ceremony with their closest and dearest. She also has the benefit of being only 15 minutes from the International Airport in comparison to most Mauritian destinations taking an hour to get so your party can get onto the boat nearly as soon as they arrive! With all this whilst enjoying the stunning scenery of Mauritius and the calming sights and sounds of the Indian Ocean, don’t think twice, book the flights today and look forward to the perfect wedding and honeymoon.