Category Archives: Destination Information

Post about great (or not so great) places to charter and see

Rhode Island: Serious Contender to Host 34th America’s Cup Race

The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) is enthusiastic about hosting the 2013 34th America’s Cup following requests for discussion by BMW-Oracle race officials. The event was slated for San Francisco but some concerns with negotiations have prompted BMW-Oracle to reconsider.

The RIEDC anticipates both immediate and long-term benefits for Rhode Island, which is battling an 11 per cent unemployment rate. The event is likely to attract the largest sporting, tourism and media crowds in Rhode Island history.

The state has already begun planning infrastructure improvements to Fort Adams State National Park, which encompasses 170 acres of state owned land and marine assets in Newport. Beside the creation of immediate jobs, if the site wins the bid to host the event it will affirm Newport as an international sailing center and attract a range of future sailing and yachting events to its shores.

Bringing the America’s Cup back to Rhode Island will be most beneficial to the marine manufacturing trade. Boat-builders, carpenters and artisans hard hit by a sluggish economy believe the event will reinvigorate the marine industry. America’s Cup officials are expected to announce the chosen city by the end of this year.

Use these helpful links to access Boatbookings.com extensive information on chartering racing yachts, sailing regattas and yachting destinations in New England.

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Luxury Charter Yacht BIG FISH Aids Victims of Chilean Tsunami

When the crew of luxury charter yacht BIG FISH heard of the plight of  629 residents in the tusnami-ravaged coastal village of Juan Bautista on Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile, their response was compassionate and immediate.

The island, formally known as Juan Fernandez, is most famous as the scene of the adventures of Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, marooned on the island from 1704 to 1708, and immortalized in Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe, hence the present name.

Witnesses described the situation immediately following the disaster. “Everything that had been along that three-kilometer stretch just disappeared,” said Fernando Avaria, the first pilot to fly over the area. “It was devastating, really out of a horror film,” said Margot Salas, a local who toured the area with Chilean state television some 24 hours later.

The island has been let down twice by their government. The first time was February 27, when a tsunami estimated at five meters in height, hit the island without warning of the onrushing wave that virtually flattened the town, destroying houses, government offices, church, businesses and the village’s only school. After much finger-pointing between the Chilean government’s Navy and its official tsunami-warning agency, the Navy admitted it relayed incorrect information in advance of wave.

The second failure has been the government’s continuing inability to provide the villagers with sufficient aid to rebuild the community and its infrastructure. The tsunami killed an estimated 19 people on the island.

The islanders continue to await governmental assistance, and some aid is trickling in from private donations. The 148 foot luxury charter yacht BIG FISH, on her way from Fort Lauderdale to the Antarctic Peninsula for charter operations, stopped in Robinson Crusoe Island after learning of the villager’s plight from Mark Drewelow, a former yacht captain, who is the founder and director of  Yacht Aid Global, a private organization dedicated to empowering visiting yachts to aid remote populations in their travels.

BIG FISH is an extraordinary new launch from Aquos Yachts with an extraordinary crew. Captain Joyce-Clarke and the crew have their own grass-roots charity called Crew4Change. They immediately teamed up with Yacht Aid Global in the humanitarian relief effort. Crew4Change, which has successfully solicited numerous donations, agreed to purchase and distribute a variety of needed goods to the school on Robinson Crusoe Island. The gifts, totaling more than US$8,400, included laptop computers, printer, numerous school supplies, and sports equipment for the 150 children left without a school in the tsunami’s wake.

“We are delighted to be participating with Yacht Aid Global in this important effort,” said Richard Beattie. “BIG FISH was built to visit the most remote and pristine places of earth in safety and comfort,” he said. “We want to leave all the places we visit in our travels as good, if not better, than before our arrival. Yachts are conspicuous for their size and beauty, and we must also help make them equally conspicuous for the benefit they can provide to the remote populations they visit. Just as we experience joy from yachting, we must also leave joy in our wakes.”

Boatbookings recently visited BIG FISH and reported enthusiastically on the launch of this superb luxury charter yacht, designed for guests who are young at heart and yearn for limitless adventure in supreme style and comfort.

Please follow these links for Boatbookings.com additional information on BIG FISH and worldwide yacht charter Destinations.

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Boatbookings Onboard Westport 112 RESILIENCE: Chic and Child Friendly

RESILIENCE is a splendid Westport 112, as ideal for charter families as it is for a honeymoon couple. Boatbookings went on board for some intimate insight into this appealing yacht and her delightful crew.

Entering the elegant main salon on RESILIENCE we immediately feel relaxed and welcome. New upholstery, soft goods and bedding throughout the yacht are the design of the very talented Stewardess, Margaret Hill, who also owns a design and furniture shop on Cape Cod.

RESILIENCE has the inviting ambiance of an elegant Cape Cod seaside home, the gentle palette of blues and greens, of seashells and sea creatures, is utterly charming. The entire yacht features new carpeting selected by the owner who also designed the vogue pattern in the main salon.

The master suite onboard luxury yacht RESILIENCE is roomy and features plenty of built-in storage, including a cedar-lined walk-in closet. In the stunning his and hers bath, mirrored walls and ceiling infinitely expand the generous space. The VIP stateroom forward, positioned off by itself, is very private and romantic.

RESILIENCE is an excellent family charter yacht that is very child friendly. The owner has two children aged seven and nine that according to the captain “live in the cabin with twin bunks and regularly destroy it.” Of course, one would never know, the playful yet sophisticated marine-themed room is in immaculate condition.

One of the features we love about the Westport 112 design is the homey eat-in galley kitchen. It also provides a great place to let the children eat, watch the Chef, and perhaps lend a hand with the pancakes or pizza dough.

We could smell the aromas of the sumptuous appetizers being prepared for us by Chef Jason Wagner literally all the way down the dock. His menu included sinfully delicious mini beef Wellingtons (and nobody could eat just one). Salmon canapés with a delightful hint of hot, and prosciutto with Parmesan and champagne strawberry jelly, were among the chef’s other creations. We are standing by for promised recipes.

RESILIENCE has a sundeck that beckons a gathering for cocktails at the bar or a soak in the Jacuzzi. The deck is also equipped with exercise equipment, installed for the owner and guests as a battle strategy against the allure of Chef Jason’s irresistible cuisine.

In addition to being a charming and knowledgeable Captain, Ian O’Connell is also a carpenter and mechanic. He likes to take on annual projects during “down time” that would be daunting to most of us. For example, this year he laid down all new teak on deck and built new cabinet mounts to flush mount the brand new flat screen TVs throughout the yacht.

On the bridge the Captain remarked, “I have the best office of any of my friends at work, and the bestview that always changes.” We cannot dispute this, and comfortable seating overlooking the helm allows charter guests to share in the privileged view.

Captain Ian and the rest of the crew, except the chef, all hail from the Cape Cod area, the summer home of RESILIENCE. Because they are natives, they take exceptional pride and delight in providing charter guests with a particularly intimate view of the region. They are also very familiar with the Caribbean and are particularly enthusiastic about the BVI as a winter charter destination.

Boatbookings.com features detailed information about luxury yacht RESILIENCE and other stunning charter yachts and yachting destinations world wide. Here are some useful links to help launch your vacation of a lifetime: Crewed Yacht Charter,  Yacht Charter Destinations, Super and Mega Luxury Yacht Charter

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REEF Experts Reveal Luxury Yacht Destination Palm Beach Boasts Awesome Snorkeling and Diving

Palm Beach has a plethora of activities to offer yacht charter clients. Designer shops and gourmet restaurants line Worth Avenue, excellent museums, upscale marinas and the Blue Heron Bridge, which according to Mike Phelan, REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) Expert surveyor, is a little known biological hotspot.

This is a top dive destination for sighting unusual species that can be added to your lifelist. Mike Phelan and two other REEF members often dive this site. The day before Thanksgiving, they were treated to quite a sight – a large school of Cownose Rays! This is a rare sighting in Florida, but it’s just another day at the Blue Heron Bridge. Some of the more unusual and recent sightings include the Blackwing Searobin, Roughtail Ray, Northern Stargazer, Orange spotted Blenny, Polkadot Batfish, and the Chain Pipefish. In fact, the Blue Heron Bridge has over 282 species recorded in the REEF database and this number is on the rise.

The dive site is located in Phil Foster County Park. Dives must be shore based and dive at high tides when depths range from 8 to 17 feet. Mark Phelan suggests that divers may combine their bridge dive with offshore diving in Jupiter to witness the winter Lemon shark aggregation, or in early summer for the active Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback turtle-nesting season.

REEF is an active organization of divers and marine enthusiasts committed to ocean conservation. Their many projects include a lionfish research program. Lionfish are exquisitely beautiful but unfortunately an invasive species of voracious predators that pose a serious threat to the marine environment. In an effort to stop the rapidly expanding population, REEF has just published The Lionfish Cookbook, with the aim to make the fish a catch in high demand. The book makes a novel holiday gift for Atlantic and Caribbean divers, with proceeds that support marine conservation and lionfish research.

Photos by Mike Phelan, courtesy of REEF.org

Boatbookings.com has an extensive selection of yachts available for charter equipped with dive gear and dive masters onboard. Here are a couple of links to begin exploring the possibilities:  Florida and Bahamas Yacht Charter,  Caribbean Yacht Charter,  BVI Yacht Charter

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Boatbookings Onboard Oceanco 168 LAZY Z: The Quintessential Luxury Family Charter Yacht

What makes a truly superlative family charter is the combination of a magnificent luxury yacht and a long term, professional yet playful crew. LAZY Z not only meets but also exceeds these criteria.

Oceanco built LAZY Z in 1997, but you’d never guess her age because this stunning superyacht is graced with a timeless beauty of design and blessed by an owner and crew who keep her meticulously maintained, from the smallest knob on up.

Interior spaces are furnished with an elegant simplicity of design, featuring plush carpeting, supple leather upholstery and rich Indonesian bubinga hardwood against a backdrop of soft silk paneling. The palette of warm wood tones and golden hues is relaxing and inviting. The wide central staircase is a stunning and unusual architectural feature.

LAZY Z has accommodations for twelve guests in 6 spacious staterooms with a special cabin designed to delight children, right down to the teddy bears. With a 29 foot beam the true full width master suite, from porthole to porthole, is wonderfully spacious and filled with natural light. There is also a dedicated gym and the elegant observation lounge is an inspiration.

Even the radio room on LAZY Z is impressive, housing racks of state of the art equipment, including the Kaleidescape entertainment system storing over 3,000 movies, a capacity that exceeds yachts twice the size of LAZY Z.

We are not surprised when we are told that there is nothing on the bridge that is more than 12 months old. The CCTV was upgraded ten months ago; two new radars were upgraded eight months ago. The Servowatch integrated ship control system, which monitors the main engines, generators, bilges, water tight doors, all of those sort of systems onboard, is just eight months old. From comfortable banquette seating guests can peer at the high tech electronic chart system and the forward facing sonar, which gives a 2D display of what the seabed is like ahead.

Out on deck, LAZY Z has fabulous seating under a huge shade awning, and surrounding the Jacuzzi pool, which is only a couple of years old, there’s lots of sunbathing and, of course, you cannot miss the slide. This is a huge hit with all charter guests who, we are told, opt to use it every day. The owner of the boat is 72 years old and he uses the slide, preferring to go down backwards or head first. It’s simply awesome, they’ve had girls as young as three slide down it.

It is quite evident why LAZY Z is a very busy yacht featuring charters in the Caribbean and Mediterranean directed toward young families who, at the end of their charter, eagerly book a slot for the following year. The youthful and energetic crew boasts a guarantee that if you are a charter client on this boat you’ll be back again next year. We have no doubt.

Boatbookings.com features an extensive selection of charter yachts for every destination, type of clientele and information on family charters. Here are a couple of helpful links:

Chartering with Children,  Super and Mega Luxury Yacht Charter

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