Indholdsfortegnelse for The Charter Issue 2020 i Cruising World

Dramatic underwater rock formations. Hideouts of schooling juvenile sergeant majors no bigger than a baby’s fingernail. Stretches of beach with sand as fine as powder. Anchorages without other boats and, better yet, no cellphone service. Hermit crab races. Heart-thumping trail hikes to panoramic views. Honeybee rum cocktails. Conch ceviche. § Secret? Special? Sailing west to east, reaching into the trade winds, these unforgettable attractions of the British Virgin Islands exude the timeless beauty of a magical destination sailors would be crazy not to love. § However you label the diverse ingredients of a charter-sailing vacation, one thing is true: Anchorages, beaches, not-to-miss moments and delectable tastes are always new when seen through the eyes of another person. § In that spirit, we canvassed captains and charter-company experts for their favorite…

On charters aboard our Atlantic 70 cutter, Stressbuster, in the Greek Islands, I try to keep it simple—especially when it comes to onboard meal prep. After breakfast, we set sail; underway, the captain and guests enjoy the sailing while I duck below to start lunch—usually a cooked meal, per Greek tradition. Since food must be ready by the time we drop anchor between islands around midday for swimming and sustenance, prep time needs to be fairly quick and easy to do underway. The fewer pots and pans, the better—ensuring easy cleanup so we can get sailing again after lunch. ¶ Thankfully, Greek cuisine seems tailor-made for boats—fresh, local, simple and divine. One of my favorite recipes is avgolemono soup, which gets its name from the creamy broth—an ingenious combination of…

PEPE had been drinking again. Oh, boy. It was the fourth time that day that he’d gone over the side, but by now our crew was ready to deal with the problem. “Man overboard!” Jodi called out, not nearly as excited as the first time our “friend” managed to accidentally remove himself from the safe confines of our catamaran. John pointed toward the stern with his right hand, yelling: “I’ve got eyes on him. Two boat lengths!” With that, the catamaran lurched to starboard as Mike spun the wheel to angle back toward our inebriated crewmate bobbing just above the waves. I was standing on the starboard bow pointing the business end of a worn boat hook at Pepe so our captain could position us for the rescue. As we…

CHARTERING If you’ve gone sailing off on charter vacation before, you’re familiar with the usual drill upon arrival at a dream destination. Guests typically land at the local airport and travel to the charter base via a charter-company-owned shuttle or a taxi for an in-person check-in. Celebratory libations are common, followed by a detailed chart briefing and an extensive boat walkthrough with a base captain. Then, skipper and crew often spend their first night aboard at the charter base preparing for a morning departure. But, like so much else in 2020, these rituals have changed. In the midst of a still-unfurling pandemic, charter companies large and small are (more or less) open for business and have taken many preemptive steps to ensure that visitors are as safe aboard their vacation…

There is nothing quite like discovering a new place, which is easy to do when you’re cruising on your own boat and have plenty of time. But what about when you’re on a weeklong or 10-day charter? A little insider knowledge could go a long way. We reached out to longtime cruisers and charter captains in some of the most popular vacation-sailing destinations to find out what they consider to be the must-see—but often overlooked—spots. So whether you’re in the dreaming stages or actively planning your getaway, take a look at these hidden attractions in the British Virgin Islands, Greece and Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. —Jennifer Brett…

Kleftikos, Milos (Southern Cyclades) On the southwest tip of Milos lies a geological wonder that few outside Greece know about. Kleftikos—which means “thief” in Greek—derives its name from its history as a hideout for ancient pirates. Its pinnacles of bright-white volcanic rock, with tinges of pink and green, tower above small coves and calm pools of bright, clear turquoise sea that has carved out swimmable caves, arches, small sandy beaches and other natural hidey holes (that were evidently perfect for concealing both small ships and booty). Today it’s a snorkelers’ and photographers’ paradise. It’s the Baths of Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands, on steroids. It’s magnificent. Bring a waterproof camera! If Milos is on your charter itinerary, do your best to include this magical place as a brief…

WHEN I WOKE, MY SEASICKNESS HAD subsided to a general feeling of queasy unease, like snapping to in someone else’s house after a big night out. The constant slamming of the previous two days was gone, replaced with gyroscopic rigidity. The boat was on rails. The sea bubbled along the hull and a curious clicking sound tickled the side of the boat, like there was something loose in the bilge. But the noise came from outside: a pod of dolphins caressing us with their sonar. Other, subtler sounds filtered through. Distant music, melodious but indistinct. Was it whale song? I was grateful to be free from the nausea, so grateful that it didn’t occur to me that the Southern Ocean should not be smooth, particularly Drake Passage, south of Cape Horn—the…

LIVING ABOARD As you think about your dream charter, what do you envision? There’s sailing, swimming, snorkeling, walking the beach, and great meals in the cockpit with a gorgeous view. Those delicious meals and laugh-filled happy hours are some of my favorite memories. So let’s talk about how to provision for a charter trip, with some special notes on provisioning in the COVID-19 era. Depending on the charter base, the typical provisioning options include: • Provisioning through the charter company, either with preplanned-meal options or a grocery list. Groceries are delivered right to your boat. • Using a provisioning company or provisioning service at a grocery store. Order online and your supplies will be delivered to your charter base. Some charter companies, such as the Moorings and Sunsail, are now…

Bucket-List Wildlife Encounters Wildlife experiences can’t be scripted, but location, seasonality and sometimes a guide enable a special few to be virtually assured in the Sea of Cortez. Whale sharks: Swim with the largest fish in the world in the fall, when they gather to troll for plankton in the waters of La Paz’s shallow bay. Dolphins: Multiple species inhabit the sea, and passing pods are a daily occurrence. It’s possible to see mega-pods of a thousand stretching across the horizon. California sea lions: Swim with these comic tricksters at Los Islotes, a daysail from La Paz. Near Loreto, there is another sea lion colony that camps on the east side of Isla Coronado. Blue-footed boobies: The turquoise-toed birds are famously photographed in the Galapagos but can also be seen…

BOAT BUYING One summer, while living on our sailboat in Wickford, Rhode Island, I was invited for sundowners aboard Carol K, a Beneteau Cyclades 43, whose owners, Carol and Peter King, had stopped for the night during a summer getaway from their home waters of Noank, Connecticut, on Long Island Sound. The Kings are avid sailors, and at the time organized CW’s Adventure Charters, a series of flotillas to exotic sailing locations around the world. They always have great stories to tell, and I looked forward to seeing their boat, which had recently finished service with the Moorings fleet in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. Motoring over, Carol K was immediately identifiable because, well, even without company graphics, she looked like a charter boat—sort of. There was a colored…

January 2020 was a cold and wet month in Seattle, with frequent storms barreling over the Olympic Mountains from the open Pacific Ocean, depositing “liquid sunshine” and more wind than we typically see all summer. Still, the need to go sailing, to air out the mental and physical cobwebs, and to spend some time on the water exerted a stronger pull than rational thought, so, one Saturday, some friends and I decided to press canvas to the chilly January airs. Early that morning, I found myself looking at a tangled mess of weather apps on my iPhone as I organized my gear. Some models, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website, were calling for serious small-craft advisories, with lashing rains and puffy, 40-plus-knot winds, while others, including LuckGrib, were…

WORLDWIDE Dream Yacht Charter 866-469-0912 dreamyachtcharter.com Fleet Size: 1,210 Kiriacoulis Mediterranean 800-714-3411 kiriacoulis.com Fleet Size: 392 The Moorings 800-669-6529 moorings.com Fleet Size: 403 Sunsail Sailing Vacations 800-437-7880 sunsail.com Fleet Size: 419 FLORIDA, GULF OF MEXICO, BAHAMAS, CARIBBEAN, BAJA, SOUTH AMERICA Barefoot Yacht Charters 784-456-9334 barefootyachts.com Fleet Size: 13 BlueFoot Travel 408-520-9633 bluefoottravel.com Fleet Size: 1 BVI Yacht Charters 284-494-4289 bviyachtcharters.com Fleet Size: 60 The Catamaran Company 800-262-0308 catamarans.com Fleet Size: 31 Comfort Group 5223-1850-5854 comfortgroup.com.mx Fleet Size: 4 Conch Charters 800-521-8939 conchcharters.com Fleet Size: 34 Cruise Abaco 321-473-4223 cruiseabaco.com Fleet Size: 16 CYOA Yacht Charters 800-944-2962 cyoacharters.com Fleet Size: 21 Dream Yacht Charter 866-469-0912 dreamyachtcharter.com Fleet Size: 467 DSL—Yachting 758-452-8531 dsl-yachting.com Fleet Size: 8 Emerald Coast Yachts 850-554-2505 ecsailing.com Fleet Size: 6 Festiva Sailing Vacations 866-575-3951 festivasailingvacations.com Fleet Size: 5…