Back from the recent crewed charter yacht shows in the U.S. Virgin Islands & British Virgin Islands, we find ourselves feeling completely confident about the Caribbean sailing vacation season 2017-2018 ahead.
Stop. Worrying. Your vacation is going to be absolutely wonderful. Will you feel safe? Will there be provisions & fuel for your yacht? Are they ready for tourists? Yes, yes and most certainly, YES!
But what about those who still don’t have electricity in the islands? Fact: You won’t be visiting the areas that don’t have electricity as they tend to be located near the interior parts of the islands. We were very encouraged by the number of linemen working on installing power lines. The yacht you will board on your luxury vacation will have it's very own quiet generator, producing all the electricity, air-conditioning, refrigeration and wi-fi you'll need.
To be perfectly honest, we only have one concern. If you arrive a day or two early before your charter begins, it may be harder this year to locate a room due to demand vs. availability. Answer #1: Fly to Miami the evening before your charter and spend the night in a hotel with a departing flight to St. Thomas the next morning. Answer #2: Fly on the earliest flight available on the day your charter begins. All charters begin and end at 12:00 Noon. You might miss a couple of hours of relaxing on the deck if you arrive at 2:00 or 3:00PM; but that’s not a big issue.
During our 10 days in the BVI & USVI, we ate well at multiple restaurants with plenty of fresh fruits & vegetables, meats & fish sampling a variety of both American style and Caribbean dishes. We even were invited to dine onboard some of the yachts, which is always a culinary treat! The Chefs onboard the catamarans Xenia 74 & Shangri La prepared lunches that surprised us with their creativity as well as confidence in knowing that the provisions that they need to create a 5-star men extravaganza will be readily available.
Our Captains and Chefs who have been out on charter in the past few weeks, described the over abundance of lobster and fish in each anchorage they visited. This is the first time in nearly 3 decades that there has been so much sea life on the reef! Why? Lobsters typically head to deeper, colder water in the summertime. Hurricanes disperse the over-heated ocean waters and replace them with colder water from the great deep and beyond. The next thing that happens is that the ocean floor gets a “turnover”, churning fresh sand and nutrients into areas that attract fish. Interestingly enough, the crews have also discovered that some of the more shallow anchorages are now a bit deeper than before! Another Captain mentioned that he felt the anchorages were actually "bluer" that they had been in the past seasons because the new sand on the sea bottom is so much cleaner than the old!
We experienced several beaches that we visited had already been completely cleaned. Our surprise was how soft and clean the sand is after the hurricanes. How about the palm trees? We visited the same beach on day 1 and day 10 of our trip to the Virgin Islands and found ourselves astounded by the new green growth at the very top of the palms. Nature is healing herself, day by day.
A picture is worth a thousand words: There will be a few overnight harbors this year that the Captains will want to avoid such as The Bitter End Yacht Club in the BVI. But there are many, many other great places to visit in the Virgin Islands. As we sat in our CYBA meeting and listened to the suggested sailing charter itinerary by the Captain of catamaran Allende and saw the up to date photos of each anchorage, we came to the full realization of, “They’ve got this”! No worries. We know that they are on the right track because we’ve spent the last 30 years sailing these waters.
This year’s hurricane season left us with islanders who hug you hard when your arrive and mean it when they say, “We’re so glad you came here!”. There is a spirit of cohesiveness among the crews like we’ve never seen in the past. They and their counterparts are the pinnacle of what people can do as a group when they work together.
It’s as if all our Caribbean family were scooped into one big bowl of tropical flavored ice cream and all we need to do is spoon up their positive “let’s go have a fun vacation” energy. Seeing their smiling faces and knowing that all is going to be fine is truly the cherry on top of another future happy sailing crewed yacht charter trip to the Virgin Islands!
~Capt. Randy & Shelly Tucker
About Us:
Yacht Charters Guru Captain Randy and Shelly TuckerWe're former Owners & Captain of the Award-winning 72' yacht Three Moons for 18 years. With over 300 charters in our logbook, we currently represent privately crewed Caribbean sailing luxury yacht charters as professional CYBA yacht charter brokers. Recently, we interviewed over 120 catamarans, motor yachts, sailboats and professional crews. We're happy to promote these yachts offering modern conveniences & unlimited pleasure while sailing the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands.
What should you expect from a luxury crewed yacht charter in the Caribbean? It's "ALL about you, ALL the time" onboard a privately crewed charter boat! It's surprisingly affordable too! Far away from overcrowded cruise ships, all-inclusive charter yachts allow you to explore some of the Caribbean’s most exclusive areas and delight in the natural, unspoiled beauty of secluded islands, hidden coves and secret dive sites. Sail to a nearby island every day & snorkel around your own private beaches; enjoy your favorite cocktail while watching the sunset on your own private yacht; indulge yourself with 5-star gourmet cuisine that is prepared with Caribbean flair and served in the most beautiful surroundings you could ever imagine. We love matching the right crew & yacht with you!
Learn more at www.YachtCharters.Guru