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7 Day Tahiti Crewed Catamaran Charter – Introduction & Overview

Our family of 5 recently enjoyed a 7-day Tahiti Yacht Charter on a 56-foot Lagoon 560 crewed catamaran. The entire trip was idyllic! In this series of blog posts, we will take you through the arrival, departure, itinerary, cuisine, crew, and lots of other observations to give you a clear picture of what it’s like to charter in Tahiti and the brilliance of being on a crewed catamaran.

Note, you can see this entire 7-day Tahiti Crewed Catamaran Itinerary here.

The Yacht

We chartered a Lagoon 560 crewed catamaran through Boatbookings. Lagoons are fantastic catamarans – they offer great open spaces both inside and out, and the cabins are roomy and comfortable. The 560 has a very large flydeck with seating for 8, where we spent a lot of time, especially at sunset, because you get a 360-degree view of the incredibly beautiful surroundings. We ate most of our meals on the spacious and comfortable aft deck, because it is never windy and offers easy access to the galley.

The crew had their own quarters so that each of our children could have their own cabin and bathroom, what a luxury! See the layout below.

Charter Yacht DIVA - Lagoon 560(2017)- 4 Cabins - French Polynesia - Tahiti - Bora Bora - Raiatea - Huahine

The main salon is large, well lit and comfortable, although we honestly never spent one minute in it – there was too much to do outside!

The boat had 2 paddleboards, 2 kayaks, and plenty of snorkeling gear. We used them every day!

The Crew

We had a fantastic crew who took care of all of our needs, set the daily itinerary, and produced world-class cuisine (a mixture of french and Tahitian cooking) three meals a day.

Jerome was our captain – he is French and has lived in the Tahitian Islands for 20 years. He knows where the best snorkeling spots are and always moored the boat in quiet, beautiful anchorages so that we had amazing views and sunsets!

Clara served three fantastic meals a day, plus sundowner drinks and hors d’oeurvres so we could fully enjoy the sunsets. She cooked meals to meet our dietary specifications – Tahitian food is, of course, centered around amazing fresh fish, but one of our party didn’t eat fish so she always had a great substitute.

See more in our Tahiti Yacht Charter Guide.

Tomorrow: Travel to and arrival in Tahiti

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Chartering “Rehab” to St Tropez’s Nikki Beach – Sustainably!

Boatbookings was the first yacht charter company to focus on “Green Chartering”, having introduced a carbon calculator and encouraged our clients to offset their emissions since 2013. Our industry depends on a healthy environment and we are deeply committed to doing our part. So when a client asked to sustainably charter the beautiful Rehab to Nikki Beach for a fabulous day in St Tropez, we were excited to help.

A day charter from Cannes to St Tropez

Rehab arrives, right on time of course!

Our client had the day people dream of when chartering from Cannes to St Tropez. Rehab showed up right on time at 10 am at the sunny Port Canto (Cannes) wharf, and after a quick safety briefing, the party was treated to the view of the Cannes waterfront during the Film festival while enjoying fresh fruit and French pastries.

Breakfast while crusing by the Cannes Film Festival

Captain Chris took us next to the picturesque port of Agay, and anchored in the bay so everyone could get some early swimming in.

Are we having fun yet?

An then off to Nikki Beach for an early lunch at 12:30. Boatbookings recommends booking an early lunch so that there’s plenty of time for watersports in the afternoon.

The shared starter plate – Nikki Beach St Tropez

The ambiance at Nikki Beach was exceptional, with a smooth sax player playing along with the mellow DJ tracks, and the food was amazing. With the obligatory rose wine, people watching, and fashion model walking between the tables, it really was the perfect lunch!

Wakeboarding in the Golfe of St Tropez

After a long luxurious lunch, we headed to the Golfe of St Tropez, where people wakeboarded and paddle boarded in the shadow of the old town of St Tropez and many amazing superyachts.

When everyone was suitably tired out, the crew broke out another bottle of Rose and a beautiful charcuterie plate for the fun ride home. Amazing day!!

Rehab Carbon Offsets and Sustainablity

The Nori Carbon Offset Certificate

As mentioned, the client wanted all of the emissions from this day to be offset. Boatbookings has all the tools to make this easy and low cost. The Captain informed us that the charter had consumed 815 liters of diesel fuel. Using the Boatbookings carbon calculator, we helped the client purchase enough credits to offset all of the emissions. The cost was less than the price of a bottle of NIkki Beach Rose! The Boatbookings system bought credits that are traceable to the actual farm and authenticated. The client was presented with this certificate – a reminder that their amazing day was done as sustainably as possible. (Not only were the emissions offset, Rehab does not use single-use plastics, all trash was recycled, and not coral-harming sun creams were used.)

Boatbookings commitment to sustainability

Boatbookings puts a premium on sustainability and is working towards all of our charters being zero-carbon in the near future. We work with yachts that have a similar focus on protecting the environment and are ready to offset emissions on any charter. Please read more about Green Chartering here, and we hope you join us in this important endeavor!

If you would like to book a charter on Rehab or any of our other amazing yachts worldwide, please contact us and ask for carbon offsets as well!

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Bahamas Strong

Bahamas after Dorian
The beauty of the Bahamas will return!

We were horrified watching Category 5 Hurricane Dorian camp out over the Bahamas for 2 straight days, and then seeing the damage this storm has wrought. Our thoughts are with the Bahamians and all of the people who call these islands home.

We will keep you up to date about the progress of rebuilding these islands, and when it is reasonable to visit again. In the long run, the best thing you can do is to ultimately charter or vacation there, as it brings back the funds they need to rebuild their lives.

Please see our “Bahamas after Dorian” page for current status of chartering and sailing in the Bahamas.

The BVI went through a similar disaster and rebuilding process virtually two years ago this week. They are now almost completely rebuilt, and many were open for business within 6 months. Islanders are incredibly resilient people. We hope the Bahamas can rebuild this quickly as well.

Bahamas Strong.

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Wine and Dine As You Sail Croatia

In previous articles we have covered the pristine beauty and historic treasures of Croatia and the stunning Dalmatian coastline, but another reason to charter in this part of the world is the incredible selection of bars and restaurants, where you can while away the days or evenings sampling the local fare. With a multitude of options, I will concentrate on a couple of our clients favourite spots from Split to Hvar.

hvar_port_yachts_3681_7355_de7094

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Crewed BVI Charters – The Real Deal

Anegada

It’s human nature to seek a bargain. There’s something incredibly satisfying about getting great value for money and deals don’t come much more exciting than a crewed charter in the BVI. Compared to the local 5 star resorts, you’ll wonder how you’re getting away with daylight robbery!

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