The Beginner’s Guide to Chartering Your Yacht (from Guest Blogger Jamie King)

There are many different types of chartering; these include by voyage and time as well as bareboat or skippered. However, whatever type you choose, chartering can expose you to some fairly significant risks if you don’t plan carefully or fail to take the necessary precautions.

If you don’t know what chartering is, this is bound to have gone completely over your head, so allow us to explain:

What Is Chartering?

Basically, chartering just means “hiring out”, but specifically when used in the context of a boat. Some owners might charter their boat on the odd occasional to help allay the running costs. Others may start a business where they regularly charter their boat to turn a profit from their investment.

No matter which course of action you’re thinking of taking, you have to know the rules before dipping your feet into the water. If you don’t want to end up lost at sea (no more water puns, we promise), keep the following things in mind. (Please note: some of the following information may be relevant specifically to those living in the United Kingdom. Please be sure to double check the information below before chartering your yacht.)

Register

Make sure to register your boat on the UK Ship Registry. You’ll need either a part 1 or a part 3 registration; choose the former if you’re going to be chartering overseas at all.

If you’ve already registered it as a boat used for personal pleasure, you’ll have to inform the Ship Registry that this will be changing to commercial use.

Insure

As soon as you’re registered, you should tell your insurance company about your plans to charter. Most standard (read: pleasure) insurance companies will be happy to cover skippered chartering, but if you want bareboat the charterer will have to get it themselves.

If you plan on chartering a lot (like running a business out of it) then you’ll have to change your policy to accommodate commercial use; this will likely run up a higher premium.

Comply

Your vessel must be MCA compliant. Since 1993, all UK-based chartered boats have to comply to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s code of practice, which includes construction, equipment and operation regulations.

If your boat doesn’t comply with the code, you’ll have to shell out for new equipment, otherwise you’ll be breaking the law. One example regulation: boats over 13.7 metres long have additional fire safety and lifesaving appliance rules.

Survey

A marine surveyor should be hired to inspect your vessel. If the surveyor finds your boat to be suitable for commercial chartering, you will be eligible for your MCA SCV2 commercial licence.

Check Restrictions

If you’re berthing your vessel in a marina, you should check to see if they hold any restrictions on chartering. Sometimes, chartering will incur higher mooring fees, so you will want to make sure to find out their stance. The marina’s business terms and conditions should give you all the information you need.

International Protection

If you are using bareboat chartering and doing so in international waters, the British Red Ensign protection will not always be applicable to your vessel. The charterer must be either a UK national or a member of the British Red Ensign for this protection to be afforded, so do your research.

Tax

Chartering a yacht in the EU is classed as a supply of services; this means that, for VAT purposes at least, it is a taxable supply. You will have to account to the HMRC for any charter hire inside the waters of the European Union.

Sometimes, depending on the value of your vessel and how much chartering you’re doing, you may be able to take advantage of some tax reliefs via corporate structuring.

Get Licenced

A final, somewhat obvious tip – anyone in charge of the navigation of a chartered boat must be licenced. Make sure you make a copy of the skipper’s licence.

Jamie King is a UK-based freelance blogger. This article was written on behalf of Shipserv, online providers of marine supplies.

Posted on May 1, 2013 by admin — No Comments ↓

A Tale of Two Yachts (by Guest Blogger Phil Friedman)

In my experience — or as my teenage daughter might say, “IMHO” — when considering the purchase or the charter of a yacht, the first question to ask is, “How and where am I going to use it?” The more closely you can match a yacht’s characteristics with the dictates of how and where she will be used, the better chance you have of a achieving a positive experience.

Consider two very different yachts with which I’ve been working lately. One is a 152-foot full-displacement tri-deck motor yacht, the other a 90-foot triple-engine, waterjet driven planing vessel. Sorcha, the 152-footer, cruises at 10 knots, and tops out at about 15 knots. Migliori Amici, the 90-footer, cruises at 25 knots, and makes a top speed of 29. The former draws eight feet, while the latter draws but 30 inches, yes inches. And the larger costs ten times as much as the smaller yacht. So, what’s the point?

The point is that each addresses specific needs and requirements. Sorcha is a modern long-range luxury cruising yacht with a range of 4,000 nautical miles. She has made several successful transoceanic passages, including an extended circumnavigation of the Pacific Rim. But that doesn’t make her one’s best choice, if, for instance, one wants to run right across the Bahama Bank and gunk hole in thin-water island anchorages.

Not that Sorcha can’t be used for island “hopping”; indeed, she’s visited a large number of islands — only they are volcanic Pacific islands with deeper anchorages than you find among the islands of the Bahamas and environs. In contrast, the Migliori Amici can nestle to within walk-ashore distance from a white sand beach, pull water-skiers, and take divers to where they can easily drop off her swim platform and boat warm-water lobsters for her grille.

Clearly, independent of size and cost, one of these yachts might appeal, while the other may not. But which is which very much depends on how and where you will be doing your yachting. Getting clear on that is the first order of business.

Phil Friedman, former President and CEO of Palmer Johnson Yachts (Sturgeon Bay, WI and Savannah, GA, USA), is currently Director of New Build and Refit for Dwight Tracy & Friends Yacht Sales in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is the author of more than 600 articles in a wide array of international yachting magazines, and regularly shares his 30 years of professional experience in yacht design, engineering, construction, and refit at his blog YachtBuildAdvisor.com. His recent eBook, “Ten Golden Rules for Successful Yacht Build Projects”, has received widespread praise from industry professionals. A free copy is available by emailing [email protected] .

Posted on January 16, 2013 by admin

A Different Kind of Yacht for Coastal Cruising and Island Hopping (by Guest Blogger Phil Friedman)

Several decades ago, a species of yacht was developed in North America, primarily for coastal cruising and island hopping. The genre almost instantaneously became known as a “Bahamas Houseboat”; and yachts of the kind in the 10m to 15m LOA range were marketed for chartering and wintering in the mostly sheltered waters of the island chain that lies some 90 nm east of the Florida coast.

The type combined houseboat-like accommodations with a beamy, shallow-V hull form that was in distinction to the barge and pontoon bottoms then ubiquitously associated with such vessels. Like a barge or pontoon bottom, the broad beam, shallow-V hull form kept draft to a minimum, while still providing sufficient load carrying capacity for truly house-like accommodations and the fuel, water, and stores necessary for extended island hopping. In addition, however, the V-bottom provided just enough sea-keeping ability to be able to cross the Gulf Stream — at least in predictably good weather — from, say, Bimini right across the Bank to Grand Bahama. And the V-bottom was definitely better able to negotiate passages from the lee of one island to that of another, in the presence of slight to moderate seas — something at which previous “houseboats” were notoriously deficient. Unfortunately, the “Bahamas Houseboats” were, to my mind, produced in sizes too small to reap fully the nominally intended benefits of the type. Consequently, after less than ten years, the genre passed from the yachting scene.

But that was then, and this is now. Recently, Boundless Yachts LLC introduced a shallow draft, waterjet-driven, triple-decked yacht that takes the Island Cruiser concept to its next logical iteration. This yacht is 27.4m (90’) LOA by 6.7m (22’) in beam, and draws less than .75m (2’6”) of water. She sports house-like accommodations, with eight feet of headroom throughout, and accommodations for 12 in four double staterooms and two convertible sleeping areas. Her huge main saloon blends into a country-kitchen style dining and galley area, to provide more convivial common area than one sees on yachts twenty feet longer or more.

An array of three Yanmar marine diesel propulsion engines, each coupled to a Hamilton waterjet drive, gives her the ability to reach 29 knots top speed, while retaining joystick maneuverability for docking on her two wing engines, and more than ample island-hopping range when running at passagemaking speeds on just her single centerline engine.

The Boundless 90 constitutes an instance in which form truly follows function without, I might add, undue sacrifice in styling. Personally, I see in the type high potential, not only for the Bahamas, but for European coastal and canal cruising, as well as charter fleet duty. Moreover, this is especially so, when you consider that, due to smartly executed value engineering, her cost is probably little more than half that of a tri-deck motor yacht matching her interior volume and accommodations.

Phil Friedman is the Director of , Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. He has a long background in yacht design and construction, including several years as President and CEO of Palmer Johnson Yachts.

Posted on November 30, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

Top 8 Luxury Travel Gadgets for a Sailing Holiday Part II (From Guest Blogger Fraser Strand)

In Part II of this blog, Fraser discusses the last four items of his Top 8 Luxury Travel Gadgets for a Sailing Holiday. See Part I here.

5. Belkin Rockstar Multi Headphone Splitter

Make sharing your music a fun experience with Belkin’s headphone splitter. Fantastic if you want to listen to music or watch a film with someone using headphones. A highly functional purchase , this gizmo is the perfect solution for sharing music with friends. It is also compact so won’t take up precious packing space and won’t break the bank either. You can connect up to 5 different headphones with this exciting gadget – great if you are lounging on the beach with friends and all want to listen to music together.

6. Bose QC15 Noise-cancelling Headphones

So you’ve got your iPad and your Belkin Headphone splitter, now all you need is a pair of decent headphones. Bose’s QC15 noise-cancelling headphones will reduce any unwanted ambient noise. Not only are these headphones comfortable, cocooning your ear in a little audible heaven, they also have the latest and most sophisticated technology, featuring microphones on the inside and outside of both cups which picks up and cancels out noise over a broad range of frequencies. With an average of 35 hours of battery life as well as being immensely portable these headphones are a must-have travel accessory.

7. The Bear Grylls Ultimate Multi-Tool

This is the latest answer to an Swiss Army Knife courtesy of expedition extraordinaire, Bear Grylls. The multi-tool is a long time coming. With over 70 years of knife and apparatus expertise, this piece is an essential accessory for any intrepid adventure.

The Ultimate Multi-Tool features 12 stainless steel, weather resistant components including: needle nose pliers, fine edge knife, saw, serrated Knife, 3 types of screwdrivers, bottle opener, can opener, scissors, wire cutters and lanyard ring. The makers of the multi-tool have literally thought of all manner of hairy situations and circumstances that you might find yourself in. This device also comes with a high quality, military-grade Nylon Sheath that’s lightweight and mildew resistant to protect it.

8. Handpresso Outdoor Set

Whether you are up a mountainside or sailing on the great ocean you don’t ever have to go without your caffeine fix again thanks to the ingenious handpresso outdoor set. This easily transportable, super light-weight machine makes a rich, velvety smooth and delicious espresso using a patented high pressure extraction system. All you need to get it to work is pump up the handle to 16 bar, add water to the mini reservoir, insert a coffee pod, and hey presto, you’ve got yourself one tasty espresso. This truly brilliant and highly innovative invention makes drinking coffee on the go easier than ever before. It also comes equipped with a chic shoulder bag full of essential items for an impromptu tea party including four unbreakable cups, a thermo-insulated flask and napkins.

Conclusion

If you’re inspired by these travel gadgets and still haven’t booked your spring holiday then why not see the sailing holidays available at Boatbookings.com.

Author Bio

Fraser Strand is an avid technology writer with a passion for traveling and sailing around the world. On his own blog (UK Gadget Review) he writes about luxury watches, premium sailing gear, and innovative technology.

Posted on November 15, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

Top 8 Luxury Travel Gadgets for a Sailing Holiday Part I (From Guest Blogger Fraser Strand)

Whether you’re touring around the BVI on a Catamaran, or to the Bahamas on a luxury super-yacht, make sure you’re prepared with these 8 must-have gadgets. Whether functionality is your main criteria or you just fancy the latest quirky gizmo, we give you the lowdown on next year’s top ten exciting gadgets:

1. Pebble portable charger

If you are embarking on an intrepid voyage or you think you might be away from a power socket for several days then the Pebble Portable Charger is the ideal travel accessory. Retailing at only £39.99, this heavily anticipated gadget has enough power to charge your phone 4 times over. This serious and essential bit of kit can charge anything from an iPhone, iPod to any other USB-friendly gizmo. What’s also great is that it is compact, highly functional and will even tell you how much charge you are on.

2. Breitling Transocean Chronograph

Wherever you are in the world, don’t lose track of time. Breitling’s stunning Transocean Chronograph Unitime 18-carat Rose Gold Chronograph watch is an indispensable travel gadget. This luxury Swiss watch made by watchmaking supremo Breitling reinstates their reputation as a leading luxury Swiss watch brand. This timepiece is a harmonious marriage of spectacular engineering, exquisite design with the finest materials.

The most exciting feature of this watch is its ability to show the time in all 24 time zones at the same time, an innovative and highly practical characteristic. Made from Rose Gold this watch oozes luxury and sophistication. It is also made with 56 jewels, has a minimum power reserve of 70 hours and glare-proof scratch resistant sapphire crystal as well as being water resistant to 100 metres-perfect if you are going sailing or scuba diving. The Unitime has a stunning brown crocodile leather strap with a rose gold pin & buckle.

3. Apple iPad

An iPad. I know it might be a cliched option but there is a reason why Apple remain at the forefront in terms of technology as their extensive portfolio of gadgets and gizmos are not only exciting and practical but also affordable. The key features of the iPad are the truly wondrous, crystal clear display, the processor, the cameras and the wireless connection. All these features work together to create a magnificent experience for the user and with 10 hours battery life, this will give you ample quality time with your Apple gadget. Discover a world capable of so much more than you ever imagined. With so many exciting features built-in, watch a movie, read your favourite newspaper, magazine or even a best-seller, send messages or check your emails – the options are endless and with over 275,000 apps to choose from, there is something for everyone.

If the iPad is too big for your liking then the iPad mini has all the same features of its counterpart but is more compact, fitting into the palm of your hand.

4. Izzi Orbit

Transform your iPhone with an Izzi Orbit. This state of the art camera accessory is the latest and greatest way to jazz up your iPhone. It features 3 lenses: the Fish Eye, Wide Angle and Telephoto options to enable you to create an extensive and diverse portfolio of images. These skillfully crafted lenses will revamp your iPhone in no time allowing you to take high quality, wide, super zoomed photos, quirky angles and dramatic perspectives. The newest addition to iPhone photography and a must-have travel accessory, invest in an Izzi Orbit to ensure you capture the greatest moments of your holiday.

Author Bio

Posted on November 15, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓