Super Sunsail Caribbean Deals!

Sunsail has a great deal going for summer Caribbean charters, but the clock is ticking: if you book by February 29, you get 15% off on charters of 5-13 days or 25% off on charters of 14 days or more.  This special is for charters between June and September of 2012 at seven of their Caribbean bases: BVIs, St. Martin, St. Vincent, Antigua, Abacos, Belize and Grenada. 

And here’s an added zinger: if you’re a previous Sunsailor, you get another 5% off.

Choose from 15 different monohulls ranging from the Sunsail Oceanis 323 (2 cabins) up to the Sunsail 473 (4 cabins).  You can check out the details (new bookings only, 5-day minimum, U.S. and Canadian residents only, doesn’t include flights) and availability by clicking here or going to www.sunsail.com .

The CharterSavvy crew likes the islands in the summertime.  In the BVIs, for example, you don’t have the crowds of snowbirds escaping winter slush, and you don’t have to worry about the Christmas winds that can blow 30+ for days.  By June, the tradewinds have clocked around to the southeast at 10-15 knots.  The temperature is in the high 80s (that’s what generators, air conditioning and pina coladas are for!) and the water temp is also in the 80s, so it’s hard to tell which one you’re in (until you take a breath underwater!).  

MarineMax Goes Power, Too!

Following on the heels of the announcement by MarineMax Vacations of their fleet of 13 new Dufour sailboats entering charter service in the BVIs is news that they will add 10 new power catamarans starting on June 1, 2012 at the same Hodges Creek Marina.  According to VP Raul Bermudez, the cats will be customized Aquila 38s, designed by Morelli and Melvin. 

Like the Dufour sailboats, MarineMax Vacations is going for an upscale audience by adding such niceties as a watermaker, electric barbecue grill and wi-fi.  The two-cabin, two-head boats will, of course, have the expected amenities such as generators and air conditioning.  To be called the MarineMax 382, the boats have a forward walk-through from the oversized flybridge which MarineMax prexy, Lex Raas, labels succinctly as “huge”. 

MarineMax Vacations, 888-461-5497, www.marinemaxvacations.com

Be A BVI VIP!

In a clever move, the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board has initiated the BVI VIP Club, which is like a “frequent flyer” program that gives travelers special privileges based on the number of your visits to the British Virgin Islands.

Membership is complimentary, but you have to provide proof of your visits by sending copies of the stamps in your passport.  The Basic level, for residents of the U.S. and Caribbean is three visits, while the rest of the world requires only two visits.  Silver level is reached with six (or four) visits, and Gold membership is with ten visits (seven for non-U.S/Caribbean residents).

Basic and Silver memberships give you a VIP newsletter, discounts, gifts and invitations to special events.  The Gold level is the one you want to earn, however, because it gives you VIP arrival status at the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport (formerly Beef Island Airport), which should skate you through customs and immigration quickly. 

For information, go to www.bvitourism.com/bvi-vip-club-0.

Le Boat Has A Vision

Le Boat, the inland waterway bareboat charter company with fleets on the canals of France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, England, Ireland and Scotland, made a major commitment with their Vision series.  The company, a sister charter operation to The Moorings and Sunsail, invested in an all-new 49-footer, which debuted in 2011 and is rolling out into most of their bases in 2012.  

Available with either hybrid electric/diesel power combined with solar panels or traditional diesel power, the Vision is a huge improvement over previous canal boat offerings.  The spacious interior has four large ensuite cabins, plus an open saloon/galley/pilothouse.  Up top, the large bridge/sundeck includes a BBQ and fridge, settee with table, and helm.  Adding to the ease of handling is a new joystick control that links a bow thruster with the main engine to simplify docking and passage through locks.

Le Boat, 800-734-5491, www.leboat.com

Leopard 44 Best Boat Of The Year

Introduced to North America at the Strictly Sail Miami Show in early 2011, the Leopard 44 has received the SAIL Magazine Best Boat 2012 for the category of Cruising Multihulls under 50 feet.  Built by Robertson and Caine in South Africa, the Leopard cats have proven to be fast, sailor-friendly and robust in charter service worldwide. 

Drawing on an idea from Lagoon catamarans, the Leopard 44 has a door from the saloon to a forward lounging cockpit that should prove attractive with its comfortable seating and sun protection from the extended cabin top.  It is, we think, ideal for enjoying a sundowner at anchor.

The Leopard 44 is available in two versions, with either an owner’s suite filling the entire starboard hull and two ensuite guest cabins in the port hull or a more charter-friendly four-stateroom four-head version.  Going into service with Sunsail as the Sunsail 444 is the four-cabin version, while other charter companies (including TMM Charters) offer the owner’s layout.

Either way, the 44/444 has a raised bridge with excellent visibility and electric winches for sail trim.  Other bareboat features include generator and air conditioning, electric windlass, fully-battened stacking mainsail and furling genoa, and full Raymarine electronics.

Sunsail, 888-350-3568, www.sunsail.com

TMM, 800-633-0155, www.sailtmm.com