The Spring CharterSavvy Is Here!!!

The Spring Issue of CharterSavvy is now online, bigger and better than ever!  Just click on the cover image on the left to read this issue.

This issue includes a huge section on Bareboating Close To Home, with details on the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, the Northeast, San Francisco, and Florida.  Where to go, what to see, and lists of charter companies in the areas.

There’s also a big feature on bareboat barge cruising on the French Canal du Midi in the warm south that will delight your senses with great photos.

Our Cargo feature is hats, and there are sizes and styles for every bareboat charter.  The Charter Trial is the Hunter 45DS.

And don’t forget our MoneySavvy, HealthSavvy and Bareboat Contessa (yum!) departments, too.

New Trawler To SWFYC In Florida

New to the fleet at Southwest Florida Yacht Charters is this sweet Mainship 34 trawler, Quarter Moon.  She’ll be based at their North Ft Myers charter base, which opens the southwest Florida Gulf coast, including the scenic Pine Island-Captiva-Sanibel area to exploration. 

Barb Hansen of SWFYC says “Quarter Moon is the perfect cruiser for two to four people”, and says she is shippy and well-equipped.  The Mainship features a master stateroom forward with large berth plus a salon convertible that also sleeps two.  Headroom is a remarkable 6’4”, the galley has all the amenities, and she has everything from twin color TVs to air conditioning and a dinghy with outboard. 

Power is a single Yanmar 315hp diesel and, to simplify handling, she has a SidePower bow thruster. Electronics are Raymarine, including GPS, chartplotter and autopilot. 

Rates for Quarter Moon are $3165 a week in the summer and $3957 in the winter.  And, as SWFYC celebrates their 30^th anniversary, winter charters of three days or more get an extra day, while similar charters in summer get two free days of cruising.

Contact SWFYC at (800) 262-7939, .

It’s Here!! The Fall Issue!!

I know, I know, it seemed like forever, but this one was worth waiting for.  The Fall Issue of CharterSavvy is bigger and, he said with no modesty whatsoever, better than ever!!

You’ll find a 9-page feature on bareboat chartering in Belize with gorgeous photography, a 10-pager on hunting the Loch Ness Monster through the Scottish Highlands via bareboat, a close-to-home charter along Florida’s Gulf Coast, and an insider’s guide to the best snorkeling sites in the BVIs.

Don’t miss our look at the latest inflatable life vests in our Cargo section, and our Sea Trial is the new Moorings 393 powercat.

Plus all the great columns and departments, too.

Just click on “Read The Magazine” on our website and enjoy! 

Florida In The Limelight

There are several things we love about chartering with Southwest Florida Yachts, which also has the Florida Sailing & Cruising School as part of their program.

They have an eclectic collection of well-maintained power and sailboats at two good charter bases.  The cruising area (including Sanibel and Captiva Islands) is great fun, whether you want solitude or nightlife.  Access via air (or car) is fast and easy from anywhere in the U.S.

And don’t forget: the natives speak English (well, sort of), and the U.S. dollar is accepted everywhere, as are credit cards. 

Now for the news.  The American Sailing Association (ASA) has named their Florida Sailing & Cruising School to its honor roll of Outstanding Schools as one of the 20 Best Sailing Programs in North America. 

FS&CS offers live-aboard sailing courses for up to four students at a time, with two and three-day sessions for everything from Basic Sailing to Advanced Coastal Cruising.  “It’s real world, real time, hands-on learning,” says Barb Hansen, co-owner of SWFYC, noting that the students spend the day steering, plotting, casting off and tying up.  At night, they read textbooks and prepare for the testing.  She adds, “Students eat, breathe and sleep” their way to the diploma.  Tuition includes onboard accommodations, instruction, fuel and course materials.  Students provide their own meals and personal expenses. 

Not only did their sailing school earn ASA recognition, but FC&CS Chief Captain Christopher Day (above with Barb Hansen) was picked as one of ASA’s 30 Top Instructors of the Year, a prized award considering the thousands of instructors nationwide.

To celebrate their 30 years in business (1984-2014), SWF Yachts is staging a three-year anniversary celebration with some great deals on their full bareboat fleet.  In the winter (Dec-April) they are offering a free day with any charter of three days or longer.  In the summer (May-Dec), you get two free days.  And they’ve just added some new yachts, including a Krogen 42 trawler and a 50’ power catamaran.

For details on charters, go to www.swfyachts.  For the school, check out www.flsailandcruiseschool.com.