Bareboating Photographers Beware!

If you're like me, I like to carry my photo gear with me when I get on a plane headed for a bareboat charter. But new rules just announced are going make that a big pain. The new TSA rules require travelers to remove all electronic devices larger than a cell phone from their carry-on for screening in their own bin, just as you have to with a laptop or tablet now.

But they mean that every item has to have its own bin, which means camera body in one, lens in another, long lens in another, wide-angle lens in another.  And if you thought people were cranky when you took your time taking off your shoes and belt, well, this won't be fun.

The new procedure is in place at ten airports, including LAX and Logan, but it will go to all airports in the coming months.

You can duck this if you enroll in TSA PreCheck, which costs $85 for a year and speeds you past the TSA lines. Those enrolled in the program won't be subject to the added screenings. For more info, go to www.tsa.gov/precheck.

MarineMax Savings On Power Cat Bareboating!!

MarineMax is offering some great deals on their Power Cats in the British Virgin Islands.  For you powerboaters, you know how great these are.  For you sailors, it's time to dip your toes into the power world and do it with big savings!!

The MarineMax 382 and 443 Power Cats are offered at a 15% discount during the period of April 3 and May 20 for a 7-day charter, but you have to book by March 31, so don't dilly-dally.

Bareboat charter the new and very cool MarineMax 484, and you'll get a free day which means, if you haven't figured it out, that you only pay for 6 days and get 7.  This deal is good from May 1 to May 31, and from August 1 until Sept 30.  But you must book before March 31, so don't delay.  

For details: MarineMax, www.marinemaxvacations.com, (813) 644-8071

Sunsail Bareboat Rum Flotilla!! Oh, Boy!!

Sunsail is offering a new way to see the British Virgin Islands:  in a bareboating flotilla stopping at the best rum hotspots!!  The BVIs are supposed to be the birthplace of rum, so there will be stops at distilleries and watering holes to enjoy local rums on the 8-day cruise.  Included will be the Callwood Rum Distillery, the oldest continuously operating rum distillery in the Caribbean, at Foxy's beach bar, of course, and with dinneers at Bitter End YC and Cooper Island Beach Club.  You've got to be 18, of course, but what fun!  For info, go to Sunsail.com or (800) 327-2276.

TMM Offers Big Discounts!!

TMM Yacht Charters, with a fleet of new bareboat charter sailing catamarans in the British Virgin Islands, is offering all remaining "A Season" rates from Jan 31 to April 6, 2017, at "B Season" rates, which means that you get a sizable discount off the usual rate.  At the same time, "B Season" rates (from Jan 5-Jan 31) are at "C Season" rates.

Want to plan your bareboat charter ahead?  For all charters between August 7 and Oct. 31, 2017, TMM is offering ten days for the price of seven!  Don't wait for these deals.

Contact TMM Charters, www.sailtmm.com, (800) 633-0155.

Winter CharterSavvy Now Online!!

The Winter issue of CharterSavvy is now available free on line, and it's one of our best (if we do say so!).  

A must-read, whether you're a newcomer to bareboat charters or an experienced skipper, is Tyler Drogin's story: A Voyage Of Self-Discovery.  This is more than just about five young people sailing a bareboat from SailWays Charters around the Aegean, but about discovering sailing and what it brings to your life.  This is a don't miss, with amazing photography, too.

We're also taking a look at bareboating in Antigua and Barbuda, which have been seafaring nations for centuries, but are now a jewel on the bareboat charter scene.

All of our usual columns are here, including a charter test of a Lagoon 52 in Sea Trial, a look at charter briefings, and the Bareboat Contessa has some great holiday advice for anyone in the galley.  To read the issue, just click on the cover, or go to www.chartersavvy.com.