CHARTER CHARTERING A MULTIHULL

Transcription

1 CHARTER CHARTERING A MULTIHULL THE PRICE OF HAPPINESS! You will find more and more cats in the most beautiful anchorages in the charter areas (here in the Seychelles). Quite simply because they are the best!!! Setting off in a cruising multihull to enjoy the most beautiful anchorages is not reserved for a few fortunate owners. A few clicks on the internet, a visit to a boat show, some good reading (such as for example an excellent magazine about Multihulls) and the week(s) in delightful lagoons, aboard one of the countless cats or trimarans available for charter is (are) yours. Of course, this dream has a price! There is the air ticket to get to the other side of the world, where the weather is good and hot all the year round, and then there is the charter of the longedfor boat. Not to mention the essential provisioning and fuel top-ups... Yet if you look closely, holidays on a boat may not be as expensive as all that... Here then, according to the budget you have available, are the different possibilities for chartering a multihull all over the world. And you will see that there is something for all tastes and all budgets! Where to charter? After an exhaustive comparative study, we can now tell you loud and clear: you can go cruising in a boat whatever budget you have available, and the most beautiful destinations those which have you dreaming, with translucent waters and sumptuous marine life are completely accessible. But you have to be a bit crafty, and play with the different boats and periods... Boat charter is actually particularly sensitive to the seasons. June in the West Indies or April in the Mediterranean offer deserted anchorages and good sailing conditions at bargain prices. Why not take advantage? A boat to accommodate all your friends... We are all in agreement... If you are going to charter a boat, it might as well be a multihull! There is no lack of arguments in favor of a multihull: greater deck and saloon area, better privacy, no heeling, a stable and less rolly anchorage, a draft which allows access to all the anchorages... And above all, an unparalleled amount of accommodation. So, if you have lots of friends, you can charter a cat (or a trimaran) capable of accommodating 8, 10 or even 12 people, which divides the charter price by as many times! Most charter companies also offer a premium fleet, with AS A COUPLE, WITH FRIENDS OR AS A FAMILY, CHARTERING A CAT IS ALWAYS A GUARANTEE OF AN EXCEPTIONAL HOLIDAY... (PHOTO MOORINGS) the most recent boats and the most equipment, as well as a classic fleet, with boats over 5 years old which can be chartered much more cheaply, whilst being very acceptable. Why deprive yourself? The principle for paying less There is therefore no miracle solution: to find a cheaper charter, you must go away in the off-season, and aboard a boat which is less in demand QED! The brand-new Saba 50 from Fountaine-Pajot will inevitably be in demand this winter, and therefore more expensive to charter than the Salina 48 it replaces in the builder s range. The appeal of 50

2 A NEW TREND, CHARTERING A MOTOR CATAMARAN ALLOWS YOU TO FREE YOURSELF FROM WEATHER PROBLEMS... (PHOTO MARINEMAX VACATIONS) the new boat, as well as the lower availability explains this fact. Private owner type boats are also harder to find on the charter market, and thus inevitably more expensive. If you are dreaming of leaving this winter in an Outremer 51 or a Privilège, it will be a bit more expensive than in a 50-foot production boat. The different charter areas Caribbean - High season from December to April The Caribbean Sea offers a wonderful and diverse cruising area. The charter companies have understood this, and there are a lot of charter bases here. From the Virgin Islands to the Grenadines, the string of West Indian islands offers numerous destinations... The best period to enjoy them stretches from December to April... The weather here is drier, the trade winds are better established, and therefore the weather conditions are more stable. And as the icing on the cake, the nights here are (relatively) cool and thus pleasanter. The hurricane season stretches in theory from June to November, but it is above all during the months of September and October that there are most depressions. Indian Ocean - High season from December to April The dry season stretches from April to October. This is in general the best period for sailing in the islands of the Indian Ocean. During this period, the easterly trade winds gradually become established and finally reach 15 to 20 knots. The temperatures are very pleasant: between 25 and 30 C. The north-westerly monsoon (October to April) brings heavy, short-lived rain, especially in November and January. Ashore, the breezes cool the climate. The temperatures are stable and are generally around 29 C. Note that depending on the islands (Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius or Thailand), the conditions can be very different... Mediterranean - High season from June to September The summer months have the pleasantest weather conditions. But they are also the months with the most tourists... It is therefore hard (or even impossible) to find yourself alone in an anchorage! At the end of August there is a real risk of storms and gales. And beware; when the Mediterranean gets angry, it s not pleasant to be out at sea! So use a little common sense, check the weather forecasts carefully, and don t overestimate your strength or that of your crew. The Mistral, the Tramontane, the Meltemi, the Sirocco and the Libeccio are winds which can reach storm force and of which you must be wary. Pacific - High season from July to October From November to February, you are in the hurricane period, but they are very rare in this region. Outside this period, which is always critical for cruising, you can go to Polynesia whenever you want. The winds blow at between 15 and 25 knots from March to October, which makes this period the most pleasant for cruising. In any case, most charterers in Polynesia never leave the lagoons, and only rarely risk long passages. There is actually enough to see and do close to the charter areas, so you don t need to go and face the swells of the Pacific... Atlantic - High season from June to September This cruising area is sumptuous, and although the summer months are the pleasantest in weather terms, the periods before and after the season offer some absolutely magic days sailing. As in other areas, to avoid unpleasant surprises, it is advisable to check the weather forecasts carefully before setting off...and locate the rocks to be avoided on your charts... Then the exceptional discoveries, the deserted anchorages, the delightful gulfs, and the rivers to be explored are all yours. Good sailing! THE CHARTER COMPANIES: Caribbean (Martinique - Guadeloupe - Grenadines - BVI): Autremer Concept - Barefoot Yacht Charter - Corail Caraïbes - Dream Yacht Charter - France Escales - Horizon Yacht Charters - Kiriacoulis - MarineMax Vacations - Oceans Evasion - Punch Croisière - Star Voyage - Regis Guillemot Charter - Sail Caribe - Sunsail - The Moorings - TMM Yacht Charters - Sunreef Charter Mediterranean (Corsica, Turkey, Greece, Croatia, French Riviera, Italy, Sardinia...): Absolute Yacht - Alternative Sailing - Apaca Location - Broablue Charters - Calvi Marine - Dream Yacht Charter - Emeraude Multicoques - Istion Yachting - Italy Charter - Kiriacoulis - KVO - Liberty Sea - Major Boats - Multihull Yachting - Océans Evasion - Sunsail - Tendance Voile - The Moorings - Touta - Ultra Sailing - Ajaccio Marine Center - Carina Ulixis North and Central America (Bahamas Belize Mexico USA): Dream Yacht Charter - Horizon Yacht Charters - Ocean Evasion - Sunsail - The Moorings - TMM Yacht Charters Indian Ocean (Seychelles - Madagascar - Maldives): Dream Yacht Charter - Indian Ocean Charter - Marine Cat Sey - Sailfishing Charters - Sunsail - The Moorings South Pacific (French Polynesia Tonga): Dream Yacht Charter - L'Escapade Charter Tahiti - Sunsail - Tahiti Yacht Charter - The Moorings - Sunreef Charter Far East (Thailand Malaysia): Cataleisure - Dream Yacht Charter - Sunsail - The Moorings THE VOLUME OFFERED BY MODERN CATAMARANS ALLOWS YOU TO CONSIDER CRUISING WITH UP TO 10 PEOPLE, WITH NO PROBLEMS. (PHOTO NAUTITECH) 51

3 CHARTER CHARTERING A MULTIHULL THE PRICE OF HAPPINESS! Martinique off-season - the sun within reach at a reasonable price. Aboard this Sunsail 444, 8 people can embark to enjoy their holidays... YOU HAVE LESS THAN 300 EUROS PER PERSON PER WEEK Is it impossible to go on holiday and enjoy the lagoons on the other side of the world with a budget of 300 euros per person for a week s charter (not including the air fare let s not get carried away!)? LET S SEE... We found a superb Lagoon 380 available for charter in Martinique from Punch Croisière, for 2390 euros per week, off season (from 7th May to 21st December). A catamaran equipped with 4 double cabins and two bathrooms, which will allow you to go and discover the Grenadines, leaving from Le Marin, with no problems. The price per person: euros, less than 50 euros per night. Who can do better for a week? Another solution which is just as attractive - Greece in October: the end of the season is often superb and the anchorages are completely deserted. For 7 days in the middle of October, you can charter an Orana 44 capable of accommodating up to 10 people for 2681 euros, from Kiriacoulis 268 euros per person for the week. When you realize that during this period, the air fare to Athens is also quite frankly cheap (125 euros per person return from Paris, with Easy Jet), it really would be a shame to deprive yourself... Those who have a lot of friends and/or a large family. he West Indies or the Mediterranean, or even the Bahamas, but you must leave off-season (which is fortunate, as air transport is often cheaper then). The West Indies from May until the end of November (excluding the months of July and August), the Mediterranean in March, April, May and October, November. YOU HAVE BETWEEN 300 AND 500 EUROS The budget is greater, and you are ready to discover a number of destinations, especially if there are a lot of you sharing the boat. For example, you could go to the Bahamas in October aboard a Sunsail 444 for 3670 euros. The Sunsail 444 offers 4 double cabins and as many bathrooms (plus two forepeaks). 8 of you will therefore be comfortable, which will allow you to discover the wonderful Bahamas for 458 euros per person for a full week. Another dream destination, the Seychelles. The millionaire s destination par excellence is however not completely inaccessible. The proof, with Dream Yacht Charter, which is offering a Lagoon 450 Premier from 13th to 20th of next December for 4672 euros inclusive (with redemption of the excess, cleaning and the starter pack). With 10 of you aboard, it will only cost you 467 euros per person for the week, and you will be able to discover some wonderful islands and above all, the Seychelles fantastic underwater life. A dream! Ideal for two families who get on well, a group of friends or your basketball team... The budget allows you to go wherever you want...or almost. The Caribbean or the Mediterranean, and even the Seychelles are all available if you want. To optimize your holiday, try to leave outside the school holiday periods. The Caribbean is open to you off-season, as are the wonderful Seychelles or Thailand. In high season, you can also go to the Grenadines, and even try the BVI... Greece in May or October offers its little ports to you alone. The classic postcard: the Seychelles in a catamaran!

4 Belize is wonderful, and its marine life is sumptuous. Discover it very soon! Corsica, its footpaths and its deserted creeks await you... YOU HAVE BETWEEN 500 AND 800 EUROS The world opens up to you, and there is no longer any limit to your destinations. Belize tempts you? You are right; it s an absolutely superb destination. TMM is offering a Bahia 46 for 8 people at 7500 US$, around 5700 euros, in high season. Christmas on one of the most beautiful coral reefs will therefore cost you 712 euros per person for the week. And have you thought about Greece in August? You can discover the magic of these fantastic islands, which are unique in the world, aboard a Broadblue 435. In high season, the catamaran will cost 2950 (3720 euros), and with its 3 double cabins, it will thus only cost you 620 euros per person for the week. Even Tahiti opens its doors to you with this more than comfortable budget. A Lagoon 380 in the low season costs 4760 euros for the week, with a skipper, from Tahiti Yacht Charter. 795 euros per person for 7 days, if there are six of you aboard, and the certainty of discovering, with your skipper, the most beautiful corners of the mythical lagoons that only Polynesia is capable of offering... Families during the school holidays; 4, 6 or 8 friends on the other side of the world... There are no longer any limits! The most beautiful destinations, as well as those farthest away, open their arms to you. The Mediterranean in summer, the Caribbean in winter: nothing is impossible. For the furthest destinations, you will still have to leave off-season, or accept that there will have to be a lot of you aboard. Otherwise, high season in the West Indies, the Mediterranean, the Seychelles or Thailand can be considered. YOU HAVE BETWEEN 800 AND 1000 EUROS Corsica in July, to discover the coastal paths are you tempted? Absolute Yacht is offering walking cruises, which will allow you to discover the unique paths of the Corsican maquis. On the program, a few walks of from 1 to 4 hours per day, between the sea and the mountains. Aboard a Nautitech 442, this will cost you 6000 euros per week in July, and a little more in August, as it is in the very high season. Still in Corsica, and still in the high season, why not try a motor catamaran, to explore the creeks of the Ile de Beauté in depth. Calvi Marine is offering a Summerland 40 for 6500 euros, which, for 8 people, comes in at 812 euros per person for the week. And what if you went to the sunshine this winter? The British Virgin Islands have not been the Mecca for boat charter for 40 years for nothing: they are wonderful, and the sailing there is so easy, well protected between the islands. At the beginning of February, Moorings is offering you a Moorings 4800 (the brand-new Leopard 48), ideal for 8 people (but able to accommodate up to 10) for 7650 euros euros per person for the week. The best, to be experienced with the family or friends! For you! With your friends, your family, or quite simply as a couple, depending on your wishes... The most beautiful anchorages in the most beautiful islands are within your reach. Mediterranean, Caribbean, Pacific, Indian - it s up to you to choose! You can leave whenever you please, even in very high season. And if you want to, leave off-season and stay for two weeks instead of just one... Just like a modern Ulysses, a whole lifetime will not be enough to discover all the riches of the Mediterranean. Aboard the Leopard 48 (Moorings 4800), the BVI are even more beautiful. 53

5 Welcome aboard Che, the114-footer from Sunreef... The Polynesia myth is still very much alive. Paradise for cruisers... YOU HAVE BETWEEN 1000 AND 1500 EUROS With these budgets, you can go anywhere in the world and at the dates you wish. As a couple in Polynesia aboard a Mahé 36? It s possible! With 4 of you, the Grenadines, the BVI or the Bahamas are all also possible... But why not leave to discover the magic of Asia and its unique light? Thailand is an exceptional destination, and you can for example charter a Lagoon 400 S2 Luxe Super Premier (the best of the best) from Dream Yacht Charter, leaving from Phuket. It will cost you 9856 euros. With its 4 double cabins, the 400 will easily accommodate 8 people, making 1232 euros per person per week. Another dream destination, the Seychelles, opens its arms to you: why not spend the Christmas holidays there? With three friends, each in their own cabin, the Mahé 36 offered by Marine Cat Sey will provide comfort and privacy for not much more than 1000 euros per person for the week. Those who don t like to have too many people aboard, or on the contrary, those who have a lot of friends, and want to leave in several boats. Anywhere your wishes take you. All the year round, both high and low season. YOU HAVE MORE THAN 1500 EUROS EUROS Here we enter the realm of the made-to-measure. Everything becomes possible. For example, why not leave for several weeks, and realize your dream of crossing the Atlantic? Star Voyage charters boats for the Atlantic crossing. The price varies, according to the time taken to cross, but based on 5 weeks, leaving from France for Martinique, reckon on between 12 and 15,000 euros for the crossing in a Lagoon 450. A boat which will then be available for charter in the West Indies... And why not go away on an exceptional boat? Sunreef Charter is offering numerous luxury boats for charter, exclusively with crew, including the catamarans built at their yard. The price of a Sunreef Power 70 in high season is 40,000 euros per week (for 8 people). As for Che, the Sunreef 114, it accommodates 8 passengers, for 64,500 euros per week... The price of the dream! Those of you who want to experience something exceptional. Around the world, the Atlantic, the lagoons on the other side of the world, and even Patagonia if you wish. According to your schedule, as here everything (or almost everything) becomes possible. You dream of crossing the Atlantic? It s possible, even as a charter! In Thailand, you will discover some unique scenery. To be experienced at least once in a lifetime. GOOD TO KNOW The aim of the few examples we have presented in these pages is just to show you the incredibly wide range of possibilities on offer to you concerning multihull charter throughout the world. Don t hesitate to contact the charter companies directly for a personalized quotation according to your wishes and needs. Find all the destinations and ask for a direct quote on: 54