WORLD OF CHARTERING
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ART HARTINGER
bar commenced on New Year’s Eve at the Frangipani. The fireworks were amazing, and it felt like they were there for the wedding. The wedding itself took place at the Frangipani at 4 p.m. on New Year’s Day. My brother Jake served as the officiant, and our friend J. Everett Weeks, the archbishop, attended with his wife Judy to bless the rings. My wedding outfit? Camo shorts, no shoes and a short-sleeved shirt. A huge shout-out to the Frangi GM Sabrina Mitchell and her folks — whom Yumi and I both love. Hosted wedding events continued on January 2. Yumi and I chartered Sun Spirit, a 64-ft catamaran, through Wind and Sea. We departed from Admiralty Bay, turned left at the south corner, and headed to Mustique. Sir James Mitchell, and Basil himself, came out to say hello to our gang. The plan was for cocktails at Basil’s and then lunch at The View. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to confirm with Lisa at The View, so she gasped when I called from Basil’s to say I was bringing up 50 people for lunch. But wow, she and her staff still managed to hit a home run! On January 3, our last event was a lobster lunch at the Whaleboner on the Belmont walkway in Bequia. Ruth and A New Year’s wedding provided extra fireworks for the evening.
Page 94 •
Latitude 38
• August, 2020
Above: Cat lounging in Mustique. Inset: They keep it simple in Petit Mustique.
Carlos, the owners, and Ruth’s mom, and the whole Whaleboner gang, were fabulous. Yumi and I rented a small cottage in Ocar — near Hamilton on the north side of the bay, and we settled in for our "honeymoon." Our friends gradually left the island, and things became much quieter. We love this corner of the world, and we are already planning our return. — art hartinger Charter Notes Is it island time yet? Who would have thought the Caribbean charter world would have changed so dramatically in the two months following their December/January season? Since then most of the cruising and charter stories have involved the shutdown of various islands and cruising grounds. Recently the tr ends have slowly started to reverse, as islands get a handle on the coronavirus caseloads and how to manage life during the pandemic. This gradual reopening now includes Caribbean is-
lands, each in a different phase of inviting visitors to return, with a variety of safety protocols. According to the New York Times, the Bahamas was due to enter Phase 2 of reopening on July 1, Jamaica reopened borders on June 15, Puerto Rico reopened on July 15, Saint Lucia reopened borders on June 4, though international flights were just starting up in July, and the USVI reopened on June 1. None of this means life is back to normal. There are COVID testing requirements and procedures that vary by island. Flights are increasing but remain limited, and there are limitations on who can actually visit some islands. As of July 10, Jamaica was restricting visitors from places deemed high risk, which included Arizona, Florida, New York and Texas. We spoke to Astrid Deeth of The Admiral’s Inn & Gunpowder Suites, located next to the Sunsail base in English Harbour, Antigua. Astrid reports, "Antigua reopened its borders on June 4 with daily flights from Miami on American, which have now been joined by twice-weekly flights on JetBlue from New York and weekly flights from Atlanta on Delta. Current protocols require all passengers arriving by air to have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR within seven days of their flight. Passengers arriving by sea are subject to 14 days quarantine." You can visit the various island tourism websites or charter companies to learn the latest in the evolving guidelines. Though challenges remain, if you’re itching for an island vacation, there is a steady trend toward reopening. The charter bases are putting the necessary precautions in place and bookings are being accepted for charters later in the year. The Moorings base in St. Lucia was scheduled to reopen August 1, and other industry bases are starting to reopen as the season progresses. You could book a Sunsail vacation in the Bahamas now, but they are sold out into August.