CHOOSE YOUR OWN
ADVENTURE! By Sherri Huleatt
A ton of choices go into deciding where, when, and what to charter. Sherri Huleatt, on behalf of Northwest Explorations, gives us an insider perspective.
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Jean Turnbull is one of the most experienced mariners you’re likely to meet. She’s cruised all over the world with her partner, Priscilla Myers, including a one-year, 6,300-mile circumnavigation around eastern North America and
an 18-week trip around Alaska’s Inside Passage. She’s cruised the Bahamas, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River to the north Atlantic, the Rideau Canal in Ontario, and more. She also has her 100-ton near-coastal merchant mariner’s certificate from Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
66 NORTHWEST YACHTING // DECEMBER 2016
Despite the training, adventures, and thousands of miles under her keel, there’s a twist to the story: she doesn’t own a single boat. Instead, she’s been a charter customer for years. For seasoned skippers like Jean, and even boating newbies, chartering is one of the smartest decisions they could make: it allows them to travel all over the world in a private boat, without having to worry about the extra costs, maintenance, and stress that comes with being a boat owner. “Our charter customers come from all over the world,” Brian Pemberton, owner of NW Explorations, a Bellingham charter company, said. “The yacht is ready to go as soon as they step off the plane and outfitted