Charter Notes
C h a rat e r i n g nd Covid By Zuzana Prochazka
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f you, like I, should have been on a boat somewhere exotic at this time, don’t despair. Chartering may be paused, but it will be back and perhaps with some good deals and more flexibility. No charter boats have been plying the waters of the Mediterranean, Caribbean, or South Pacific. In fact, no charter boats moved anywhere in the world during most of March, April, and May, and it’s been mostly guesswork trying to predict when the business of yacht chartering will be operating normally again. Although the situation changes daily, there are some updates as of the time of this writing that may help you plan to get back out on the water. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) closed down as did most other Caribbean islands. The BVI will open for travel by residents in June, but tourism will have to wait until September 1. Of course, that’s the height of hurricane
season when many charter companies shutter anyway, so don’t expect to book a charter there for earlier than November 2020. Andrew Thompson, director at Horizon Yacht Charters that has bases in BVI, St. Vincent, and Grenada offers a local’s perspective. “The BVI government acted decisively with an aggressive isolation plan, so we are hopeful that the BVI will come through this pandemic in relatively good physical health,” he says. “With the support of our overseas clients, once borders reopen, we are hopeful that by the end of the year, we can see a big rebound in our economic health.” Dream Yacht Charter and Sunsail bases in Grenada are also closed for now, too. The island is a hurricane hole to many cruisers because of its low latitude that’s mostly out of the hurricane belt (although there have been exceptions.)
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Long-term cruisers are in a bit of a panic trying to find access to summer berths and a safe haven during the storm season, so it’s not just charter that has been disrupted. Like most businesses, charter companies are looking for ways to conserve or enhance cash so although not all are processing refunds, they are offering free re-bookings and maybe sweetening the pot with upgrades to larger or newer yachts. Navigare Yachting, a large charter organization in the Mediterranean, recently opened a base in the BVI, and they’ve been holding periodic webinars to update industry insiders and customSpinSheet.com May 2020 51