With the winter yacht charter season about to kick into high gear in the Bahamas and Caribbean, several top management companies have welcomed notable motoryachts into their fleets.

Perhaps the largest yacht in this category is Samsara, a 290-foot Oceanco that recently joined the Y.CO charter fleet. Brokers are now accepting inquiries for winter charters in the Bahamas and Caribbean (and for summer 2024 bookings in Greenland and Iceland) at a lowest weekly base rate of $1.1 million.

Samsara is a 2015 build that most recently was refitted in 2023, with accommodations for 12 guests in seven staterooms. This yacht has a private owners’ deck, swimming pool, gymnasium, massage room and hair salon, along with an elevator for guest use. “Her seven-cabin layout is ideal for multigenerational groups or two families traveling together,” says David Price of Y.CO Charter Management. “It offers the flexibility to suit many kinds of charter groups.”

Meanwhile, over at Edmiston, two notable yachts have joined the charter fleet.

First is Wayfinder, 223-foot powercat that Astilleros Armon built in 2021. This yacht has an unusual layout, with 11 en suite staterooms (nine singles and two with twin berths) for 12 guests, along with quarters for 20 crew. It can be booked as either its own charter yacht or as a support vessel for more traditional charter yachts.

Wayfinder has an open aft deck with a helipad that doubles as a pickleball court. This yacht also has belowdecks storage for six tenders and four Sea-Doos. The lowest base rate to book a week in the Caribbean is $300,000, with inquiries also being accepted for the Mediterranean and other destinations in summer 2024.

Also new to the Edmiston charter fleet is the 164-foot Home, a 2017 Heesen that will be in the Bahamas this winter at a lowest weekly base rate of $245,000.

Home accommodates 12 guests in six staterooms, and charters with nine crew. Interiors are by Cristiano Gatto—Edmiston describes them as “crisp, light-filled and Ibiza-inspired.” For outdoor fun, the complement of tenders and toys includes a 34-foot Jupiter towed tender, a 21-foot Williams jet tender that can reportedly hit 35 knots, Sea-Doos, standup paddleboards, skis, inflatables, snorkeling gear and scuba equipment.

And, last but not least, IYC has added the 162-foot Christensen Remember When to the charter fleet, with bookings available this winter in the Bahamas at a lowest weekly base rate of $230,000. It’s a 2011 build that was most recently refitted in 2020, with accommodations for 12 guests in six staterooms. An elevator services all four decks, and the full-beam main-deck master has a private office.

Is it too early to call for summer 2024 yacht charter bookings? Nope. In fact, IYC also just welcomed the 90-foot Sanlorenzo SAL to the charter fleet. It’s a brand-new build for 2023 that’s currently accepting bookings for the West Mediterranean, Croatia and Montenegro in summer 2024.

Take the next step: head over to y.co, edmiston.com or iyc.com

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Last winter, the owner and crew aboard the 124-foot Christensen Reflections spent the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Belize. They had such a great time that this winter, they’re going back for several months that could stretch from November through February, if there’s enough interest from charter clients too.

“There are so many little islands to explore,” Capt. Darren Shepherd told Yachting. “It’s never-ending, the amount of stuff. You’ve got the three main atolls, which are stunning, but you also have the outcropping with a national park on the mainland inside the barrier reef. There are hundreds of little islands there where you can hop around. The water is pretty deep. There are coral reefs all over the place.”

He and the crew are especially eager to welcome charter guests who enjoy snorkeling and fishing—both of which the yacht is equipped to offer—as well as scuba diving, which the crew coordinates through local partners. Reflections charters with a 36-foot Everglades tender that can be rigged for whichever activity guests desire.

The snorkeling, he says, is usually a group favorite: “It’s phenomenal. Some of the areas, you have turtles, rays that are 5 feet across; they’re absolutely massive in some of the areas. Sometimes you see the massive spotted eagle rays. The marine life is incredible. Especially out on Lighthouse Reef, you don’t even have to pick one of the dive sites. You just jump in the water, and you see all kinds of things everywhere.”

He adds that Belize is a great destination for anyone interested in chartering off the beaten track, but without having to fly halfway around the world. The yacht’s owner, he says, had “mostly done the Bahamas and the Caribbean before. After last year, he enjoyed some of the trips so much, he really has that adventure bug.”

Belize Basics

The country is on the Caribbean Sea side of Central America, with Mexico to its north and Guatemala immediately to its south. Just offshore is the world’s second-largest barrier reef (after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef), running along much of the Belize coastline. The Belize Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Natural forest still covers about 60 percent of the land in Belize, and much of the country’s land is designated for protection against development.

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Fraser sends word that the 142-foot Christensen Grade I is offering a 10 percent drop on the weekly base rate for Bahamas yacht charter through September.

Typically, the lowest weekly base rate is $140,000. With the incentive rate, that number drops to $126,000.

Grade I is a 1995 build that most recently was refitted in 2018. Accommodations are for 12 guests in six staterooms, and the yacht charters with a 42-foot Yellowfin tender for fishing, snorkeling and other watersports.

According to Fraser, the yacht’s cruising speed is 12 knots with a top-end speed of 17 knots for minimizing cruising time between the islands in the Bahamas.

Where is Grade I is heading for winter 2023-24? The owner is considering inquiries for the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Costa Rica, including during the prime winter holiday weeks.

How to book a week on board: Contact a charter broker at fraseryachts.com

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RJC Yachts says seven of the yachts in its charter fleet are accepting inquiries for New England bookings this summer.

The yachts are: the 163-foot Christensen Lady Elaine, the 157-foot Trinity Miss Christine, the 145-foot Christensen Relentless, the 124-foot Broward Camille, the 112-foot Delta Gale Winds, the 118-foot Intermarine XOXO and the 118-foot Broward True North.

Weekly base rates range from $60,000 to $225,000, depending on the yacht and the number of guests. Accommodations on the seven yachts range from eight to 12 guests each.

When does the New England charter season start? Some yachts are accepting bookings as early as June 1.

Take the next step: contact a charter broker at rjcyachts.com

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RJC Yachts has welcomed the 163-foot Christensen Lady Elaine back to the charter fleet, following years of the 2008 build being popular for bookings as Casino Royale.

Lady Elaine’s new owner previously owned Aquasition, a 142-foot Trinity that also was part of the RJC Yachts charter fleet.

Bookings are now being accepted for charter dates aboard Lady Elaine in Florida and the Bahamas. The yacht has six staterooms to accommodate 12 guests, with quarters for nine crew.

Tenders and toys include a 37-foot towed Intrepid, a 15-foot Nautica RIB, four personal watercraft, three Seabobs, two paddleboards, a pair of kayaks, snorkeling gear, fishing equipment and tow toys.

What’s the lowest weekly base rate to charter Lady Elaine? It’s $225,000.

How to book a week on board: contact a charter broker at rjcyachts.com

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Burgess has been appointed central agent for the sale of the 160-foot Christensen Chasseur. The 2016 build has an asking price of $33,750,000.

According to Burgess, the owner has placed Chasseur up for sale while he is negotiating with the shipyard to build a new yacht in the 164-foot range.

Chasseur has six staterooms for 12 guests, including a full-beam master. The main deck dining table was custom-designed by Armani, and the central staircase has floating glass steps amid woven leather walls. A four-person elevator serves all decks.

The yacht has been on the charter market and is currently in the Mediterranean. The owner advertises a lowest weekly base rate of $224,000, and the charter program could continue under a new owner.

What’s performance like? According to Burgess, Chasseur has a cruising speed of 12 knots and a top end of 17 knots, with twin 1,875-horsepower Caterpillar engines. Range is 3,000 nautical miles.

For more information, visit: burgessyachts.com

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Andy Herrington had spent more than 20 years with Christensen Shipyards when the gates closed because of financial trouble, throwing him and the other craftsmen out of their jobs. Like his co-workers, he scrounged what work he could to make ends meet. “I did a little bit of logging and tree chopping and horse training when we were off,” he says, “but mostly we just figured out how to reopen.”

That problem was resolved by Henry Luken, who purchased his first Christensen, Liquidity, in 2001 and had been part-owner of the yard since 2003. He’s now the principal yard owner and owns one of two yachts that are partly completed on site.

Two other partly finished yachts, the 164-footers Silver Lining and Chasseur, will have launched by the time you read this, having since been completed by Herrington and a lot of his former colleagues.

“The most surprising thing — and I think even Henry and the people in management were kind of taken aback too — was how many of the senior people came back,” says Jim Gilbert, who was named Christensen’s interim president in January. “We got essentially all of our shop foremen [and] essentially all of our supervisors.”

Herrington says the workers are equally thrilled to be back in business at the yard: “We have a sign outside our employee entrance that says, ‘Through this door pass the finest craftsmen in the world.’ We all believe that. When you don’t see that every day, after a while, and then you see it again for the first time, you really realize what it means. It’s who we are.”

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Christensen charter yacht Ocean Pearl

The 115-foot Christensen Ocean Pearl still has availability for Alaska yacht charter this month — prime time for cruising amid the glaciers, whales and spectacular summer scenery.

Ocean Pearl, which bases on the West Coast year-round, accommodates as many as 11 guests in a master stateroom, three queen-bed staterooms and twin bunk beds for the kids. Her features include an on-deck hot tub (what a great spot for watching icebergs go by) as well as an aft deck that can be fully enclosed with Isinglass should nights get a bit chilly.

During August, the weather in Alaska tends to be beautiful, so much so that, according to management house Northrop and Johnson, charter guests sometimes sleep under the stars on the large bow sun pad. It’s also a great perch for whale watching.

Weekly base rate: $75,000

Get available charter dates: visit www.northropandjohnson.com

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187-foot Trinity yacht Lady Linda

Mangusta 165 Moonraker

Couach yacht La Pellegrina

Christensen yacht Match Point

Christensen yacht Odessa

Trinity yacht Imagine

Trinity yacht Themis

Delta yacht Katya

Palmer Johnson yacht Blue Ice

Trinity yacht Claire

The post 10 Biggest Yachts Coming to Miami appeared first on Yachting.

Christensen superyacht Ionian Princess

The summer charter season is beginning to wind down in the Mediterranean, but some of the best yachts are still there with availability well through September. That’s the case with the 150-foot Christensen Ionian Princess, whose owner is offering a 15-percent discount on last-minute bookings.

Regularly, the weekly base rate to charter Ionian Princess is €145,000, or about $191,000 at the current conversion rate. The 15-percent discount drops the weekly base rate to €123,250, or about $162,000. In addition, the owner is willing to be flexible on locations throughout the Mediterranean, depending on where clients want to cruise.

Ionian Princess is a 2005 build that most recently was refit in 2011. She accommodates 12 guests in six staterooms and has a solid reputation in the charter industry, with references available from previous clients. There are 10 crew on board.

Learn more about Ionian Princess and remaining dates available for Mediterranean charter at www.fraseryachts.com.

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