Northrop & Johnson just welcomed the 92-foot AB Yachts Silver Mama to the charter fleet. She’s in New England this summer with plans to charter in Florida and the Bahamas this winter.

Silver Mama accommodates eight guests in four staterooms, including a full-beam master with a king berth.

She’s a speedy charter yacht, with a top end of 50 knots driven by a water-jet propulsion system. Silver Mama charters with a Williams TurboJet 325 tender, a Sea-Doo and other toys for shallow-water fun.

Lowest weekly base rate: $45,000

The post Silver Mama for Charter in New England appeared first on Yachting.

The venue could not have been better as tropical breezes and clear-blue water kept everyone relaxed and happy as they watched the all-carbon, space-age racing sailboats of the America’s Cup whiz around the course at speeds approaching 50 knots. The Moorings cat itself is a highly useable platform for such an occasion as the boat’s large, wide decks let everyone have enough space to really spread out as they take in the races.

The boat’s two crew were incredibly diligent, getting us in the right spot to catch all the action while also keeping the passengers refreshed with good food and cold drinks. It was quite the event, and one made all the more special by our time aboard.

Find all of Yachting‘s coverage of the 35th America’s Cup here!

The post Video: Watching the America’s Cup From A Moorings Charter appeared first on Yachting.

King Baby

The sky lounge aboard King Baby has an 84-inch television with what is marketed as a “mega sound system,” allowing charter guests to immerse themselves in a theater-quality movie night.

Eros

Britain’s Brooks Motor Craft built Eros in 1939 as a private yacht. The Royal Navy then commandeered her for use in World War II. She has since been restored to her original glory for charter.

Cocktails

Cocktails has all the luxury comforts you would expect on a charter yacht of her size, plus she gives fishing enthusiasts a 35-foot, fully rigged Intrepid with twin 350 hp Yamaha engines for offshore runs.

Siete

Siete made waves in New England last summer when her chef and stewardess both earned awards in the Newport Charter Yacht Show’s culinary and tablescaping competition.

Victorian Rose

Victorian Rose, launched in 1963, was stripped to bare metal and restored. She is now ideal for two couples or a family, with a master and a twin-berth stateroom.

The post Chartering Newport appeared first on Yachting.

Xnoi

The 100-foot Xnoi will spend the summer chartering in Italy and France, taking as many as 10 guests in four staterooms at a lowest weekly base rate of about $58,900.

Perseus^3

The 196-foot Perseus^3 will start the summer in Bermuda for the America’s Cup superyacht regatta, then will cross the Atlantic and offer charters in Spain’s Balearic Isles. She takes as many as 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of about $268,000.

Seahawk

The 196-foot Seahawk is offering charters in the South Pacific, with itineraries available from June through August in Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. The lowest weekly base rate is about $268,000 for as many as 12 guests.

Helios

Helios, a 147-footer, will be in Bermuda this June before heading to the East Mediterranean and offering charter itineraries in Greece and Turkey. She takes 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of about $139,000.

Looking ahead to winter 2017-18: The 183-foot Rosehearty is taking inquiries for the Caribbean.

The post Perini Navi Yacht Charter this Summer appeared first on Yachting.

“We looked at the Jacuzzi, and my wife thought maybe we should store our vegetables in there,” he says. “We went a little further and put some insulation in and modified the canvas cover.”

The idea not only worked, but also for two months last summer, Rosehearty‘s hot-tub-turned-chiller became part of some truly memorable experiences.

“We put all of the vegetables up there,” Hutchison says. “We’d find an iceberg, go over, get a chain saw, chisels and hammers and knock off some lumps of ice, and for three or four days, we could pack that ice.”

Unusual? Yes, but then again, exploring the Northwest Passage is the stuff of adventure-minded yachtsmen’s dreams. Rosehearty‘s owner is such a man. After years of planning, he decided that 2016 was the time to make that particular dream come true — the first of more adventurous cruises to come, including some with charter dates in Chile and Antarctica during 2018.

David and Raya Hutchison stood on the flybridge, stared at the hot tub and decided to discuss… cucumbers. The couple, who are captain and chef aboard the 183-foot Perini Navi ­Rosehearty, was preparing for a cruise from New England to the Northwest Passage. The planned route would leave them responsible for 24 souls: a permanent crew of 13, a Canadian naturalist, a Canadian logistics expert, an ice pilot and eight guests, including Rosehearty‘s owner. All of those people were going to get hungry — in parts of the world so remote that provisioning can be impossible for up to a month at a time.

The Hutchisons already knew how to stock up in a way that let them produce five-star cuisine in far-off anchorages, from the Caribbean to the ­Mediterranean. Rosehearty charters at a weekly base rate that, during prime seasons, can top $250,000. But the Northwest Passage posed a tougher challenge, one that called or creative thinking. In fact, Capt. David Hutchison says figuring out how to provision and stow enough fresh vegetables turned out to be harder than modifying the 10-year-old sailing yacht to cruise safely and comfortably in waters packed with ice.

That’s why, in a sense, the journey that Rosehearty took to the Northwest Passage last summer was kind of a shakedown cruise, a chance to see how things turn out for the cucumbers and more when a luxury sailing yacht goes to the ends of the Earth. The itinerary served as a harbinger of the types of experiences Rosehearty will offer charter clients in the seasons to come.

The original plan was to sail from New England to Greenland, leave there at the end of July, cruise through the Northwest Passage and finish at the Pacific Ocean. Timing the entry was crucial, Hutchison says, because pack ice makes the eastern part of the Arctic inaccessible for all but a few weeks each summer.

“It’s never really opened until the 25th or 28th of July, just to get into some of the initial places on the trip, and then it closes pretty quickly,” he says. “Most of the ice is driven down through the strait, and it packs up around the island, and it blocks the place up.”

Once Rosehearty got up there, though, the owner had to change his plans. The ­Pacific route had to be scrapped because of timing — a lucky break, in a way, because the yacht got to spend more time in the eastern Canadian islands.

“It’s a lot more drama, wildlife, scenery in that part than there is in the Canadian and Alaskan coasts,” Hutchison says.

Perhaps surprisingly, the modifications Rosehearty needed to complete the journey were minimal. The owner added a flybridge enclosure with clear panels, to capture the frequently recirculated fresh air that normally would have been expelled from the interior. Even when the outside air temperature was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind was blowing 20 knots, Hutchison says, “It was comfortable enough to be up there without a jacket.”

In addition to retrofitting the hot tub for vegetable stowage, the crew also kept stores fresh in the parts of the bilge that lacked insulation.

“We’re a fairly big charter boat and have good freezer space,” Hutchison says, but a lot of the time, “the outside water temperature was minus 1 or minus 2 Celsius [28 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit], so anything in the uninsulated bilge areas of the boat was fine. It wouldn’t freeze, but it was fine.”

The crew also left the yacht’s two personal watercraft in New England and used that space for a new 23-foot Milpro tender. The military-grade Zodiac didn’t look as pretty as Rosehearty‘s usual guest tender, but with its twin 70 hp outboards, AIS, radar and GPS, the Milpro was reliable for weaving among icebergs and more.

“We’d load it up with 10 people and go fishing, polar bear sighting, that type of thing,” Hutchison says. “It was an open plan, not a yacht tender, more of a workhorse. We could throw stuff in and drag stuff out.” Helm electronics were key, Hutchison says, aboard the tender and Rosehearty herself. Help can be days away, and ice packs can move in fast. Being able to receive regular weather and ice reports, as well as contact the authorities daily, was crucial.

“You actually tell the Canadian Coast Guard where you want to go, what your route plan is, and they’ll tell you whether it’s OK or if you have to change [your] route,” Hutchison says. “They want you to report every six hours, and if you don’t ­report, they get anxious and start to email saying, ‘C’mon guys, where are you?’”

Traditional charts sometimes bore no resemblance to reality. Using only paper charts, he says, would send any captain “back to the time when everybody used to fail. You end up in the wrong place in the wrong time.”

“You’re supposed to be in 70 meters of water and you find yourself in 7 meters because these tall icebergs drift around,” he says. “We had the pack ice returning with currents. We were quite lucky to get out of there as we did. You can imagine a couple-thousand-ton ice block landing on your anchor chain or grounding on top of it.”

There is Internet service, ­Hutchison says, primarily for use by airplanes. ­Rosehearty has VSAT-supported Internet capability, which worked best for maintaining communications; the yacht also had Iridium service as a backup.

“The satellite, a lot of times, was on the horizon,” Hutchison says. “When you’re up at 77 degrees North and looking at an equatorial satellite, you’re almost looking around the curve of the Earth. The Iridium was slower, but it was good enough to use to get the weather and ice reports.”

At Creswell Bay, where Rosehearty anchored in mid-August, having faster communications turned out to be key.

“We were sitting quite happily in ­Creswell Bay and saw these little white dots on the horizon,” Hutchison says. “You wouldn’t think they could move so fast, but they do. The ice pack had decided to move back, so we left there around 7 o’clock at night knowing we had to run five or six hours to get to the next safe haven, and there was a lot of ice around. That was a tense time.”

Even still, he says, the Rosehearty crew is looking forward to offering charters near the planet’s other pole in 2018. They also are still thinking about what more they might experience if they give the full Northwest Passage another try.

“I think if you asked any of us on the boat whether we want to go back, we’d say yes,” Hutchison says. “We didn’t see as many whales as we were expecting — we were a little too late for the beluga whales, which had moved on, and the narwhals were a little [skittish] because the locals were ­hunting them — but we did see about eight to 10 polar bears, and walrus, and the bird life. “It’s special,” he says. “It’s tundra. It’s wild. The remoteness of it — the scenery is spectacular.”

Read the Rosehearty blog from the Northwest Passage, and see the exact route the yacht traveled.

READ MORE: 10 Charters to Check out in 2017

The post An Arctic Escape appeared first on Yachting.

The Moorings has been named an official charter supplier for the America’s Cup in Bermuda this May and June.

Charter clients can book a Moorings 4800 or Moorings 5800 catamaran, with captain and chef, for a vacation that includes watching the America’s Cup racing.

The yachts will have premium access to designated on-water spectator zones in front of the America’s Cup Village at the Royal Naval Dockyard.

“The Moorings is proud to partner with such a prestigious and significant sporting event that draws international support from some of the most prominent brands in the world,” Josie Tucci, general manager of The Moorings, stated in a press release.” We are honored to offer this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for charter guests to experience the event in such a unique and memorable way.”

Charter dates for AC35: Bookings are available from May 19 through July 6.

Head to the Moorings website to book now.

The post Charter with The Moorings at the America’s Cup appeared first on Yachting.

Whisper

The 116-foot Holland Jachtbouw Whisper, for the second year in a row, has announced plans to donate a portion of summer charter fees to Project Puffin, which helps seabirds in Maine.

The National Audubon Society started Project Puffin in 1973 in an attempt to restore puffin seabird colonies that hunters had destroyed. The puffins have since returned to the region. Back in 1981, the society reported just four pairs of puffins on Eastern Egg Rock. As of 2013, there were about 1,000 pairs nesting on five different islands in Maine.

Whisper will charter this summer in New England at a lowest weekly base rate of $60,000. She accommodates six guests in three staterooms, with a fourth room that can serve as a “nanny cabin” if desired.

Whisper

Whisper

Whisper

Whisper

The post Charter Whisper, Help the Seabirds appeared first on Yachting.

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While my typical summer boating season is usually spent frequenting the waters of the Jersey Shore, Chesapeake Bay, Long Island Sound, and the outer reaches of Block Island Sound, I try my best to get in at least one Maine visit during the season. But as the past summer neared a close, I still had not been able to peel myself away for this annual event. So when Kathleen Allen of IYC’s charter management division called to invite me to join her for three days aboard the 125- foot Cheoy Lee Namoh, I jumped at the opportunity.

Our itinerary would be a round-trip venture from Camden to explore the waters of Penobscot Bay. The Bay is some 30 miles long and almost as wide and home to the islands of Vinalhaven, North Haven, Islesboro, Deer Isle, and Isle au Haut. Close to 2,000 other islands and islets are scattered around the bay, many visited only by birds and seals. The natural beauty of this rugged coastline makes for some of the finest cruising anywhere.

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I found Namoh waiting at Wayfarer Marine, which is just across the water from the Camden town dock. Ahhh, that feeling of leaving terra firma behind as i stepped aboard…In that instant, as I took a deep breath of crisp, clean, salt-tinged air, the schooner Olad dropped canvas as she left port on the outgoing tide, and I immediately shed all land-based cares. It is that easy to get into a Maine state of mind.

I met deckhand Crawford Railton on the afterdeck dining area and was quickly joined by captain Greg Russell, who made the introductions to the other guests. Besides Allen, two brokers joined us: Heather Krebs of Abiego Yachts International, and Carol Kent of C.K. Yacht Charters. Rounding out our guest list was long time Yachting contributor and photographer Billy Black.

Namoh is a fully equipped and expertly maintained vessel. She offers a sundeck, skylounge, a Jacuzzi, and plenty of toys. Highlights include a pair of Yamaha Waverunners, a 17-foot tender powered by a 115-horsepower Yamaha outboard, water skis, wakeboards, snorkel and fishing gear, kayaks, and a water trampoline. She has WiFi throughout and sleeps 10 in five elegant staterooms including the owner’s suite. and best of all, her crew is as attentive and professional as any I’ve met.

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But it is the youthful-looking Russell who sets the great vibe aboard Namoh. Originally from Zimbabwe, he grew up on a tobacco farm, learning and honing management skills he would later bring to the helms of the yachts Ipanema, Osceola, Ocean Mermaid, and Hiya. He’s university-educated with degrees in both marine biology and agriculture. This Maine resident, with more than 80,000 nautical miles in his wake, is both a skilled mariner and a great conversationalist.

For lunch, chef Sandy Goldbery prepared prosciutto, red pepper, and fresh buffalo mozzarella on baguettes, accompanied by a wonderful chardonnay, served by chief stewardess Joanne Mill and 2nd stewardess Jenny Snellgove. It was the perfect summer meal to begin our Down East cruise. With the affable and engaging Russell joining us for a few moments before getting underway, the table conversation was lively and interesting; we all looked forward to the time we would have together.

By the time plates were cleared, Russell had nudged the big boat out of the tight confines of the harbor and set a course for Butter Island about two hours away. As we watched Camden slip away behind Namoh’s stern, I strolled to the port side for a look at the expanse of Penobscot Bay that lay ahead. We were underway, surrounded by sun, sky, and sea. Namoh is capable of a 20-knot cruise but we were content to motor along at a leisurely ten. After setting the hook in the lee of Butter Island, Railton and first mate Piet Lombaard offered to ready the kayaks. While several of us went off exploring, the rest opted to enjoy the warm late afternoon on the sundeck.

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Later, Coltrane played softly on the stereo as we sat on the skylounge deck watching the sky turn slowly from soft hues of blue to a deep, dark cobalt. Going with the flow was never this easy. As the stars of the constellation Sagittarius emerged from the night sky, we were invited to the salon to enjoy some wine before a dinner of baby romaine salad, a deliciously spicy cioppino entree, and a nectarine tart to finish things off. We lingered well into the evening, sharing tales of past adventures and voyages. It was easy to fall asleep that night, thanks to the wonderful food, excellent wine, and luxurious surroundings of our staterooms.

By late morning, when the fog had burnt off, the sky went blue, the sun came out, and it was time to visit the nearby town of Castine. Russell and Lombaard had the tender ready and we meandered slowly among the many small islands, watching seals bask on rocks, and enjoying the natural beauty of the bay as we made our way to the town dock.

Founded in 1613, Castine is one of New England’s oldest towns, and we enjoyed wandering the waterfront and elm-lined streets. We strolled past the stately Pentagoet and Manor Inns, which both serve dinner and have pubs for casual dining as well. Castine’s post office opened its doors in 1814, making it the oldest continuously operated branch in the country and the Cold Comfort Summer Theater offers musicals and plays during July and august.

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It would have been nice to sit on the wharf and while away the Maine afternoon but Goldbery’s lunch of crab cakes and raspberry fool-mashed raspberries whipped with sugar, vanilla, and cream-beckoned.

Russell and I were on our second foolish helping when I noticed the crew going back and forth from the galley to the swim platform. “We’re going to take advantage of the great weather and have our dinner ashore, over there,” he said, pointing to a spit of beach off our port bow. I was going to partake in the famous Namoh lobster bake.

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By early evening, we were all on the beach and pitching in with the preparations. Russell readied the steamer while some of us helped the crew shuck corn and wash potatoes. I harvested about five pounds of fresh seaweed as well as a bucket of mussels from the water’s edge. Less than an hour later, with wine corks popping, lobster shells cracking, and the sun hanging red above the treetops, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Dessert, back on Namoh, would be a made from- scratch, wild Maine blueberry pie, after which a delightful time in the Jacuzzi would prove to be the perfect end to a perfect day.

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Our final day aboard was a leisurely cruise that took us by Isle au Haut’s Duck Harbor and the Winter and Seal Bays of Vinalhaven. The sun was warm, the sky clear, and the environs were spectacular. While underway, we enjoyed a lunch of baby Maine shrimp roll and homemade pineapple sorbet on the skylounge deck. Later that evening, in a comfortable anchorage, Russell hosted our final dinner of parmesan-laced arugula salad and grilled veal chops as we toasted new friends and shipmates.

I have always found that cruising coastal Maine in summer is special. And this trip was no exception, thanks to Russell, his crew, and Namoh herself. If you are lucky enough to find her available, whether Down East or somewhere else, she is sure to deliver a memorable time for you and your guests.

Namoh charters in the Caribbean during the winter and is offered from $125,000/week, plus expenses. For the summer schedule, contact the management office for complete details. IYC Charter Management, (954) 522-2323; _**www.iyc.com**_

The post Maine Event on a Cheoy Lee 125 appeared first on Yachting.

Leaves on the thick rows of trees lining the Penobscot River were just starting to blush, like rosy cheeks on a crisp morning, as Time for Us cruised south from Bangor last fall. Most of the other yachts that call New England their summertime home had followed the snowbirds to Ft. Lauderdale, so this 118-foot Trinity’s only company along the glass-flat waterway were seals poking their heads up for a better look at her pretty lines.

“They like going up little rivers and breaking new ground, purser Kim Sandell said of the owners, who were just sitting down to lunch on the main deck.

This was definitely new ground, a nook in one of Maine’s most spellbinding crannies. I kept one eye out the yacht’s large windows and one eye on the grippy steps as I left the pilothouse to join the owners in the formal dining room. This was also new ground for them, and not just in the geographical sense. They had only owned the 1999 build for a few months, and it was their first yacht, bought after a single, monthlong charter along the ICW.

We spent much of lunch discussing their good fortune in having purchased such a well-built, beautifully crafted boat on their first try. But by the time we had finished our warm apple pie with fat dollops of vanilla ice cream, they were giving me the skinny on the best lesson they had discovered since they decided to get into the charter business.

“We learned that no matter how good the boat is, it’s the crew that really make it work, the wife said.

“When you charter, your experience is defined largely by the crew, her husband added. “And these are the best.

As newcomers to the industry, the owners may not have met enough crew to know for certain that theirs stands out, but I have. I’ve known several members of this crew for a few years. This was my third charter with the captain and Sandell, his wife. The chef, whom I met for the first time in Maine, learned the art of charter from another captain I’ve known for years and consider a real pro. That Time for Us (formerly Chevy Toy) is one of the most recent motoryachts from one of America’s finest yards is, of course, a big selling point, but to my mind, it’s the people running her who make her stand out in the charter market.

“We’ve gone out with the good and the bad, Capt. Chris Young said. “Now, we’ve reassembled our team. I’d put our crew out there against anybody.

Young and Sandell previously ran the 122-foot Bon Bon (“Thirst for Life, September 2001). Before that, they ran the 110-foot Cookie Monster (“Come and Play, October 2000). Over the years, they’ve kept in touch with crew who went on to other jobs. The couple’s hope was to find a boat where they could reassemble the team they liked most, with owners who would keep the boat in good condition and the crew happy.

The owners of Time for Us were a good bet, since they know the value of good staff and treat professionals as such.

“One of the requirements I had early was that the crew quarters be finished like the rest of the boat, the husband told me. “They are not second-class citizens.

The boat was a good bet, too. Her previous owner had a crew that was meticulous, a trait the new owners demand.

“I’m in the hotel business,” the husband said. “One scratch may be okay, but if you get two, they’re like rabbits. People expect perfection, and this boat will be perfect when they get on-and off, or they will pay the difference.

The best bet, though, is the one you know you can win, so the captain hired only crew members he knew were a sure thing. He called back chief stewardess Tanya Weremijenko and stewardess Rachel Hughes, both of whom had worked aboard Cookie Monster. Weremijenko was in the Med aboard the 167-foot charter motoryacht Big Eagle at the time; Hughes was acting as stew and nanny aboard the private 170-foot Oceanco Sunrise.

“They gained invaluable experience on other, larger vessels, Sandell said. “Now, we can offer so much more.

As first mate, Young hired a friend of Weremijenko’s, Greg Paterson, who was as friendly during my time aboard as he was competent. We toured the Maine Maritime Museum (on the Kennebec River, another of the state’s beautiful crannies), and he thrilled me not only with his knowledge of the sea, but with tales from his parents’ 60-foot sailboat, which he had lived on starting at age 12.

With Paterson on board, Young was able to lure the first mate’s friend, Vaughan Densham, a chef with an excellent reputation. Densham has the same laid-back personality as the rest of the crew, the kind of relaxed confidence that comes from working among friends who can be counted on to get the job done. He learned the importance of teamwork while aboard his first charter yacht, the 65-foot sailing catamaran Angel Glow (“Cat’s Pause, September 2000). That boat’s captain, Greg Urlwin, and the experience he offers guests are among my favorites in the business.

The proof is in the pudding, or in Densham’s case, in the chocolate mousse. His version of the popular dessert was the first to leave me with the same feeling I get after taking an automated tour at Hershey Park’s Chocolate World, where the scent of chocolate is pumped right into the ride. It saturates your mind and leaves you drooling for more.

As I contemplated licking my bowl, I noticed one of the owners eating a different flavor.

“You’re missing out, I said, wondering whether the remaining dish of chocolate mousse might still be available.

“I prefer butterscotch, she replied, and dug into the mousse Densham had prepared specially for her.

Later, in the country kitchen-style galley (whose table is as big as the one in the dining room), I asked Densham whether he minded cooking separate meals for guests with separate tastes.

“The other night, I made four different dinners, he said. “One didn’t eat meat. One didn’t eat this, one didn’t eat that. It was no big deal. “He doesn’t stress about anything, Hughes said, giving him a hug. “He’s the best chef I’ve ever worked with.

Combining that kind of talent aboard such a comfortably elegant yacht in ports other boats tend to pass by creates a charter package that’s tough to beat.

“When, 10 islands away, the same T-shirts just have a different island’s name on them, people start to get bored, Sandell said. “The charter clients we’ve gotten in touch with are excited that this boat is going to be in some new and interesting places, because they can see them but still be with us.

Also worth noting are the boat’s new medical equipment (including a portable defibrillator) and toys. A treadmill is up top, next to the jacuzzi, and “environmentally friendly Yamaha Jet Skis are at the ready. The toys don’t leave much room for sun worshiping, but the flying bridge is well designed for socializing.

I used it for just that as Time for Us pulled into the charming, brick-sidewalk city of Portland at the end of my stay, which was courtesy of the boat’s owners. I chatted with them and their crew, all of us in windbreakers, our bellies warm and full, our faces turned toward the early October sun.

“Our goal is repeat clientele, the captain said. “We don’t want one-hits. We want guys coming back year after year after year.

I asked, hopefully, when there might be another time for me.

Contact: Northrop and Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters, (800) 868-5913, (401) 848-5540; missy@njcharters.com; www.northropandjohnson.com, or any charter broker. Time for Us charters for $55,000 per week, plus expenses, for eight guests; $60,000 per week, plus expenses, during Christmas and New Year’s; and $75,000 per week, plus expenses, in the Mediterranean.

The post Down East Splendor appeared first on Yachting.