Smooth Sailing: Cheers to Charters in 2021
Whether she’s cruising the Nile or Alaska’s Inside Passage, Emily Pariseau is happiest on a boat. Smooth Sailing is her ship-shape platform for sharing all her aquatic adventures.
In my experience, the most effective cure for the winter blues comes from the open ocean — the wind blowing through your salty hair and the sun warming your sandy skin. If you are worried about feeling cooped up this winter - a yacht charter might be the best treatment.
Let me paint you a picture of a day spent at sea... You wake up with the sun (or whenever), throw on a swimsuit, and head to the main deck. You might like to take a quick swim in the turquoise water while you wait for your cappuccino.
Over breakfast, discuss the day’s activities. Your older kids want to snorkel with sea turtles. The captain will take the younger ones tubing behind the tender. You and your spouse kayak to land and hike to the top of a deserted island for amazing panoramic views.
In the late afternoon, meet back on deck and set sail for your next destination. Make yourself comfortable on the top deck with a book as your kids play games in the back lounge. When you arrive at the anchorage, take the tender to visit a beach bar or, let the crew set up a private, candle-lit dinner in a private cove. Reminisce on your day, enjoy fresh seafood and other local specialties, and get excited for another day in paradise.
A yacht vacation offers you flexibility over your itinerary and control over your contact with others (or lack thereof). In a glorious week sailing between tropical islands, you’ll unpack once and explore countless different spots. And, if you appreciate privacy, the only people you have to see are your own family, your expert captain, and the stewardess, who seems to be mysteriously refilling your Pina Colada every time you turn your back.
Think of your yacht as your own floating 5-star hotel with top-quality service, food, and amenities from hot tubs to movie theatres, jet skis and giant waterslides. If you are lucky enough to find yourself on a boat in a beautiful place, you are lucky enough. Now, more than ever, if you find yourself surrounded by family on a luxury yacht in one of the prettiest parts of the Caribbean, after months of being trapped inside, you’ve hit the jackpot.
Here are some of my top picks for Caribbean charters in 2021
LIND
For the ultra-luxe traveler, I’d recommend chartering the 171’ LIND Yacht around St. Barths & Anguilla. LIND accommodates 11 guests in five cabins, and is completely equipped with every imaginable luxury, from an outdoor cinema and extensive selection of water toys to Apple TVs, a jacuzzi, and a rooftop bar and lounge.
Eleven Mothership
If you prefer getting off-the-beaten-path, you’ll love exploring remote parts of the Andros Island in the Bahamas on the 74’ Eleven Mothership. An angler’s fantasy, Eleven Mothership easily navigates the pristine saltwater wilderness of West Side National Park, where miles of wadeable sand flats await.
Moorings Catamaran
And, for a classic sailing itinerary, you can’t beat the Grenadines or British Virgin Islands on a 50’ Moorings Catamaran.
