charter yacht GazelleI was tuned in to the CharterPortBVI Twitter feed yesterday when I saw a blip go by about a pair of sailing catamarans "cruising the ABCs and Central America." Since it's not every day that proper charter yachts go off to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, or Central America, I got in touch with CharterPort manager Dick Schoonover down in Tortola. Here's the skinny:


Gazelle is a 66-foot Gunboat that launched in 2009 (that's her with stunning red spinnaker in the photograph at right). She's owned by the same person who owned the 56-foot sailing catamaran Mawali, which chartered successfully in the Windward Islands. The owner's plans are more ambitious for Gazelle, which Schoonover tells me is going to spend time in New England this summer organizing an around-the-world cruise. The Grenadines are expected to be the first stop later this year, which of course makes the ABCs a logical next stop. Charters will be available in between the owner's own cruising dates.


Diadem is a 58-foot Catana that was built in 2002. She has been chartering in the Virgin Islands, and Schoonover tells me he just learned of the yacht's plans to head to Central America this winter. An exact itinerary is not yet available, but the news of course is that a solid charter yacht with an experienced crew is venturing into new cruising territory.


Each of these charter yachts takes as many as six guests. You can learn more about them at the CharterPortBVI website, or contact any reputable charter broker to reserve some dates as the yachts plan their upcoming itineraries.


 

Written by: Kim Kavin
Kim Kavin is an award-winning writer, editor and photographer who specializes in marine travel. She is the author of 10 books including Dream Cruises: The Insider’s Guide to Private Yacht Vacations, and is editor of the online yacht vacation magazine www.CharterWave.com.