NEW CATAMARAN COMING

The Moorings 403 Power Catamaran will be ready to make its inaugural cruise in the British Virgin Islands and Abacos from November 2023.

Designed to sleep up to six guests, The Moorings 403PC offers a fully equipped L-shaped galley and three double cabins, each fitted with generous island beds and sea views.

Outside, guests can appreciate the numerous spaces, including the largest flybridge ever seen on a 40-footer, aft cockpit, aft decks and sunbathing areas, accessible through the side decks or directly from the saloon via the forward door.

The 403PC is equipped with the latest in yacht technology and features. This includes inside steering providing maximum safety with a peripheral view of the sea, surround sound with speakers in the saloon, aft cockpit and flybridge, a domestic refrigerator, underwater lights and air conditioning.

Caroline Barbour, UK marketing manager for The Moorings, said: “Further enhancing our charter options for customers seeking paradise in the BVIs or Abacos, the 403 PC offers complete freedom to explore with speed and style from the deck of a luxury power catamaran.”

Charter service launched

Boatshed.com has launched a new service, BoatshedCharter. Initially boating enthusiasts can choose from 47 boats (monohull and catamaran) and a range of manufacturers including Jeanneau, Beneteau and Dehler.

All professionally managed by charter companies and catering for differing budgets, the boats are moored in Athens, Lefkada and Volos, in Greece, and are available with or without crew.

The move supports experienced and novice sailors keen to explore new regions; from their bases, the boats can be used for sailing holidays around the Cyclades and Saronic islands, Ionian islands and Sporades islands.

Vangelis Papagrigoriou (pictured), head of BoatshedCharter, said: “We only list boats where we have met the owners or fleet operators. Our ethos is total transparency and it is a view appreciated by all.”

Boatshed.com founder, Neil Chapman, added: “Entering the charter business fulfils our ambition to become a ‘one stop shop’ for boating enthusiasts, no matter what they require. Over the next few months we intend to partner with more charter companies ffer for charter.” www.BoatshedCharter.com

Prices for a one-week charter departing on 1 November 2023 from Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas, for a fully equipped Moorings 403PC, based on four people, starts from £13,869 and includes yacht damage insurance and charter tax.

Prices for a one-week charter departing on 1 November 2023 from Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, for a fully equipped Moorings 403PC, based on four people, starts from £12,958 and includes yacht damage insurance, Virgin Islands Search and Rescue contribution, national parks permit and charter tax. www.moorings.co.uk

NIt is one of the unwritten rules that charter boats get cheaper to rent or charter with their age. It is a statement which has been true since the advent of modern leisure sailing, and makes sense because as boats get older, they lose a little of their sheen and become a little less comfortable and desirable.

But no more - analysis by yacht and catamaran charter experts PlainSailing.com shows that over the last year, prices for renting a yacht and catamaran for a week have risen by as much as 34 per cent in some parts of the Med.

Whilst charter fees in Italy have risen by a modest 11 per cent on average, boats in Greece have risen by an inflation-busting 23 per cent and boats in Croatia by a staggering 28 per cent - meaning that if you chartered the same boat as you chartered last year, you will have to pay more for the pleasure in 2023 (but it is now a year older).

Charter fee increases vary by charter operator, type of boat and the dates and place you are hoping to travel from. The biggest increase noted was for a four-cabin 2022 Dufour 460 in Trogir, which saw its price jump 34 per cent from its price for the second week in June 2022 to the same week in June 2023.

Whilst the price of fuel, the scarcity of boat spare-parts and rising local wages offers some explanation for the price increases, the biggest reason is the exceptionally high demand for boat charters over the past few years. Post Covid, for whatever reason, sailing holidays and boat charters have been getting booked up earlier, and there are weeks in peak season when occupancy rates for charter boats reach 99 per cent (previously this figure hovered around 82 per cent).

Tommy Tognarelli, co-founder of PlainSailing.com, said: “Whilst some of the price rises are down to the cost pressures that charter operators face - with their fleets of boats, rising costs of spare parts, staff and marina fees - there is almost certainly an element of upward pressure on prices from the crazy demand we have seen over the last few years, when almost every boat is fully booked through the summer season.

“Fortunately, there are a few ways which sailors can navigate inflation – such as switching to an older or smaller boat than they might otherwise have chosen, by getting extra people on board to split the bills (insurance permitting), or by travelling at a slightly different time of the year – generally peak-peak-peak prices are in late July or early August, and the further away you can sail from that date, the lower the charter prices are.

“At the moment, there are also earlybooking discounts available, which could make all the difference.”

PlainSailing.com

Further Information

■ www.nautilusyachting.com

■ www.seafarersailing.co.uk

■ www.bviyachtcharters.com

■ www.ocean-elements.co.uk

■ www.moorings.co.uk

■ www.dreamyachtcharter.com

■ www.borrowaboat.com

■ www.yachtmanagementmallorca.com

■ sunsail.co.uk

■ PlainSailing.com

■ www.sailingholidays.com

■ www.BoatshedCharter.com