Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Caribbean Yacht Charters - The Pelican Brief

The Pelican Brief
By: Andrew Buys (Catamaran Yacht Charters)

While Gaile and I were chartering in the Caribbean learning all the anchorages for our guests, we used to take these free week-ends with friends and get lost in paradise just chilling out. Gaile, my wife of 39 years, is one of those wonderful persons whom people, dogs, cats and birds, are attracted to. When we were in the Virgin Islands those single girls would gravitate towards "mother" Gaile, so there was forever a bunch of single girls hanging around our catamaran and the safety of "Mother" Gaile.

One July week-end in 1993 the girls decided to rent 8 movies and then we would find a quiet anchorage where we would hang out for the week-end. We found our anchorage off Peter Island called little harbor. After snorkeling most of the morning the 6 girls and myself were sitting on the trampoline when I realized that water is heavy....There were many pelicans diving for minnows around our catamaran and it struck me that for 2-3 seconds pelicans are unable to fly when their pouches are filled with water. Their pouch holds about 3 pints of heavy seawater and small minnows, so they purge the water out of their beaks tilt their heads and swallow their catch.m.m.m.m. This meant they were vulnerable to to being caught by hand, provided that one dived near our catamaran and I could time it exactly correctly. If I ran off the side of our catamaran and dived in the air just after the pelican, I would then flare open my arms and catch the pelican with a beak full of water and fish..mm..mm..m..


"Girls what would you bet me if I say that I can catch a pelican with my bare hands in the next few minutes and you can touch the feathers then I would let it go? ". "What are you talking about?", they all asked in total disbelief, "impossible!!". I negotiated for some chocolate if i was successfull. I do not remember what I promised them if it did not work, I did not tell them how this was going to go down anyway. I sat and waited for the right pelican to fly just too close to our catamaran, while I was waiting they were teasing me "so where is the pelican Mr Hot Shot??". Wait!! I said and they teased me even more. I waited, all the time watching, 10 minutes went by with constant heckling by those female non-believers, then the right Pelican was aimed in flight (a dive) at the distance I felt would work.

I was running along the side of the catamaran and just behind the Pelican then in the air, (I was diving) the pelican hit the water a second before I did. I hit the water far enough away from him as not to hurt him but to come up after the initial underwater dive right where our "Mr Pelican" was. It was too late for Mr. Pelican as he emerged with water and fish in his beak I surfaced right next to him with open arms. His wing span was far too big to get him moving in time to escape my closing arms, his beak remained filled with water and a little fish, this pelican was surprised but no where near as surprised as the woman sitting on deck in total disbelief.

Then there erupted the loudest laughter, they were cracking up on deck, tears running down their faces, I had to stop them and say go and get a camera ladies I cannot stay here all day waiting for you to take these pictures.

Caribbean Yacht Charters
By Barrington Hall

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Worldwide Yacht Charters by Barrington Hall



Fully crewed yacht charter: 100-500 ft:
The term "yacht" usually means a privately owned power boat larger than 100 feet which serves a maximum of 12 guests, with a few exceptions with larger guest accommodations. A motor yacht charter can be anywhere in the world. Our yacht charter company do fully crewed private yacht charters in the major charter areas in the world namely the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean and Greece but there are other sailing destinations. The fully crewed super yachts range from 100 feet and up. The Captain and crews who operate these magnificent luxury toys are exceptionally well versed with the entire scope of chartering, all are professionally trained, not only to serve you but also in safety, seamanship, who also have a vast knowledge of each charter location. The number of crew on these super yacht charters ranges from three (3) upwards to, in some cases, 33 staff members. The chef on board is almost always world-class trained and ready to customize each meal to suit every pallet. To ensure that each guest can enjoy personal meal choices on board the power yacht, each charter guest is sent a food and bar preference sheet. It is on this sheet that each guest will list their desires for meals and drinks. Both the captain and chef will call and talk to talk to the guests about 10-12 days prior to boarding. The yacht will not provision for the charter until they have discussed the meal choices with the guests. The chef is dedicated solely to customizing everyone's cuisine to please all on board. This personal attention is far better than any five (5) star hotel or the best cruise ship vacation.

Each power yacht is owned independently, this means although most yachts have the same water toys and amenities, there are some yachts which go above and beyond with the amenities they provide. We will provide you with the best yachts available in your budget. The captain and crew of the charter yachts we represent are committed to high-end service and attention to detail of the yacht, as well as the details to professionally serve you.

Your Charter Itinerary:
We listen to what you and your guests and we will always give you a sample itinerary to follow. This is just a route that we feel will provide you with the best adventure and memories. At the end of the day it is up to you to decide where you wish to travel. The captains of these super yachts will also offer their personal customized itinerary from which you can select. This means your private yacht charter is built around what you wish to do and where you wish to go, this is why we call this "your private yacht vacation!".

Location and Yachts
We pride ourselves in knowing the Caribbean better than any other independent charter broker worldwide. We are also greatly familiar with Greece, the Italian and French Riviera and the Bahamas.

We inspect each yacht and familiarize ourselves with the crews and it is from this we are in a position to guide guests to their right yacht.

These majestic yachts are not open for public viewing, they are all represented through brokers world-wide such as Barrington-Hall Yacht corporation, and we do have 10 years combined experience as captains along the Caribbean Chain of islands. In addition to this we have 20 years as top booking brokers world-wide. Barrington Hall Yacht Charters

Each year our company visits the different yacht charter boat shows worldwide to inspect the yachts and meet the crews of as many yachts as possible. We carefully inspect each yacht then interview the crews. From this we gain valuable information that will help us decide which yacht and crews will best serve our yacht charter clients.

Our clients charter with us again and again due to the level of quality service they receive. Click here to see an example of a client who returned after fifteen years.

Business, Executive or Corporate Incentive
Corporate entertaining offers a unique opportunity to target specific groups of people, whether customers or employees, to develop long-term productive relationships. A power yacht charter is a remarkable event for valued clients or staff, a fantastic incentives or rewards scheme or a distinctive way of saying ‘Thank You’. We know that there is a thin line between success and failure when selecting and planning any corporate event, that is why we pride ourselves on working closely with you to determine which power yacht is best for you and your company. Treat your clients, award your associates, introduce a new product line or just celebrate your success while your power yacht crew takes care of every detail and work to ensure an unforgettable event.

How to plan your power yacht vacation:
Again make sure you have the best yacht charter broker in the business, a broker who has the knowledge of the different charter destinations, the experience of being a captain, a broker you can call at anytime and a broker who can support you when things do not go as planned. We believe our company, Barrington-Hall, is the answer to your questions. A conversation with Andrew is the best place to start. Call Andrew at 800-478-2029 anytime, or provide your telephone number and Andrew will return your call. If you simply want ideas, if it is your first time, if it is a surprise, a conversation with Andrew will put your mind at ease. Our Company is unique when planning a private power yacht vacation; there are aspects that we provide to you that makes us tower above the crowd.

Below are some points which are important when considering a power yacht vacation.
  • How many people in your party? Are there children and what are their ages?
  • Where do you wish to charter? Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean, Greece
  • What type of vessel?
  • What season. Winter or Summer? This is important as most yachts move around depending on the season, as well as some locations are best visited in a a particular season.
  • Do you have a budget for your luxury power yacht charter?



Andrew Buys
Barrington Hall Yacht Charters
Crewed Yachts Power Yachts