Charter your own private yacht

Have you ever wondered what it's like to live aboard a yacht?  Have you ever been on a snorkel tour or day sail and wondered what it would be like if you were the only guest aboard?  Are you thinking this is expensive and way out of reach?  Think again.

When we stumbled upon the yacht charter industry, we knew nothing about it.  We saw an ad in the magazine "Caribbean Travel + Life" for Festiva Sailing Vacations.  Festiva was fairly interesting.  They offered a cabin on a Lagoon 440 sailing catamaran, complete with crew for a very reasonable price.  While attractive, the issue we had is that there would be 3 other unknown couples.  I could see where this could be a big issue.  Tight quarters (even on a luxury yacht) with someone you don't get along with would make for a miserable vacation.  None the less, we were intrigued and followed with more digging on the subject.

Enter "Dream Cruises: The Insider's Guide to Private Yacht Charter Vacations" by Kim Kavin.  This book is the definitive guide to understanding the yacht charter industry.  It reads quickly, details all the options and aspects of the industry, and gives almost step-by-step instructions of how to book your private yacht charter.  From finding a broker, to weighing your charter options, booking a boat and crew, and planning your itinerary - this book covers it all.  One thing the book makes abundantly clear is that this type of vacation is not only for the rich or privileged, but rather something that is attainable by all.

So go ahead, read up and take the plunge.  You could be in this video.  This was shot during our latest charter aboard "Magewind", a 46 foot catamaran in November 2012.