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Charter Broker
Like others, Charter Brokers bring buyer and seller together.
They take the time to know the yachts and crews they represent. Some
brokers advertise in a limited fashion, while others use full page, very
expensive ads in sailing journals and related media.
Various times of the year boat owners place their vessels on display
and present themselves, along with samples of food and drink creations at
Broker shows. This is an opportunity for Brokers to get to know the
vessels and their crews, while we are attentive to the Brokers' attitudes
and demeanor to judge how they will represent us and our clients.
A number of Brokers have experience as Captains and Mates.
They may have left the physical demands and financial uncertainty of the
Chartering lifestyle for a more traditional land based way of life.
Others came up through the ranks of Brokerage to strike out on their
own.
Brokers serve clients by recommending the right vessel and crew for
their needs. They may suggest an island group with the client's time
slot in mind, weather conditions, costs and other considerations.
The Brokers handle all financial aspects of the Charter transaction and
also answer a myriad of questions, easing the way to a successful sailing
vacation.
Brokers work on a fee for service basis like Brokers of all fields
where specialized knowledge is a must. Some Brokers are very helpful
to crews by providing services that are difficult for ocean going people
to accomplish, like banking, forwarding mail, or arranging for boat parts
delivery and the like.
Once while at a remote island location, a lady guest asked for
a special bottle of champagne with which she was going to propose marriage
to her boy friend. I reached her broker by high seas email, who in
turn, made it happen. A small Bahamian vessel rendezvoused with us
the next day. The captain smiled as he handed me the champagne.
Proposal accepted, all concerned happy - Forget the costs.
No one is perfect, but the Brokers I choose to work with have proven
to be both honorable and sincere.
Captain only
Captain only describes a charter that offers the navigational
services and piloting skills of the captain and the vessel for the term of
the charter. (See Plus All)
Fully Crewed
Includes the described Captain Only services and the services of a
Chef Mate. (See Chef Mate)
What is a Chef Mate?
The Mate part refers to their performing duties on the vessel, such
as standing watches, assisting in docking, anchoring, and related ship
board duties. The Chef part of this term is a misnomer. A chef
usually has attended a recognized school of culinary arts, while most chef
mates have not. Having said that, I must quickly point out that
those culinary schools would do little to prepare one to prepare and
present wonderful meals in a moving, sometimes tossed about galley
(kitchen), with limited cold storage/dry storage.
To get the feel for the work load of the Chef Mate, come along on
the typical preparation for a Charter. First, review the guests'
food and drinks list, noting special requests or special occasions, like a
birthday or honeymoon. Then, in the car headed for anywhere from
three to six different stores to make the purchases. Usually the purchases
fill the car two or three times. Then back to the boat, unload the
supplies into carts, down the dock, unload the carts onto the dock, then
load all of the supplies onto the boat. These activities only occur during
rain with temps in the nineties.
The first miracle, how to stow all of these stores in a manner that
facilitates meal plan and usage. Next step is to clean all eleven
rooms; walls, ceiling and floors, make all five beds, wash/layout towels,
etc... I won't go into much more since it goes quite a bit further,
but imagine if your will, just doing the dishes four times a day for up to
eight guests, picking up towels, magazines, cameras, newspapers,
sunglasses, sun block and the like, and still pleasantly answering
questions and responding to requests.
Many ladies ask me about becoming a Chef Mate and I tell them that
they have no idea how physically demanding and emotionally draining the
job is.
The level of service can be high and complete aboard Stray Cat for
up to four guests, but beyond four, the guests must help in any way they
wish, but help they must.
When a fully crewed charter is chosen, the guest will enjoy all of
the above services and much more. When fully crewed is not chosen,
all of the above duties are the responsibility of the guest.
Approximately 3/4 of our charters are Captain only. Some
reasons for this choice are: Many guests really enjoy rolling up their
sleeves in the galley, they're good at it and enjoy the smile and
acknowledgement of a job well done.
Some like to take part in ship board duties and to feel the
camaraderie of sailing, navigation and trip planning. Others, due to
years of home responsibilities and child rearing simply can't help
themselves, they lend a helping hand as a matter of instinct.
Whatever the reason, taking these responsibilities is an excellent
way to control the overall costs of the vacation, and for most, a
rewarding way to spend it.
Plus All
Starts with the basic cost of the Captain and boat, this means, more
than any other pricing method; that you are in control of the costs of
your sailing vacation. Your party will only pay for items consumed
or services rendered. You will be provided with actual receipts
without mark-up. See Expenses below
All Inclusive
As consumers we have been led to believe that all inclusive is the
best deal; not always, an educated guess has room for honest error.
This price quote is based on an estimate of what goods and services
your group will consume. Some guest consume much more and use more
services than others. The rub is, in which category must the estimator
place your group?
By the way, almost everyone eats and drinks far more while onboard
than at home. This higher consumption is likely caused by exposure
to sun, wind, heat and exercise they are not use to. Finally, no
estimator wants to under-estimate expenses, do they?
Expenses
Delivery Fee
For example, the vessel is located at Bimini and the guests want to
begin their sailing vacation at Great Guana. The guest is
responsible for the costs of moving the vessel from it's present location
to the location that they choose. The fee for this service is five
hundred dollars per day and can be reduced if that charter ends in close
proximity to the next charters beginning point. This is something
that we can (where possible) work-out in advance.
Provisioning
This activity usually takes the better part of two days involving
two people. The fee for this service is two hundred dollars for a
Plus All charter and is included in an All Inclusive charter. Even
if you are budget conscious as so many of us must be, we strongly
recommend this service. Said another way, you just don't want this
major hassle to be the first thing you do on your vacation.
Chef Mate
$175 per day, plus half the Crew Gratuity for a job well done.
Dockage
Ranges from bout $50 to $100 per night, plus electric at about
$10. Not included in all inclusive.
Water
Water in the States is about $8 for all you use, while in the
Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, water is between $0.50 and $1.25 per
gallon. These fees are included in an All Inclusive. Yes we do
have a water maker but some guest consumption exceeds its capability .
Fuel
About $60 to $160 Dollars for a week.
Ice
When the onboard icemakers capability is
exceeded the cost is usually $2.50 per bag.
Immigration
When your group arrives by boat:
Bahamas - $165 Total
Turks/Caicos - $85 Total
Taxes
Florida - 6.5% State Sales Tax
Bahamas - None
Fishing License
$20. per person in the states and $10. per boat in the Bahamas.
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