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The Charter Sailing Industry in 2021

• By Herb McCormick
• Updated: August 16, 2021

Charlie Cary knew from the first moment he laid eyes on the pristine waters of Sir Francis Drake Channel—the storied strait coursing through the celebrated, sun-splashed isles that constitute the sailor’s paradise known as the British Virgin Islands—that he’d arrived somewhere very special. It was 1969, Cary had recently retired after several decades as a successful corporate executive, and with his wife, Ginny, he’d traveled to the BVI with a rather vague notion of converting his longtime love of sailing into a solid business opportunity.

He was smitten, enthralled, gobsmacked by the sheer ­beauty of the Sir Francis Drake and the lush islets that dotted its flanks, and also by the astonishing fact that there was little boat traffic, that these were “virgin” islands in more ways than one. The countless protected anchorages were practically empty. There was literally nobody else around.

And then…Charlie and Ginny hung out a shingle for their new enterprise: a bareboat charter outfit called the Moorings, the first of what would become dozens of similar operations, all of which over the next five decades transformed the formerly sleepy British Virgins (and the rest of the Caribbean) into a bustling nautical wonderland, one of the most revered chartering and cruising destinations in the entire world.

Then, in March 2020, in what would usually be one of the busiest months in the crazy high season, the pandemic struck. Basically, and almost instantly, from a traffic and tourist standpoint, the BVI—and the rest of the mostly lock-downed planet, for that matter—reverted to what Cary saw when he initially gazed upon it. Not a sail in sight. A place stopped in its tracks. Indefinitely on hold. The Moorings—and every other charter company in the worldwide network of the vast vacation-sailing industry that had, collectively, more or less adopted its original business model—had come to a complete, utter, screeching halt.

Which leaves us with an open-ended question, with few simple answers.

And then what happened?

Symbolically, you could make a case that the BVI represents ground zero in the realm of the chartering universe, the epicenter from which the destructive shock waves of the coronavirus reverberated worldwide. The cold, hard statistics—as gleaned from an annual survey on the state of the chartering, boatbuilding and yacht-brokerage industries conducted by the publishers of this magazine and presented during a Sail America virtual event sponsored by the American Sailing Association —bear it out. Please divert the attention of the young or the frail because these numbers ain’t pretty.

The results cover a span of 12 months, from September 2019 to August 2020: six months pre-COVID-19 and six months during the pandemic. Forty-four active bareboat charter companies were contacted and 92 percent of them participated, including all the market leaders. The news is grim right from the outset: Eighteen companies were shuttered, their voyage of commerce done and dusted forevermore. Digging deeper, several bullet points from the “Key 2020 Charter Market Findings” tell the sad, sorry tale to a fuller extent:

Bareboat chartering is decimated by COVID-19, down 59 percent from 37,022 charter weeks to 15,256 weeks (for sail and power trips) during the period September 2019 through August 2020.

Sail bareboat charter weeks booked out of the North American source market in 2020 are down 57 percent from 31,971 weeks to 13,879 weeks. Powerboat charters fare worse, losing 73 percent from 5,051 weeks down to 1,377 weeks.

Estimated basic bareboat fees in 2020 came in at just over $68 million, almost $100 million less than last year due to a 59 percent drop in business.

Of course, stats are one thing, but to truly comprehend the figures, one needs to speak to the actual people in the trenches who not only crunched the numbers, but also got crunched by them. In a series of interviews conducted with many of the leading charter-industry players, my opening question was a simple one: Do the numbers above, a devastating overall drop in business between 55 and 60 percent across the board, reflect what happened at your company?

“Yes,” said Jesper Rönngard, owner of Navigare Yachting, a 20-year-old enterprise with some 350 yachts in a dozen destinations stationed around the planet. “We might have been worse. We sold only 36 percent of what we were forecast to sell in 2020. When the pandemic hit, everything just stopped. Dead. No sales, nothing, nowhere. All destinations closed. With our staff, we had to cut down, lay off, furlough, whatever. These were my personal friends after all these years. The past 15 months have been an emotional roller coaster.”

“Yes,” said Erin Minner, charter manager for the Americas (and Caribbean) for Dream Yacht Charters, another industry juggernaut with more than three-dozen bases around the world. “We did the Miami Boat Show (in February 2020), and everything was OK, it seemed. A few weeks later, the world stopped. By the end of March, I’d let go half my sales team. We weren’t closing bases but shutting them down temporarily left and right. At the beginning, it was kind of like reliving Hurricane Irma (in 2017, which ravaged the Caribbean) with all the cancellations and rebookings, but on a global scale. It was pretty traumatic.”

“Yes,” said Josie Tucci, vice president of sales and marketing for Travelopia, parent company of charter giants Sunsail and the Moorings. When I spoke to her in early June, she’d just returned to the office for the first time in more than a year, one of only a half-dozen Travelopia staffers (out of the usual 90 or thereabouts) back on the job in the firm’s Florida headquarters.

“We’ve had a stop/start continuation of reopenings at most of our bases that constantly changed last year, and still is changing.”

“Reopenings” is the current, magic word of hope and ­optimism, the welcome light at the end of the pandemic tunnel that has begun in much of the charter world—and everywhere else—to varying degrees. It’s possible, of course, because the virus is waning; US travelers aren’t allowed to travel everywhere (Canada, New Zealand and Australia leap immediately to mind), but at press time in early summer, Americans were allowed to venture forth internationally to nations that were open as long as they presented a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours of returning home.

However, as Tucci notes when discussing Travelopia bases reopening in the Mediterranean, “many Americans could come here but aren’t quite ready for that yet.” There are other reasons some popular European bases are opening back up in fits and starts. “For example,” she said, “with regard to our Med bases, British citizens can’t travel to anywhere that isn’t on their country’s ‘green list’ of acceptable countries without risking quarantine and other things.” The Brits make up an ample portion of Travelopia’s customer base in the Med, which is one reason the Moorings and Sunsail aren’t feeling completely out of the woods. Another, related reason is that Travelopia’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, so 2021, financially, is looking like another wash.

Elsewhere, along with the antipodal nations of Oz and New Zealand, which have in effect closed ranks (and borders) and ­swaddled their citizens in a protected blanket free from ­tourists and visitors, several charter destinations in the southern Caribbean remain closed or with stringent quarantine restrictions, including St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent, the latter of which has suffered through what has essentially been a triple whammy.

Regarding their base in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Horizon Yacht Charter’s director, Andrew Thompson, made note of the series of eruptions of La Soufrière, St. Vincent’s active volcano, in April of this year. “The Soufrière situation has been incredibly sad,” he said, while questioning whether the Horizon base in St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be able to open and be back on track by this November. “You’re hit by Irma (in 2017), then you’re doused with COVID, then you have a volcano eruption that covers your fleet in ash. It’s just been a nightmare.”

Meanwhile, incredibly, perhaps in a parallel universe, the pandemic was sparking contrasting and prosperous activity in a distinctly specific segment of the chartering world.

The Anomalies

At first glance, Barb Hansen, longtime owner and proprietor of Southwest Florida Yachts in Cape Coral, Florida, and Kurt Jerman, president of West Coast Multihulls in San Diego, seem an unlikely pair. Hansen’s a no-nonsense Florida gal, whose company offers a mix of catamarans for charter but also has a strong fleet of trawlers and monohulls. Jerman’s a Cali dude, who was, is and ever shall be singularly devoted to what he believes are the best, coolest boats on the planet: cruising cats. But both of them share similarities, including business models that offer plenty of instruction and classes in addition to your basic bareboat and crewed chartering, and each also has a yacht-brokerage arm on the side. (Everybody contacted for this article who also sells boats agreed that that side of their businesses went absolutely bonkers over the previous 16 months, which is really the subject of an entirely different story.)

For the purposes of this discussion, however, here’s the thread that links Hansen and Jerman: In 2020, despite the pandemic—or, to be completely honest, because of it—both of them enjoyed one of the wildest, craziest, busiest years in their respective firm’s long history.

California was basically closed for the first two months of COVID. “But,” Jerman said, “once things opened up in June, we ended up having the best year we’ve had in the 11 years since I opened the school and the charter business. It was phenomenal. By the end of the year, we’d exceeded what we’d done the year before. And that was being shut down for two months! It was amazing. About midway through, I was starting to feel guilty. So many people were suffering. But the same thing happened with the biking industry and the RV industry. Businesses that let people do stuff out of doors just thrived through this period. I feel incredibly blessed by the whole thing.”

On the opposite coast, restrictions in Florida weren’t quite as stringent as in California, but April and May 2020 were still quiet. The economy of scale, obviously, is far different for a local charter outfit than a global conglomerate. But business is business, and what the stateside companies were experiencing was something new and unexpected. “About June time, it really, really picked up,” Hansen said, describing a mirror image of what Jerman was experiencing out west. “Everybody was calling and saying: ‘We were going to do this or that, we had vacation plans, but they got canceled. What do you have available?’ So, we ended up with a really busy summer, fall and winter. It was crazy. Good crazy. But crazy. And I think a lot of that is folding over into this year and next, from what I can see.”

What the two companies shared was a domestic destination that people could reach by loading up the family vehicle and driving there. The same phenomenon was underway from sea to shining sea, with charter outfits in the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest also reporting ­bang-up years.

Dream’s Erin Minner, based in Annapolis, Maryland, said: “We had people coming here last year in RVs—driving across the country!—then taking a boat out for 10 days. It’s nuts. In 2019, we had a handful of bookings in Annapolis, maybe 10 a month. Now we’re taking upwards of 30.” In addition to Annapolis, Dream also reopened bases last summer in Newport, Rhode Island, and Lake Champlain, Vermont, and later in the year in Key West, Florida. And how was business in those locations, I asked. “Booming,” Minner said.

But it wasn’t just the US mainland that was off the charts. So too was the US Virgin Islands, which never experienced the major lockdown and restrictions of its neighbor, the BVI, and which was a relatively easy, open place to reach for US citizens. Dream reopened its St. Thomas base in early October and, Minner said, “it exploded. Like nothing we’d ever seen. We went from starting with six boats, and within a few months, we had 90 there.” Dream flooded the territory’s zone by importing yachts from bases such as Martinique and Guadeloupe—French holdings that were greatly affected by that nation’s pandemic policies—and Grenada, which had a 14-day quarantine in effect that essentially closed that shop. “We took the majority of fleets in the Caribbean that weren’t operating at full capacity and moved them to where they could be chartered,” she said.

In the meantime, over in the BVI, matters were slowly, ­tentatively teetering back toward something called “normal.”

The Pilgrims

Horizon Yacht Charters is headquartered in the central BVI hub of Tortola, and it was there to which its director, Thompson, returned in early March after a brief trip stateside. “My partner and I decided that, as good ­citizens, we’d isolate,” he said. “That rolled into a government-­enforced lockdown at the end of the month, which meant you were not allowed to leave your property, you weren’t allowed past the end of the driveway—for people fortunate enough to have driveways.” The government did allow several days for grocery shopping before shutting down the islands, and another three-day window to reprovision in the middle of the lockdown. But that was it. “It was incredibly stringent,” Thompson said.

It would be eight long months, until December 1, 2020, before people were allowed back to Tortola, but with strict quarantine restrictions in place. Thompson was able to keep Horizon afloat in the interim by putting into place a two-tiered maintenance program for the private yachts he managed in his fleet. Nearly every owner signed up. With that scheme, although he had to cut Horizon’s staff to 20 hours a week, he didn’t have to lay off anyone. “That was our revenue, our cash flow, during lockdown,” he said.

Once he was able to hop on a boat and venture out again, Thompson encountered something unexpected and wonderful, the proverbial silver lining rimming the dark cloud. “It was very quiet, and the whole ecosystem, frankly, had had time to recover,” he said. “All the sea life moved back in, especially the turtles; there was an absolute abundance of hawksbill sea turtles left, right and center. The quality of the water was spectacular, and the joy of picking almost any harbor and being the only boat in it was fantastic. A few clients started trickling back in. The people who came absolutely loved it.”

After the new year, many more customers—particularly those who’d chartered there before, who loved the place and had made the sailor’s pilgrimage to the BVI on multiple occasions—began to book trips and return to the islands. For several months in 2021, a series of multiple COVID tests were required before traveling and once again after arriving; there was also a four-day mandatory quarantine in place, though you were allowed to do so on your charter yacht in designated anchorages. That was cut to a single day on May 1, and on June 15, fully vaccinated travelers no longer had to take a test upon arrival or quarantine at all.

It wasn’t just the domestic market on the US mainland that was off the charts. so too was the USVI, which never experienced the major lockdown and restrictions of its neighbors in the bvi.

A year to the month after the initial lockdown, this past March, the four members of the Sawicz clan from Chicago—having made the trip down to the islands every other year for the past dozen—once again booked a vacation with the Moorings, this time on a 39-foot catamaran (they’d originally planned a sailing trip to Tahiti, which was still shut down, and were more than happy to pivot back to the BVI). What they discovered upon arrival, with regard to limited resources and a traffic-free Sir Francis Drake Channel, was not dissimilar to what Charlie and Ginny Cary encountered at first glance more than 50 years ago. “Empty,” said dad Rich Sawicz, a healthcare professional and lifelong sailor. “Maybe like three boats.”

When it came to their itinerary, the Sawiczes had a simple plan: “My wife said she’d do breakfasts and lunches, but when it came to dinner, she said, ‘I’m off the boat!’ That was the requirement. Our route followed what restaurants we knew were open.”

Like their fellow travelers, the eatery options were few and far between. But old favorites such as Pirate’s Bight, Foxy’s and the Soggy Dollar were all open, and they made it work. And it had some unexpected benefits. When they got to the iconic Baths on Virgin Gorda, which they basically had to themselves, they scrambled up the rocks to the restaurant on the hill and enjoyed an Easter Sunday repast in the company of the locals, all dressed up for the special day. It made it an especially memorable occasion.

A couple of weeks later, when software executive Michael Heffner of Cohasset, Massachusetts—with his wife and two kids, and another couple from their coastal village, with their pair of kids—descended on the BVI, they had a ready solution to the chow question. They chartered their spanking-new Moorings 50 cat, fresh from South Africa on its maiden charter, with a captain and cook. They ate every delicious meal on board.

Compared with the Heffner party’s complicated journey, Homer’s travels in The Odyssey were a saunter through the park. Bookending their charter trip with a couple of days in St. Thomas on the front end and a four-day stay at the resort on BVI’s Scrub Island on the back—then a return swing through St. Thomas on the way home—the eight intrepid travelers entered and exited the various health and safety portals and protocols via 24 COVID tests (all negative) before all was said and done.

Once aboard their yacht, the group actually quarantined aboard in Anegada for the trip’s first four days, along with their fully vaccinated crew, a married couple from Britain. One of Heffner’s favorite pictures from the charter was when skipper Andy dropped the yellow Q flag and they were all free to roam at will.

“It was a worry-free trip,” Heffner said. “We did every kind of watersport—kayaking, snorkeling—and the captain took the kids out on kneeboards in the dinghy, and they loved that. They really leaned into all the activities. The wildlife we saw was incredible—the turtles, the big tarpon, the dolphins. It was an amazing trip. We’d certainly do it again.”

Rich Sawicz is also up for a return holiday. “Definitely,” he said. “Of course, there’s two sides to the coin: Nobody is going to experience what we did, with so many areas totally to ourselves. But we’ll be back in a heartbeat. I recommend a BVI charter to people all the time. This is the best vacation you could ever imagine.”

The Awakening

All of which brings us to the here and now, the greatly ­anticipated summer of 2021 and that which will follow. Each and every one of us—and each and every business—has lived their own version of the COVID experience. As travel ­restrictions are eased in the US, and daily routines again become, well, routine, there’s a sense of an awakening in everyday life, one that the charter industry hopes to capitalize on.

In that sector, the overall positive vibe, the aura of optimism, is palpable.

The domestic operators want to continue to ride the wave they’ve already hooked onto. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, playing with these silly catamarans,” Jerman of West Coast Multihulls said. “Finally I’ve lived long enough to see them really dominate the sailing world, and especially the chartering world, where they’ve become fairly dominant and taken over. We’re so excited. We see a lot of growth potential.”

Down at Southwest Florida Yachts, Hansen said: “The interest in sailing is getting stronger. We’re thinking about adding more sailboats. It’s not just younger people either, but middle-aged folks wanting to learn to sail. Business definitely picked up in the last year, and I think [the next year] will be better. I think people are ready to go. Do something.”

The larger companies, of course, aren’t looking to capitalize on bigger pandemic numbers, but rather to almost start fresh in the reopening. To get back to where they were and relaunch from there. And they sure seem prepared to do so.

“What’s great now is that we’re finally feeling like we’re through this,” Navigare’s Rönngard said. “Our second half of 2021, the next six months, is booked at a higher occupancy rate than I’ve ever had before. It’s fantastic. More than ever, people have money. They didn’t spend a lot during the pandemic. My numbers for what’s coming are through the roof. We all feel like [we’re waking up]. I feel it too. You want to throw parties, see your friends. That’s what you’re dying to do. I think people are just fed up, and they are certainly booking an enormous amount of trips.”

“Here in the BVI, fully vaccinated people are basically free to go after a negative test on Day One of their trip,” Horizon’s Thompson said. “That’s a game-changer. As a result, our June and July bookings aren’t a million miles off from a normal year. And December and beyond, when we reopen after hurricane season, is also booking up well. We’re very hopeful.”

“Business started picking up in the latter part of 2020,” Dream’s Minner said. “Now, for the past five months, we’ve been hitting records I’ve never seen. The jump in numbers came fast, and without warning. So we’re seriously trying to hire back sales staff and meet the demand for the inquiries coming in. It’s been quite the roller coaster, quite an adjustment. It’s been a lot, but it’s been good. Everyone’s very happy about getting back to business, selling charters again. That’s what we all do and what we’re here to do.”

“As people get vaccinated, the confidence level is really rising,” said Tucci, of the Moorings. “It’s like a switch got flipped and everybody decided to book their holidays. Stuff is flying off the shelves for next year, and it’s going to surprise some people because they’re possibly thinking that everyone is still waiting to see what happens. But it might be a little tough for anyone who hasn’t booked their vacation yet.”

The positive vibes are encouraging, no question. And the forecasts do seem terrific. But at the end of the day, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that nobody knows what the hell will actually happen moving onward. History is yet to be written. But the cold, hard fact is that history was made in the charter industry in 2020, and despite the strong domestic market, it was largely for all the wrong reasons. And history will again be made, as it always is. This time, fingers crossed, maybe for all the right reasons.

Herb McCormick is CW’ s executive editor.

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Unsafe vessels and poor management

My issues with the company/service provided and the boat are the following: 1. The boat was not ready as agreed upon for early "VIP" access to the vessel. When we arrived we were not greeted nor shown our boat by any of the staff. We waited over an hour before we decided to just go and find the vessel ourselves. I had to request for the boat to be re-cleaned. This occurred at 5:00pm. Once cleaned and unpacked we still were not greeted by a staff member to advise us on what to do next. We did not get asked for our paperwork till 6:00pm. We did not get our paper work back and get a handover on the vessel until 9:30pm. Thus we lost a day of travel on the boat which then disorganised our planned itinerary. 2. We were not provided with working Wifi on the boat. I informed the staff and they just told me to try and have an internet box and cord on one of the islands.... This was not acceptable. 3. There was no 24volt power supply on the boat. We were told that none of the electrics worked other than 2x USB ports. 4. The house and motor starter batteries were labelled incorrectly on the boat and the fuel gauge did not read properly on the boat. We finished that trip under the impression we had 70% of fuel left. however when we filled up we were charged 150 Litres... THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. 5. We advised the staff of our concerns including other less serious issues... however they dis-regarded everything we told them. On top of our experience above, we have not had sufficient customer service from the after sale team. We requested 24 hrs refund for the delay. They have not acknowledged such nor addressed the safety concerns on the vessel.

Date of experience : September 09, 2023

⚠️ Warning to all boating enthusiasts

⚠️ Warning to all boating enthusiasts: I want to share an extremely disappointing experience with Navigate Yatching . I specifically hired for a special occasion during a week a 51-foot Fountain Pajot (named: No Shoes) in Tortola,. We specifically wanted to sail this model, because we are considering to buy one. However, on the day of our arrival, and after making the full payment, the company switched us without prior notice to a different and cheaper model (BALI 47). We had the option to rent a Bali in St Thomas with other companies, but we wanted the Fountain Pajot, so we traveled to Tortola. What's most infuriating is that there was no previous warning, no refund of the price difference, nor any apologies from the company. I sent a mail to customer care (Sanja Permin) and I am still waiting for response. I spoke with Theresa from Navigare Yachting BVI's Customer service team & Avril/ Patrice, and they just told me "do what you want to do, we can not help you". in what I consider a complete abuse and inability to solve the problem, or minimize their consequences. This lack of professionalism and respect for customers is unacceptable. I want to warn everyone considering using their services: proceed with caution. The seriousness and reliability of Navigate Yachting are seriously in question. Don't let them ruin your experience as they did mine. #SafeBoating #CustomerExperience #BoatRental #FountainePajot

Date of experience : December 02, 2023

Great experience with Navigare.

I can only talk about my experience in Marsh Harbour in The Bahamas and Navigare were faultless. We had a lovely Lagoon 46 Catamaran. It was well prepared and looked after, both the area and boat briefing were great and informative and the staff at the base were extra friendly and genuinely nice people we had a great holiday!

Date of experience : February 02, 2023

Reply from Navigare Yachting

Thank you so much for your kind words! It's always a pleasure to hear that we exceeded your expectations. At Navigare Yachting, we're dedicated to providing our customers with the best experience possible. We're glad you enjoyed your time with us and hope to see you again soon for another adventure! Smooth Sailing, Team Navigare Yachting

Horrendous money grabbers

Horrendous money grabbers. Used them in Croatia this year the boat was not as well kept as other Also we tried to change a booking with lots of notice due to family health reasons. The we’re very abrupt and rude and just refused Have always chartered boats twice a year. Not with Navigare anymore Also I bet they reply to this by please contact reservations@navigare. - that is who has been refusing to discuss our problem

Date of experience : October 27, 2021

Dear Farmer Copleys, Thank you for your comment and making us aware of this. We apologize for the unfortunate experience, please know that we take it very seriously. Our mission is to provide our customers with an unforgettable experience. We would really appreciate knowing more what happened and how we could possibly make it up to you. May I please ask you to contact [email protected]. We hope to understand what went wrong and really hope you will sail with us again. Sincerely Yours, Navigare Yachting team

Skipper Marko, super capable and great company.

Skipper, Marko Sapunaric took us on a trip from Dubrovnik round Croatian islands. We were a mixed party some wanted wild swimming, some top rate food, some to get drunk in beautiful places and he made sure everyone was happy and everyone's hopes were surpassed. We visited some stunning places, Mali Ston and Polace just two, I fell in love with Croatia. Mainly because our skipper took time to show us amazing places: tell us about the language, the countryside and the people. Every time we stopped, he backed a huge boat into a tiny space and ensured all of us could exit to shore. We encountered some rough seas and they were handled expertly, leaving us cheering on the net as the boat bounced. We all had the most amazing time and were all so sad to go home. We all wanted to become pirates and keep sailing. Thanks Marko for an awesome trip, looking forward to next year!

Date of experience : May 17, 2022

Dear "Warmer House 2", Thank you for this amazing review, it was a pleasure reading about your adventures! I will definity let Marko know how happy you were with this trip! Calm seas never made a good sailor, a little waves can be fun! But we are very glad you felt safe with Marko maneuvering rough seas and docking in tight spots! I’m sure he had an amazing crew onboard giving him confidence to show off. We would love to see pictures on Instagram, feel free to tag and follow us @navigareyachting. Looking forward to seeing you on a Navigare boat again next year! Sincerely Yours, Navigare Yachting team

Very positive bareboat charter experience.

Just returned from a ten day bareboat charter in the BVI. Our experience with the cimpany and it’s staff was great from start to finish. We were provided airport pickup service, and arrived to a warm welcome and a cold beverage. When our expected boat was not available as it required service, we were upgraded to a larger catamaran at no extra charge. The boat was a much better fit for our large crew of 7 and we were very pleased with the upgrade. The boat was spotlessly clean and well stocked with dishes, sheets, towels, snorkel gear and basic cleaning supplies. We got a thorough briefing and even a trial sail with a staff person ( as we were prepared to sail a monohull) to become familiar with the systems of the boat. Navigare was available by phone anytime questions arose and were very customer service oriented. We had a spectacular vacation and would not hesitate to book with Navigare again. Thank you all for a memorable time!!

Date of experience : November 21, 2018

Dear Diana, thank you so much for the lovely comments. We are happy that you enjoyed your vacation and hope to see you again next summer in Croatia. Sincerely Yours, Navigare Yachting team

Just back from a week on a Navigare Lagoon 42

I've just returned from a week in the BVI's on a Navigare Lagoon 42. This was the second time we have chartered through Navigare, and will gladly use them again next time. The whole process was very easy and fast, and we were able to get our boat out on the water with a minimum of delay at the start of the trip. The boat was clean and well equipped, and we the only issue we had was that check valves in the heads often backflowed, which made the bathrooms a bit stinky, but I'm thinking this could be a Lagoon 42 design issue because the holding tank is higher than the head. However, sailing the Lagoon 42 was a real pleasure, and we were very comfortable with 8 people aboard. The checkout process was also fast and easy, and we were off and on our way with a minimum of delay.

Date of experience : January 26, 2020

Hi Phil, thank you so much for sharing your experience with Navigare Yachting! We hope to see you soon again! Sincerely Yours, Navigare Yachting team

Beware contract fine print. Not trustworthy

Beware contract fine print or your 7 day trip will become a six day trip. Our contract said that boat had to be returned on August 23 by 9am on page one and then had a clause in the bottom of page 5 that the boat would have to arrive at the base the day before. This forced us to shorten our trip by one day.

Date of experience : August 17, 2020

Dear Pedro, thank you for your comment and lifting this issue. We are very sorry for the confusion and understand that you would have preferred staying out on the sea sailing longer. Saturdays are when boats are being turned around for the next charter, which is why the boat needs to be in the Marina by the day before. But you don’t have to take your luggage and leave the boat until 9.00 am on the departure day. We will make sure to make this clearer in our contract, to avoid any disappointments. We do hope that the rest of the trip was enjoyable! Sincerely Yours, Navigare Yachting team

Got a SY without a main - bad communications from the back office - WITH EDIT

EDIT NOVEMBER 2023 After having written this review, we received a fair refund and were contacted by the global communications team. The office promised to improve their processes for the next time. ORIGINAL REVIEW We spent one week on a Navigare Yacht heading out from the Palma di Mallorca base. Unfortunately, the trip went differently than we thought, since we got the boat LOCO AMOR without a main sail, resulting in very uncomfortable nights. Our original plan was to head to Ibiza for the week and spend our holidays cruising there. When we arrived at the base in Palma, however, we received a boat without a main sail. Even though we found the staff to be very apologizing, they could not provide us with a suitable replacement on the spot, meaning we had to change our plans to not go to Ibiza AND head out with a SY without a furling main sail. This resulted in three days and two nights of constant, disruptive noise as the furler clanged against the mast. The cacophony was audible both on deck and in the cabins, making for very uncomfortable nights. The base provided us with a main sail afterward in a port after two nights and three days. From the outset, we were informed from the technical staff that we could reach out to the Navigare headquarters for compensation or a reduction in price. Unfortunately, it proves exceedingly difficult to establish contact with anyone from the headquarters. No one takes responsibility, and the overall customer service experience from the back office is horrible. The complete lack of communication following such an incident is, in our opinion, unacceptable. I would NOT RECOMMEND booking with them! I, for one, have no intention of doing so in the future.

Date of experience : September 24, 2023

Dear guest, we appreciate you taking the time to post your review. We are sorry to hear you had a disappointing experience. It's vital to us that our customers are thrilled with their sailing holiday, so we're disappointed too because we did not provide our usual high service standards to you. We would like to make sure that this concern has been handled properly. We are sorry you were struggling to get in contact with us, we know that your first email was sent to the wrong email address. However, you claim has now been received and we are awaiting your response on how to help you address this unfortunate situation. Thank you so much for your patience and we would like to offer our sincere apologies for this experience. We're grateful and proud that you've selected Navigare for your sailing charter, and we'd like the opportunity to resolve your concerns and earn your continued trust. Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from you, Sincerely, Team Navigare

Not a good experience in Tortola, BVI with Navigare …

We rented a Lagoon 450F with Navigare from Tortola from Dec. 27th to Jan. 7th and here is why I rated it 2*, starting with the most unpleasant : 1. Attempted 'bait and switch'. While the Navigare coordinator had contractually guaranteed to us in writing a 2018 boat named Stella that was not on island when hurricane Irma unfortunately struck, when we arrived we were told without explanation by the local base that our boat was Kajsa, a 2016 boat -with Stella moored next to her- that had been bullied by Irma and that Stella had now been allocated to another group...Needless to say we got a little flustered, managed to raise the coordinator in Serbia after hours and finally got the original cat assigned to us. So no harm done in the end but a lot of stress, aggravation and us having to fight to get what we had already paid for. Not a good start. 2.No sheets on board, discovered once we were gone. OK, granted there's worse but given the amount you pay for this type of holiday, you would expect the base to do a walkaround with a check-list prior to departure to ensure that everything is where it should be. We finally got the sheets 3 days later as we came back to shore to Tortola for this purpose. 3. The skipper -who was otherwise pleasant and helpful- apparently had not been told that we would use the four double cabins and that he would have to sleep in the front, in a smaller cabin without internal access or toilet/shower. We had to explain to him that this was what we had booked and told him he was welcome to use one of our showers and toilets. He reluctantly accepted but it added to the rocky start of our holidays. We understand and sympathize that the BVI suffered a lot of hardships because of Irma and are still struggling, but given that Navigare had already relocated to their new marina for one month when we arrived and that the inconvenience we suffered were of Navigare's own doing rather than a consequence of Irma, we feel that -even though the rest of the trip was great- Navigare's performance with us was sub-par. Hope this helps. Jf

Date of experience : January 12, 2018

Dear Jean-Fabrice, thank you for your comment. We apologize for the unfortunate experience and we take it very seriously. We will investigate what happened and make sure this kind of situation does not happen again. We appreciate that you reached us with this information. Our mission is to provide our customers with an unforgettable experience. Please refer to [email protected] to reach our Croatian office. We hope you will sail again with us.

Great company, employees are very kind and professional. Boats are beautiful and well maintained. I would recommend Navigare Yachting to anyone.

Date of experience : November 23, 2015

Thank you, Domagoj! We are always here for our loyal customers!

We rented a yacht in British Virgin Islands and it was a disaster!!…

We rented a yacht in British Virgin Islands through Navigare and although the BVI is lovely, the yacht was terrible and our experience with Navigare was to be blunt appalling. We hired a catamaran with extras including standup paddle boards, snorkelling equipment, pre-paid mobile and wifi. It also had what we assumed were the basics, a first aid kit, aircon, working generator so that we had power and lights. On arrival we had no snorkelling equipment or paddle boards. We later found out that we also had no first aid kit, aircon and no working stove / no way of lighting a stove. Finally we also had no power or wifi. On the first night, we had no working aircon and in 1 room no working fan so no-one got any sleep at all as it was very stuffy. The skipper advised that we would have to return to the marina to get it fixed. So we returned to the marina and waited for a couple of hours while this was fixed before heading out again. Within 30 minutes of leaving the marina the air con was again not working in two bedrooms... but we decided that we did not want to waste any more of that day getting it 'fixed' again and we went on to our mooring for the night and advised base that they could come to us and fix it the next day. The next day we waited for someone from base to come and fix the aircon, but no-one came. Finally we travelled back at the main Island (1.5 hrs) of Tortola parked back in the 'nice anchorage' at the end of the main airport waiting for them to arrive and fix the aircon.... they again spent an hour regassing the aircon, which lasted an hour and then did not work anymore. They did leave us a lighter for the stove though so we could use the stove. The following morning, we headed off and advised base station to bring us a different boat so we could swap as by now none of us had had any sleep due to the heat. We swapped boats (an upgrade apparently) and this boat had a generator which completely crapped itself at 0200 which meant that we didn't only have no aircon, we had no power points, lighting or wifi. The base seemed to think that this was perfectly acceptable. The base manager Crompton was extremely aggressive towards me, and starting yelling and talking over me when I tried to explain that we were ending the charter a day early due to all the faults on the boat and no solution offered by either himself or the skipper of the boat at any time. In fact the base manager at no time contact me and the skipper of the boat would not let me talk to the base station about the issues on the boat. It was all very odd. The issues were: - no first aid kit - no working generator - no air con - no powerpoints - no wifi - no working stove for the first couple of days. In addition to the issues with the yacht Navigare took $400 US from my credit care as a security deposit on the navigation card for the map reader which has not been returned so I have had to lodge a complaint with my credit card company to have this returned. I have also lodged a formal complaint about the yacht, having to finish our cruise a full day early due to major mechanical fault (the completely broken generator) and had no response at all. Not good enough Navigare, I have full audio of Compton's bullying behaviour towards me when we spoke after we returned the yacht and I will release it in full with my blog review of your yacht service shortly.

Date of experience : June 27, 2022

Dear Jen, we appreciate you taking the time to post your review. We are sorry to hear you had a disappointing experience. It's vital to us that our customers are thrilled with their sailing holiday, so we're disappointed too because we did not provide our usual high service standards to you. We would like to make sure that this concern has been handled properly. If you haven't done so already, may I please ask you to contact us with further details about your charter so we can better understand where you feel we fell short. Please contact your booking agent or email us at [email protected], please make sure to include your booking reference number. We're grateful and proud that you've selected Navigare for your sailing charter, and we'd like the opportunity to resolve your concerns and earn your continued trust. Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from you, Sincerely, Team Navigare

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A New Charter Option in the Bahamas

• By Yachting Staff
• Updated: November 23, 2020

MarineMax Vacations is expanding its charter operations to the Bahamas by way of a strategic partnership with Navigare Yachting.

As of December 1, Navigare will operate the MarineMax Vacations base at Marsh Harbour in the Abacos section of the Bahamas. Available charter yachts will include the two-stateroom Aquila 362 cruiser model and a three-stateroom Aquila 443.

“Navigare is one of the world’s industry leaders for sailing charter vacations,” Raul Bermudez, vice president of MarineMax Vacations, stated in a press release. “Our shared vision to create an exceptional vacation experience is key with our mutual passion for unmatched guest service, yacht maintenance, and expert delivery.”

The Abacos is the section of the Bahamas that Hurricane Dorian decimated in 2019. The storm struck Marsh Harbour as a category 5, with winds up to 220 miles per hour.

“The announcement of these charter companies returning to the Abacos is yet another wonderful show of all the newness and excitement happening in our area,” Sarah Ann Showell, owner of The Green Turtle Club in the Abacos, stated in the press release. “The future for Abaco and its boating visitors is incredibly bright.”

Do charter clients need a negative Covid-19 test to enter the Bahamas? Yes, and government regulations for visitors are subject to change at any time.

For more information, visit: marinemaxvacations.com

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The owner of a $3.4 million Lamborghini yacht screamed 'I will kill you' and threw $100 bills into the water when told he couldn't use a private dock

• The owner of a Lamborghini yacht threatened a private dock employee, per CBS8.
• The employee said Ajay Thakore mooned and threw cash at him after being told he couldn't use the dock.
• Thakore, the CEO of Doctor Multimedia, issued an apology through his public relations team.

The owner of a $3.4 million Lamborghini yacht threatened a private dock employee after being told he couldn't be there, the San Diego-based broadcaster CBS8 reported on March 11.

Joseph Holt, a 21-year-old employee at Marriot Marina in San Diego, told CBS8 that he spotted the yacht sailing into the private dock. The owner, whom CBS8 identified as Ajay Thakore, tried to pick another person up at the dock, Holt said.

"I told him respectfully that he couldn't be there, and I honestly was hoping to have a conversation with him about his cool boat," Holt told CBS8.

In a YouTube video posted by @SM-wc9eq on March 10, a dark blue Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 is seen sailing out of a dock. A man in a gray T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a cap was shown standing on the yacht. The man appeared to be Thakore, per CBS8.

Thakore was shown shouting at Holt. "I will kill you, you know I will kill you!" he can be heard saying multiple times in the video

Thakore was later shown pounding his fist on his palm and pointing his thumb down before telling Holt: "To your face!" Holt was shown responding by pointing his middle finger at Thakore.

"I really was trying to restrain myself from getting fired from my job or stepping out of line. The only thing I did was give him the bird," Holt told CBS8.

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Holt said Thakore then took $100 bills from his wallet and threw them at him. He added that Thakore mooned him. This exchange was not shown in the video.

"He was saying I'm nobody, I'm nothing, I work a silly job. He said that he knows people, he has connections, he can change my life and ruin it," Holt said. Holt did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

The San Diego Harbor Police arrived at the marina 10 minutes after Thakore's yacht exited the dock, per CBS8.

The Harbor Police told Business Insider that Holt decided to press charges against Thakore and that they are investigating the incident.

According to Thakore's LinkedIn page , he's the CEO of Doctor Multimedia. The company's website shows that it's a healthcare marketing firm based in San Diego. Thakore appears to go by the name Ace Rogers on Instagram and TikTok, where he's noted as being a professional gambler.

Thakore, through his public relations team, told CBS8 in a statement that his altercation with Holt was "regrettable."

"What started as a minor misunderstanding escalated into an argument, and I apologize for my actions and to those who witnessed the unfortunate exchange," the statement said. Thakore did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Thakore isn't the only CEO who's been called out for threatening another person. In November 2021, an Activision spokesperson told BI that its ex-CEO Bobby Kotick had previously apologized for telling his assistant he would have her killed. The spokesperson added that Kotick's threat was "obviously hyperbolic and inappropriate" and that "he deeply regrets the exaggeration and tone."

In June 2020, Lisa Alexander, the CEO of LaFace Skincare, a cosmetics company, apologized in a statement to the media after she had threatened to call the police on her neighbor for writing "Black Lives Matter" on his property. Alexander said in the apology that she was "disrespectful" and "should have minded my own business."

March 21, 2024: This story has been updated with Harbor Police's comments.

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Epic video footage captures Lamborghini yacht owner screaming ‘I will kill you’ at marina employee

• Updated: Mar. 20, 2024, 5:51 p.m. |
• Published: Mar. 20, 2024, 5:44 p.m.

A screenshot of the yacht and its owner, Ajay Thakore. Screenshot

• EmilyAnn Jackman | [email protected]

Talk about a bizarre scene that could’ve been pulled straight from a movie.

The owner of a $3.4 million Lamborghini yacht threatened a private dock employee after he was informed that he couldn’t be there, CBS8 reported back on March 11.

The story begins with Joseph Holt, a 21-year-old employee at Marriot Marina in San Diego, where he told CBS8 that he saw the yacht sailing into the private dock Sunday afternoon. Apparently, the owner, identified as Ajay Thakore, attempted to pick up another person at the dock.

“I told him respectfully that he couldn’t be there, and I honestly was hoping to have a conversation with him about his cool boat,” Holt said to the news outlet.

“But yeah, it completely went the other way,” Holt added.

Captured on a video that was posted to YouTube by @SM-wc9eq on March 10 was an embarrassing verbal confrontation between Holt and Thakore, in front of a host of onlookers.

A dark blue Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 can be seen sailing out of a dock. Standing on the end of the yacht was a man sporting a gray shirt, jeans, and a cap.

The man seen in the video footage was seemingly the local business owner and philanthropist, screaming at the young man as the yacht sailed away.

Thakore was seen threatening his life, shouting at Holt, saying, “I will kill you, you know I will kill you!” He can be heard repeating himself multiple times in the video.

Thakore can be seen pounding his fists on his palm and pointing his thumb down, and telling Holt, “To your face!”

This caused Holt, who is standing on the dock, to respond with hoisting his middle finger in the air, directed at Thakore. Thakore’s screams can be heard echoing through the arena.

“It escalated immediately. It was 0 to 100 immediately,” he said to the outlet.

“I really was trying to restrain myself from getting fired from my job or stepping out of line. The only thing I did was give him the bird,” he added.

Holt said Thakore went as far as to take $100 bills from his wallet and throw the money at him, which landed in the water, and even dropped his pants and mooned him.

“[He] started to make gestures to everybody watching and me. You can’t act that way in public. It’s just not ok. Especially threatening my life, at the very least. There were women and children there. That’s the most important part,” Holt told the news outlet.

Unfortunately, the lewd act wasn’t caught on video.

“I’m a minimum wage worker, he was commenting on that, on my status just because of my job. He was saying I’m nobody, I’m nothing, I work a silly job. He said that he knows people, he has connections, he can change my life and ruin it,” Holt said.

The San Diego Harbor Police reported to the scene 10 minutes later.

Thakore, who goes by the name Ace Rogers on Instagram and TikTok and has a LinkedIn page stating that he’s the CEO of Doctor Multimedia, a healthcare marketing firm based in San Diego, had his public relations team provide a statement to CBS8, saying that he regrets the altercation.

“What started as a minor misunderstanding escalated into an argument, and I apologize for my actions and to those who witnessed the unfortunate exchange,” the statement said.

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Putin taunts the West with 'first ever' visit to remote ice-covered 'frontier region' just 55 miles from the US - as Zelensky tries to drum up war support in Lithuania

• Chukotka is Russia's easternmost region, sharing a maritime border with Alaska

President Vladimir Putin  has arrived for his first-ever presidential visit to Chukotka in Russia 's Far East - just 55 miles from the US state of Alaska . 

Putin arrived in Anadyr, the local capital of the Chukotka region this morning after flying from Moscow some nine time zones away. 

Chukotka is the easternmost region of Russia, with a maritime border on the Bering Strait with Alaska.

The Russian president was met in Anadyr by a motorcade and was whisked away in a limousine amid frigid temperatures of -28C. 

It's the closest he has come to US soil since he met with President  Barack Obama in New York City in 2015.

Chukotka is so close to Alaska that Roman Abramovich - the ex-Chelsea FC owner - was reported to fly to Anchorage in Alaska for lunch when he was the governor of the region from 2001 - 2008.

Putin's visit comes at a time when US-Russian relations are at their lowest ebb in decades amid the war in Ukraine and a growing East-West divide. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today landed in Lithuania as part of an unannounced trip to the Baltic states to drum up more support for the conflict. 

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The three Baltic states - all former Soviet republics which are now EU and NATO members - are among Ukraine's staunchest allies.

'Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are our reliable friends and principled partners. Today, I arrived in Vilnius before going to Tallinn and Riga,' Zelensky said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

'Security, EU and NATO integration, cooperation on electronic warfare and drones, and further coordination of European support are all on the agenda,' he said.

The Baltic tour marks Zelensky's first official trip abroad this year.

In Lithuania, a key donor to Ukraine, Zelensky said he will hold talks with the president, prime minister and the speaker of parliament, and meet with the Ukrainian community.

The visit comes as other Kyiv allies waver on fresh aid, nearly two years into Russia's invasion.

Ukraine has come under intense Russian shelling in recent weeks, retaliating with strikes on Russia's border city of Belgorod.

Zelensky has urged allies to keep military support flowing and held in-person talks with officials from the United States, Germany and Norway last month.

But an EU aid package worth 50 billion euros ($55 billion) has been stuck in Brussels following a veto by Hungary, while the US Congress remains divided on sending additional aid to Ukraine.

Following his trip to Chukotka, Putin is expected to visit several regions in the Russian Far East to boost his re-election campaign amid the war with Ukraine, which has seen more than 300,000 Russians killed or maimed.

He is due to stand in March, seeking another six years in the Kremlin.

The only Kremlin leader ever to travel to Chukotka previously was Dmitry Medvedev in 2008.

Putin's trip sees him escape a wave of ugly protests in western Russia over hundreds of thousands of people scraping by in freezing conditions due to breakdowns in communal heating supplies.

In Elektrostal, Moscow region, desperate residents say they have had no communal heating - which Russians routinely expect the state to supply usually through piped hot water - for the entire winter so far.

'We have been without heating since [9 October],' one resident said in a video circulating on Telegram.

'It is impossible to be in our homes… We are freezing! We are freezing! We are freezing!' they said. 

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California yacht owner threatens to kill dock worker in vicious showdown, cali yacht owner threatens to kill dock worker drops pants for rude salute, 78 3/13/2024 8:09 am pt.

A California yacht owner's vicious beef with a dock worker has reached death-threat levels -- and their exchange was caught on camera and included a nude, and very rude, gesture!

Check out the clip ... it all unfolds when San Diego entrepreneur Ajay Thakore swings by the swanky Marriott Marquis Marina in his rare $4.5M Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 yacht to pick up one of his employees -- but things boil over when dock worker Joseph Holt tells him he can't be there.

Thakore, the CEO of medical advertising firm Doctor Multimedia, flips out on Holt big time ... and starts spewing threats like, "I will kill you, you know I will kill you, I will kill."

And it doesn't stop there -- as Thakore's pulling out of the harbor, he drops trou to make a full frontal salute in Holt's direction. Stay classy, San Diego!

Holt's only retaliation was flipping the bird, and he later told CBS8 that was all he could do to keep his cool and avoid escalating the situation.

Holt says parts of the altercation were not captured on camera, and he adds ... Thakore not only threatened to kill him, but also claimed to have connections who could totally mess up his life.

Holt also says Thakore pulled out $100 bills and tossed them at him, even chucking some in the water.

BTW, Thakore's done some backpedaling since the ugly exchange -- he now says, "The interaction that occurred yesterday was regrettable. What started as a minor misunderstanding escalated into an argument, and I apologize for my actions and to those who witnessed the unfortunate exchange."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

FWIW ... One of Thakore’s employees claims the whole thing began because other dock workers blocked him from boarding the yacht.

Oh, and if that fancy Lambo yacht looks familiar -- it's the same one Chuck Liddell recently tumbled off just last month. Now it's famous AND infamous!

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