Cruising Catamarans : Spain Yacht Charter Vacation tips
Choosing a Company
vary from giants like Sunsail, with bases worldwide and huge fleets of bareboat charters at every base, to single-boat operations run by one man. For charter abroad it is probably better to go with one of the large companies or on a personal recommendation from a friend. From a personal point of view, we have received excellent service from the Reputed Charter company and the boats have always been in good, seaworthy condition. (Although this is not to say that nothing has ever gone wrong - but this can happen with the newest yachts).
Some Questions to Ask
Do I have enough experience? Where can I go?
Or, to put it in a nutshell, will the company charter the boat to me? If you have limited experience, or this is your first charter, this may be the deciding factor. The type of yacht like(luxury catamaran and nature of the cruising grounds will also influence the charterer's decision. Some companies may limit your cruising area if you lack experience. Friends of ours started their chartering career many years ago and quickly got the bit between their teeth. Anchored in the Outer Hebrides and idly reading the charter agreement, the skipper discovered that they were over 100 miles outside their permitted charter area. Luckily no one spotted them and the boat was returned without incident . . . but we recommend that you are quite clear as to the limits of your charter area. If you lack experience and/or confidence, consider a flotilla for your first charter.
How big a boat do we need?
If you are party animals and have lots of friends, a 40ft eight or ten berth boat can be very affordable charter company and will provide exhilarating sailing. If, however, you would like to get away for a romantic cruise with your significant other, then you will be looking at a much smaller yacht if you want to keep the price down. Small may mean fewer extras, but not less seaworthy - 25ft yachts have crossed the Atlantic and sailed round the world.
What facilities do we need?
Can you live without hot water? Cabin heating? Is a furling headsail essential, do you care if there is a spinnaker on board or not? Do you need an outboard for the tender, or are you prepared to row? Again, smaller companies with older boats may offer cheaper deals for those prepared to 'rough it' a bit. You should never compromise on essential equipment, however, and if the company does it may be breaking the law. (See below).
Safety Equipment and Coding
All yachts for charter in UK waters should be coded according to DTI regulations. These govern minimum safety provisions such as position and accessibility of seacocks, gas system, non-flammable upholstery, provision of liferaft, fire extinguishers and much more. Any reputable charterer will only operate coded boats. Each yacht is coded for a certain number of people, and should not be chartered to a larger group.
It is always worth asking your charterer what will happen in the event of mechanical failure in terms of rapidness of response, refund policy etc.
The Handover
A charter yacht handover will usually take about an hour. You should be as familiar with the vessel as possible before putting to sea. As a minimum you and at least one other member of the crew should be shown: The location and safe operation of all the safety equipment including liferaft location and deployment, fire extinguisher location and operation, lifejackets and safety harnesses, location of first aid kit(s), boltcroppers and emergency tiller
The safe operation of the cooking and heating systems
Correct operation of the heads
The location of all seacocks and emergency bungs
Engine operation and regular checks
Operation of the VHF system including mayday instructions. Location of backup VHS (if there is one)
The location and operation of all the instruments, including the GPS
The location of all charts and pilot books
The location and operation of all the halliards, winches, reefing lines and other sail controls
The anchoring system(s)
Any other systems peculiar to that vessel or not covered above
Don't be afraid to ask questions if there is anything you are not sure of or want to know more about. The charter company would prefer you to feel 100% confident before you take their boat out. You may, for example, want to ask about sail plan for various windspeeds and directions on that particular boat. If you are not familiar with the cruising ground, the charterer will probably have local knowledge about some of your intended destinations and will usually be delighted to share this with you.
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Cape Coral Real Estate News
Cape Realty will hold an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday to show off its new digs in the Camelot Isles Shopping Center, 1616 W. Cape Coral Parkway, at the intersection of Chiquita Boulevard, Cape Coral. The real estate company has been in business ...
Almost one in three Lee County homeowners owes more on his or her mortgage than the home is worth. And the situation is likely to keep getting worse as foreclosures mount and unemployment rises, according to a report issued Wednesday by housing ...
Foreclosures are up and home values are down, but Cape Realty is expanding its operations. The local real estate company is expanding its office space and adding more staff. The firm is hosting an open house to commemorate the occasion from 4-7 p.m ...
Beginning today, readers of cape-coral-daily-breeze.com will notice significant improvements in the Web site, which has grown to be the definitive source for news and information about the Cape. With the change comes a whole new look. Behind the ...
Lee County commissioners will decide Tuesday how to use $18.2 million in federal funds to help lift the sagging housing market. They’ll get plenty of advice. A week ago, commissioners heard the basics of a plan by their Human Services department ...
MIAMI - The number of homeowners caught in the wave of foreclosures in October grew 25 percent nationally over the same month in 2007, data released today showed. More than 279,500 U.S. homes received at least one foreclosure-related notice in ...
MIAMI - The number of homeowners caught in the wave of foreclosures in October grew 25 percent nationally over the same month in 2007, data released today showed. Arizona was among the three states with the highest foreclosure rates, and Phoenix was ...
Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- More than a quarter million U.S. households received a foreclosure filing in October even as state laws designed to protect property owners from losing their homes slowed the pace of defaults, RealtyTrac Inc. said. A total of ...
MIAMI (CBS4) ― A new report shows home prices fell in a record 4 out of every 5 cities in the third quarter, and in South Florida, fell by almost 17 percent when compared to the same time one year ago, as the real estate market was flooded with ...
URBANA – A woman who used to work for an Urbana church is due back in court in December after being charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the church. Christel Spellmeyer, 32, now of Cape Coral, Fla., was charged in September with theft ...
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Cape Coral Real Estate Blogs
SW Florida Ellis Team Real Estate Current Market Index The November 2008 Ellis Team SW Florida Real Estate Current Market Index showed continued improvement again in November. We expect sales numbers to be quite positive when they are released in a few days, even if sale prices are down as has been the trend in 2008. The index fell to 6.89 for the Fort Myers and Cape Coral real estate market which is the lowest we’ve seen in years since December of 2005. Cape Coral’s inventory declined sli
I was recently searching Yahoo for: Cape Coral Florida real estate and what I found was interesting. It really is not well known that if you are selling your home for sale by owner that you can find a professional Realtor and home mortgage lender to be of assistance you and they won’t even charge you . I did my research and I exposed that this really is true . I marvel as to why more Cape Coral professional Realtor s and Loan Officers are not offering this service .
Off-water home sales in Cape Coral continued on a strong sales pace through October. At the same time the median price of an off-water home in the Cape dropped 5% from the September median piece. 337 homes sold which except for last month’s 349 homes is the highest monthly rate since we started tracking in 2004. With the median price now at $105000 many more people can afford a home whether they are long-term renters or people moving to the area. One of the biggest factors in the declining pri
Posted by Brenda in Buying Real Estate, Cape Coral FL Real Estate, Real Estate, Real Estate - International, Real Estate Industry, Southwest Florida Real Estate. Tags: cape coral real estate, fort myers real estate, real estate market statstrackback From the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach - Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers Beach, and surrounding areas… Sales of resale homes in the Greater Fort Myers area rose again for the tenth consecutive month
Interesting article in the Seattle PI about the feasibility of doing flips in today's real estate market. If "flipping" a house in today's real estate market seems riskier than trekking with a ragtag band of hobbits to Mordor, take heart: Home flippers can still find plenty of opportunities, though they're not entirely without risk.We are starting to see some renewed investor activity here in Southwest Florida. A market segment with upside potential for investors are single-family waterfront hom
I was recently searching the web for: Sell Cape Coral property and what I found was interesting. It really is not well known that if you are selling your home without hiring a listing broker that you can discover a local real estate agent and loan officer to assist you and they might even bring you a buyer. I did my research and I uncovered that this really is accurate . I am confused to why more Cape Coral local real estate agent s and Loan Officers have not jumped on this bandwagon .
To: James-Smith-Real-Estate-Guru@yahoogroups.com From: Robert Paisola CEO Date: Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:37 amHas Anyone Had a Loss as A direct Result of dealing with Kavin Austin Blake?Hello My Friends,My name is Robert Paisola and we have been covering a Realtor thatmany of you may have dealt with in the Cape Coral Florida area, namedKavin Austin Blake.Mr. Blake believes that our usage of his jail photo on our website,www.AustinBlakeLawsuit.com and our very brief description of hisinvolv
A Purchase Program that uses a Reverse Mortgage There are many Seniors that want to purchase a home, but do not have enough money to pay cash for the home. They may have a substantial down payment, but still cannot qualify for a loan. Their credit may not be good, or their pension may not qualify them for a re-payment program. The “Hope for Homeowners” legislation that was passed and signed into law by President Bush on July 30, 2008 made mention of a purchase program for Reverse Mortgages, a
Sales of homes in Cape Coral continue to be strong with just less than 500 homes selling each month. 479 homes closed in MLS in October. In spite of the strong sales, inventory of unsold homes is not significantly decreasing. What is causing this trend is the number of homes which continue to enter the market- predominantly as short sales or REO ( institution owned ) homes. Our inventory of homes is now 5554 single family homes which is up from a year ago in spite of almost 3900 closed sales.
I was recently searching the Internet for: Cape Coral homes for Sale and what I found was interesting. Have you ever heard that if you are selling your home for sale by owner that you can find a real estate broker and loan officer to lend a helping hand you and they might even bring you a buyer. I did my research and I found out that this really is factual . I question why more Cape Coral real estate brokers and Loan Officers are not offering this service .
I was recently searching the web for: Cape Coral Realtor and what I found was interesting. It’s virtually unknown that if you are selling your home for sale by owner that you can acquire a real estate agent and mortgage banker to guide you you and they will do it absolutely free . I did my research and I uncovered that this really is right . I am confused to why more Cape Coral real estate agent s and Loan Officers don’t embrace this type of service.
I was recently searching Yahoo for: Properties in cape coral and what I found was interesting. You have probably never heard that that if you are selling your home FSBO that you can discover a local Realtor and L.O. to assist you and It won’t cost you a thing . I did my research and I uncovered that this really is factual . I have to wonder why more Cape Coral local Realtor s and Loan Officers don’t embrace this type of service.
City of Fort Myers Home Foreclosure Prevention- Hotline (239)321-7965 National Hotline (Hope)- (888)995-Hope The Home Ownership Resource Center, Lee County- (239)768-2013 Lee County Legal aid Society- (239)334-6118 Cosumer Credit Counseling Svc- (800)741-7040 Hud Approved Housing Counseling Agencies-(877)532-Help Emergency Financial Assistance for Housing- (877)891-6445 Lee County Housing Authority- (239)275-5105, ext 105 Bonita Springs Housing Dev Corp- (239)495-7100 (Comments)
October foreclosure and new building permit numbers are in for Lee County. Foreclosures in October topped the charts at 2,665, the highest total ever for a single month in Lee County. In layman's terms, this equates to 111 foreclosure filings a day for the 23 business days in October. A hefty percentage of these are single-family starter homes located in the northern half of Cape Coral and throughout Lehigh Acres. If you are in the market for a slightly used, 3BR 2BA Cape Coral foreclosure, the
I was recently searching the net for: Houses for sale in Cape Coral FL and what I found was interesting. It’s virtually unknown that if you are selling your home by yourself that you can discover a professional Realtor and LO to assist you and they won’t even charge you . I did my research and I discovered that this really is factual . I have to wonder why more Cape Coral professional Realtor s and Loan Officers do not do this same thing .
I was recently searching Google for: Cape Coral Realtor and what I found was interesting. It’s virtually unknown that if you are selling your home on your own that you can find a local Realtor and L.O. to help you and they might even bring you a buyer. I did my research and I found out that this really is true . I wonder why more Cape Coral local Realtor s and Loan Officers are not offering this service .
I was recently searching the web for: Cape Coral property and what I found was interesting. It’s really not well known that if you are selling your home without listing it on the MLS that you can find a professional real estate agent and mortgage banker to help you and they won’t even charge you . I did my research and I uncovered that this really is factual . I wonder why more Cape Coral professional real estate agent s and Loan Officers are not offering this service .
Posted by Brenda in Buying Real Estate, Cape Coral FL Real Estate, Real Estate - International, SW Florida Lifestyle, Southwest Florida Real Estate. Tags: cape coral real estate, cape coral vacation homes, fort myers real estate, fort myers vacation homestrackback The News-Press reports today that boomers are buying up vacation homes in Southwest Florida. As the price of houses in Lee County goes down, baby boomers are also coming down — with retirement or vacation homes on their minds.
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