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Roughing it on a motor yacht
(Caribbean World - USA)
 Have
you ever felt that you've had enough of sailing, of actually setting canvas
to the wind, of power-winching and choppy seas, with salt crystals building
up on your eyebrows as you swallow the crest of the 88th wave? Have you
ever, mid-way through a one or two-week sailing charter, considered mutiny?
Have you entertained the fantasy of swimming over a floating penthouse
anchored in shallow water close to the perfect white beach? And boarding
it, and rubbing away the discreet mist with which the air conditioning
frosts the salon windows, to spy on the hedonistic behaviour of its occupants?
Don't worry! If this is something that has crossed your mind; if this
is a thought that has kept you awake late at night; even if you have dreamed
about it; relax: you can tell Dr Handler. There is no need to be ashamed.
Help is at hand.
For about a thousand years I have lived in the tropics - the British
Virgin Islands to be precise. Here the main attractions have been the
clear waters and the hundreds of secluded anchorages to be found over
this fabulous part of the world. Sailing has always ruled here, while
motor yachts have been traditionally used by two clearly defined types
of person: the Extremely Rich (you and I are not included here) and Mom
and Pop on their annual Carribean Cruise. The latter seagoing sort has
always had a special niche in this market, with their patronage of beaten-up,
decaying, trawler-type power boats, with few luxuries to speak of and
a bilge smell that would wake the dead. These are rented out by the few
surviving companies that have somehow survived the changing requirements
of the charter industry in the Virgins over the past decade.
Those in the Extremely Rich category are not interested in reading a secrets-revealed
story like this one. They are catered to by luxury brokers providing charters
for boats in the 30-metres-plus bracket. The occupants of those sleek
beasts are not the sort of people to wave to you as they swish past your
diminutive vessel.
I'm not so snooty. I'd like to share a little secret with you: the location
of the nicest motor yachts I know in this region of the world. They range
in size from 44 feet (15m) to 64 feet (21m) of uncompromising quality,
luxury and value for money. The reason I will mention the company name
is simply because there is no other organisation like it here. Since there's
no competition, this is absolutely unbiased editorial coverage!
In the Oxford English Dictionary, one of many definitions of the complex
word "power" is the 'ability to do'. This is followed by another
simple definition: 'a mechanical or electrical energy as distinct from
hand-labour' (ie. not manually raising sails or winching). If we then
look up luxury, we find something desirable for comfort, or enjoyment,
but not indispensable (ie. condensation on windows) and yacht is described
as 'a larger, usually power driven, vessel, equipped for cruising'. We
may thus arrive at the following definition: a luxury motor yacht is a
vessel that by all accounts has no sails to raise, no winches to grind,
heels less than ten degrees to either port or starboard (no martini spills)
and has the ability to somehow offer you what you don't need, and can
certainly live without - but really, really want.
Virgin Traders, based on Tortola, is a British owned and operated motor
yacht charter company specialising in some of life's simple pleasures.
Their new fleet of exceptionally well-maintained yachts includes the affordable
Trader 475, a fully air-conditioned vessel with teak decks, full electronics
and cell phone (you can always turn it off), and a rigid-bottom inflatable
tender for exploration of the many wonderful locations you will be unable
to avoid during your charter.
The brand new Horizon 48, to be delivered this November, will be a fabulous
addition to the fleet. At a cruising speed of 20 knots there is nowhere
this luxury yacht cannot go, and fast!
Even higher on the scale is the Carver 53, which is not cheap but provides
excellent value for money. This floating luxury apartment is available
with captain and crew, and a resident chef to cater for you in style.
The queen of the fleet is the extremely modern, yet traditionally laid
out, sixty-four foot luxury motor yacht, Virgin Venture. She is a fully-crewed
yacht with exceptional features and advantages, the most important of
which the fact that you do not have to lift a finger whilst on board.
This boat is the epitome of luxury, on which personal attention is devoted
to your every whim. Virgin Venture is in a league of her own in her size
and class. There is no other vessel like her in the region. She is fast,
sleek and has an elegant all-teak interior. You will not want to go home
after a trip on this yacht. Take my advice and make the appropriate arrangements
before you leave.
In the mid-eighties I used to work on one of the first motor yacht live-aboards
in the region. At that time, luxury was reserved for the upper levels
of boat charter only. There were no mid levels. In this particular vessel
you could put a screwdriver through the hull and patch it up with chewing
gum! Thankfully times have changed. There are no reasons for ignoring
your inner desires to live it up in uncompromising style.
All these boats would be nothing if they were based in some God-forsaken
part of the globe. As the saying goes, location is everything. This is
particularly true in the world of yachting, and the location of these
yachts is world class. The BVIs are a group of islands neatly placed to
the east of Puerto Rico. Many of them are completely uninhabited. Around
every corner there is always a new and exciting view and a fresh combination
of colours that entices the traveller to explore further. Turquoise blue
and multiple shades of the softest greys and greens are all present in
their ever-changing canvas. Ask anyone who has visited and the answer
is always the same: they long to return. In these islands there is always
a protected anchorage not too far away, and whilst you could get from
one end of the chain to the other non-stop within two to three hours,
you would be ignoring the areas principal charms. Virgin Gorda, Necker
Island (which belongs to Richard Branson), Peter Island, Little Dix Bay,
Biras Creek and Nanny Cay Marina on Tortola (where my office is) are but
a few BVI places that need little or no explanation. These locations are
known worldwide. We are a hot destination with even hotter yachts, and
this year there is a bonus attraction for all those still undecided about
whether to visit. Foxy's Beach Bar, located in Great Harbour on the Island
of Jost Van Dyke just west of Tortola, has the unique distinction (and
a very important one at that) of being the Third Most Popular Place in
the World to be for New Year's Celebrations, after New York's Times Square
and Trafalgar Square in London. The likes of the Stones, David Bowie and
all their friends will congregate here to see in the year 2000. Think
about it: Mick & friends, you and your luxury boat, add an electric
guitar (generators are included on every yacht) and you will have one
hell of a party!
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