TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin New innovative charter company

Hi everybody
In the course of the meetings I had at the Miami Boat Show with charter companies for sailonline.com, I learned that a new charter company will launch at the beginning of the next high season - probably November. Some charter brokers have actually started to take bookings already (Liane, maybe you heard about it?)

From what I already know, it will be a totally new concept inspired by super low costs airlines or car rental companies. The name of the company (at least temporarily) will be "Spirit Charters".
The boats will be 10 to 20 years old. Basically nothing will work on the boats except some crucial components, i.e.: the engine will be serviceable; the sails will not be more than 6/8 years old; 1 head and 1 sink will work for sure but usually with cold water only; and a bunch of old life jackets. That's it...
Other usual equipment like electronics, VHF, light bulbs, cockpit cushions, will have been removed or most probably will not work anyway.

Lastly, charter equipment, like bed sheets, towels, cutlery, pots and pans etc - (sorry no Nespresso machine here...) will be available for a fee and will be worn out stuff. A 7 foot dinghy with oars (no outboard) will be provided for a fee as well. So better bring your own handheld VHF, GPS, sleeping bags, coffee mugs etc... This is re-defining the concept of what we call a bare boat!!

The good news is that the company management have set an incredibly low pricing structure: they are talking about a 5-cabin (mattresses included) 50ft monohull for about $1,295 per week, which will put the weekly rate at around $250 per couple!!.... A 40 footer should be $995 a week, if you can believe that...

I should have a banner up on sailonline in the next 2 or 3 weeks. I will keep everyone posted as it develops.

April Fools?

No, it is actually true. I am not sure why a concept like this would be a joke after all. It makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. A huge population has no access to chartering due to cost, so why not this after all?

I have a log and some paddles I'll rent. I'll provide a gps and you can take her wherever and for as long as you want. LOL Doesn't sound very safe to me. But yes a good idea on their part.

I would be interested to know who would write the insurance for this venture. Will they send people out into the Atlantic or Caribbean on bareboat charters??? I love the term "serviceable engine."

I think Gilligan and his shipmates would rather stay on the Island than take a chance on that.

OP stated on the BVI forum that it was an April Fools joke.

Interesting that he would deny that here.

I thought so too.

It was a joke, folks.

It was, but when he was asked if it was a joke, he said it wasn't.

Trust me, it was a joke..

I'm not questioning that. I just didn't appreciate his lying about it being a joke when asked. I have a thing about honesty. I'll get over it. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

It was late at night when he posted and technically still before April 1..

He was just continuing the joke tongue in cheek.

Yeah - and even if the story were true, it still would have been a joke!

A lot of charter companies already offer this sort of service.