Meet the New York charter team.

How is the summer shaping up on both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere?

Craig: It's very positive, in fact the schedules of most yachts in The Bahamas and Mediterranean are already full. There's a lot of interest from the American clients, especially with news about France opening up to foreign tourists with a sanitary pass* from June 9, restaurants and bars reopen inside and out for tables of six, and then opening up completely from June 30, when everything's back to normal once you've got your sanitary pass. We're still waiting on Italy but I imagine they'll do something similar to France.

The strong message I want to send is get in touch now because inventory in the Mediterranean is dwindling. If a client has fixed dates, it's a struggle to find a handful of top yachts to present to them, you might be lucky to get two or three. With more flexibility, hopefully they'll have more options.

*Negative PCR test within 72 hours

Bianca: We've had a very successful roll out of the vaccine here in the United States, which will be very helpful for Americans accessing Europe this summer. What we think could happen is a summer season extended to September. Places like Croatia and Greece have been very proactive about opening up and that's a key indicator that Americans are going to be able to travel there sooner than in the West Med.

How has the season gone in The Bahamas?

Craig: There's always a good inventory of yachts in The Bahamas but there are certainly a handful of yachts that were originally planning on heading back to the Mediterranean that decided to stay in The Bahamas. Also the weather in The Bahamas, July and August is the best time to be there.

Bianca: We're seeing steady business in The Bahamas through June and July because it's an easy location for Americans to get to. The Bahamas have been very clear from the outset about entry requirements. Once in The Bahamas you have a playground of islands that you're free to travel between, which is different to the Caribbean where each island has its own jurisdiction.

What we're experiencing is lower inventory in the Mediterranean and lower availability because of rescheduled charters from 2020 so the fact that these yachts have stayed in The Bahamas with their calendars open has created more opportunity for US clients who don't want to travel across the Atlantic.

Why is now a great time to charter?

Christiana: Chartering a yacht is the safest holiday in this environment. Any precautionary Covid protocol is agreed beforehand so both guests and crew feel comfortable. Plus, a charterer can customise the experience from start to finish. In fact, one of my clients had a number of restaurant reservations and shoreside activities planned. Once the guests saw how fabulous the chef was they ended up having all their meals on board. They were so happy with the chef and the whole crew, watertoys and amenities, that they ended up barely leaving the yacht. The parents especially loved seeing their whole family together in one space.

Bianca: It's probably the best time to charter compared to private villas, private islands, safaris and the like, because of the safety of the platform. We've learned how to manage Covid really well and create these ultrasafe charter platforms where families can get together and avoid the masses but still be in an incredible destination. If you choose to go ashore, that's your choice, or you can stay on the yacht and have a very safe and happy vacation. Many of our clients fly by private jet so they go from their home to their jet to the yacht, all in a clean, safe, sanitary environment. This really is the optimum way to travel in the current climate.

What are the top destinations for 2021?

Craig: It really comes down to what the charter client wants. The Bahamas offer you seclusion, amazing beaches, crystal clear waters, beach BBQs, it's a great place for watertoys, endless water activities. Croatia has a different terrain but it's a little bit similar in that you have privacy, seclusion, multiple islands to choose from and quaint little towns to venture into, but there's not really the shopping you find in the South of France or around Capri. They're all great destinations but it all comes down to what charter experience the client is looking for.

Bianca: The Western Med has always been the most popular charter destination because it's the South of France, it's sexy, you have the shopping, you have the beach clubs and the nightclubs and you have this iconic coastline. The Amalfi coast is endlessly romantic and resonates with people all over the world who go back year after year because it really is just that special. We're seeing more demand in Croatia and Greece too because they also announced their opening schedules before the West Med so people have more confidence to travel to those destinations without any problem.

What makes a great family charter yacht?

Bianca: I can't stress enough that the crew are the single most important part of a charter. It's really important to match the client with the right crew for them, they're such an integral part of the experience. You see them everyday, you form relationships with them.

Craig and I are former crew members and we've watched our guests leaving in tears at the end of charters because of the strength of the connection with the crew. It really is a very special thing. Also a very good, capable chef who can lend himself/herself to all different types of repertoire because now more than ever, diets and palettes are very diverse.

Christiana: It all starts with the crew. An awesome crew will find creative ways to make sure all the guests, both children and adults, are entertained. An arsenal of watertoys doesn’t hurt either.

Craig: Crew and toys, absolutely. More inflatables, jungle gyms, especially for the younger kids. On SEANNA they have the crew Olympics where the crew take on the guests or they mix the teams up with crew and guests and race around an obstacle course on the yacht and across all the inflatables. Guests love it every time. Having got so engaged with the crew during the course of the week you build up these bonds of friendship and memories that literally last a lifetime.

Which yacht would you charter, where and why?

Craig: For the Mediterranean, I like TITANIA for the whole package. The crew and the amenities on board supersede most yachts on the charter market regardless of size. She's a very well tuned, well run charter machine and the crew just get it. They're young, engaging, they understand what guests want. 

Bianca: My instinct is always a summer charter in the Western Med where there is a buffet of yachts that I would charter in a heartbeat. If I was going a little off piste, one of the best charter yachts we have is the sailing catamaran HEMISPHERE in Tahiti. In terms of package, the yacht, the crew, the destination, there's a real once-in-a-lifetime experience to be had out there in French Polynesia. Most of our clients are motor yacht centric so may not think of a sailing yacht like HEMISPHERE but they should, for many reasons.

A client is booking a charter for the first time. What would you tell them to expect?

Christiana: A lot of first-time charterers ask me questions that start with 'Do we need to..?' You don’t need to do anything! As brokers, we lean on our in-house expertise and local knowledge to detail a custom itinerary well in advance so that the charter goes smoothly - but if the charterer loves a particular anchorage or port and wants to stay another day, they can, it’s completely up to them and once they realise that - it’s amazing.

Craig: It's unlike any other travel experience. You have a crew to guest ratio of 1:1 or maybe even 2:1, the service levels are stratospheric. You have chefs who are Michelin trained, deck crew who are trained in specific watersports and can teach the guests. It's out of this world, unlike anything else you have ever experienced.

Bianca: For a first time charterer, I would say expect the unexpected. You're about to be blown away. There is a reason why it's very rare that clients only ever charter once. When you charter a yacht you have chosen the single most exclusive and luxurious way to travel that we believe exists. There isn't a villa on earth that can match the experience of a yacht charter.

Just on the first-time experience, what I always say to any client is use someone who knows what they're talking about. That's the reason we've had so much success at Burgess, because of the level of our expertise. I've been in this industry for 12 years, Craig has nearly 23 years and Christiana has a couple of years under her belt, so between us we have 35 years' experience. That really counts for something. Clients need to know they are booking charters with people they can trust, people with experience and expertise, and that's what you get with Burgess. We're proud of that.