Why I Love Chartering Yachts
Relaxing onboard my own private yacht was just a day dream that I loved to entertain, but one day I decided to make it a reality and take the dive. My credit card forgave me once I departed from the port and started cruising the oceans
Life is too short to not have this pleasure, the memory was worth every dollar and I would do it again in a heart beat (finances permitting!)
Obviously it’s not something you can just do flippantly and on a whim, taking a chartered yacht is really not cheap at all.
So if you are looking for a simple get away there are plenty of other options that don’t require handing over ten or fifteen thousand dollars worth of savings or calling to have your credit limit increased. Golfing or fishing would be fine right? But it wouldn’t have the lasting memory that chartering your own yacht has.
For me, I’m just not interested in doing this for getting likes or instagram followers — this was serious ‘me’ time and let me tell you, it was really worth it. For that first day when we left the marina it suddenly hit me, that I was captain of my own super yacht now, albeit only for a day but that was irrelevant as I have been there and done that now and of course continued to arrange more charters as the year progressed, now I am planning my forth charter in Thailand and I cannot wait!
The weather isn’t so great right now so I am waiting for the perfect day to set sail and cruise out to the islands of Phang-Nga and Krabi. It’s really a whole other world when you are on the yacht, like your first drive in a Rolls Royce, Bentley or S class Benz.
The fittings are simply just part of the aesthetic which fits so perfectly with the gorgeous views and blissful vibe that accompanies you as the waters lap at the hull. A charter day is one you will savour every minute of and replay in your mind over and over so don’t let yourself get rushed into buying just anyones charter
For me I actually got burned the second time I chartered because I tried to cut corners and ‘shop around’ for a cheaper deal. Thinking I had found a steal and would save thousands of dollars I placed a charter with a new company I found on facebook and was recommended by a hotel concierge. What they did not tell me is I was also going to have to keep paying more and more as the day continued
First it was fuel, then the crew wanted compensation and finally I had to pay for all my drinks! I was scuppered with no choice but to go to the ATM and take out more cash in order to pay my bills. So from then on I made sure I only booked with an all-inclusive chartering company which ensured I was only going to pay a one-time fee and not be hit with hidden charges.
I charter from Phuket, Thailand and have been all over the popular destinations such as Krabi and Maiton Island on regular speed boat trips for $100 a pop. The view is of course breath taking but the ride is over quickly and you are pressured along like cattle from one spot to another without a chance to really take it all in. Also it’s a bit of a tourist trap as you cannot really bring any amenities with you and are expected to just pay or go without, also the quality of the food and drink was ok but hardly gourmet! I might sound like a snob but when you are on your holiday you want everything to be top quality if possible, time is precious and we must spend it well.
At first when I found this all-inclusive deal and discussed it with friends, I thought maybe it was a bit of a scam (or maybe they were just jealous!) but actually in the long run it turned out cheaper then trying to shop around and I really recommend you only charter all-inclusive as you wont be left with a shock afterwards because the bills just kept coming on my second charter.
I’ve become quiet a yacht enthusiast as each charter has given me another experience to reflect over and discuss with friends, making my buddy Mark want to share a charter and splitting the costs for a larger 47' super yacht!
This was a great idea because we went 50/50 and the yacht is much more fun with some friends to socialise on, so that’s what I’m doing again once the weather turns up and we both can get time from work. Our wives just loved being out on the open sea, carefree with the best Thai food and champagne our every need taken care of by a lovely and friendly professional staff. They even did massages on board and our wives had spa treatments done as we raced around on jetskis! It was a dream come true! Absolutely Priceless!
Sometimes I wanted to just freeze time and make the day last forever but inevitably reality kicked in as we watched the beautiful bright orange sunset reflect across the unspoilt horizon that for one night we called home.
The life of a millionaire must be nice with these kind of moments being a every day thing and it made me thirsty for more. I literally cannot express in words how beautiful a evening on your own super yacht is and I urge anyone who can do it — to take the dive and just let yourself indulge in the wonders of nature.
Our captain was knowledgable of the local area and when my boys asked him about monkeys he knew exactly the spots to go to, we got to see so many monkeys and feed them it really made the trip for them to be that close with nature. Then we went snorkeling and saw the wildlife underwater and it just blew our minds!
So for this next trip I have got my eldest a go-pro and he’s going to make some videos for his friends at school to show them what its like, everyone needs to see this it’s like a scene from a movie. Turtles and tropical fish swimming through neon coloured coral is just jaw droppingly amazing.
I never thought I’d feel like a rich guy with my very average middle-class salary plus having a wife and two kids certainly doesn't leave much room for luxuries, but once we checked everything out chartering a yacht was within our spending limit if we saved for it, I put away a couple hundred dollars a week and put the rest on my credit card. Plus splitting it with Mark’s family has meant we can actually get quiet a good deal for the price and not worry to much about overspending.
I’ll be sure to put some pics up from our next charter as we will have the go-pro and be going to some larger coral spots our captain knows about just near the islands of Koh Maiton which is near Phuket (that has a international airport if you are looking to fly out!)
Until then please share with me any chartering experiences you have as I am sure there is a world to be discovered out there!
Thanks for reading!
