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Charter Ownership vs. Private Ownership: How to Decide

April 8, 2020 | News

No matter how you want to own a yacht-- there is a type of ownership for anyone. Owning a yacht in a charter fleet is one viable option and owning a yacht privately has its advantages too. If you have owned a boat before, what were the most rewarding things and what were the biggest obstacles? Throughout the duration of this article we will discuss the pros and cons of the various types of yacht ownership.

 

Maintenance and Care 

Do you enjoy boat projects, boat maintenance and caring for your yacht? Or, do you prefer to have your boat cared for and looked after by a group of professionals?

If you enjoy getting your hands dirty, private ownership could be your chosen path. Boats require a lot of monthly maintenance including cleaning water strainers, changing the oil, engine checks, checking oil and fuel filters, checking for corrosion, replacing gaskets, cleaning bilges and pumps and bottom cleaning. Just to name a few. If learning the in's and outs of owning a yacht and handling these things yourself is what you are looking for, you should consider owning privately. 

If having someone manage the maintenance and cleaning is more your style, then perhaps owning a charter yacht is the right choice for you. As a charter yacht owner, all of the maintenance is handled by a team of experts, including all of your monthly and annual maintenance-- bottom cleaning, engines checks, haul outs, etc. Your yacht will also be in pristine condition every time you arrive to it. Each time you use your yacht, you will make a list of any issues that arise, and all of those concerns will be addressed by the maintenance team at the base upon your return to the marina. You will also receive maintenance reports so that you can rest assured the work is being complete. 

 

Travel Goals

Do you want to take your yacht sailing across the Atlantic Ocean? Or would you prefer to fly across the Atlantic and take out a yacht in the Mediterranean or the Seychelles or any of the other 20 destinations that you can charter out of with The Moorings? 

Moorings Owners have the distinct luxury of not only chartering their own boat, but they can also charter sister ships at any of our worldwide destinations. Moorings Owners can cover more world-class cruising grounds in one year than it would take a private boat owner to cover in 5 years. This is taking into considering the private owner must sail the boat to each destination around the world. 

If your idea of owning a yacht is to spend more time in the destination of choice, and not so much spending more time to get there, and if your goal is to sail in the world's most sought after cruising grounds, then charter yacht ownership might be the right choice for you. travel-ownership-blog-0420

Level of Experience

Maybe you are a confident sailor, but as every sailor knows, you can always be better. Perhaps one day you dream of becoming a full time live-aboard sailor, but you would really like some more sailing experience first. Owning a charter yacht provides the opportunity for boat owners to spend time in cruising grounds that are friendly to qualified but wanting to learn more sailors. Have a day skipper join to familiarize yourself with the area, or hire a skipper for the whole trip to learn something new. Because our owners can charter other yachts of similar size in the fleet, take the opportunity to try out a few different yachts for size to determine the perfect yacht for you.

After 5 - 6 years in the charter fleet, you are no doubt going to be a more seasoned sailor. After your yacht is phased out of the charter fleet and if you've gained the confidence you need, you can take your yacht on longer, more challenging passages. 

While you can make some challenging passages as a Moorings Owner, you certainly will not be sailing from Bermuda to the Azores. And if this is what you desire to do the moment you buy a boat, then private ownership might not be your chosen path. Or, buy a charter ownership yacht, make guaranteed income for 5 years while sailing your boat and sister ships around the world, then take your boat anywhere in the world after she phases out of the charter fleet. 

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Using the Yacht

To maintain a positive level of satisfaction in life, every sailor has an internal clock of how long they can go without being on the water. Some people must live on a yacht because they can't stand life on land. Alternatively, some people can get by if they can spend one week a year sailing somewhere stunning. Or maybe you fall somewhere in between. If up 12 weeks a year on the water will satisfy you, then maybe owning a yacht through an ownership program is right for you. Don't have time for 12 weeks a year? That's okay, you can sell some of your owner's time. Alternatively, if you have very specific requirements and can't use short notice bookings, and prefer to go during high season, then your owner's time will not be a full the 12 weeks. Follow this link for more information on owner's use. 

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Affordability

Another factor that plays a role in owning a yacht is deciding what you can afford to buy. Sure, we would all love to have a beautiful new cruising catamaran under full warranty. But the reality is that for everyone, this is simply not possible. 

If you wish to own a new or used yacht, only to be sailed by you, then private ownership could be the right thing for you. If you wish to own a new yacht but would like to generate income at the same time to offset the cost of your new yacht, then charter yacht ownership could be the right thing for you. Owners in The Moorings Yacht Ownership Program receive a guaranteed income payment everything month-- no matter what-- that is worth more than the mortgage payment on their boat every month (based on 25% down). 

 

No matter what type of format you choose to own a yacht, at the end of the day we just want to see you out on the water! If you do feel that charter ownership is the right option for you, then look no further than The Moorings. Often imitated, we are the team who invented and perfected the yacht ownership program over 50 years ago.

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Family Holiday Getaway in the Exumas

March 18, 2020 | News

If you are looking to unplug, then look no further than the Bahamas. More specifically, look towards the Exumas. Although just a short flight from the States, you feel a world away from the commotion of South Florida.

Last Christmas, my family and I decided to get away for a few days, and the Exumas were our chosen destination. The yacht of choice was a Moorings 433PC, which we picked up from the Moorings Base in Nassua, which was conveniently located at the spectacular Atlantis Marina. 

Discovering Atlantis

Day 1 - Friday, 21st of Dec 

After a busy travel day, we were happy to arrive to our yacht. Renado, the base manager, gave us a great on board briefing upon our arrival. Once that was completed, we hopped in a taxi to go provision for the week. 

The local grocery store, called “Fresh Market” is close to the marina and had everything that we needed, even though quite expensive compared the US. The exchange rate between the Bahamas Dollar and the US Dollar is 1 to 1.

Once unpacked and provisioned we opted to take a walk around the Marina where there were plenty of restaurants and stores. We walked to Atlantis and observed the giant tank in front of the hotel, and while this was very interesting, the resort feel of Atlantis had us eager to head back to our boat and look forward to what the new day would bring-- cruising to the Exumas.

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Allen's Cay

Day 2 - Saturday, 22nd of Dec

We left the Marina and headed southeast to the south of Porgee Rock, then to head 135’ for about 28 miles to reach the southwest end of Allen’s Cay. The easy cruise was in 15 - 20 ft of water.  We rounded the south end of Allen’s Cay to anchor between Allen’s Cay and Leaf Cay, just south of a sand bar sitting in the middle of the passage between the two islands, in just 6 ft of water.

After a quick lunch on-board, we swam to a small beach just south of an abandoned concrete house, on Leaf Cay, to find several unafraid iguanas that came right to us, clearly looking for food. We had brought few crackers that were devoured by small and big iguanas. The larger ones, probably older, could barely see the food and seemed to confuse our toes for snacks, so a few times we had to make them run back to the bushes. We walked on top of the island to be the other side to get a fantastic look at reefs and sand bars in the Exumas sound. We walked down to a beautiful small beach, took some photos and still managed to find various plastic trash that we brought back to the boat....

The evening was uneventful with dinner on-board until around 9 pm when the tide changed causing the boat to move 180’ around the anchor to stabilize in about 4 ft of water not too far from the sand bar. As I was monitoring the depth, I started to feel uncomfortable with the depth dropping fast with the tide, and the sand bar being dangerously close. So, around 11 pm we decided to relocate the boat at the entrance of the anchorage, luckily in a bright full moon (explaining the force of the tidal current) in 8 ft of water, and an even stronger current. The first lesson of the Exumas was the strength of the tidal current washing through the islands between the deep Exumas Sound and the Exumas Bank.... better to drop extra chain and make sure the boat can swing 180 every 6 hours.

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Norman Cay 

Day 3 - Sunday, 23rd of Dec 

Our plan was to head from Allen's Cay to Highborne Cay, but after breakfast on board, we decided to head directly to Norman Cay by leaving the large Norman's bar to port and Taffia Point to port to anchor between the pier on the southeast side of Norman's Cay and Boot Cay. The anchorage was safe in 5-8 ft of water, even though the same type of strong current was reaping through the shallow area. We decided anchor closer to the pier to avoid full force of the current. We dropped all of the chain and planned to allow plenty of space for the boat to swing 180'. 

At midday, we took the dinghy around to a new marina under construction at the south end of the island. We walked to the airstrip to see a prop plane landing and park on the side. It was a short walk to the beach on the west side of Norman Cay with white sand, an incredible view of the banks and crystal clear water... perfection. 

It was a 15 minute walk to McDuff where we discovered a few cute bungalows and had lunch at a restaurant with a very relaxed setting.. conch of course! The personnel was insanely nice and they must have spotted us before we arrived, as they were waiting at the door with cold cocktails for us. Cheers!

At low tide, we took the dinghy to the wreck of drug traffickers prop plane that crashed during the cocaine days of Norman's Cay. Because of the low tide, the damaged top of the plane body and tail were visible. We tied our dinghy to the right wing of the plane since we could not find the dinghy anchor! It was a lot of fun to snorkel around the props and cockpit. 

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Heading Southwest

Day 4 - Monday, 24th of Dec

We were last to leave Norman's in the morning and headed Southwest to clear the large shoals west of Wax Cay. After a couple hours of cruising clear of large sand bars leeward of the Cays, we finally made a right turn into a narrow entrance to a spectacular mix of deep and shallow waters. A horse shoe shaped deep channel wrapped around the sand bars creating several range of blues from 0-15ft of water in the middle of channel. This area felt like a remote paradise. As soon as we secured the Moorings ball, a nurse shark was curious about our boat and started to swim around the stern. This experience made for great photos!

We took the dinghy to the Park Wooden House and paid the $30 fee for the buoy and park. This was a high point so we could get a connection in order to WhatsApp family on Christmas Eve. By coincidence, we ran into an ex-Leopard sales agent, Jeff Jones, from the early days of Leopard Catamarans! Daisy cooked a great late lunch and we went swimming in the pools of blue waters between the sand banks.

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Christmas Day 

Day 5 - Tuesday, 25th of Dec

At 2pm, we went to a Christmas dinner that was organized by the lady from the office in her house. Everybody brought something and it was very comforting to have home cooked food from people of all parts of the world. We brought some cheese, bread and red wine. We got to chat with Capt. Brent, the park warden, about the BVI's and aftermath of Irma, a park plan regarding Moorings balls for cruisers and the wind and currents. We also had a conversation with a nice couple - John from the US and his wife from Argentina, about the recent forecast. They informed us about unfavorable conditions for the next days. We soon returned to the boat, made a nice dinner and headed to bed early. It was a windy, pitch black night - not ideal. 

Staniel Cay

Day 6 - Wednesday, 26th of December 

We got up early and ate a quick breakfast to leave the anchorage early and head to Staniel Cay. in retrospect, we should have left to Staniel the day before instead of staying moored in Warderwick Wells all day. The wind was from the east around 25 knts. 

My family and I were back to our homes safe and sound later that night. We enjoyed the beautiful sights the Exumas had to offer, but now it was time to head back to reality! Fuel was around $4.67 per gallon and we had burned 76.5 gallons on the way to Staniel. The total cost was $357. From Staniel to base we used 73 gallon and spent $305 total, provided we made it in 4.5 hours (85 miles at an average 18+ knots with easterlies at 20-25 pushing the boat from the starboard stern). We totaled 150 gallons of fuels for the whole week, not bad!

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What is Boat Ownership as a Business?

June 10, 2019 | News

Every year, and particularly at every boat show, we see more and more discussions around “Boat Ownership as a Business”. 

In simple terms, we are referring to a charter ownership program that is structured like a business where the buyer purchases a boat, places it into a charter company’s fleet, and receives a share of the income when their boat is chartered. 

The concept is not new. In fact, in the early 70’s, The Moorings pioneered Yacht Ownership by offering the first charter yacht ownership program in the world and it was structured much like this.

This type of program is attractive for its potential income generating ability, perceived flexibility, as well as tax advantages available. There is a lot of confusion and complexity surrounding such tax benefits but it is clearer now that with the help of certified professionals familiar with tax law and by following strict processes and protocols to comply with the IRS requirements, there are tax benefits to take advantage of.

However, boat ownership as a business does require far more personal involvement from the owner.  Owners must be actively involved in marketing their boats, they must be active in the management of their yacht (scheduled maintenance, repairs, record-keeping, etc).  The owner must also pay for all services including dockage, maintenance, insurance, labor, repairs, booking commissions, etc. out of their income portion.  Smaller companies tend to focus their business model on this type of program because it passes more of the risk and liability to the boat owner.

Back in the 80’s, The Moorings business grew and buyer’s needs changed. That first program became too risky to buyers and less attractive to the company, so our Guaranteed Income Program was born. The goal of this program was to attract buyers with an emphasis on the lifestyle and use of the yacht, not as a business or investment.  That approach resulted in an extremely successful program that provides no risk, no hassle and is still the preferred program for the buyer and our business model.  

With that said, in order to ensure we meet the goals of every type of boat owner, we have recently revamped and reintroduced our own version the Advantage Ownership Program for customers who prefer an income and tax advantage model over the Guaranteed Income model. 

We carefully redesigned the program from top to bottom and sought guidance from CPAs and tax professionals to get a clearer understanding on how to offer buyers a legitimate tax advantage program through The Moorings.

It is important when evaluating these riskier yacht ownership programs that offer you promises of tax wright offs and other benefits that may sound too good to be true, to make sure you buy the yacht from the same company that will manage the yacht, maintain the yacht, and are with you from the beginning to the end. A company that not only sells new yachts but also will help you sell the yacht at the program's end, if that is what you decide to do. Why not choose a company with a 50 year track record and owned and backed by KKR with $148 Billion under management.

So if you are interested in boat ownership as a business, make sure you work with someone who is an integrated, real charter company and talk to us today about The Moorings Advantage Ownership Program.

You can visit this page to learn more about the tax benefits from an Enrolled Agent and multiple Moorings Yacht Owner.

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50 Years Perfecting Yacht Ownership

April 25, 2019 | News

In celebration of 50 years, we thought we would sit down with The Moorings Yacht Sales Manager, Jean Larroux, and take a trip down memory lane. Jean wrote the rules for the charter yacht ownership program used today—in fact he invented it. That’s right, our sales manager wrote the blue print for what 100's of other yacht charter companies would imitate for decades to come. This is his story....

How it all started

I was hired by Charlie & Ginny Cary and their stateside partner, Tony Rainold, in 1976 when the Moorings was expanding in the Caribbean. The story of the start of The Moorings in 1969 with six Pearson 35’s purchased by Charlie & Ginny and Tony & Sheryl Rainold has been printed often. But what many people don’t know is that the idea of the Moorings began long before this. Charlie was an engineer with Freeport McMoran Oil and Gas division based in New Orleans. Tony Rainold was with the company too. The company wanted to relocate Charlie to New York.  He agreed to go check it out but as it turned out, Charlie and Ginny were not cut out for the big apple.

The first sail and the rest is history

The couple decided to take some time off to see if they wanted to continue with the oil and gas exploration.  Charlie had a friend that offered his yacht in the Virgin Islands to give him time to reflect. Charlie and Ginny took him up on that offer and went for a cruise. During that cruise the idea was hatched for The Moorings.  Charlie, Tony and silent partner/attorney Bob Polchow organized The Moorings and launched in 1969. The initial fleet was the six Pearsons 35’s and a conglomerate of private yachts managed by The Moorings. 

Charlie and Ginny moved to Tortola, and Tony became the head of sales and marketing and opened the reservations office based in New Orleans.

Designing yachts for charter

To grow the company it became apparent that there had to be a creative new way to populate the fleet with new yachts. Charlie and Tony collaborated with Charlie Morgan, head of Morgan Yachts, to design and build the “perfect charter yacht”. Typical mono-hull designs of the time were relatively narrow beam with a cozy V berth forward, and maybe a pilot berth aft or a convertible settee to a sleeping area.  Those are very close quarters, especially if non-related friends were to share this sailing experience for a week or more.

The Morgan Out Island 41 was born. A beamy center cockpit yacht with a full size double berth aft with a head and comfortable berth in the fore-peak separated by the engine compartment and a “crawl space” connecting.  The yacht had a full keel, and except for the most accomplished sail trimmer, people sailing the yacht inevitably had to ware ship to come about, but the charterers loved it. Soon added to the Out Island series was a OI 33, 36 and 51.  

Joining The Moorings

I joined the company to focus on the advertising, marketing and selling of the yachts to “investors”.  At first the programs mirrored a program that Bob Polchow and Charlie conceived for a condominium development on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans. Initially the programs were variable and had some tax benefits to the concept.  Sales were modest initially because the idea of buying a yacht and having it based in a place most persons had only read about was a tough sell.  The tax incentives at the time were centered on those available to investors in real property. The IRS had not fully focused on the similar but still almost unknown concept of yacht ownership.

Expanding the fleet

With the growth of the business came the realization that the original location of the Tortola base,which was at Ft. Burt in the northwest corner of Road Town, would not sustain the activity the partners envisioned.  The BVI was developing some water front areas, Wickham Cay I and Wickham Cay II. Charlie was able to convince the government that they should entrust the long-term development to Wickham Cay II and with it jobs and tourism for the BVI.  On my first visit to the BVI, The Moorings at Whickam Cay II was underway. At the time there were few automobiles and paved roads were limited mostly to Road Town. Chickens and Goats were almost as welcomed as customers in the Barclays Bank and one of the favorite modes of transport was the donkey.

I would travel to the BVI in January and stay until May or June. I would in effect have a non-stop six-month boat show with a yacht on the quay in front of the Mariner Inn restaurant. I lived on the yacht, swapped it out when it was scheduled for charter and made presentations on the ownership program to charterers and prospective buyers.

Catching conch

Thursday was typically the slow day at The Moorings, so Ginny Cary and I would take a ferry from Road Town to Anegada when we had the chance. We’d pack a lunch and walk over from the dock at Anegada Reef Hotel to Loblolly Bay. Ginny would read a book and I’d harvest conch that we’d take back to The Mariner Inn Restaurant. The conch was cleaned and prepared for conch roti and conch fritters, and served at the restaurant. 

The Lead Ship

Although The Moorings is now a global company offering many destination choices for yachtsmen, the flagship location in the BVI has been and will always be The Moorings.

She was devastated in Hurricane IRMA and the rebuilding continues. Many of the owners that lost yachts bought new boats and are back enjoying the program and its worldwide benefits.  Some of these owners are on their 7th boat with us.  At the Annapolis Boat Show 2018 I ran into one of our owners at the stand booking a charter with his wife.  Why was he booking a charter? His seventh boat had just phased out and at 80+ years thought they would charter moving forward instead of buying another boat into a 5 year program. 

50 years at the top

That is what has made The Moorings the #1 charter company in the world for 50 Years.  Not the company with most pins in the map, not the company that tries to be all things to all people. It’s the company that has the unwavering support of its charter guests, its “partners” in yacht ownership and all the enthusiasm we see each year at major yacht exhibition when we welcome our “partners” and charters to join us for big thank you parties. I joke with owners and potential owners. Can you imagine if I had not imparted to potential buyers exactly what to expect I would not be still doing this after over 40 years.

As I look back on all my years with The Moorings and all the wonderful experiences created for our partners and our charterers because of a vision that Charlie & Ginny Cary and Tony & Sheryl Rainold had, I am happy to have been a part of it all.

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Guaranteed Income, No Matter What

April 18, 2019 | News

There is just something about peace of mind.

After a proven track record of 50 years of loyalty to owners, there is a reason why The Moorings says Guaranteed Income with confidence. This guarantees that the buyer of a yacht will receive an on-time payment every month that the yacht is in the fleet, regardless of charter activity. But what this also means is that The Moorings promises to fulfill your owner payment each month even if your yacht has been damaged and is out of commission for repairs. 

Will I get payment if my yacht is out of service?

In the event of a natural disaster, let's say your yacht has sustained damage and she is taken out of charter to complete the repairs. Whether your yacht is undergoing repairs for one month or one year, the checks will still come, and your owner payment will stay consistent. It is also important to note that the yacht is fully insured through the company, and therefore, as an owner, you will not have to pay any insurance fees. Follow this link to read more on insurance. Moorings Owner, George Psaros, reveals what he knows, "After Hurricane Irma, our yacht was out of service for 8 months and The Moorings did not make any revenue off of it during this time. And what was consistent throughout the whole process was that every check arrived from The Moorings, on time. I have friends who owned boats with other companies in shared revenue schemes and the payments stopped immediately. Some of these owners got hurt pretty bad." 

50 years of perfecting customer service

And George is no novice to charter ownership. In fact, he has owned boats with five different charter companies. "What I have learned is that promises from other charter companies evaporate pretty quickly. They show you on paper that you will do better if you buy through them instead of The Moorings. I can tell you that I have always done better in revenue with The Moorings." 

The success of The Mooring Yacht Ownership Program lies in the honestly, integrity, and reputation of promises. While the yachting community suffered one of the biggest disasters the industry has ever seen just a few short years ago, The Moorings always kept true to promises made to owners. We consider our owners to not only be investors in the company, but a part of The Moorings family as well. And through the losses and the rebuilding, it has been important to uphold the standard that provides The Moorings ability to remain the best charter company in the world. 

George explains, "The first boat I owned was with The Moorings in 2001, I tried other companies and then I came back. I had experiences with a different charter company in which my checks were chronically late. What is really good about The Moorings is that the Owner Care Team will bend over backwards to accommodate the owners, and they are honest about availability of yachts."

And as for repairs that were made to George's Moorings 4800, and what the future might hold for this sailor,  "I used owner times while my boat was out of service, and I have used my own boat when she was back in service. They have done an outstanding job on repairs, the boat has a brand new rig. When my boat comes out of service in July of next year, I will consider trading my boat in for the purchase of a Moorings 5000," he reveals. 

Can I trade my damaged boat in for a new one?

During the aftermath of Hurricane Irma there were instances in which owners had badly damaged yachts. Some of these owners decided they wanted to trade in for a new yacht that they could put into The Moorings Charter Fleet. Unique to The Moorings is the opportunity trade in your yacht so she can then be sold through the brokerage team at The Moorings Brokerage. This makes it simple to trade or sell your yacht. The owners who decided to go the route of trading their damaged yacht for a new one, continued to receive each owner payment while they patiently waited for the delivery of their new yacht.

It is because of financial stability and loyalty to clients that The Moorings is the number one choice for charter yacht ownership. If you would like to know more about our Guaranteed Income Program, click the button below to contact us today. 

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I Own a Boat... in Tahiti

February 27, 2019 | News

Why own a yacht in a Tahiti? This is certainly a fair question to ask. But what you should be asking yourself is, "Why not own a yacht in Tahiti?". If you are reading this blog post than it is highly probable that you have gone on a charter vacation before and the whole time you wondered why would I ever want to plan a land-based vacation again. It is the itch that scratches many of us sailors and boaters. 

It sparks the dream of one day owning a yacht. And after the rum has worn off you go back to the idea that perhaps a little land and a little boat would be the perfect combination. Look no further than French Polynesia. The islands of Tahiti are no more than an 8-hour flight from Los Angeles and located in the heart of the Pacific, consisting of 118 island and five archipelagos. These cruising grounds are loaded with culture, reefs, beaches, adventures and cuisine. It doesn't matter what kind of vacation you are looking for, you will find it here! It is a picture-perfect postcard sailing destination. You could search your whole life to find a greater paradise and I am willing to bet that you will come up empty handed.

Tahiti-2And this is not the kind of place that you visit once and then decide you've seen it all. In fact, it is quite the opposite. With the endless amounts of rain forest, reefs, islands and lagoons, you could visit 100 times and make new discoveries each visit. This is especially true when you are doing this from the comfort of a yacht.  Of the five archipelagos, Tahiti can be found in what is called the Society Islands. These tropical lands consist of both Windward and Leeward Islands and they are surrounded by lagoons. These lagoons serve as natures finest water parks. 

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It is not a coincidence that cruisers and land lovers alike place Tahiti high on their list for travel destinations. And from Tahiti, by boat, you are not confined to one single location but instead you have the ability to sail from island to island, discovering a different charm in each one. If you are sailing on your yacht with The Moorings, you will first spend your time discovering the Tahitian Leewards: Bora-Bora, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Huahine. We make no mistake when we tell you that these islands are enchanting. Each one with its own special ambiance and culture. 

These cruising grounds are made for those who truly love to be on the water. When you are done exploring the reefs and the anchorages of one location, your sail to the next island will most likely take a few enjoyable hours. When island hopping these territories the sailing is fantastic and it is not line of sight. When you've arrived to your anchorage for the evening, indulge in a tranquil sunset each evening over the blue Pacific and enjoy a rich glass of French wine.Tahiti-1

Instead of discovering the chartered territories of the Caribbean, why not step outside the box and completely engulf yourself in the islands of French Polynesia? Dare to do something different. After spending days discovering (by boat) black pearl farms, vanilla plantations, untouched reefs, live volcanoes and uninhibited islands, book yourself a house at one of the hundreds of over-water villas that these islands have to offer. Relax, press pause and treat yourself for a few days before you head back to your respective home country. Or don't. That choice is yours. 

 To learn more about owning a yacht in Tahiti, fill out the form below to contact us today!

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Moorings Owners Reinvest After Loss

January 15, 2019 | News

If you were the owner of your perfect yacht and you lost her to a natural disaster, what would you do? If you are Jeff and Adrienne Cone, you accept what is, pick yourselves up and find a more perfect yacht. The Cones, previously owners of a Moorings 4800, are now the proud owners of a Moorings 4500, and they are sharing their ownership story with us.

Jeff-Adrienne-0119Jeff and Adrienne have been familiar with our Ownership Program for quite some time.In fact, Adrienne's Mom worked for The Moorings during the time that our headquarters was making the transition from New Orleans to Clearwater, FL. Adrienne had grown up sailing, and it was some time around 2011 that the couple had started to frequent boat shows around the US. They would spend hours at each boat show climbing aboard every catamaran on the market and trying to figure out what it was that they wanted in a yacht.

With some Moorings Yacht Owners you will find that the purpose of their being in the program is to visit many destinations, for others, they choose our program because of the integrity of our company, for others it's the amount of owner's use, the list goes on. For this couple, considering they intend to live aboard their boat when she is phased out of the program, I was curious-- did they join our ownership program because of the yachts or because of the program itself? Jeff revealed, "It was a combination of both. We just felt like the stars aligned. In July of 2013 our family chartered a Moorings 5800 and a Moorings 4800. After that trip we fell in love with the 4800."

The two non-negotiable items for the couple was a boat that they could put into a charter fleet and a boat that they could have a full-time, live-aboard crew on while in the charter fleet. The reason for buying into the program on a crewed yacht was for the fact that they would have a crew at the base to personally take care of their boat and maintain her, and they would be able to gain knowledge and experience from the Captain of their vessel. When asked if they had considered private ownership, they explained that for what they were planning on doing, the cost of private ownership was too high. In 5 years, after participating in the program and becoming skilled sailors, they could confidently depart from the Caribbean and begin their journey around the world. "The timing for the program was great, we were not experienced catamaran sailors, so we needed practice. We spend a week or two on our own boat per year, but then we also take out the same type of yacht that we own but a bareboat version without a captain so we can gain experience for ourselves. When we retire we want to sail around the world for about ten years. Once we are done with the program we know we have a very well-maintained boat and all the depreciation had been paid," Adrienne explained. 

Jeff and Adrienne thoroughly enjoyed their Moorings 4800, Ru-Ach, for a few years in our BVI charter fleet. When they received the news that Ru-Ach did not survive Hurricane Irma, they were devastated.

Shortly after discovering the fate of their yacht, they had the opportunity to sail a Leopard 45 (Moorings 4500) in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and it was then that they knew what their next move would be. The couple decided that this was the yacht they were going to buy, and they did. "While we hadn't ever thought that we would own another boat, it was time for us to start looking again and when we had the opportunity to sail the new 4500, we knew we were going to love that boat. The Moorings 4500 was easier and more fun to sail. The layout of the helm station flows much better, although the helm station is a bit smaller. Most of the time it will be just the two of us on board so the biggest thing for us is that I can control the boat better and I can see better. We lost space, but we gained other things. If you have never sail the 4800, you aren't going to miss anything because the 4500 is so well laid-out."

Jeff and Adrienne purchased a Moorings 4500 Crewed Yacht in the BVI and they are thrilled to own this upgraded model. The couple has just returned from two weeks in the BVI. The first week they were on a Moorings 4500 and the second week they spent aboard a Moorings 4800. Having the opportunity to really compare their new yacht to their old yacht, they concluded that they could not be more pleased with their new Moorings 4500, Wind Therapy. Wind Therapy arrived in the BVI a few weeks ago, and Jeff attests, "We are very excited to have our new baby." 

As for future sailing plans for the Cones? They have big goals. "We want to spend two seasons in the Caribbean, then visit Bermuda, the Azores and do two seasons in the Mediterranean. From there we will come back to the Caribbean and do the ARC.We hope to have our grandson spend a month or two with us each summer, no matter where we might be." 

If you are interested in purchasing a yacht through The Moorings and would like to obtain more information on how our insurance works, please head over to our sister company's blog to learn more.

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Highlights of Cruising in Low Season

December 18, 2018 | News

‘Tis the season for our friends in the Caribbean to have their busiest time of year, and for the yacht sales team in the United States to have a bit of a break from boat shows.  We are happy to answer questions about our Yacht Ownership Program year round, but boat show season gives us the opportunity to speak to people in person and finally put faces to the names of our clients considering their options.  One of my favorite parts of shows is when owners in our Yacht Ownership Program come by to say hi, and inevitably end up chatting with prospective owners and giving them their personal highlights and experiences in the program.  My colleagues and I can answer the detailed questions about owner use, agreements and all the fine print, but speaking with actual owners who can validate the things we explain about the program is the perfect endorsement…and owners usually end up bragging about how much fun they are having cruising at our locations worldwide!

Another common occurrence at boat shows is that we can see people react to hearing “High Season and Low Season”, and unfortunately seem to perceive Low Season as “off season”, or undesirable times to be on the water.  Low Season in the Caribbean is April 16 – December 15, and I have been lucky to have been in the BVI in the end of April, beginning of May, June, July, August, November and December.  I know owners who love to go in September and October, and while many of the restaurants are closed during that time, they still have a wonderful time.  The crowds are smaller, which is great at the Baths and Indians, but there are still enough people to get a good dance party going at any of the usual spots.  I have spoken to owners who have visited our Mediterranean locations in Low Season (March 1 – June 15 and September 23 – November 30) and they only ever speak fondly of their travels. 

Something else that frequently comes up from prospective owners is “I don’t have 12 weeks of vacation to get enough use out of the program”.  Very few (very lucky!) owners have 12 weeks available in a year to use all of their time in Low Season for 1 point a day.   Of course when an owner goes in High Season it is 2 points per day so then they have less than 12 weeks available, but another great way to get the most out of owner use without going 12 weeks a year is to take more than one boat out at once.  As long as there is an owner on board each boat, owners can create their own mini flotillas, and use the amount of points needed for each boat.  So you can take out multiple boats at the same time for extended family or larger groups to island hop together. 

This past August, friends and I met up in the BVI and chartered a Sunsail 454 and a Moorings 514PC, which was a great way to get a lot of people together, and the crew could take turns sailing and navigating the winds, or relaxing on the flybridge of the power cat for the journey from one island to another.  We had paddle boards and inflatable birds galore, so rafting up next to each other gave us lots of opportunity to hop from one catamaran to the other and climb onto our flotation devices with ease. 

We had The Moorings provision both boats, and even with a range of vegetarians to meat lovers amongst us, we enjoyed delicious potluck meals on board (comfortably spread out between the aft cockpit and flybridge on the Moorings 514PC) and alternated with some snacks, lunches and dinners at some of our favorite spots around the islands.  We celebrated a big birthday with a reservation for dinner at Foxy’s, so the table for 12 was set for an amazing dinner, and even though the man, the myth, the legend Sir Foxy Callwood was not on island, we still had a great time in the house he and his team have built. 

Now that it is December it seems like our amazing August trip was so long ago, but as usual we started talking about the “next trip” on day one of the last trip, so we will be making tropical memories again soon enough! 

Coming soon! Don't miss part two of my trip to the BVI blog, where I will share with you my full itinerary and provide progress details of the BVI after Hurricane Irma.

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The Relationship Between The Moorings and Leopard Catamarans

December 18, 2018 | News

Have you ever wanted to know more about the relationship between the two companies? Well we are going to explain to you exactly how the two brands are related in this post.

The History of The Moorings & Leopard Catamarans

Although founded in 1969, it was not until 1994 that The Moorings decided to enter catamarans into their charter fleet. After an extensive amount of research, The Moorings decided that Robertson & Caine of Cape Town, South Africa would be the most qualified builders to provide a rugged catamaran up to the challenge of crossing the Atlantic Ocean during their deliveries to the BVI at first, but eventually crossing all oceans to various charter bases around the world. These yachts had to be well-constructed, easy to handle, simple to maintain, spacious and fun to sail. Robertson & Caine built these catamarans exclusively for The Moorings charter fleet for five years, but eventually inquiries began from customers asking how they could own these catamarans from The Moorings without going through a Yacht Management Program. Due to the fast-growing popularity for these ruggedly-built, easy to maintain and exciting to sail catamarans, private ownership was the natural evolution. 

From The Moorings to Leopard Catamarans

In 2000, Leopard Catamarans was conceived. Purchasing a catamaran into The Moorings Yacht Ownership Program may be the easiest way to own a yacht, but it is not the ideal way to own for everyone. Because so many clients had begged the question, "How can I buy one and keep it for myself?", the brand Leopard Catamarans was created as means of a different way to own a Moorings Catamaran. Leopard Catamarans are the same catamarans that you will find in The Moorings Charter Fleets. Robertson & Caine exclusively builds these yachts for THL Marine, which is the umbrella in which both brands operate under.

Are the boats any different?

The same pillars of well-built, easy to maintain and effortless handling was requested by private owners looking for the same features as the charter boats.  However, the needs of private ownership are different than the needs of charter ownership. Many private owners are full-time or part-time live aboard and thus need a plethora of choices that you would not typically find on a charter yacht. The catamarans sold by The Moorings come with standard specifications to maintain a uniform fleet. Leopard Catamarans offer features geared toward full-time live-aboard clients. For example, offering an option for three cabin versions with the entire starboard hull dedicated to an owner suite, additional storage space, options such as washer / dryer, and more. All Leopard and Moorings Catamarans are built from the same mold and to the same high standards.

Is a Leopard Catamaran considered a Moorings Catamaran?

In the short answer, no. However, you could say that a Moorings Catamaran is considered a Leopard Catamaran. If you were to purchase a Leopard Catamaran you could build your boat to fit the exact factory option criteria of a Moorings Charter Catamaran, the only difference between the two boats would then be that the yachts are branded differently.

You could say that the boats are sister ships built by Robertson & Caine. For reference: Moorings 4000 = Leopard 40; Moorings 4500 = Leopard 45; Moorings 5000 = Leopard 50; Moorings 5800 = Leopard 58; Moorings 514PC = Leopard 51 PC; Moorings 433 PC = Leopard 43 PC


The Moorings and Leopard Catamarans are part of the Travelopia family, a leading specialist travel group owned by global investment firm KKR.

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A Teenager's Guide to Discovering the Greek Islands

December 18, 2018 | News

If you had to close your eyes and dream up the perfect holiday, what would it look like? If you are anything like our Yacht Sales Team your perfect holiday consists of two very important parts: the first part being a yacht and the second part being islands.

Picture yourself island hopping around the Greek Isles aboard a catamaran. Experiencing this type of vacation is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a lot of people. Unless of course you own a yacht with The Moorings, in which case this is the type of holiday you relive multiple times a year in multiple locations. 

For Isabella, 12, she has grown up with the opportunity to take vacations similar to this with her family on a few different occasions. And while we love reading reports from our owners on their holidays in paradise, we thought you might be interested to discover what a powercat vacation in the Mediterranean might be like through the eyes of a young teenager.

Isabella, along with her parents, spent a week in Greece aboard a Moorings 434PC. This was her experience....

 

Arriving in Athens 

We started off the first day going to the marina in Athens to pick up our boat. The waiting area at The Moorings base was very comfortable, and near the base there were many restaurants and cafes. While we were waiting we ate lunch and the food was great. 

After lunch our boat was ready. We got on the boat, and wow, it was so pretty! The first thing that happened was picking out cabins and taking a look around. Then there was a guy who came on the boat and he explained where everything was located, for example the life vests, fire extinguishers, fenders, ropes etc. Right after the first guy left there was another one that explained how everything functioned on the boat such as the dinghy, the controls, the GPS, stereo etc. They were both extremely descriptive, helpful and friendly.

There was a supermarket not too far from our boat. It's super convenient because it's close, it has a lot of food options and they will deliver to your boat which is amazing when you purchase a lot of food. The boat provided us with many supplies like snorkeling gear and many kitchen utensils to cook with.

I really wanted to play music on the boat, so my dad showed me that there was Bluetooth. I connected my phone and the sound was great. I could also play it anywhere on the boat.  

 Finally, we ate dinner at Portofino at the base. Of course when we ate dinner my dad didn't check the price of the fish so he ended up paying 110 euros for a fish! 

A day to snorkel and swim

I slept great, the bed was so comfortable. We started off having breakfast at a small restaurant near Portofino. I had the toast with ham, cheese and tomatoes. I totally recommend it. 

 Then we got the boat ready to go to Cape Sounion. It took about three hours to arrive there. We went for a little swim, then we ate lunch on the boat. After lunch my dad and I went snorkeling. 

 After the snorkel we went out to dinner. I had fried calamari which was amazing! It was all great until it started to rain all over us and our food. We had to move inside during dinner. Even though the rain was inconvenient, the food was excellent. 

The boat to myself and the Island of Kea

This morning my mom made avocado and eggs for breakfast. After breakfast my parents went to the temple of Poseidon. I decided to stayed on the boat and clean it with a bucket that I filled with sea water and poured all over the boat. 

When my parents came back it was time for lunch. They brought back food for all of us to eat. When we finished lunch we left to the next island, the Island of Kea. We anchored in Kavia. When we arrived we jumped in the water to cool off. Everything about it was beautiful and the water was so clear. We swam for a while, we took some pictures and we saw a swordfish jumping out of the water in the distance, it was like the fish was flying!

We wanted to eat dinner at a little beach bar but then realized the menu was limited so we went to a restaurant that was so unbelievably beautiful. It had tables right near the water and the view was amazing, and to make it even better the food was great. This was probably my favorite restaurant out of all of them so far. It was called Koundouros Beach. 

Discovering Kythnos and some improvising 

Today we woke up a little late, around 9:30am. We had breakfast on the boat and then relaxed for a while. My mom was getting ready, my dad worked and I worked on this blog.

After hanging out on the boat we went snorkeling for a little bit. After snorkeling we went to Kolona Beach on the island of Kythnos. It was beautiful here with a sand bar dividing two bays. We had lunch at the taverna. When we finished lunch my parents hiked to a little hill with a small church on top of it. 

We came back to the boat and I saw other kids on floats attached to a dinghy. They were getting pulled at high speed. I really wanted to do it too but I didn't have a float. So I discussed with my mom how to improvise. We came up with the idea to use fenders. I told my dad and he thought it was a good idea. He tied two fenders together and attached them to the back of the dinghy.

 Then we went to the sand bar/ beach and went swimming. The water was a little cold so my dad told us about hot springs and we took the dinghy there. There was a mini pool of water surrounded by rocks, we went in it and it was so warm and relaxing.

 After the hot springs we went back to the boat and had dinner on board.

Setting off to Serifos

As soon as we woke up we started cruising to Serifos. On the way there we had breakfast. 

 After we anchored we took the dingy a shore and went to a taverna right on the water. The view was amazing and the food was wonderful. After lunch we bought some food for the boat and walked around these cute little streets with different shops. We did a little shopping and I got a bowl of ice cream. My dad and I did some swimming on the beach after that. 

 My mom made up dinner and then we all went to bed for the night.

A day-long journey to Poros

We woke up and had breakfast. Then right away we got the boat ready to go to Poros. It took about seven hours to arrive there. The first two hours there was a lot of wind and waves, things were falling everywhere, we could barely even walk!

 My mom prepared some food for lunch when it was calmer.

We arrived to Poros and had the idea of docking but it was a little too loud and too busy, so my mom and I helped my dad anchor. We noticed the islands had a lot of street cats so we brought two cans of tuna from the boat to shore. We walked around, shopped and looked around for street cats, we found a lot so we fed them. After exploring we went to a restaurant that was very pretty called Caravella Taverna. The service was great and so was the food. 

 After dinner we walked around more and much later went back to the boat.

More exploring and then back to base

We woke up bright and early today. My parents went to have breakfast and I stayed back on the boat. When they got back from breakfast my dad and I went to Russian Bay which was about 15 minutes away. There was a very small island that had a house on it. It was very interesting to see. We enjoyed a snorkel around the little island. .

After that we went straight back to the marina in Athens where we picked the boat up. My dad docked the boat,  and once we tied up we walked around the marina a while. We decided to have dinner at Portofino again, the same place we ate at the first day. 

The trip comes to an end

We woke up and had a good breakfast at a cute bakery. We packed up our things and headed to the airport. 

As we reflected on the past week, we all agreed that we had a wonderful time and I would love to do it again!

Isabella Bauguil, 12

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