July
Charter Smarter specializes in 50- to 100-foot catamarans.
The crew at one of the largest exclusively crewed yacht management companies in the Caribbean has packed a lot in the decade since the company’s founding. Paradise Yacht Management, based in St. Thomas, USVI, now counts yacht sales, yacht clearing, yacht maintenance and parts, yacht management, and yacht charters in its wheelhouse of services. Late last year, the company opened a new segment of its business, an in-house charter broker called Charter Smarter.
The brokerage specializes in 50- to 100-foot catamarans and offers all-inclusive yacht vacations for up to 10 guests in the U.S., British, and Spanish Virgin Islands waters. “The goal is to match the guest with the perfect yacht and crew,” says Phil Scarlata, director of sales and marketing. “Charter Smarter’s fifty-plus yachts for charter include a custom itinerary, private cabins, a captain, a chef, onboard meals and drinks, and much more, ensuring a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. This new venture complements bookings from the company’s long-standing network of trusted charter brokers.” chartersmarter.com
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Dock and Dine at The Hut Off Antigua
There’s a new place to dock and dine on a small private island in the Caribbean. The Hut, located on Little Jumby Island, a stone’s throw from Jumby Island where there’s a five-star luxury resort of the same name and four minutes by The Hut’s ferry from mainland Antigua’s Barnacle Point, opened this past winter. Guests can also BYOB (bring your own boat), anchor, and The Hut’s staff will provide tender service to shore. The 15-acre island is uninhabited save for the upscale restaurant and beach club. Both are open to the public, but reservations are requested. Menus for lunch, dinner, cocktails, kids, and vegetarians/vegans reflect a “globally inspired brasserie-style menu,” with craft cocktails and fresh seafood dishes. thehutlittlejumby.com
Peek into the Past of Caribbean Sailboat Racing
This summer, sit at the beachside in Martinique or Anguilla and watch America’s Cup rivaling racing competition in traditional wood-built Caribbean sailboats. On Martinique, the Tour des Yoles kicks off from the seaside resort town of Le Diamant on July 27th for a week-long race around the 436-square-mile island, stopping in seaside villages each night for festivities. The Martinique yole, officially listed in UNESCO’s Register of Good Practices for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2020, is a light, fast, shallow-draft boat with a tapered shape, one or two sails, and movable poles for the crew to sit on to balance the boat. In Anguilla, the culmination of a six-month series of races for 23- and 28-foot deckless wooden sailboats, with sandbags or rocks for ballast and carbon fiber sails, ends during Carnival Week, August 3-10. Sandy Ground is the place to watch the top boats compete for Boat of the Year and Champion of Champions. In an age where sailboat racing is increasingly technical, watching yole, work boats, and sloops compete, cheered by friends and family, is as exciting as it is refreshing. tourdesyoles.com; anguillaboatracingassoc.com
-by Carol Bareuther
