Charter yacht crews take great pains to make sure that their guests have plenty to do during their vacation in the Virgin Islands. But when plans go awry, crews have to improvise.
“We played Monopoly all day,” said Niall Reid, the boat’s captain.
Despite an initial drop in bookings amidst the 2008 global economic downturn, the crewed charter yacht industry has weathered the rough economy relatively well. And the Miss Kirsty, one of 72 yachts participating in the Charter Yacht Society’s annual Charter Yacht Show, which ended at Nanny Cay on Saturday, is poised for another good year, Mr. Reid said.
“I think people put a value on their leisure time, and the amount of boats here are testament to that,” he said, adding that a third of the yacht’s guests from last season have rebooked for this year. “That’s perfect. If we can repeat that again we’ll be golden.”
Mark Duncan, the captain of the catamaran Viking Dream, was equally optimistic on Saturday as he waited for some of the show’s brokers to check out his vessel.
“Since the recession – it’s not over, but improved – our business has gone from strength to strength,” he said. “We have 19 charters booked already and we normally do 21, so it’s almost a full season already.”
Visible on the deck of the boat were two plastic Viking helmets. Mark and his wife Sally Duncan provide them for guests to wear them while competing in the “Viking Olympics,” a series of water games that the couple devised to show guests a good time.
“It’s down to details: finding out who these people are and what they want,” Ms. Duncan said of the efforts crews make for their guests.
The standard crewed charter yacht vacation lasts a week, but Mr. Duncan said he’s heard from brokers that there’s increasing interest in shorter charters.
“They are getting more people who want to come and try this for the first time, but they don’t want to commit to a full seven days,” he said. “We’re looking at ways we can make that work for all parties.”
Ruth Ross, president of the CYS, said that this year’s show – in spite of heavy rain on Friday that postponed some activities – was a success.
“The brokers are very happy, the yachts are very happy,” she said. “Business seems to be increasing and there’s a general air of positivity.”
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