It is crucial for any investor considering purchasing a charter catamaran to understand as much about this business as possible, not the least of which being vessel selection, as well as how she should be equipped. Getting this right will make an enormous difference in the business outcome for the vessel.  

First, consider the cabin arrangement and guest capacity. Remember one cabin needs to be dedicated to the crew, as great crews will not commit to running a season if they are confined to V-berth accommodation spaces. The business viability requires at least 6 guests, accommodated in 3 en-suite cabins, better yet 8 guests in 4 en-suite cabins or a maximum of 10 guests in 5 en-suite cabins. The guest spaces should ideally include walk around, ideally queen size beds.

Second, A flybridge, or sky lounge is also becoming a sought after space, almost to the point of being a necessity. This space should also ideally have sun shade, either as a fabric bimini or hard top.

As a general rule the more separate guest spaces around the vessel, eg foredeck seating, comfortable cockpit, spacious saloon, flybridge and dinghy platform, the better. The vessel definitely needs to feel spacious for the number of guests and crew on board. 

Third, the vessel must have a good supply of water toys available for guest use. As an absolute minimum 2 x SUP?s, a kayak, snorkel gear for all, a sub wing, a towable tube, a floating island, pool noodles and possibly a knee board or skis. It would be ideal to also have sea scooters, an e-foil and scuba gear.   

A great sound system, AC system throughout and a watermaker are also must haves.

The above required spaces, cabins and storage for toys etc would dictate the need for a 50ft to 70 ft vessel, obviously depending on the investors budget considerations.

We have extensive experience with the following catamaran manufacturers and would recommend their vessels to any new investor: Leopard, Lagoon, Fountaine Pajot, Bali. Not to forget the premium builders Privilege and Sunreef. Our partners at Catamarán Central are perfectly placed to guide a new investor in their search, selection and acquisition process.

We emphasize throughout our discussions with prospective investors that realistic charter volume ranges between 18 and 23 commercial charters per season. These numbers can be achieved if owners limit their personal use to 2-3 trips per season and/or during fringe periods. 

The current market conditions would require an investment in the $1.2M to $2.7M range for a pre-owned vessel, matching these specifications and in the $1.5M to $4.0M range for a new vessel. Our partners at Catamaran Central will introduce prospective investors to the advantageous tax treatment of investments in this category of business asset. However we highly recommend that all prospective investors seek professional advice in this regard from their tax consultant to understand the treatment in their own particular circumstances.  

There are multiple financing solutions available to prospective investors. We collaborate with  Coastal Boat Loan, and confidently recommend talking with them. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any more questions about yacht management and yacht purchase recommendations!

You?ve heard of the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix, + more) and the British Virgin Islands (Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, + more) – and maybe you?ve even visited them all – but have you explored the Spanish Virgin Islands yet?

If you?ve not visited this stunning stretch of islands, we recommend you add it to your bucket list stat!

The Spanish Virgin Islands are a relatively small cluster of islands and cays located in between St. Thomas and Puerto Rico. They are a part of the US, so no passport is required for US visitors.

The Spanish VI are comprised of two main islands – Vieques and Culebra – and several smaller cays, a few of which you may have also heard of such as Culebrita, Palomino Island, and Cayo Lobo.

Here are 5 Reasons Why You Should Add the Spanish VI to your Bucket List

1.- Wide open spaces

Far fewer people are familiar with the Spanish Virgin Islands in comparison to the USVI and BVI. That means there is much less tourism overall, so if peace, quiet, and near empty beaches are what you?re looking for, this is your place.

2.- It?s like stepping back in time

Visiting the Spanish VI feels a bit like a Caribbean of yesteryear. The beach bars and restaurants are small, locally-run, and have an off-the-beaten-path kind of vibe. Much of the islands and cays are rugged and untamed, allowing you to hike and explore, as if for the first time.

3.- Abundant flora and fauna

The Spanish Virgin Islands are home to a wide array of incredible plants and animals. If you?re a nature lover, you?ll be in heaven here among the free roaming horses on Vieques, the bioluminescent bay, goats, seabirds, and thriving reefs.

4.- The brightest stars

With very little development on these islands, that means the ?light pollution? here is virtually non-existent. Some visitors say that they?ve never seen stars shine brighter than they do over the Spanish Virgin Islands.

5.- If you know, you know

Truly exploring the Spanish Virgin Islands is like entering into a secret club. Have you hiked to the old lighthouse? Did the sea turtles greet you when you pulled into their beach? Did you eat mofongo while watching the waves? If you know, you know.
How to Charter to the Spanish Virgin Islands
If you?re interested in your own sailing adventure to the Spanish Virgin Islands, we have several yachts in our fleet available to take you there (click the links to tour the individual yachts): Laysan, True Story, Champagne, Big Nauti, and Libra. 

Contact our yacht consultant for more details, to check availability, and to start planning your Spanish Virgin Islands yacht charter.

More and more people are entering the yachting universe. What used to be the privilege of a happy few is quickly becoming a reasonable investment opportunity for many. If you?ve been curious about how you, too, could become a yacht owner, as well as how it could be a viable business venture, read on.

Current boating trends open up the possibilities of yacht ownership

Boat sales have continued to be on a sharp rise since the start of the COVID pandemic – the NMMA, National Marine Manufacturers Association reports a 34% increase in power boat sales in February 2021 in the USA, compared to February 2020. At the Annapolis sailboat show this last October 2021, orders for new catamarans were taken into 2025. At the Paris Salon Nautique, December 4-12, 2021, record sales were being registered. This is a very good sign for the industry as a whole.

New ownership experiences: Yacht as Business

Owning a yacht is one thing, but turning it into a profitable business is another thing altogether. Doing this correctly will totally redefine your yacht. You don?t need to be an expert sailor, or boater, to participate in this adventure. The only way to accomplish this objective is to place your yacht into commercial charter operations.

Unless you have yacht maintenance, accounting, crew selection and recruitment, charter management skills, yacht charter experience, and significant time on your hands, you should seriously consider recruiting a professional charter yacht management company to provide these services to you.

Even though there are many ?owner operators? running their own vessels, as well as owners personally managing their yachts, there are many drawbacks and pitfalls that owners unwittingly experience when pursuing this route.

Why buy a yacht and place it into business?

One really good reason to place your yacht into commercial charter operations is to take advantage of the US tax code. Section 179 of the US Tax Code allows for a very effective deduction of the cost of your yacht against your taxable income.

Another good reason for entering into this luxury niche market is that yacht owners are somewhat like art collectors; the more you share your asset, the more aspirational it becomes, which in turn increases its value. Commercial yachts, like works of art, honestly could be classified as ?public? assets, i.e. privately owned but enjoyed by the public. It is very difficult to accurately assess their true value.

For example buying an exquisite piece of art is not necessarily ?profitable,? however it most certainly will transform your lifestyle. The yachting market behaves in a similar manner. The current reality though has had market values boosted due to the enormous current supply chain challenges for new yacht manufacture.

How you can avoid issues when structuring your yacht ownership as a business

• Do significant due diligence and select a reputable yacht broker to guide you through the acquisition process and assist you with the difficult buying decisions including:
Yacht selection – The most suitable vessel for commercial charter operations is most often not the most suitable for cruising.
Equipment and feature selection
Flagging and licensing

• Similarly, do significant due diligence and select a reputable yacht management company. The good businesses in this space will:
  Work with your yacht broker to advise on the most suitable vessel, systems, configuration, etc. for commercial charter operations.
  Advise on the most appropriate charter base to select with appropriate infrastructure, like an international airport with several mainland connections, and services, etc.
  Provide a detailed pro forma income statement for the vessel you are considering to allow you to fully understand the anticipated results your yacht owning business might achieve.

• In selecting your charter yacht management company, you should:
  Compare the rates and services the yacht management companies offer and understand how you will be charged for the management of your yacht.
  Select a company which is clear about your exit strategy.
  Ensure they adopt a fully transparent approach to their managed yacht?s accounting including making detailed reporting available on a regular basis.
  Select a modern company which uses reliable software for accounting, fleet management, utilizes compliant contracts, and offers excellent customer support.
  Ensure they have competent experienced staff covering yacht operations, charter operations, accounting, and broker management.
  Ensure that they are an established entity with a growing reputation, including membership to professional yachting associations such as IYBA, MYBA, VIPCA, CYBA, etc. ensuring that they can participate in yachting events worldwide to promote your vessel.

We hope this helps give you a useful peek into the industry of yacht ownership and the yacht charter business. If you?d like to dive deeper into what?s involved in yacht management, feel free to contact our yacht consultant. We love chatting about all things yachts.

Now you can comfortably start looking for the nearest boat show to imagine your next investment!

Are you planning an upcoming vacation to the Virgin Islands?

We hear from many guests that they feel torn when doing their research on where to stay. On one hand, they love the idea of taking their holiday to sea – exploring the islands by yacht and waking up in a new bay each day. But they also feel drawn to the land-based resort experience – a beach and pool just steps from their room and a restaurant to pop into whenever they like.

The USVI Vacation Dilemma: Solved

Typically, planning a vacation that includes both options – time staying at sea and time staying on land – hasn?t been easy (or even feasible) when it comes to length of stay and logistics. That is, until now.
We?ve got good news: you can now do both! And we?ll help make it simple and easy to plan.

&Beyond Yacht Charters has partnered with the private island resort, Lovango Beach Club, to bring travelers an exclusive new vacation concept called Stay & Sail.

Stay & Sail: Your Ideal Blend of Yachting + Beach Club-bing

The Stay & Sail Vacation Package gives travelers the best of both worlds. We work with you to customize an itinerary that blends your perfect mix of 3-5 nights on a luxury yacht charter with however many nights of indulgence you desire at the Lovango Resort.
You can view sample itineraries here. 
Lovango Resort?s boutique accommodations are unlike anywhere else in the Virgin Islands. Whether you choose to stay in one of their glamping tents, or their luxury treehouses, or their private villa, you?ll feel ensconced in the natural, tropical environment while still enjoying all of the upscale amenities of a 5-star resort including shopping, a beach club, and waterfront dining.

credit: @lovangoresort

Before or after your nights at the resort, depending on your personalized itinerary, you?ll board one of our modern, spacious catamarans to explore more of the surrounding islands and cays.  Your all-inclusive yacht charter experience comes with a talented private chef who will cater to your dietary needs and preferences, plenty of yacht toys, and plush accommodations.

Let us help you plan your ideal land + sea holiday

Contact our yacht consultant to design the Virgin Islands getaway you?ve been dreaming of. There?s no better way to experience the full magic the VI has to offer than through Stay & Sail. Away we go!

Do you ever wish you could have your own personal chef? Even those of us who love to cook appreciate a break from time to time, especially on vacation.
The all inclusive experience is one of the main attractions of the yacht charter vacation. Knowing that your food and drinks will be taken care of is a huge weight off everyone?s shoulders in your family/group. No research, no shopping, no budgeting, no planning, no reservations – it?s all taken care of on yacht charter so you can relax and play, free from those responsibilities.
Each of our luxury yachts is crewed by a captain and a chef. Our chefs are a highly talented, creative group who love nothing more than pleasing the palates of the guests who come aboard their vessels.

credit: @thebignauti

While the perks of having your own personal chef are many, here are a couple, in particular, that our guests consistently rave about.

Special requests? No problem!

Your yacht chef will do everything they can to accommodate your specific dietary needs and preferences. Simply let us know in advance and your chef will not only ensure you?ve got plenty of options onboard for your entire stay, but they may even come up with something extra delicious that you?ve never tried before. Vegan? Gluten free? Allergic to shellfish? No problem!

credit: @sail.felix

You?re never without a tasty treat nearby.

First time guests sometimes ask us if there will be enough food or if they need to bring anything extra. Not to worry – we?ve got you covered. Our chefs not only plan your main meals, they also plan out an array of fun treats and snacks for you to grab anytime. No one is ever hungry on yacht charter!

You get to discover dishes + flavors that quickly become your new favorites.

We can?t tell you how many times past guests have reached out asking for what was in a particular dish they had on charter, telling us they?ve been craving it ever since they got back home. Our chefs are well-traveled and come from a variety of backgrounds. Many have extensive culinary training and specialties that they showcase in their creations while on charter. Our chefs also love to incorporate locally sourced ingredients and destination-specific flavors to complement your Caribbean experience. One piece of advice? Be prepared to be wowed!

credit: @islandrandr

If you have more questions about food options on yacht charter (or anything else), feel free to comuníquese con nuestro asesor de yates - – we?re always available to chat and help you plan the trip of a lifetime.

Publicado en NewsWeek el November 22th,2021

Descubrir el mundo submarino, es sin lugar a dudas, un espectáculo natural diferente e inolvidable. Y si bien varios son los destinos que ofrecen esta actividad, practicarla de forma personalizada puede mejorar por completo nuestra experiencia. Para que esto sea posible &Beyond Yacht Charters, nos propone disfrutar de unas vacaciones tripuladas por dos profesionales del buceo, amantes del océano y verdaderos conocedores de los rincones más asombrosos de las Islas Vírgenes. Ellos viven en las islas hace muchos años, navegaron y exploraron infinitas horas y es por esto que conocen lugares increíbles, de acceso únicamente en barco y saben cual es el momento perfecto del día para ir.

A bordo de &Beyond la experiencia de buceo empieza de la mano de Heiko y Rebecca, quienes nos llevan a vivir una aventura única en el Caribe, priorizando nuestro disfrute, cuidado y confort en todo momento. Heiko, nacido y criado en Alemania, está certificado como RYA Offshore Yachtmaster. Es instructor de yoga, de freediving y su pasión es poder compartir experiencias únicas en la naturaleza. Trabajó muchos años en tecnología hasta que en 2014 decidió cumplir el sueño de viajar por el mundo. Recorrió los cinco continentes, conoció más de 30 países en los cuales escaló montañas, aprendió español, buceó y vivió aventuras increíbles dentro y fuera del mar. Lo que empezó como un viaje temporal, se convirtió en un antes y después en el camino hacia su nuevo estilo de vida en el paraíso caribeño.

Rebecca, nacida y criada en New York, se graduó en Economía y Psicología. Su vida cambió por completo en 2005 después de un viaje a Australia en el cual aprendió buceo en la Gran Barrera de Coral. Dos años más tarde, dejó la ciudad para vivir rodeada de naturaleza. Pasó dos meses buceando en Filipinas, tres meses en una expedición de conservación marina en Madagascar y cuatro meses completando su práctica de Divemaster en Malasia. Después de estas experiencias, vivió en Suecia en donde descubrió su pasión por la navegación. Se certificó en PADI y trabajó como instructora de buceo en Tailandia, Hawai e Indonesia. Hoy en día disfruta de su vida en el Caribe y de amanecer cada día con vista al paraíso.

Today she enjoys her life in the Caribbean and sunrise every day with a view of paradise. As well as diving professionals, Heiko and Rebecca are navigation captains and did their training and licensing together. With them, clients live a relaxed experience while they enjoy discovering the natural wonders of underwater life. After personalized and supervised dives, they get their clients dedicated to enjoying all of &Beyond’s onboard amenities and services.

Rebecca es amante de cocinar y algunas de sus especialidades son los menús plant based y raw, ya que ambos llevan una alimentación vegetariana. Heiko se dedica a explorar las islas en su tiempo libre, descubriendo nuevos rincones para compartir. Ambos suelen agasajar y sorprender a los huéspedes con sus manjares, sus recorridos por los mejores spots de las islas y con su pasión por inspirar un estilo de vida en armonía con la naturaleza.Apasionados por brindar un servicio de alto nivel en un ambiente relajado y amigable, Heiko y Rebecca asi como todo el equipo de &Beyond Yacht Charters, crean experiencias únicas en las Islas Vírgenes para quienes buscan unas vacaciones de relajo, disfrute y aventura en el Caribe.

¿Cuáles son algunos de los lugares más increíbles para bucear con &Beyond en las Islas Vírgenes? One of our favorite dive spots is Great Lameshur ? it’s covered in pink, purple and yellow coral, creating a dazzling underwater landscape that reminds us of a garden. The marine life that we can find is very abundant and includes tropical reef fish, small creatures such as shrimp, crabs and snails and larger species such as green sea turtles, Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks.

¿Cuáles son los requisitos para bucear junto con &Beyond? ¿Es necesario tener alguna experiencia previa? On &Beyond’s Felix Yacht we offer guided dives for certified divers, usually with Heiko, and an introduction to scuba diving called PADI Discover Scuba Diving, which is a highly supervised experience for those without scuba certification. The latter is done with Rebecca, who is an instructor and therefore qualified to do this program. The dives we do are generally shallow (maximum 12-18 meters, average 6-7 meters), relaxed and easy dives for all ages and levels, so even if a person hasn’t dived in many years, the places are and we also adjust our level of care and supervision. For those who have never dived before and want to give it a try, the PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience is the ideal way to try it out.

¿Cuántas inmersiones pueden realizarse durante nuestra estadía con &Beyond a bordo de Felix? The Felix onboard experience includes 3 dives for certified divers in a minimum rental of 6 nights. All equipment (BCD, regulator, mask, fins, wetsuit, weights, tank) is included and these dives are guided by Heiko. Additional dives can be added for an additional cost, subject to the planned itinerary, other activities the group has requested, and at the captain’s discretion. Doing a dive will normally take up the entire morning between breakfast and lunch.

¿Cuál es el principal diferencial de bucear con &Beyond? On our Felix boat and together with &Beyond we offer a luxury diving experience. We help and supervise them at all times, before, during and after entering the water. It goes without saying that during the dive, we focus on everyone being safe throughout the journey. Before each dive we provide a complete and detailed dive summary covering all necessary information, tailored to our guests’ experience and comfort level. We provide a much higher level of service than many of our guests are used to – all they have to do is dive!

Si tuvieran que describir la experiencia de buceo con &Beyond en las Islas Vírgenes en pocas palabras ¿qué dirían? We would say that it is without a doubt? an experience that will take you further!

Publicado en Noticias Nauticas el December 12th,2021

&Beyond Yacht Charters lanza el programa Stay and Sail para crear las vacaciones perfectas para los viajeros que buscan aventura y lujo tanto en tierra como en el mar.

Publicado en VIPCA el November 12-15th 2022

We were honored to have our yachts showcased and meet all of the great attendees of this year?s USVI Charter Yacht Show by VIPCA.

Publicado en Caribbean Journal el March 3th

&Beyond Yacht Charters está navegando hacia otra gran temporada, ya que St. Thomas sigue siendo uno de los destinos de navegación más populares del Caribe.