&Beyond Yacht Charters. All-Inclusive Crewed Yachts Charters

PHYSALIA

Detalles del yate

S/V Physalia, crewed and operated by her owners Chris and Kaya.

Masters level marine scientists, Chris & Kaya can offer your clients a deep immersion into the ocean world, each of them able to engage in discussion on any point of curiosity about the ocean, geology, and wildlife that abound in the Virgin Islands.

They also cater to specialty water sports including kitesurfing and wing-foiling support, as well as onboard SCUBA diving with diving instruction available.

Possibly unique to Physalia, they even have a 15’ double/single scull crew-style row boat on-board in addition to their normal dinghy.

They love treating their guests to out of the way anchorages, scenic naturalist guided hikes, fishing, free diving, paddle boarding, and kayaking. Their top-notch culinary offerings feature local ingredients and cuisines from around the world and have gotten rave reviews.

The third member of the crew and official ship’s ambassador is a very well-behaved and well-trained local pup named Waldo who melts hearts everywhere he goes. Please consider them for your clients, they won’t be disappointed!

Plazas

6

3 camas dobles

Número de camarotes

3

3 baños en suite

Costo

Low Rate: USD 18000

High Rate: USD 23000

per week

Yacht Crew

MEET YOUR CREW – Captain Chris Stubbs and Captain/Chef Kaya Carrion

Chris has been sailing since he was a small child growing up surrounded by the barrier islands and marshes of the Carolinas. His first jobs were teaching sailing and then crewing larger monohulls which led to several months aboard a 120’ schooner in New Zealand at 18. At the College of Charleston, he doubled in Anthropology and Geology with a minor in Archeology while first working as a Divemaster and Aquarium Diver, and then later joining the scientific and marine crews aboard oceanographic research vessels. Chris continued working aboard research and survey vessels through grad school while completing his Masters in Geology at UCSB. In this time, he made the first maps of tens of thousands of seafloor methane seeps in offshore California, the Gulf of Mexico, and Siberia. He also began taking friends on epic bareboat sailing adventures in the Channel Islands while advancing his scuba background and exploring his new obsession of kitesurfing.

Following grad school, he continued working in the marine geophysical survey and oceanography industries beginning in Antarctica. In 2013, he established his own freelance consulting business, and to date has worked in all the world’s oceans and continents while maintaining an excellent offshore safety record. A passionate maritime tour guide, Chris holds a 100-ton USCG Master Captain license and loves introducing his charter guests to the wonders of the Virgin Islands. A life-long extrovert, Chris loves meeting people from all walks of life and sharing stories. He spends his free time traveling, kitesurfing/foiling, trying to break out of the beginner ranks of free diving and wing foiling, and playing in the ocean with his wife Kaya.

Kaya was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She spent her life fishing, crewing, and living aboard boats traversing the British, US, and Spanish Virgin Islands, particularly Culebra Island where her family vacation home was located. Kaya was introduced into the world of scientific SCUBA diving at Florida International University where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree and worked in a seagrass ecology lab. Kaya graduated summa cum laude, with undergraduate research experience, and membership into Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Her marine biology career continued soon after in the Virgin Islands, where she completed her Master’s degree and expanded her diving experience, becoming a certified technical diver with TDI advanced nitrox and decompression diving.

More recently, Kaya’s marine science career focuses on tropical coral and fish ecology. Her diving experiences have been incredibly unique with hundreds of scientific dives completing surveys for coral health, coral reef fishes, lobster, and more. Kaya is also a highly skilled captain and holds a USCG 100-ton Master license. Apart from her ocean experiences, Kaya is fully bilingual and grew up in a family of passionate foodies including several professional chefs. Her food passion started with Puerto Rican cuisine, but grew after traveling the world where she learned and became passionate about authentic foods from Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, Italy, Japan, Greece, Peru, South Korea, Morocco, and many other countries, cooking and learning from locals at homestays throughout her multiple backpacking journeys. Kaya can provide signature dishes from many regions of the world and cater to a broad array of pallets.

Kaya and Chris met on a marine science job in Culebra, PR in 2015 and were soon spending every free moment together. After the job, Chris followed Kaya first around Puerto Rico, and then began visiting her between jobs. Conspiring with her sisters, Chris surprised Kaya during a visit to see family in Ireland when she finally agreed to be his girlfriend. They have since crossed the US via campervan, traveled through dozens of countries, and lived in CA, FL, PR, and the USVI together. They have made a point of taking regional cooking classes as they have traveled the world, and take pride in being adventurous eaters. They are both passionate marine scientists with teaching experience at the university level, and love introducing their guests to the wonders of the ocean world. Their combined skills and experience offer travelers a broad array of options for indulging in all aspects of life at sea. They specialize in the BVI, USVI, and Spanish VI where Kaya grew up cruising and they both know intimately. Chris and Kaya got engaged on a trip to Australia in 2022 and celebrated their wedding in June 2024.

Be sure to follow Physalia on instagram! @sv_physalia

Water Sports
  • Kneeboard

  • Equipo de Snorkel

  • Waterski Sobre Tabla

  • Kayak

  • Floating Mats

  • Boarding Ladder

  • Beach Games

  • SU Paddle Boards

  • Equipo de Pesca

  • Deep Sea Fish

  • U/Water Camera

  • U/Water Video

  • Kite Boarding

  • Buceo Desde el Yate

Qué dicen quienes nos conocieron

Chris, Kaya, and Waldo,
We were told by close friends this was the trip of their lifetime, largely due to the experience of the time spent on the boat with their family and the crew that made their time so memorable. You three did not disappoint! This is a huge year for our family and you helped us “ice our cake” with such an enjoyable trip. It was as much relaxing as it was exciting getting to experience the USVI as a local would get to by boat.
The boating, snorkeling, hiking, foiling, etc. was amazing! Thank you both for sharing so much of the island with us and making this an unforgettable vacation! The two of you have created and are living a beautiful life that most people only scratch the surface and get to do. It’s enviable!
Keep up the amazing work! It’s awesome to see!
Kaya, the food and the passion you have for cooking translates through not only the delivery but the taste! YOU ARE AMAZING!
Waldo, keep barking, keep digging, keep zooming!
We had a blast!

Love, Sam and Jennifer S.

- Physalia Charter Guest

What an amazing week for our family!
To be in such a beautiful place and cared for so well was a gift for us all. As the usual vacation director, it was especially wonderful for me to not have to be the cruise director for my family of 6!
Chris and Kaya handled every detail with expertise and grace. While I’m grateful my 4 kids got to snorkel, fish, soak up the sun and sail, I'm so happy they got to witness the many levels of skill required to pull off the trip of their dreams.
Unlike most vacations where the captain and chef and supporting staff are behind closed doors, (giving the appearance of instant gratification and ease) we got to know these two incredible people that possess and incredible level of knowledge and skill and were applying them at every moment for our benefit. This deepens our appreciation of the experiences and the people making it possible. What a gift!

This is our last major family vacation for a while. Our 3 oldest will be in college for the next 6 years so we’re entering a new season in our life journey. We’re all going to hold onto these memories with joy.
It was the perfect trip for us to share together as an ending to this chapter of life as a family of 6 with everyone under the same roof. We got lots of togetherness and quality time I will treasure always.

Thank you Chris and Kaya for opening your lives to others and creating these opportunities for connection - with nature, each other, and the two of you!

- All the best, Deese family

- Physalia Charter Guest

Chris and Kaya,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for welcoming us onboard and sharing such a special part of your lives with us. It meant so much to us to enjoy your beautiful boat and to see your passion first hand. Your kindness, warmth, and generosity made us feel so at home. We feel lucky to have had a glimpse into something you love so much. Wishing you nothing but smooth sailing, amazing adventures, and all the success in the world. You deserve it!

With love and gratitude,
AJ, Susie, Sammy, and Cooper.

- Physalia Charter Guest

This has to be hands down one of the best trips I have ever been on. The food was AMAZING! We had some cabbage thing with green sauce on top. It was so good. Ten out of ten.

I also learned how to dive and I was great. Highly recommended. When I was diving I got to see my dad kill/catch a lion fish and a lobster! Let me tell you, Chris and Kaya are good teachers because my dad (who has never ever ever tried to catch a lobster before) caught this beast! It was 6.5 pounds!!! That thing was huge!

While we did our charter we learned how smart Chris and Kaya are because they came up with a way for their beloved dog Waldo to go to the bathroom on the boat. Also Waldo had flawless dismounts of the dinghy and onto the beach. He gets a ten out of ten. He also found hidden treasure (a yellow tennis ball).

I had a wonderful time and hope I can see Chris and Kaya at Topsail one day. Also, don’t play two truths and a lie with them because they have done some really cool things. I hope I can come back soon because the food at home sucks compared to Kaya’s.
Sammy P.

- Physalia Charter Guest

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