Caribbean
U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Thomas is the easy start, no passport needed to fly in. A classic first stop is St. John's north shore, where two thirds of the island is national park and the bays stay quiet.
Best season, December to May
Private Charters
Private Yacht and Catamaran Charters
I'm Beverly Schulte, and at Paradise Travel I plan private yacht and catamaran charters in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, and a few places beyond. A week aboard with a crew, a single day on the water, or a celebration at anchor. You tell me how you want the days to feel. I match the boat, the crew, and the water.
The boat
Catamaran, motor yacht, or something else
A catamaran is the one I recommend most. It sits flat on the water, so nobody's bracing a drink on a heeling deck, and the shallow draft lets you anchor close to the beach. There's room to spread out, which matters when it's three generations or six friends.
A motor yacht is faster and more polished inside. It suits couples and groups who want to cover more islands in a week and care more about the finish than the sail.
In Turkey and Croatia, the classic choice is a gulet, a traditional wooden boat with a big shaded deck built for long lunches at anchor. And for groups who want a full crew, a spa, and toys off the stern, there's the superyacht.
The charter
Every kind of charter I plan
A crewed charter comes with a captain and usually a chef, and nobody in your group lifts a line. It's what most of my clients choose.
A private day charter is one day on your own boat, a snorkel stop, lunch, and back to your resort by sunset. It's the easiest upgrade I know for a honeymoon or a milestone trip.
A bareboat is the boat without a crew. Someone in your group needs real sailing experience, and the charter company checks it before handing over the keys.
A cabin charter books single cabins on a shared crewed boat. It works for couples who want the charter experience without taking the whole boat.
PONANT Yachting
Private catamarans from PONANT
PONANT Yachting runs its own crewed catamarans for private charter. Spirit of Ponant has 6 cabins for up to 12 guests. Spirit of Ponant II is PONANT's newest catamaran, with 5 staterooms, based in French Polynesia. Both are booked only as a full private charter, with the crew and the meals included.
Want a crew and a chef without chartering a whole boat?
Some of my BVI catamaran clients love the islands but don't want a whole boat to themselves. For them I look at Le Ponant, PONANT's 32-guest sailing yacht, booked by the cabin. More on my small-ship cruises page.
The water
Where I plan charters
The Caribbean
The U.S. and British Virgin Islands are where most of my charter requests land. I'm destination certified in both, and in Antigua, the Bahamas, and Saint Lucia. I also plan the Grenadines, the Exumas, St. Martin and St. Barts, and Belize. The main season runs December through May. Hurricane season runs June through November, and I plan around it.
One detail people miss. Crossing between the U.S. and British Virgin Islands means clearing customs, so everyone aboard needs a passport, kids included.
The Mediterranean
I'm destination certified in Greece and Italy. The Greek islands, the Amalfi Coast, and the Italian islands are the heart of my Mediterranean charters, along with Croatia's Dalmatian coast, the French Riviera, and Turkey. The season runs May through October, and July and August book first.
The South Pacific
I'm a Tahiti Tourisme Specialist. In French Polynesia, Raiatea and Taha'a share one lagoon, and Bora Bora is a short sail away, so you spend your days in calm water between islands. I plan Fiji charters too. The dry season, May through October, is the time to go.
Further afield
I also plan charters in the Seychelles and Thailand's Andaman coast, and small-yacht trips in the Galápagos, where the national park sets the routes and choosing the right boat is the whole decision. Each has its own season, and I'll tell you the best weeks for yours.
Charter destinations
Nineteen places I plan private yacht charters
Caribbean
British Virgin Islands
Short hops between islands, so you're rarely more than two hours from the next anchorage. The Baths on Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke's beach bars, and snorkeling at Norman Island fill a week fast.
Best season, December to May
Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua is sailing country. English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard are the base, and a day across to Barbuda gets you miles of pink sand with almost nobody on it.
Best season, December to May
Caribbean
The Bahamas
The Exumas are the pick for anyone who wants the palest water they've ever seen. It's shallow, so a catamaran or a motor yacht with a light draft fits best, and the sandbars appear at low tide.
Best season, December to May
Caribbean
Saint Lucia
Anchoring under the Pitons at Soufrière is the picture everyone wants, and it's real. Saint Lucia also works as the start of a one-way sail south into the Grenadines.
Best season, December to May
Caribbean
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Bequia, Mustique, and the Tobago Cays, where you swim with turtles off the back of the boat. The sailing is a little more open water than the Virgin Islands, and the crowds are thinner for it.
Best season, December to May
Caribbean
Saint Martin and Sint Maarten
Half French, half Dutch, with a big airport and good flight connections. It works as the launch point for Anguilla's beaches and St. Barts, both an easy sail away.
Best season, December to May
Caribbean
Saint Barthélemy
St. Barts is for the motor yacht crowd, Gustavia harbor at night, long French lunches ashore. Christmas and New Year's here book a year out.
Best season, December to April
Mediterranean
Greece
The Cyclades get the meltemi wind in July and August, so for calmer water, families do better in the Ionian or the Saronic Gulf. Every island has a taverna at the harbor, and dinner ashore is half the point.
Best season, May to October
Mediterranean
Italy
The Amalfi Coast, Capri, and the Aeolian Islands. A boat is the best way to see Positano, since you skip the coast road and the parking entirely.
Best season, May to October
Mediterranean
Croatia
Split to Dubrovnik down the Dalmatian coast, with stops at Hvar, Vis, and Korčula. There are more than a thousand islands, and the coves stay calm most of the summer.
Best season, May to October
Mediterranean
French Riviera
Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Monaco. Distances are short, so a motor yacht covers it in a few days and pairs well with a hotel stay in Provence.
Best season, May to September
Mediterranean
Turkey
Gulet country. The pine-backed bays around Göcek and Fethiye are made for long lunches at anchor, and a gulet sleeps a bigger group than most catamarans.
Best season, May to October
South Pacific
French Polynesia
Raiatea and Taha'a share one lagoon, so most days you're sailing flat water. Bora Bora is a short crossing away, and a few overwater bungalow nights at the end make a natural finish.
Best season, May to October
South Pacific
Fiji
The Mamanuca and Yasawa islands, reef snorkeling, and village visits where the crew knows the families. The warmth of the people is what travelers remember most.
Best season, May to October
Caribbean
Belize
Inside the barrier reef the water stays calm and shallow, so it's good for families and first-timers. Small cayes, good snorkeling, and a short flight from Texas.
Best season, December to May
Further afield
Seychelles
Praslin and La Digue, granite boulders, and beaches you share with giant tortoises. It's a long way to fly, so it pairs well with a safari in East Africa.
Best season, April to May and October to November
Further afield
Thailand
Phuket to Phang Nga Bay and the Phi Phi islands on the Andaman coast. The limestone towers are something you have to see from the water.
Best season, November to April
Further afield
Galápagos Islands
The national park sets every route and every landing, so choosing the right boat and naturalist guide is the whole decision. Sea lions on the beach, boobies on the rocks.
Best season, Year round
The occasion
Weddings, vow renewals, and celebrations aboard
I plan ceremonies and vow renewals on the water, from a quiet exchange of vows at a sunset anchorage to a full celebration with the crew handling the champagne. Marriage rules differ by country, so I sort out where the legal paperwork has to happen before anyone boards.
Milestone birthdays and anniversaries work beautifully aboard too. The whole group, one boat, nobody else.
The planning
What I handle
The boat and crew match, which matters more than the boat itself. The preference sheet that tells the chef and captain how your group eats, drinks, and likes to spend a day. Flights, the resort nights, the transfer to the marina, and the paperwork for crossing borders.
I book through established charter fleets and crewed-yacht brokers I trust, and I stay your point of contact from the first conversation until you step off the boat.
Charters pair well with a honeymoon. For cruises and small ships, see my cruises and charters page. For the land side of the islands, see Caribbean and Mexico luxury travel.
Questions
Questions I get asked
Most charters start at 5 nights. Christmas and New Year weeks are 7 nights almost everywhere, and a few yachts in the Caribbean ask for 10. July and August in the Mediterranean usually book by the week, and some Croatia catamarans want 7 nights most of the year. Anything shorter is up to each yacht, so I check your shortlist before you fall for a boat.
A catamaran for most groups and families. It's stable, roomy, and anchors close to shore. A motor yacht if you want to cover more islands quickly and you care most about a polished interior. I'll tell you which I'd pick once I know who's coming.
Most often the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. I'm destination certified there and in Antigua, the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Greece, Italy, and Tahiti. I also plan charters in the Grenadines, the Exumas, Croatia, the French Riviera, Turkey, Fiji, and a few places further afield.
A crewed charter comes with a captain and usually a chef, so you don't lift a line. A bareboat is the boat alone, and someone in your group needs real sailing experience. A cabin charter books single cabins on a shared crewed boat, which suits couples who don't need the whole boat.
Yes, if the itinerary crosses between the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and most do. Crossing means clearing customs, so everyone aboard needs a valid passport, children included.
Caribbean crewed charters are often priced all-inclusive, covering the crew, meals, and most drinks, with the crew gratuity on top. Mediterranean charters usually work differently, with fuel, food, and fees billed against an advance deposit. I explain exactly what your quote covers before you commit.
For Christmas, New Year's, spring break, and July and August in the Mediterranean, nine to twelve months, because the best crews book first. Other weeks can work with less lead time, you'll just have fewer boats to choose from.
Yes. I plan ceremonies and vow renewals aboard, and the crew handles the setting. Legal marriage requirements differ by country, so I confirm where the paperwork has to be completed before the trip, and the ceremony aboard can be the celebration.
Yes, and I usually recommend it. A night or two at a resort before boarding lets everyone arrive, rest, and meet the boat fresh. A night after gives you a soft landing before the flight home.
Tell me who's coming aboard.
Send me your dates and your group, and I'll come back with the boat and the crew I'd book.
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