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In this interview, West Nautical discusses the 2021/2022 Caribbean charter season, as well as how the summer 2022 charter market currently looks.
We got chatting to West Nautical‘s Client Manager, Claire Sinclair about how the Caribbean charter season has played out. As well as how the 2022 Med season is looking for West Nautical.
Read on to find out which Caribbean spots were the most popular destinations, what charter yacht sparked the most interest and a peek into the current Superyacht market.
Overall, how has the Caribbean charter season been for West Nautical?
The season began with the yacht show in Antigua & there were several bookings over the holiday period (Christmas & NY) …The difference in restrictions between islands and the closing of BVI’s to new charter yachts proved to be off-putting to Europeans, but the USA market remained strong!
With the Caribbean charter season coming to an end, which months of the season were the busiest for West Nautical?
We were definitely busiest around Christmas & New Year, mainly the months of December and January.
In our previous chat, you mentioned that the Caribbean charter season was dying down due to various reasons, such as cost, dockage, fuel, crew costs, and difficulty getting visas for the US Virgin Islands. Was this the case with regards to this year, or did the season take a positive turn?
The season was still quiet by previous standards, however as mentioned above, West Nautical was very busy in the months of December and January, with Christmas and the New year taking place. Our team did find that for regatta charters (sailing), the interest was strong.
Everyone knows that St. Barts is the place for Superyachts in the Caribbean. Did you notice an increase in the demand for yacht charters in any other locations this season?
St Barts remained a Caribbean Hot-spot for the charters, with St Maarten and Antigua being the other two main islands in demand over the winter period.
What has been West Nautical’s most successful charter yacht in the last year?
For the 2022 Caribbean season, it was the luxury 31.7 S/Y Elton.
Have you noticed any real changes in the charter market since the omicron variant?
No, I haven’t. Charterers are keen to get back out into the world and travel where’s possible/if possible. If anything, there is a degree of apathy regarding covid and guests, captains and their crew are looking forward to their travels around the Med in 2022.
Lastly, what does the summer 2022 charter market currently look like?
West Nautical is proud to say that the Superyacht summer season has started with record bookings! Our team is all go and we’re already heavily booked, with limited availability on peak season dates so if you haven’t already booked your Med season charter, get in contact asap!
If you have any questions please do get in touch with West Nautical’s management team at management@westnautical.com
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