Crewed Charter Occupancy Rates

[nelson.peter]

We threw together this summer (last minute) a crewed charter company after returning to the States from a 3-year circumnav. We offered 6-day customized cruises through the San Juan Islands in WA state and ended up with a combination of 3-day and 6-day charters. The little trial was actually much more successful than I expected!

Now that the season is over and we are starting to evaluate the experiment to see if we want to continue next year, I am wondering if anyone has any numbers for what to expect in terms of occupancy levels for crewed charters or just charters.

I was born at night, but it wasn't last night! So I am very aware of all the factors affecting occupancy -- type of boat, location, offerings, etc., etc. But since I can find NO information, a little would be a big help.

GordMay offered up 55% from the Caribbean Charter Assn., but that was decades ago. Would any of you charter biz pundits and other knowledgeable sources care to share some info? If it is not for public consumption, you can always send me a PM.

Thanks a ton. If you ever want to check out the San Juans, check us out at San Juan Islands Sailing Charters San Juan Islands yacht charters Pacific Northwest yacht charters San Juan Islands sailing school San Juan Islands charter.

[Tim Schaaf]

Among the members of the Charter Yacht Society of the BVI, which is the association of privately owned and operated crewed charter yachts (as opposed to boats operated by companies such as Moorings, Sunsail, or Horizon), most owner operators shoot for about 15 -20 weeks per year. They will break even or better with that. Most crew operated yachts shoot for something a bit higher. 28 weeks or higher is a real slog, but a few boats might actually do that. Generally, crewed yachts belonging to the Moorings will be at the high end of weeks chartered.

If, by occupancy, you mean how many folks are aboard, in the BVI, most of the yachts go out to a single group, in other words, we don't do "cabin bookings". There are a few notable exceptions, and Festiva does most of their bookings that way.