There’s been a lot written about pirates in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Somalia. And there has been some pirate activity within 60 miles of the Seychelles. So we’ve gotten a number of enquiries as to whether its safe to charter in the Indian Ocean.

A sea turtle in the Maldives

First off, the Indian Ocean is HUGE, and there have been no instances to our knowledge in the beautiful and inviting charter areas of the Maldives, Mauritius and Madagascar. So if you’re thinking of a charter in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, we recommend you choose one of these areas.

Secondly, the recent hijack of a British couple was in open waters as they were sailing to Mozambique from the Seychelles. It is far safer to stay in standard charter areas, near the coast.

If you’d like to charter in the Indian Ocean, but have any safety concerns, we recommend that you speak to our Indian Ocean office – please contact them here.

Social Media is the hot news today – everyone seems to be talking about Twitter, Facebook and Blogs.  We are fully in support of this trend, because fundamentally it allows us to speak directly to people that are interested in our articles, advice and deals – allowing communication in a more personalised manner than was possible before.  We support most of the popular social media sites: You can follow us on twitter, become a fan on facebook, and watch our videos on Youtube.  We look forward to being in touch with you the way that works best for you!

The America’s Cup Regatta, expected to be sailed in February in Ras-al-Khamiah, UAE, has been suspended by a New York State Judge, stating that regulations state that it must be held in the Southern Hemisphere if it takes place between November and May. It was not immediately apparent if the race will still be held in the UAE.

It seems that the only winners of the Americas Cup are the Lawyers!

If you’re planning on traveling to the world cup in South Africa next summer, we now have a good supply of yachts for all of your corporate entertainment and accommodation needs.  Cape Town or Durban.  Read more about chartering a yacht for the football world cup here.

We haven’t seen this before – we now have a deal where you can cross the Atlantic Ocean, from Rodney Bay, St Lucia to Alcudia, Mallorca – total charter fee only EUR 6000!  The boat is a nice, new (2008) Bavaria 50 cruiser with 5 cabins and 3 heads.  Includes GPS, plotter, autopilot, radar, Epirb, SSB, bowthruster, dingy with outboard.

This charter is for 6 weeks – 17th of April  – 29th of May 2010.

So this is your chance. If you’ve dreamed about it, now you can do it!

Read more on the Atlantic Crossing Bareboat deal here.

We were fortunate to be able to get a thorough viewing of DAMRAK, a 70 ft Sunreef Power Catamaran, and talk to the captain at the Monaco Yacht show.  DAMRAK is a great example of why we believe that power catamarans are a major trend in  the charter market.  She has excellent space – in the cabins and in the living areas – which is great for a family or group of friends.  And she’s amazingly economical  – only consumes 40 litres per hour of fuel, far less than a comparable monohull. So you can cruise for long distances without constantly worrying about the fuel bill (not to mention the carbon footprint).

Her interior, like all Sunreef Catamarans, is modern with beautiful use of light woods.  Plenty of amenities, such as a hot tub on the flydeck, wireless light switches, and all the requisite water toys.  You get an enormous amount of boat for her price, and she is a yacht that we can highly recommend!

So if you’re planning your next motor yacht charter, think about a power catamaran, for all of the above reasons!

DAMRAK is still available for Xmas and New Years in the Caribbean.

The Boatbookings.com Fan Page

If you’re a facebook user, we now have a Fan Page that you can “Fan” to keep track of the goings on at Boatbookings.com and Boatbloggings.  Hear about new articles, great charter deals, destination suggestions and everything pertinent to yacht charter. You can become a fan of boatbookings.com here.