Ilene, one of our favorite freelance yacht chefs, recently stopped by our new Simpson Bay office with stories of her New Year’s charter on board S/Y Olivia Lee. Most charters are a group of friends or family in the Caribbean for a week of fun.  There were 4 guests for the week with Ilene and Captain Bob.

Ilene’s guests requested her recipe for the lemon bars they enjoyed on board. They told her when they bake them at home in Baltimore, Maryland and Brussels, Belgium they will think of the special charter that began their 2012 the right way!
She is sharing the Lemon Bar recipe with us. Thanks Ilene!

Lemon Butter Bars

 Crust

1 c flour

½ c butter, soft

¼ c sugar

Combine crust ingredients in small mixing bowl. Mix at low speed until crumbly, 2-3 minutes. Press mixture in 8” square pan. Bake 350’ 15-20 minutes until edges brown.

Filling

¾ c sugar                                             3 T lemon juice

2 eggs                                                  1 t grated lemon rind

2T flour                                               ¼ t baking powder

Combine filling ingredients. Beat at low speed until well mixed. Scrape bowl make sure all is combined. Pour over hot crust. Bake additional 18-20 minutes until filling is set.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm and again when cool. Cut into bars.

This recipe can be made using a mixer or food processor. Also I have made it on board using a whisk.

So much to do here on St Martin, so little time!

Power cat Escape at anchor - Simpson Bay Lagoon

Well, the day started off sort of quiet after having spent the evening before previewing our new powercat in the fleet, Escape. Marilyn and I had to see the boat before their departure to their home base of Emerald Bay on Great Exuma. Interesting boat, a comfy power cat that is dedicated to sport fishing. Captain Nic, AKA “the Cowboy” due to his Wyoming roots, replaced the aft cockpit table with a super-dooper fighting chair for when the big ones are hooked. The table can be put back on the pedestal if guests want to dine there, although there is also a nice dining area on the upper deck as well

In the morning, only one early call from a charter captain needing crew. No prob. Got to the office, did a bit of bookkeeping etc, emails etc. Then it got started, 3 brokers fighting for dates for one of our favorite monohulls, Blue Passion. Russians on St Barths wanting a megayacht for Anguilla. A few yachts asking about becoming members of Select Yachts fleet (one that we sent a proposal to in 2008!). Some crew in looking for work, some fleet crew stopping by to check in…

Mooi Restaurant - just outside the door of our new office

Working on an exciting project with our neighbor Restaurant Mooi (that means beautiful in Dutch). They are just about to reopen (outside our door) and i want to be in on the action as well as help amp up the excitement level. Select Yachts is organizing an event – “St Maarten Chop Off” in the spirit of a well know food network whereby Charter Chefs in teams of two go through an elimination process for the grand prizes. We have a perfect location and this will be a great fun and social interaction!

More emails, looking for boats for clients, laughing a lot, made arrangements with Taboo for a daysail on Saturday to spend some time on board as Select yachts has a listing for the boat to be sold…but meantime still a super fun charter yacht!

Y Not a sailing charter? Performance sail at its finest!

Come 6PM – the days real excitement, a review of returning performance sailing yacht Y NOT…truly special to my heart as husband Jackson and I spent glorius years as crew om board, traipsing the Caribbean and the Mediterranean doing our own Yacht Charters as crew! How would she be…oh golly, she is BETTER THAN EVER!!! I am so happy, she looks much the same though i must say more polished and detailed…but better is all of the work literally under the floorboards. All new climate controlled AC, new generator sound proofing, new TV and sound systems, all new plumbing, electrics, nav systems…so she looks a lot the same (a good thing for a yacht this beautiful) but she is like new in many ways! OK, we had a few glasses of wine, celebrated.
Jax and I were a bit hungary, wanted to go somewhere we had not been recently. We chose the bamboo bernies in Maho – WOW, what a great choice. Really, I had no idea – this is THE in place, on a Wednesday, we could barely get in without reservations but finally managed a small table outside. I expected slow sercive, but to the contrary it was fast and efficient and friendly, and the food was GREAT! A place that busy has gotta have great sushi, right?
At the table next to us was Chef Rene Kapetain and Mate Jules from the Lagoon 65 catamaran World’s End, fresh back from the big win of first place at the Antigua Concourse de Chefs. I promptly invited them to stat thinking about signing up for the St Maarten Chop off – spots will go quickly I think.
Dinner done, we headed to our boat Piggybank at Porto Cupecoy Marina as they had a band there last night. Flown in from New York they were just our taste – sore to New orleans Jazzy with a great clarinet/sax, a muted trumpet with a Luis Armstrong type guy, two others with those hoey-laced voices you gotta love. Saw lots of friends dancing about in the Plaza there.
Done, home crashed.
Good morning, here we go again, gotta get those Russians on board now!…post some pics on line, ugh, bookkeeping…

Catamaran Nemo, available in the Caribbean and Greece

The excitement builds at the Antigua Charter Yacht Show

Greetings from a very rainy Caribbean. Could it be Global Warming? It has been raining pretty solidly for a week and a half. This is very unusual weather for the Caribbean at this time of year.

Well, not to be deterred, we jumped on the Piggybank for an upwind sail from St Maarten to Antigua when there was a short weather window. Overnight sail – amazing star show – did I forget or was it that the air was so clear that there was not a speck of dust in the atmosphere? Shooting stars, constellations you can touch, galaxies that make you want to grab the binoculars…absolutely fantastic.

So here we are in Antigua, new Select Yachts Sales Associate Alex will be joining us to review yachts. Marilyn arrives to assist with Select Yachts 5 Central Agency charter yachts in the show:

Coral of Cowes, a 1902 (!) classic with gleaming bronze and bright and shiny varnish, Captain/Owner Richard Oswald is brave and devoted to take on this amazing project. As even more history, Dana Nicholson of the founding Antigua Charter Show family is chef! At the end of what is looking to be an active first Caribbean Charter Season, Coral heads to England for Cowes Week and the 2012 Olympics in London.

 Lady Alliaura, a flagship for Alliaura’s Privilege line, is, doing great in her first year of charter even though most brokers have not even seen the boat yet. The dedicated crew has loads of promotional ideas up their sleeve, Broker lunches, Chef’s competition, a Press cruise from Antigua to St Martin for the World Vin Cup 2013. Energetic Hostess/Mate Rosie will step in mid show as chef when young and capable chef Adrian flies back to St Martin to complete his final STCW courses. Rosie can do it all, although we wish Adrian was available throughout to wow everyone with his amazing culinary skill!

The catamaran Nemo is here, just arrived from their season chartering in Greece – Captain Andrea and mate Valentina are “magnifico” crew with their boat-made Italian cuisine and their enthusiasm for life. They will speak at the CYBA “Going Green to Save the Blue” seminar, describing their water and energy  production systems on board. As well they are doing a Fellini party complete with films playing on the main sail at night!

Another arrival from a busy Mediterranean Charter season is World’s End. Captain Jose looks great, he is holding up very well to the rigors of lots of charters in the Med, a quick passage to Antigua and then the Show followed by what is looking to be a busy Caribbean charter season.  The fact the World’s End can sleep 10 in 5 guest cabins and has an upper deck lounge and big aft cockpit area makes it such a special family boat.

 And finally we have the anticipated return of Runaway Bunny, the 74’ Finot performance yacht that has done a ‘round the world tour. She has been gone for a number of years but returns with much refitting, great stories to tell, and an excellent new  crew of Erin Gindi and Ruth Meany Scott, who actually worked with Corin and Jo to delivery the Bunny years ago! They are participating with Broker lunches and the Falmouth Yacht Hop…hop…hop…go Bunny!

Find a beach with no Footprints - M/Y Lady Margaret in the San Blas Islands

1.)    You can visit lots of islands without packing and repacking bags, getting on planes or ferries, finding a hotel or the best restaurant, just kick back and relax, get to the next port and spend your time in superb enjoyment.

2.)    With your crewed yacht charter you will have the right level of service. Advance planning helps the crew to “get to know you” before you even arrive. By the first day they already know how you like your coffee and cocktails, your idea of fun and relaxation, and what you want to achieve on your trip. They then work for you to make it all happen.

Just goof off for the day, who cares? Have fun!

3.)    There is nothing better than a refreshing dip in the water when you awake in the morning…a quick swim before breakfast just makes the day seem right! Not a morning person? Try an afternoon swim or snorkel! Not a swimmer? Your crew can arrange a relaxing massage on board!

4.)    Water sports. You can have oodles of fun just from what the crew pulls from the lazarette. If you really love to sail, try chartering a yacht for a regatta or race. If you’re into motorized speed, many yachts carry wave runners, jet skis, and/or water skis. Some yachts have on board diving, or your crew will arrange rendezvous dives.

Motor Yacht Snowbird's custom game cube

5.)    Your yacht charter will give you the opportunity to spend truly quality time with your friends, family, guests, and /or associates.  We often forget to just relax and laugh in our everyday lives. Enjoy, make the time and create the opportunity, share some asadventures. If not now, when?

6.)    Chartering a yacht is not difficult. Select Yachts Charter Brokerage division, or your favorite broker, can work with you to sift through boats types and amenities, venues, locations and itineraries, value pricing, and just plain matching the right boat to your charter and life style needs! You can do what YOU want to do!

Have a bite on board or visit in town

7.)    Much of civilization developed around the ports and harbours. See the best of countries, islands, and villages each time you arrive, visit museums, forts and castles, historical monuments and sites…or maybe some famous restaurant or club – all within walking distance from your traveling “hotel”.

8.)    Find an isolated spot that the cars and tourists don’t reach, the water is crisp and clear, and the beach has no footprints. Take a book, hike a trail, have a picnic, sip a Pina Colada, hold hands, watch the kids romp, find a shell, meet some fish as you snorkel under a tropical sun.

Eat what you like - Surprise, it may even be good for you!

9.)    It’s good for your mind, body and spirit. Spend some time with yourself. Get away from the daily distractions.  Breathe fresh air, put down that computer and iphone, eat well,  get some exercise while having fun in the world’s showplaces.

10.) There are some great deals. Owners are happier than ever to provide yacht hires for charter. Today’s economy provides competitive rates and more available choices. Just think, you have the advantage of using the yacht and facilities and only have to pay for you week, not year ‘round!

Motor Yacht Legend - relax and leave the driving to us!