{"id":50475,"date":"2023-08-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=50475"},"modified":"2023-08-14T11:55:54","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T15:55:54","slug":"a-winning-bareboat-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/sponsored-post\/a-winning-bareboat-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"A Winning Bareboat Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Horizon\u2019s Lagoon 50 moored at the beautiful & remote George Dog in the British Virgin Islands.<\/span>\n Horizon Yacht Charters<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

When Andrew Thompson co-founded Horizon Yacht Charters in 1998, he wanted to bring megayacht-quality service to bareboats. Thompson had worked as captain and crew aboard the larger yachts, and he believed that people chartering bareboats should have every right to expect similarly high standards for their own cruising vacations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Our Mission statement in 1998, was \u2018to offer immaculate yachts, exemplary customer service and value for money\u2019, 25 years later, our mission remains the same, and we go the extra nautical mile every day to deliver on that\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Horizon Yacht Charters has two locations: the main base at Nanny Cay on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and a second location at Blue Lagoon Marina in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Both locations are known for their exceptional customer service. The base in the BVI is also popular for its restaurants, showers, hotel, beach bar and pool. This location is easily accessible with daily flights from Miami on American Airlines, arriving at Beef Island, Tortola.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur company takes great pride in being a local business with local operations, management and staff,\u201d says Kim Struiken, finance and business development director. \u201cOur local roots play a vital role in our success. We are committed to our community and to delivering an exceptional experience to our customers. This combination is part of the formula which sets Horizon Yacht Charters apart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Horizon\u2019s Nautitech Fly 46 anchored at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Valley Trunk, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.<\/span>\n Horizon Yacht Charters<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Horizon Yacht Charters\u2019 high-quality fleet of about 50 yachts in the BVI includes monohulls as well as catamarans from 34ft \u2013 54ft.  The boats are maintained to a level that Thompson brings from his megayacht days, ensuring that guests can embark on their vacations with complete confidence in the seamless experience they’ll enjoy, regardless of the age of the yacht,(although most are 0-5 years old).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe excel at providing yachts with all systems in order, with concours cosmetics and detailing \u201c Struiken says. \u201cMost of Horizon\u2019s staff have been here for many years. The first-ever employee of the company, Courtney Frett, our reservations manager, is still here, 25 years later. Our operations director, Henry Leonnig, has been here for 20 years, as have several other dock staff. They like what they do, and when people like what they do, they excel, and it allows you continuity of service – to offer real quality.\u201d Struiken continues: \u2018It is not just about the yachts, it is about the \u2018boutique hotel\u2019 level of personalized service you get at Horizon. Jalon Shortte epitomizes this as our larger-than-life Customer Service manager, who delivers boat and chart knowledge with a wicked laugh and a brilliant smile\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horizon Yacht Charters offers bareboat charters, skippered charters as well as luxury crewed charters with the added convenience of an all-inclusive package covering high-end gourmet meals, premium drinks, water toys, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Horizon\u2019s Jeanneau 490 sailing off Nanny Cay Marina in the British Virgin Islands.<\/span>\n Horizon Yacht Charters<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

American Sailing Association (ASA) classes are also available at Horizon Yacht Charters Sailing School. Students can book a whole boat and cruise with a private instructor, or they can book a single cabin for a week on board a boat with an instructor and other students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The instructors at Horizon Yacht Charters are top-notch. Just one example is Cara Brown, who, in 2022, was named one of ASA\u2019s outstanding instructors. This award is given to the top 1 percent of all ASA instructors, as determined by student surveys. In 2022, there were 2,155 instructors eligible for the award; only 25 were named winners. And Brown was among just a handful of women in that already selective group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCara is a terrific example of the outstanding team members we have at Horizon Yacht Charters,\u201d Struiken says. \u201cShe\u2019s originally from London, grew up in Italy, and has been sailing with Horizon in the BVI since she was a little girl\u2014because her parents have had a series of yachts in our fleet since 2002, and they continue to do so to this day. Her own sailing experience includes the whole Caribbean as well as parts of Britain and Europe, she has a 200 ton yachtmaster licence in addition to her ASA qualifications. Cara is  also a qualified personal trainer, ski coach ( having been Britain\u2019s women\u2019s downhill champion for 5 years) as well as a PADI-certified open water diver. She speaks English, French and Italian fluently,  which means she can help so many people feel comfortable while learning to sail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Nautitech <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Horizon\u2019s Nautitech Fly 46 discovering Nature\u2019s Little Secrets at Prickly Pear, a National Park in the British Virgin Islands.<\/span>\n Horizon Yacht Charters<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Due to Horizon\u2019s winning combination of top ASA instructors, a highly sought-after location, and exceptional customer service, it has been selected by the American Sailing Association as the destination for its 2024 Lenny Shabes Sailing Festival, scheduled from 16th to 23rd June 2024. Similarly, Jeanneau, one of the world\u2019s leading monohull manufacturers, has also chosen Horizon for their Jeanneau owners rendezvous flotilla from 9th to 16th March 2024, driven by some of the same compelling factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way that Horizon Yacht Charters stands out is its additional charter broker services. While the staff at the base on Tortola can help clients book bareboat charters aboard sailboats in the Horizon Yacht Charters BVI and St. Vincent fleets, the team will also help clients book boats from other fleets all around the world\u2014any kind of boat, anywhere the clients want to cruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we have clients who have been with us in the BVI and in the Grenadines, we can help them book a charter anywhere,\u201d Struiken says. \u201cSometimes, people want to cruise somewhere different, and we are happy to assist with that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For clients interested in buying or selling a yacht, the Horizon Yacht Charters team is also available to help. The company is a distributor for Lagoon, Excess, FP and Nautitech catamarans, Jeanneau, Beneteau  and Bavaria monohulls, as well as ranges of centre console RIB\u2019s and day boats. Horizon also maintains an active brokerage service with a wide range of listings, both in the BVI, and in Grenada, where Horizon also have a yacht management, refit and storage business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Horizon\u2019s <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Horizon\u2019s Lagoon 50 finding serenity at Prickly Pear, a National Park in the British Virgin Islands.<\/span>\n Horizon Yacht Charters<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

\u201cWe are able to support our clients as their boating needs change throughout the years,\u201d Struiken says. \u201cFamilies grow, plans change, sometimes cruising ideas become bigger sailing ambitions. Our fleet, school, charters and yacht sales allow our clients to progress however they choose. And when they come back to us year after year, they see the same staff, ready to assist them. They feel like they\u2019re coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether charter client or yacht owner, from the moment of first contact until the final wave goodbye, whether that is a week or decades later,  our top priority is the customer experience. We look forward to welcoming you aboard\u201d.  Struiken concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to book:<\/strong> Contact the Reservations team at res@horizonyachtcharters.com<\/a>Home<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to buy<\/strong>: Contact Robin at robin@horizonyachtcharters.com<\/a> to find your new dream yacht or explore the selection of brokerage yachts available through Giles at giles@horizonyachtcharters.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, please give us a call  on our toll free number (+1 877-494-8787) or visit our website Home<\/a> .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At Horizon Yacht Charters, gold-standard boats and customer service are the hallmarks of every cruising vacation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":50476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Contributing Partner","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"30","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Horizon Yacht Charters has two locations: the main base at Nanny Cay on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and a second location at Blue Lagoon Marina in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":true,"sponsored":true,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":true,"sponsored_image":false,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":true,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"ad_targeting":"","sponsored_label_style":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true},"categories":[30],"tags":[262,211,169,339,312,160,273,1963],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50475"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}