All
of us will remember our early days at sea... discovering new places...
heading out on that first ocean passage as Captain - with full responsibility
for the vessel, her systems and her crew. Making a 'landfall' in any new
port, one would always have the same two things to consider... a job list,
and a time schedule. Dependent upon the time available and one's own personal
knowledge / contacts within the port, one would then ask around any other
yachts in the anchorage / marina, for their insight as to who to use,
for which service... prior to calling them up, allocating the relevant
time parameters and getting them started on the work. Beyond that, it
would be a question of making a few follow up calls to monitor progress,
and keeping one's fingers crossed that they would perform the all too
easily spoken phrase and actually... 'do what they said they would'! -
Yet how many times have we all contracted a 'new' service, only to find
out - as the time slowly whittled away - that they weren't actually going
to be able to make it... for whatever imaginative reason they had chosen
to come up with! The
one factor that changes this scenario however, as time evolves, is our
own 'business card file'/ databank, of reliable service contacts... that
we have built up through different ports visited, worldwide. For each
business card kept, we've probably thrown out two or three other 'contenders'
in the same business... making the ones we do keep, extremely useful personal
service contacts that we know we can count on the next time we come by.
These quality contacts then, represent a proportion of our ability to
perform our own role as Captain of the yacht; for we all know where the
'buck stops' as Captain on a charter or owner's cruise, when the outboard
motor on the tender fails... when the generator goes down... or when the
guests' specially requested provisions don't arrive in time for the start
of the cruise. This
need for a 'bank' of reliable service contacts, is something that stays
with us throughout our career afloat; for as boats / owners change, there
are 'pastures new' for all of us regardless of our depth of experience...
new destinations... new cruising grounds... and new ports... each bringing
their own, new challenge. This then, was the very 'raison d'etre' for
the book... to collate an 'Inside Guide' of Captains own 'recommended
services' throughout the Caribbean and Mediterranean, for each Captain
to be able to access, in order to share the benefits of each other's collective
experience. Every year, we consequently interview as many Captains / crew
as possible, throughout the various regions and islands, in order to determine
just who these 'recommended services' are, and after being convinced as
to their suitability by receiving enough positive feedback for them...
we then research / visit every service, personally, to confirm the full
extent of the services they offer and gain an insight into their background
and history, in order to 'paint a picture' for any Captains / crewmembers
considering using them. As a 'Captain's Recommended Service' they then
receive a free 'editorial feature' in the guide and are offered the opportunity
to advertise / promote their own service, should they so desire. This
book, then, is simply an 'Inside' trade Guide... put together by 'time
served' Captains and Yacht Crew... for the use of all interested charter,
cruising and private yacht Captains, owners and crew alike. It is your
book, made up with your feedback and your 'recommended services'. We,
as publishers of the guide, are only too aware that this can never be
the 'definitive version' of it's kind, for there are always going to be
a number of good quality services still unknown to us. This then, is the
very reason why the Guide is updated every season, and over the past 5
years has proved itself as an incredibly useful volume of reference for
many yacht crews cruising in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Prior
to the publication of our original (2003) guide, we created a two-way
interactive website that has consequently seen us receiving masses of
services feedback (usually good, though negative on occasions also) from
Captains and crew, right through each season. The
best news here, is that these comments really do get listened to and 'actioned'
accordingly by us at Superyacht Publications... for in just the same way
that we have consequently followed up / researched all your new recommendations
- we have also dropped services (including advertisers) from last year,
after receiving consistently poor feedback for them. So, in just the same
way this coming season, do please continue to update us with 'services
feedback' on an ongoing basis... for if there are businesses already written
up that give you a particularly good service, or equally, one that badly
lets you down, please do let us know. Also, any new services you are aware
of, that you feel deserve a 'write up'... or any present service whose
contact details have changed - do please contact and advise us (contact
us). This will enable us to keep the guide accurately updated on an
annual basis, for ultimately it is your book... and it is only as good
as the information you can give us.
In order to maximize all the opportunities for your season ahead, I positively
recommend taking a look at our custom 'Superyacht Events Calendars' for
the season; and also, reading through the single introductory page to
each island / region, which will then help provide an overview as to the
'bigger picture' of what is available throughout the relevant regions.
This will greatly assist planning an owner's cruise / charter; by knowing
the time, place and availability of all the most attractive guest facilities
and events; and help the running of the yacht, by assisting the Captain
to plan ongoing maintenance (and the availability of any emergency works)
in each different region. Whilst the main 'base' islands and ports have
more extensive listings of each individual service available; the smaller
islands and ports reviewed all generally have at least one 'Yacht Services'
contact, who are there to provide a 'handle' into anything and everything
one might need. But for all there is, there will still be the odd 'gap'
- so if you do come across something interesting, do please access the
website (or contact
us directly) and email us your recommendations... for they help us
improve the publication, year upon year. |