Jan07CharteringNews
Kiriacoulis Mediterranean is opening a small base in April 2007 on the island of Malta, one of Europe’s smallest countries. Less than 80 miles south of Sicily, Malta is part of an archipelago of seven islands situated in the central Mediterranean Sea. The area enjoys mild winters, hot summers, and moderate breezes and has an indented coastline with many good harbors, making it an ideal chartering destination.
The new base is in the Grand Harbour Marina, near the walled capital of Valletta, a United Nations-designated World Heritage city. Valletta is also a good departure point for exploring the rest of the historically and architecturally rich island as well as the neighboring islands of Gozo and Comino.
The charter company plans to make three monohulls, ranging from 38 to 46 feet, available throughout the chartering season, which runs from April to the end of November. The entire chartering area of the three islands is about 30 miles from north to south and about 10 miles from east to west. Malta, Gozo, and Comino offer many anchorages, including fishing villages full of colorful luzzu boats, the traditional fishing vessel of the Maltese islands. For details, contact Kiriacoulis Mediterranean (800-714-3411, www.kiriacoulis.com).
More from the Med
Mericyacht offers charters along the coast of Turkey and the Greek islands aboard both gulets, the region’s traditionally built wooden sailboats, and bareboats. Custom-themed charters related to ecotourism, diving, or the wishes of clients are also available from the company, which has been in business in Turkey since 1979. For details, consult the Mericyacht website (www.mericyacht.com).
Website Adds Boats and Locations
BoatRenting.com, a New York-based company with a website featuring online bookings of discounted short-term boat rentals, has added two spots in the Bahamas and five more locations to its rental fleet in the United States.
Boat-rental locations list their available boats free on the BoatRenting.com website and pay a small commission to the company on bookings. The new service allows each place to self-update boat listings online at any time. Boat-rental locations now include Adams Marina, in Winnisquam, New Hampshire; Captain Bill’s Rentals, in Warwick, Rhode Island; Saugerties Marina Boat Rentals, in Saugerties, New York; Monmouth Cove Marina Port, in Monmouth, New Jersey; Windward Sailing School, in Fernandina Beach, Florida; Sea Horse Boat Rentals, at the Abaco Beach Resort on Abaco Island, in the Bahamas; and Yachts Et, on Bimini Bay in the Bahamas’ Bimini Islands. For more information, visit BoatRenting.com (www.boatrenting.com).
Correction
In “Abaco Islands Offer Best of the Bahamas” (Chartering News, November 2006), the founding of the charter company Sail Abaco was incorrectly attributed to Peter Michie. Mike Houghton is the entrepreneur who started the company, which is located in Hope Town, on Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.
