How can they contribute to furthering the cause of green, eco-friendly vacations?
HOW TO TAKE GREEN APPROACH TO TRAVEL
It’s not hard, and taking a “green approach” to vacations goes hand-in-hand with being a responsible traveler. With a little effort, charter passengers can help reduce the negative environmental impact on the places they visit.
Green travel begins with the understanding and respect for the cruising destination’s culture and an effort to bring benefit the local economy.
Lastly, you do not have to pay more to go green!
A FEW WAYS TO GO GREEN
Let’s look at three simple ways to travel greener on your next sailing vacation:
1. Save Energy a) Re-use towels and linens during your charter. Crews on yachts scramble to clean and change linens throughout a charter. After all, they are dedicated to the highest level of customer service. Simply tell your crew that you are willing to reuse your towels and bed linens more than once or twice during your stay. It is estimated this simple act can save 5 percent on utilities!
YET ANOTHER WAY TO GO GREEN ON A YACHT
b) turn off the air conditioning and lights in your cabin when leaving the room.
MORE WAYS TO GO GREEN
2. Reduce Carbon Output Plan a trip that will reduce carbon emissions. Sometimes it is as simple as considering the distance from the arrival airport to your awaiting yacht. Ask your crew if there is a marina or sandy beach close to the airport. If there is, you can save the cost of a taxi and the related carbon emissions of the vehicle.
HOW TO REDUCE CARBON OUTPUT AND GO GREEN?
For instance, many people arriving for a charter in Tortola, BVI first fly into St. Thomas, USVI. After that, they take a 30 minute taxi to the ferry docks. They then ride a ferry to Tortola. Lastly, they take another quick taxi to a marina, where their yacht and crew await. As a green alternative, you can fly to Beef Island airport in Tortola, adjacent to a large, sandy beach. Your crew can take a dinghy up to the beach to pick you up, and you can literally walk over from the airport!
LAST WAY TO GO GREEN
3. Support the Local Economy You can easily travel greener by learning about your destination. Research the culture, food, and environment of the places you visit. Prior to your charter, ask your crew to cook using native cuisine versus foods and goods that need to be shipped in. When going ashore to shop and sightsee, buy souvenirs and handmade crafts that benefit the local community. Do not buy imported goods. Lastly, Do not purchase souvenirs made from local endangered animals or plants.
Remember, responsible travel habits will reduce the negative environmental impact on the places you visit. These impacts matter long after you and your sailing companions have returned home.
Q: “I’ve heard catamaran charters in the BVI are good for divers. Are there any dive sites there that are not ‘touristy?'”
A: “Ahoy, E. – TheBritish Virgin Islands(BVI) are famous for their island beauty. They are considered a top yacht charter destination in the world. However, few charterers are aware that the BVI are a fantastic diving destination, as well.”
WRECKS TO DIVE
There are numerous wrecks, both old and new, in the BVI, with one of the most famous being the RMS Rhone, a royal mail ship that sank in a hurricane in 1867. Movie fans are familiar with the Rhone as the location for most of the underwater scenes in the film, “The Deep.”
REMOTE DIVE SITES
When it comes to more remote dive sites, dives around the more exposed Cooper Island andCarvel Rock are rarer and more challenging. These can only be done by experienced divers. They are also only good if weather conditions are very calm. When the conditions are right, divers taking the plunge from the east side of Cooper Island at Dry Rocks East will be rewarded! They will see scores of marine life, including Horse-eye Jacks, African Pompano, Spadefish, Cobia, and Nurse sharks. If you’re lucky, Hawksbill turtles will also be there. In the same area the Devil’s Kitchen is a shelf. This shelf becomes more undercut with a rock structure. The structure forms a unique lattice with numerous hideouts for reef fish, turtles, and lobsters.
We’re just back from a week on board sail catamaran DREAMING ON, sailing the BVIs in the capable hands of our wonderful crew, Geoff and Iza. We were also vacationing with another couple…and we all agreed that the whole experience exceeded our expectations by far, to the extent that we have already booked again for next year!
This is all down to Geoff and Iza who are a very special and generous couple – it was like sailing with good friends – the chemistry was perfect and we just hit it off.
SHE CONTINUES HER REVIEW…
They welcomed us on board their beautiful home and anticipated our every need. Iza is an amazing cook – the food (presentation, quality and variety) is better than you get in most good restaurants and all prepared in a galley kitchen – the sushi in particular was unbelievable! And Geoff…well, in our opinion he makes a better Painkiller than the Soggy Dollar (as well as being a great Captain).
They had arranged an itinerary for us (but it was flexible) and we went to different, islands and/or bays every day. For instance, a sail to Anegada, followed by a fabulous lobster dinner at the Reef Hotel – highly recommend this!
They took us to all their favorite spots in the BVIs and we couldn’t get enough of the clear blue waters and white sandy beaches – plenty of snorkeling, kayaking and paddle boarding to be had. In fact, we didn’t really have enough time just to hang out in one place for a day or go tubing or water-skiing, which is why we are returning next year. Now we know all the best spots and where we’d like to go back to and spend more time.
(Catamaran DREAMING ON) is comfortable and has plenty of space, both out the front on the ‘trampolines’ and the shady area at the back by the cockpit where we enjoyed breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Overall, for anyone out there considering a luxury yacht charter, I would highly recommend, without hesitation, DREAMING ON, and Geoff and Iza – it will be one of the (if not THE) best vacations of your life! We certainly can’t wait to get back on board next year…..
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