Sports & Recreation

The experience aboard a crewed charter is exhilarating and totally relaxing at the same time. If you are out to look for total relaxation and fun at the same time, you are in the right place. There are many possible options for vacations, but spending your break aboard a luxury vessel would be a totally unique and worthwhile experience.

There are many reasons why you should purchase a crewed yacht charter. Where should we begin? First, the services are truly exquisite and out of this world. Second, the amenities are above standard and are totally comfortable. Third, there are many other tourists like you who are there to have fun and take some time to relax away from home and work. Also worth mentioning is the uniqueness and fun experience in the activity.

In the past, crewed charters were exclusively enjoyed by the wealthy. That was because prices for several days of stay in a luxury yacht can reach thousands of dollars. And average-income people would not be comfortable spending that on a luxurious vacation. But today these services and amenities are more affordable so more people are able to enjoy staying on crewed charters.

Now, people can easily get access to such vessels through online resources without the need for extravagant amounts of money to purchase tickets for such vacation activities. You can easily book through a travel agency. They usually offer several discounts and other incentives to motivate more people into taking such luxurious journeys.

When you are aboard a crewed charter, you can almost always make sure you and your family are safe and secure. Crewed charters have specially trained attendants and other staff who are well-trained and knowledgeable in providing superb services.

There are also numerous “private” crewed charters available and offered to give the public the opportunity for more seclusive vacation accommodations. But this comes at a higher price. There is really no reason why you shouldn’t consider a crewed charter for your next vacation. Just remember to enjoy it to the fullest when you get there. Crewed charters can truly help you enjoy the perfect vacation for you and your loved ones.

There is no better way to experience the breathtaking beauty of the Greek archipelago than by renting a Greece charter yacht. With this sailing vessel, hopping from one island to another is easier and more enjoyable.

Tourists who plan to tour the islands of this historic European city typically rent sailing yachts. Before going through the process of chartering these vessels, it is a good idea that renters determine if they need a bareboat or crewed yacht.

If the person who is renting, or anyone from his group is qualified to operate a yacht, then a bareboat charter may be rented. As proof of competency, the assigned skipper should be able to present a sailing certificate or a signed affidavit to the Port Authorities of Greece. One of the main advantages of renting a bareboat charter is the freedom to plan one’s itinerary.

A crewed charter may also be opted for in case nobody in the group is qualified to operate a yacht. A maximum of thirty crew members typically comprise a crewed charter. Crew members may include stewardesses, engineers, mates, deckhands, and scuba dive masters. To be able to save, some tourists choose to hire only a skipper.

The daily rate for hiring a skipper ranges from 120 to 130 euros. Despite the added costs, tourists will stand to benefit from hiring a skipper since the latter could also function as a tour guide. Having stayed in Greece for a long time, he should be able to tell his clients more about the culture and history of his native land.

Another option available for tourists is charter by owner wherein the sailing vessel to be rented is owned and operated by the same person. Owner yachts are generally over fifty feet in length and can fit up to four cabins. Rates for chartering owner yachts typically include the services of crew members as well as breakfast and lunch meals for the clients.

Meanwhile, a person who is capable of skippering a sailing vessel but has concerns about sailing in unfamiliar waters can opt to join a flotilla. This option allows a qualified skipper to man his own vessel but without the jitters since he will be following the flotilla leader who will operate the lead boat.

Several companies offer services that address the different yachting needs of tourists. In fact, these companies maintain websites that make reservation and booking procedures more convenient for potential clients. Nowadays, hiring a Greece charter yacht can be done within seconds and with just a few strokes of the keyboard.

If you are thinking of participating in bird watching tours abroad then look no further than the beautiful Brazil. The diverse and colourful range of birds that populate its skies is enough to excite any amateur bird watcher. Here are just some of the species you may spy through the lens of your binoculars when on bird watching tours of Brazil.

Magnificent Frigatebird

While on Brazilian bird watching tours make sure to look out for the magnificent frigatebird or Fregata magnificens – a beautiful bird which is sometimes referred to as the Man O’War. The only dash of colour on this otherwise black bird is its vivid scarlet throat pouch, which the male bird inflates like a balloon to attract the female. Females also have dark feathers but they have a white breast, a brown band on the wings, and a blue circle around the eyes.
An interesting fact about this bird is that though they eat mainly fish, they have been known to attack other seabirds, forcing them to eject prey from their mouths and stealing it for themselves.

Hyacinth Macaw

On some bird watching tours in Brazil you will have the pleasure of encountering the largest type of macaw in the world – the hacinth macaw or Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus. It can measure up to 100cm long and around 2kg in weight, with a wingspan of around 150cm. Both the female and male birds are a vibrant blue, with black being found under the wings, and yellow rings around the eyes. Its beak is black with streaks of yellow on the lower section. It is very hard to distinguish the male from the female, although if spotted together the female is usually the more slender of the two. Unfortunately, these birds are becoming rarer in a wild habitat due to their growing popularity as pets.

Hoatzin

One of the more interesting species of bird you should keep an eye out for when on your bird watching tours is the hoatzin or Opisthocomus Hoazin. This bird has a few monikers and is also called a hoactzin, stinkbird, or canje “pheasant”. It is a very unusual brown bird whose taxonomic position has caused great debate within the ornithology world. It is around 65 cm in length and has a very long neck. Its small head has a spiky crest and its face is blue and un-feathered, with strange maroon eyes. The bird emits a very strong smell which has resulted in its nickname – ‘stinkbird’. Experts have surmised this smell is probably due to the bird’s consumption of leaves. The most unusual feature of this bird appears in the young, who possess claws on two of their wing digits.

Blue-crowned Motmot

The blue-crowned motmot or Momotus momota is a real treat to observe if you are on bird watching tours in Brazil. It is around 38-48 cm long and can weigh around 145g. The beauty of this bird lies in its tail, which is very long with a bare-shafted racket tip. The colours run from green to blue and present a truly beautiful picture. They like to sit very still and for this reason can be very hard to spot, even for the most avid bird watcher.