Region · yacht charter
Americas.
The US east-coast cruising window: Fort Lauderdale, New England and the Hudson, alongside transatlantic repositioning routes.
- Fort Lauderdale
Overview
What to expect.
The Americas cover the US east coast, a cruising ground that runs on two seasons rather than one. Florida carries the winter, based on Fort Lauderdale, and New England carries the summer, based on Newport. The two windows interlock, and much of the fleet moves up and down the coast between them, which makes the eastern seaboard cruisable across most of the year. It is also the western end of the transatlantic routes that connect to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
Fort Lauderdale is the operational heart of American yachting, with the deepest concentration of marinas, yards and crew on the coast, and day and short cruising along the Florida shoreline and across to the Bahamas within easy reach. New England is the summer ground: Newport, the sailing capital, with Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard within a day’s cruising, and the routing running north from there along the coast. The Hudson and New York add a city leg for yachts repositioning between the two.
The seasons split cleanly. Florida runs November through April, in its dry, mild winter, with the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October opening the season. New England runs June through September, with the Newport Charter Yacht Show in June opening the northern season and the fleet moving south again through the autumn. The show weeks and the mid-summer New England weeks are the tightest for availability.
An Americas yacht charter is run end to end by one advisor, around the season and the coast: the shortlist of yachts and crews, the embarkation from Fort Lauderdale or Newport, and the routing set to the window. Transatlantic repositioning to the Mediterranean or the Caribbean is arranged on owner request through the same operational team.
Destinations
Where we cruise in the Americas.
1 destination curated through our network of brokers, owners and management firms.
Season
When to cruise.
- Best months
- April–October
- Prevailing winds
- Gulf Stream · seasonal NE
- Base ports
- Fort Lauderdale · Newport
April through October for the US east-coast season: Fort Lauderdale, New England and the Hudson.
Programmes typically link transatlantic passages, refit yards and reposition windows between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
Frequently asked
Practical questions.
- When is the best time for an Americas yacht charter?
- It depends on the ground. Florida runs November through April, in its mild winter; New England runs June through September. The two windows interlock, so the US east coast is cruisable across most of the year.
- Which areas does an Americas charter cover?
- Mainly Fort Lauderdale and the Florida coast in winter, and New England (Newport, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard) in summer, with New York and the Hudson as a repositioning leg. The Bahamas lie a short passage from Florida.
- How far ahead should an Americas charter be arranged?
- Three to six months for a standard week. The boat-show weeks and the mid-summer New England weeks tighten availability, so earlier is safer for those.
- How do you reach an Americas charter?
- Fort Lauderdale and Miami are the Florida gateways, a short transfer from the marinas; Boston and Providence serve New England, with Newport a short transfer on. The advisor arranges the transfer to the yacht.
- How do the Florida and New England seasons connect?
- They interlock. Florida runs through the winter and New England through the summer, and much of the fleet moves up and down the coast between the two, which is why the eastern seaboard cruises across most of the year.
- What does an Americas yacht charter cost?
- As a guide, a crewed yacht in the 30 to 50 metre range runs from around EUR 100,000 to EUR 400,000 per week, with the advance provisioning allowance and gratuity additional. The advisor sets out the full figure before anything is signed.
- What size of yacht suits the Americas?
- The full range. Motor yachts suit the Florida coast and the Intracoastal cruising, while both motor and sailing yachts base from Newport for the New England summer. The advisor matches the yacht to the ground and the season.
Plan your charter
Guides and charter services.
Elsewhere
Other cruising grounds.
Plan a charter
Plan a charter in the Americas.
A private advisor will return a short, curated proposal within the hour.