LeBoat Special Savings For CharterSavvy Readers!!

LeBoat, the specialist in European canal boating holidays that is the sister company to The Moorings and Sunsail, is offering CharterSavvy readers a 5% discount on their future charters.  

LeBoat features custom-built self-drive cruisers on the waterways of Europe in eight countries: France, Italy, Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium and Holland.  They also offer Afloat In France, a luxury crewed barging experience.

To receive the discount, use the code SAVVY when booking your next charter.

For information, visit www.leboat.com/savvy or 800-734-5359.

Let's Split To Split

The Croatian coast is increasingly popular for bareboat charters, and the city of Split is the new “hot” destination, according to Kiriacoulis Charters, which has opened a base there for the 2012 season. 

The company already has other three bases along the Croatian coast, allowing flexibility for starting and ending one-way charters. 

From Split, charterers can sail the pretty islands of Vis, Brac, Hvar, Solta and Korcula, as well as explore Makarska (shown here) on the mainland.  All of these islands have ancient ports and UNESCO Heritage villages that are unbelievably beautiful.

Kiriacoulis has also opened two other new bases this season on the Med, with one in Gocek, Turkey, and the other in Grado, Italy.  The Gocek base opens up one-way charters from their bases at either Bodrum or Marmaris, while the Grado base is close to Venice and Trieste.

For info, email Kiriacoulis@mindspring.com or call the U.S. office at (800) 714-3411.

Italian Finances & You

We love Italy and, hey, my brother-in-law is an Italian winemaker.  But sometimes we just have to stand back and wonder what they are thinking. 

The Italians are talking about imposing a tax on any boat that visits or anchors in Italian waters during the 2012 summer and, apparently, this applies to everything from inflatables up to megayachts, including bareboat charters.  The rate hasn’t been set, although early indications are that a 30-40’ yacht would be hit about US$10-15 per day.  Yachts of 55’ will pay about US$40. Megayachts of 50 meters (164’) will pay 700 Euros (something less than US$1000) a day whether at anchor or docked. 

The politicians of Sardinia imposed a similar “luxury” tax in 2006 that applied to all yachts over 46’, with fees ranging up to $20,000 for the privilege of spending money in Sardinia’s jet-set harbors.  As you can imagine, the yachts left in droves and the harbors were empty until 2009 when wiser heads in a new government scrapped the tax.

This is just a heads-up for anyone planning to charter in Italy this summer.  Check with your charter company or agent for updated information.