A yacht charters and sailing vacations news blog from your charter yacht specialists, Paradise Connections, who are currently cruising about the Caribbean.
Catamaran Yacht Charter Special Offer - AMARYLLIS
The charter yacht, catamaran AMARYLLIS, has a special of $1000 off their regular rate for any full-week charter taking place during the month of January 2010 (not to be combined with any other special, i.e. one child free or free rendezvous dive). Yacht charter location is the US & British Virgin Islands.
Amaryllis is a Privilege 45 catamaran, owned and operated by Laura & Bruce Masterson. This charter catamaran is fully air conditioned and accommodates up to 6 guests in 3 double cabins.
Charter catamaran MAROLANGA prepares for new season
We received an email from Gus & Marcella, owner-operators of the Catana catamaran, MAROLANGA. They plan to "splash" tomorrow and they are looking forward to getting out of the boatyard and back into the water.
Here's a photo of Gus from earlier this week polishing the hull.
We look forward to seeing them next week when we sail over to St. Thomas, USVI.
Marolanga is currently open for both CHRISTMAS and NEW YEARS !!!
I know, we are really surprised, too. Don't miss out... Marolanga is an excellent choice for a family sailing vacation for the holidays!
UPDATED: October 13, 2009 We have some other yachts we can suggest as well, so if nothing here quite suits your fancy, let us know and we'll see what we can do for you.
UPDATED: Sept 11, 2009 - Quite a few changes have been made in the 2 days since I worked on this post... There have been a few confirmed bookings and some new holds. Since the holds are not confirmed, we still offer those yachts as we can always challenge the other party. We have updated the info below.
Now that Labor Day has passed, we expect to be receiving our standard flurry of post-summer inquiries for holiday charters.
s/y Sandcastle
There are still some good boats available for this coming 2009/2010 holiday season for Christmas and New Years in the Virgin Islands (rates & availability as of 2009/09/09):
We have some other yachts we can suggest as well, so if nothing here quite suits your fancy, let us know and we'll see what we can do for you :)
Open for New Years from December 28th - Hold on dates but STILL NOT confirmed. We were told that this was a "done deal a few days ago", but it looks like the fat lady hasn't sung yet :) We can challenge the other party!
Rate: $9,680/wk for 2 guests, $10,450 for 4, $12,320 for 6, $14,190/wk for 8
Don't wait too long to start planning your holiday sailing vacation. Some of the yachts we previously mention have booked up so they have been removed, and a few yachts now have holds on them. But as a hold is just an "option" it is not yet a confirmed charter so we still have it listed... We can always challenge the other party for you if necessary :)
Shrimp and Lobster Risotto with White Truffle Oil (serves 6-8)
This is one of our favorite recipes; even Wayne eats it!
Wayne loves to kill "anything that swims, walks or crawls across the ocean floor" but really would prefer a hot dog for dinner! He does, however, love this risotto so I think that speaks volumes!
Wayne, the lobster hunter --- Wayne, Hot Dog gourmand
I am always looking for ways to showcase the lobster Wayne brings home and this is a great favorite of our guests.
Shrimp and Lobster Risotto with White Truffle Oil (serves 6-8)
4 tbs butter 2 tbs olive oil 10 oz Arborio rice 7 +/- cups stock (see attached recipe) 12 oz white wine 1 cup shallots 3 cups lobster and shrimp, cut into 1" chunks and cooked halfway 1 cup asparagus tips 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese White truffle oil
Stock:
In a large stockpot:
Combine 8 cups water, about 30 shrimp shells, 1 or 2 lobster shells, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped celery stalk, handful of parsley, handful of thyme.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until broth is flavorful.
Strain, pressing vegetables to release all flavor.
Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until almost all absorbed.
Add stock by the cupful, stirring until each cup is absorbed before adding the next.
When rice is almost done (a little too al dente), stir in asparagus, then seafood.
Finally, stir in 1 cup parmesan cheese and stir in white truffle oil to taste (add by the 1/4 teaspoon until it is to your taste. White truffle oil is VERY strong, use sparingly).
Serve as a main course or with a baked filet of grouper or snapper. Garnish with remaining parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
