Day Charters

EXPLORING MIAMI 8 HOURS
Depending on our starting point, we could begin our cruise by heading south to Miami (the Downtown area) to the lower bay, the portion between Key Biscayne and the Coconut Grove/Coral Gables sections of Greater Miami. We may also briefly tour Bayside Market & Marina along our way which is an open air mall with lots of activity. There is also the option of touring the New River, pass the Epic Hotel all the way up and docking where you may get off for some lunch at one of the many waterfront restaurants. A little further, as we head south, the bay presents us with a wide variety of things to see and do. If we haven’t yet had the opportunity, once we’re south of the bridge we can open the throttles and get up to cruising speed. Not too far south from the Rickenbacker Causeway, off to the right, there’s a local landmark known as Vizcaya, which was one of Miami’s first mansions. This magnificent structure was built nearly 100 years ago when the area was still young. The original owner, James Deering was an agricultural industrialist and the founder of International Harvest. Vizcaya is currently a county-owned museum that’s open to the public daily (unfortunately, it is not accessible by water without prior arrangement). If you wish for a closer view, there’s a channel that can take us almost to the mansion’s front door. Seeing this century-old house from the water is impressive, and a view most visitors never get to witness. Built with stone that was imported from Italy and designed by an American architect, the house is styled as an Old Italian Palazzo. What is interesting here in the 21st Century is that Vizcaya reportedly cost about 5 million early 20th-Century dollars to build and employed 10% of Miami’s population at the time. Once Vizcaya was completed, Deering furnished the house with over 400 years worth of antiques, just to make the place look as if one family had been living there for centuries. Biscayne Bay is the large body of water that lies between the mainland and the barrier islands such as Miami Beach. While there is ocean access, primarily via Government Cut, the main channel used by all the cruise ships, there is so much to see and do within the confines of the bay itself that you can have an outstanding trip and never leave the bay. Because the barrier islands offer considerable protection, the bay is usually quite gentle as to sea conditions no matter what may be happening off shore. So while a bay cruise can be ideal on any day, it is especially desirable on those rare days the ocean is less than hospitable, or for folks who prefer quiet waters period.

Our next point of interest is at anchorage off the southwest corner of Key Biscayne. Nixon’s Cove is where Richard Nixon had his “Winter White House” over thirty years ago. His former house was unfortunately torn down in the fall of 2004 which we would have shown to our guests. However, the house used in “Scarface” and a few other celebrity homes still in this area are available for your viewing! One of the delightful features of this relaxing cove is the sandbar on the south side. At any time throughout the day you are able to wade, swim or even walk on or over the sand bar because of South Florida’s tidal range which averages slightly less than three feet. Upon our return depending on the ocean’s hospitality we may take to the open ocean for a ride back to Key Biscayne or simply go back the Intracoastal route. Either way, you will witness the varying views of Miami’s exciting skyline. Each is unique in that you can only get that particular view when out on the water!

Whether we return via ocean or bay you must have a look at ‘Stiltsville’ which was a group of formerly private wooden homes built on stilts and spread out along the delicate reefs of Biscayne Channel. These homes were built in the early 1900’s and were started by a fisherman named ‘Crawfish Eddie’ who built his first shack in the 1930’s, then shortly after, a few of his close fishermen friends built their own shacks. This trend continued on for decades while hurricanes came and went destroying many of the homes, with time however, many of the shacks/homes were rebuilt allowing ‘Stiltsville” to live on. It is now recognized as part of the ‘Biscayne National Park’ make sure to bring your camera! Fisher Island is the next stop en-route back to Miami where it’s reputation and location is regarded as one of the most highest-valued real estate in all of the United States. You may only access this island by boat or helicopter! Not far away in the shallow bays is where many episodes of the TV film we all know as “Flipper” filmed most of its in-water scenes. It has been a long day filled with fun, historical education and ecology and now all too soon your journey is over and it’s back to where you started. But the sights and activities you enjoyed should provide many happy memories that will last a lifetime.

Half Day Charter
Atlantic Yacht Charters is pleased to present you our most popular charters of Miami to Fort Lauderdale waterfront & home sightseeing. These are our half day charters but note that these are not necessarily pre-planned in advance and can be altered at will to suit your final desire. They are examples of what most charter guests ask us to see on a half day charters or where you can go when you charter a private yacht from Atlantic Yacht Charters.

The Miami area is home (at least part time) to quite a few well-known celebrities. Since, as you might expect, many of their magnificent homes are on the waterfront, it is quite easy to include some “star gazing” among your charter activities. So we might just be heading south to Star, Palm and Hibiscus Islands, which are on Biscayne Bay just west of South Beach, and boasts some spectacular celebrity homes. Gloria Estefan and her husband/producer Emilio Estefan live on Star Island, as well as the Miami Heat’s star center, Shaquile O’Neal and baseball All-Star A-Rod, Matt Damon, and Miami Dolphins former head coach Don Shula. Sean Combs, better known as “Diddy,” has a home on the island as well, although he does not live here full time.

CRUISING THE INTRACOASTAL – MIAMI HOME SIGHTSEEING 4 HOURS

But first, let's start at Haulover Inlet, where we stop for a short while to swim and have a walk on Beer-can Island, yep sad but true! Or we can head south down the channel that runs inside the main barrier island of Miami Beach all the way south to Government Cut where the Miami Beach Port is located. Along the way, we will pass by Indian Creek Village, a community so exclusive that its few citizens built their City Hall over on the main barrier island in Surfside so visitors wouldn’t have to drive onto the island! This village is home to such notables as Don Shula and Julio Iglesias. Further down we pass LaGorce Island, another gated community with some interesting and historically notable homes which all have waterfront in the front and their backyard a world class golf course. Then comes North Bay Drive, a street of remarkable waterfront dwellings that includes one estate where the occupants commute by helicopter, several homes that belong (or once belonged) to world-famous entertainers, and one that was used in the movie “On Any Given Sunday”! There are several places along the way where there are no restrictions on using the wave-runner, so a stop to anchor is not out of the question, though if swimming is also in your plans, continuing on down to Monument Island is perhaps better because we can anchor closer to the shallows there. If there’s time, we can also swing by the stars’ homes on Sunset Islands II & III. We can then take the channel that runs north of the Venetian Causeway to cross over for a closer view of downtown Miami. The American Airlines Arena (where the Miami Heat plays basketball) Bayside Marketplace and Bayfront Park are some of the sights to see. As always, the exact route will be up to you – and of course, the limitations of time, which always seems to run out all too quickly, regardless of the length of your charter. So, ultimately, we must head back to where we started, and the end of another memorable cruise.

You must know that not all of the homeowners are famous but probably richer and some have had a huge impact in the early days of the development of Miami. If you saw Monument Island on the cruise down that was a tribute to one of the founding fathers of Miami Beach, Henry Flagler, who built the railroad which almost reached Key West and in part largely responsible for the development of Florida’s East Coast. He also had a huge impact in developing St. Augustine and Palm Beach. Monument Island is also a great spot to swim, use the wave runner and people watch. There are many boats which cruise pass as well as wave runner riders. When we leave Monument Island we have a choice. There’s a channel that runs just inside Miami Beach’s barrier islands, all the way up to Bal Harbour. We can pass through the Venetian Causeway’s East bridge to cruise up this channel and return via the ocean, or, on those days when they ocean is less than hospitable, we can go north just inside Miami Beach and return via the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway that runs down the west (mainland) side of the Bay, just so we don’t have to cover the same ground twice.

But let’s say the weather is perfectly delightful today we could also head on to the ocean to return back to Haulover Beach. So we’ll head to Government Cut and out the main ship channel, and go out into the Atlantic for a whole different view of the glamorous strip of sand, sunshine and sea that is known to the world as South Beach. Upon our exit of Government Cut we will have the very southern tip of Miami Beach (known as South Pointe) to our left, and the exclusive and ultra-expensive community of Fisher Island to our right. Once we have passed the stone jetties on either side we can immediately turn left and head back toward South Beach to run north just outside the “swimmers only” area immediately off the beach. South Beach is world-renowned for its glamor and excitement which brings people here from all over to see and be seen among the crowd. But not everyone gets to see South Beach from the ocean. Running close to the beach gives us a different perspective of the popular Ocean Drive and Art Deco District. A lot of people think that South Beach is all that Miami has to offer which isn’t true. The barrier island, which runs from South Pointe to Bal Harbor, actually has five separate sections within the City of Miami Beach. There are South Beach, Mid Beach and North Beach. Each is different, not only in the accommodations and attractions ashore but also as seen from the water. At the end of North Beach comes the City of Surfside then Bal Harbor. At the north end of Bal Harbor there’s another channel from ocean to bay, called Baker’s Haulover which is derived from ancient times: It is said that the Caloosas and Tequestas lived here centuries ago and would haul their canoes over the beach at this point to get from bay to ocean, it was convenient cause it was a short and easy haul, it is the narrowest part of the island that makes up Miami Beach. In modern times, this spot was chosen for dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers primarily because it would require less work.

TERM CHARTERS OR VACATION CHARTER
Your yacht vacation may vary from 24 hours to 7 days in time. These are known as term charters or vacation charters and nothing like being stuck on a cruise ship with the same itinerary and thousands of other passengers. Your personalized yacht charter lets you decide what beaches and sights to see and which activities you want to do and when. It is all about personalized service that has been totally tailored to your preferences and tastes.

PRIVATE GETAWAY

Chartering a luxury super-yacht is the ultimate vacation experience. It is travel at the most luxurious, liberating, and unforgettable times of your life. There is simply no better way to experience sheer luxury and absolute freedom in some of the most stunning destinations on earth than aboard a private yacht.

Submerge yourself in the world’s glittering expanse of waters in order to achieve the ultimate sense of escape which can only happen on a term charter. Unlike holidays spent in exclusive hotels or resorts, Atlantic Yacht charters offer its passengers the ultimate in privacy and control, as you and your guests will be the only ones to which the crew will attend.

Available in a vast array of sizes, styles and functions, there is a luxury charter yacht to suit every need. You can bring aboard all you like, though you will find almost everything already taken care of. With beautifully decorated, spacious cabins, first-class facilities and excellent activities, crewed superyachts have all your vacation needs covered. Find your perfect charter holiday with our advanced Yacht charter search.

Spend a vacation in opulence, style and comfort and let your imagination lead you to your next destination by indulging yourself with a luxury yacht rental in one of the world’s most beautiful destinations.

Itinerary
Bimini (Bahamas)…A Quick Get Away

Personalized service
You chose your daily activities and the itinerary. Your captain and crew are well familiar with the area, whether at sea or ashore, and will recommend the best places for activities such as fishing, snorkeling or just swimming. They can also suggest the best secluded beaches for sunbathing, the best lively harbor town to shop, dine or even where to go night clubbing. The crew will take total care of you by preparing your gourmet meals, mixing your cocktails and assisting you with activities and equipment as you travel to and from different islands – they will make sure that you have the best time possible.

Before the charter we will talk about your activities and food preferences. We will ask you to fill in a questionnaire that will help the crew plan your charter. You will also talk to the crew prior to the charter to discuss all the details.

Explanation of charter fees and other expenses
Usually, rates quoted for a motor yacht charter are plus running expenses.

Running expenses:
All expenses related to the charter, such as food, fuel, dockage, port taxes are added to the fixed base charterer fee. This cost usually averages out at 25-35% of the base charter rate. The Advanced Provisioning Allowance (APA) is sent to the yacht Captain ahead of time together with your preferences and the crew will use this to provision the yacht. The Captain will present a full accounting to you at the end of the charter. Any balance will be refunded. If the expenses run over the APA then you will need to take care of the balance before disembarkation.

Taxes:
Florida tax is 7% and Bahamian tax is 4% and it is added on top of the base charter fee.

Gratuity:
Keep in mind the gratuities are at the charterer’s discretion and are not mandatory but recommended. For crewed charters it is customary to leave a 15-20% gratuity which is usually handed to the captain at the end of the charter.

Payment policy
An initial reservation deposit of 50% is required to reserve the yacht of your choice and the balance is due forty-five days prior to departure. At that time you will also be asked to send funds to cover the APA (for a motor yacht charter). The payments are done by bank wire transfer and will be held by the yacht’s main agent in an escrow account until just before the charter dates

Steps in booking a yacht
1- Once you decide on a yacht, we will put an “option” on the boat – the option secures the boat for 48 hours, which gives time to prepare all the paperwork.
2- We will send you a contract to review and sign. The initial deposit of 50% of the charter fee is required at that point. If the charter is less then 30 days in advance, a full payment is required.
3- Then we will start working with you on personalizing your charter – we will send you food and activity preference questionnaire, we will arrange a call between you and the crew, we will help you arrange flights, limousine transfers etc. We will help arrange every aspect of your charter.
4- the balance of the charter fee as well as the funds to cover the APA (Advanced Provisioning Allowance) are due 45 days prior to your charter date.

WATER SPORTS
Never go through a dull moment on a yacht with Atlantic Yacht Charters. Luxury Yachts are extremely fun, if the Luxury Yacht of your choice does not come with water toys, don’t be disappointed! Atlantic Yacht Charters Has your solution.
Your safety is our utmost concern so we hired trained professionals with the certifications needed to train, and look out for our guest safety. if we feel you are not qualified to do these watersports we will notify you with text book reasons and prior experiences.

Add Watersport packages to your Tailored Yacht charter!
- Jet Ski
- Jet Pack
- Fly Board
- Wakeboarding
- Wake surf
- Tubing