Book your Custom Covid Compliant Vacation. Welcome to Travel Tuesdays where we speak with dashing Yacht Captains aboard some of the most lavish chartered yachts in the world. * Chartering during COVID * HOT tips * Compelling Compliments * Secret Secluded Destinations & so much more….
“Feels like your at home with seasoned crew. Happy Crew. Happy guests.” says co-host and President Jennifer Saia aka @YachtQueen of B&B Yacht Charters, Inc.
In this segment meet Captain Brad Baker of Motor Yacht Rena
Video Edit Credits: @0ri.evans
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Welcome to Newport Living and Lifestyles
and Travel Tuesdays
brought to you by
B&B Yacht Charters, Inc.
with President and co-host
Jennifer Saia aka @YachtQueen
That’s me! Hi everybody!
Today we have Captain Brad Baker of Motor Yacht Rena
An incredible program that we have been doing for many many years together
Captain Brad, why don’t you tell us a little bit about your vessel.
Well okay, she’s an NQEA built in Cairns, Australia, which is my hometown for many years.
She just turned 30 years old.
She’s a Leeuwin class. We just did our 30 year survey last year.
She has just come out of the shipyard with a lot of love.
She has five state rooms
10 guests, we can accommodate more guests if needed, with pullmans, without her sinking.
She comes with a toe tender 38 foot ripper that we love to use. We call it the Limo
Tender, jet ski’s, stand-up paddles, kayaks
All things that you could want for a charter vacation in the Bahamas
Sounds like an amazing fun wealth of activities to do.
Where your favorite places to travel?
We do love the Bahamas especially for chartering. Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Maine
We like a different type of experience.
Very pleasurable, very scenic.
That sounds fun and
Jennifer tells me that you guys put up an amazing beach picnic!
Yes! we do, we cater that to wherever we are.
I got my secret beach in the Bahamas which I will not divulge
Come on give me the Lat/Long (Latitude/Longitude)
It’s a hell of a day for the guests. It’s special.
We cater lunch to the local seafood and keep the local cuisine in mind
Make it fun for everybody.
yeah and you can customize the lunches with a pig roast and other things
Depends on the island and where we are
We try to source the local product and stick with the local fare if we can.
Or go catch it yourself please
Yes! hahaha
We have a wonderful barbecue on the top deck and
we’ve got more than one crew member on board who is a master at grilling.
We like barbecuing. I won’t say that I am good at it!
But anyway, I have people for that! and we like to make it part of the experience.
Speaking of crew, how many crew are you?
We are 8 crew, more than enough!
It looks beautiful and quite elegant.
I call it Nantucket chic!
I’s kind of a New England sort of flair interior and
the owners are from that area and it reflects their taste and style.
It’s such a more traditional style.
We keep the furnishings refreshed on classic feel and style.
Everyone’s keeping healthy and busy.
We are all good and ready to go for the summer.
Jennifer, you are in Florida right now
How would you describe the boat and the crew?
I’m going to be having lunch in a few minutes with everybody,
so then I’ll have a real good description!
But just being back on board after not seeing them for so long
oh my gosh like a year.
I feel like I’m at home
The owners treat the crew like family and we love working for them.
We get to know guests as good as we can
while maintaining our professionalism.
It’s always a fun relaxed atmosphere on the boat and part of cruising a charter.
How long have you been on the boat?
I’ve been about 5 1/2 years
I have heard that charters are all about the crew!
Happy Crew! Happy Guests!
We’ve got nearly a hundred years of experience between the four senior crew on board in yachting.
I was thinking about that the other day,
Not sure if that makes me feel old or experienced.
Seasoned!
But it’s a fact!
Seasoned! There ya go!
You have a history of hospitality
with two Atlantic crossings, two Pacific crossings
and cruising remote locations such as Palau, Micronesia and Hawaii.
How have your extensive travels changed your perspective as a yacht captain for your guests?
I started out chartering with Texas sports fishermen on the Barrier Reef in Cairns
some of the most fun, interesting people that I ever met.
Very very laid back program
Had to evolved from that to the Mediterranean high end charters
with people such as royalty, astronauts, rock stars and such.
What makes a good crew?
I would say experience and energy! The two number one factors!
Experience, you know, only comes with time on boarding in the industry and
learning how to service these 5 and 6 star services that we are offering
It only comes with experience
We traditionally range between 5- 10 day charters.
Our longest was 14 days.
7 -10 day charters work well for us.
Some of our highlights would be Nassau, Harbor Island, the Exuma’s.
Also the Exuma keys, we’d like to take the toys off through the shallow waters
and we like to kayak up creeks and streams and I have got all sorts of hikes figured out
and you’ll be chartering there from November to April
This November through Christmas/ New year, we will be available through Easter
Sounds like you guys have a lot of repeat guests.
What was the best compliment that you’ve received ?
Probably when a primary charter guests guests wife says,
“Can I take you and the crew home with me?”
“You guys are so wonderful, we want to keep you.”
What is the #1 hot tip for your guests?
For the Bahamas: pack lightly.
You don’t need all of that stuff.
Once you leave the lights of Atlantis and the slot machines
It will be just us, and the fish, and the birds, and the iguanas and the palm trees.
That is all you need.
And let captain Brad, who’s an amazing photographer, follow you and your guests around.
because his work is magnificent, just magnificent.
At the end of the charter, the last night, you gather everybody together and
you compose this beautiful video of all the photos and
they can relive their vacation right then and there.
Then they take it with them and
it’s like, Oh my gosh, wow!”
That’s a tradition we do on the last night.
It keeps me up late during the charter, I put all together.
On the last night we bring all crew and guests into the salon together.
We have a little party and a presentation.
I know you’re down in Florida so stay safe, I know you will.
We will.
If you are looking for a self quarantined,
covid compliant,
custom vacation,
call Jennifer Saia at
B&B Yacht Charters, Inc
Thank you Christon!
Thank you Christon
We look forward to seeing you soon
Thank you
and we look forward to seeing you on
Newport Living and Lifestyles