Boat charter - help!

Hello everyone,
Could you help us? We would like to charter a yacht (8-10 people) in the Cooks, but there seem to be no companies that do that. Do you know anyone who has a free yacht in summer 2013 (we have our own skipper)? What would be the approximate price?
THANK YOU!
Agnieszka

I doubt you will find any yacht owner in the Cook Islands who does, or is prepared to do, bare-boat charter. You can charter a yacht with the skipper, refer to Rarotonga Sailing based in Rarotonga who own of MSV Southern Cross.

Apologies, the name of the yacht charter business is called Sail Rarotonga. You would need to enquire from the owner about charter rates.

The Cook Islands is a great place to visit. But the CI Southern Group isn't really conducive to yachting. With the exception of Rarotonga's harbor there are no protected anchorages for the rest of the islands in the southern group. If your drought is more than a meter or so the only anchorage you'll find on them will be pinched between a reef and a drop-off to blue water stretching to the horizon. Then you can try to sleep each night wondering if you'll wake up to a foul wind on a lee shore. Believe me, it's no fun.

The Northern Group is a different story with many more stopover choices. So, if you do find a boat, I'd recommend them. But it's a lot different than cruising in most other popular bare-boat spots. It will require a lot of planning and some good charts.

Not many cruising types frequent this forum, I'd try some places like Cruising World, in my sailing days they were a good source of information. Or, maybe sniff around some of the NZ or AUS yachting centers for advice.

Look to Vava'u in Tonga- it has what you're looking for in terms of choice of boats and different anchorages.

We intended to go to Palmerston and then maybe continue north. Thank you for the information :) I'll talk with our skipper and see what he figures out. Thanks again ;)

I have heard that Palmerston and Suwarrow especially are both out of this world types of paradise!

Another charter yacht based in Rarotonga is Tropicbird. You could contact the owner and see if she is prepared to charter her vessel bare-boat (if it is surveyed for ocean-going voyages that is). I know that the Southern Cross is surveyed to undertake lengthy open-sea voyages - she has done a number of trips up to the Northern group already.

Try emailing the harbour-master based in Rarotonga to see what he knows about available yachts and movements. I did hear in December that a yacht which was for sale locally sold for peanuts in the end. The owner was desperate and advertised it in the newspaper constantly. The eventual buyer did a deal (obviously) to take the vessel off the seller's hands!

Hello,
Thank you very much! That's the first post that gives us some hope :) I'll definitely contact the harbour master.
All the best!
Agnieszka