I’m dating myself with this title. For those of you not familiar with The Life of Riley follow the link. Suffice it to say that the Life of Riley is the easy life. Everyone is working hard except Riley, he’s in the hammock while the lawn is being mowed by the neighbor kid.

Isn’t that how it is for a charter boat captain? Sun, fun, beautiful people, libations and adoration?

Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to The Life of the Charter Boat Captain.

Caribbean Charter Boat Captains Work Hard 24/7!

A charter captain runs a business every day!

One of the most amazing professions that I have experienced is being a Charter Boat Captain. When you even think about what it might be like, there is a scene in your mind of non-stop fun, warm tropical breezes, and crystal clear turquoise water. What you are dreaming about is actually the experience that your charter captain is delivering to you, not the 24 work he/she does everyday. It is non-stop hard work to create an unforgettable Caribbean experience for each of their clients. Ask Captain Hollywood of Treazzures to share with you some of his behind the scene stories as a long time charter boat captain. They love the Caribbean sailing life, because if they didn’t there would be a much easier way to make a living.

Here is a very short list of the tasks required of a charter boat captain in the Caribbean:

• Keep the yacht in tip-top shape at all times, including all engine and equipment maintenance.
• Clean, scrub, varnish, polish, laundry, provision shopping, menu planning – everyday!
• Take 100% responsibility of the lives of your guests 24/7, responsible for a $1 - $3 million dollar yacht, all of the boat “toys” including the dingy/tender.
• Have a positive and humorous attitude everyday!
• Service above self. ( You would not believe the work that goes on behind the scenes during a charter vacation that creates an unforgettable experience for the guests; from making and changing the beds everyday, to keeping clean linens in stock.)
• The provisioning required for a week’s charter is unbelievable. Have you ever thought about where all of it is stored on the yacht? – food, drinks, cases of wine and liquor, produce and fruit, dairy supplies, and on and on.
• A weeks charter typically starts at noon on Saturday and the guests are delivered back to the home port at noon the following Saturday. Imagine twenty back to back charter weeks!!! The turn around work to clean, polish, laundry, re-provisioning a charter yacht is only accomplished with lots of sweat, teamwork, and a very high level of experience.

So, are you still thinking that the life a charter captain is all fun and games? They are masters at creating an unforgettable experience for you when you are on-charter. Captain Johnny and his chef, Kelly, of Double Feature are two other teams that will have stories to tell you of the life they love.

When you are arranging your gratuity payment at the end of your amazing vacation, remember that 20% of your charter cost is typical because they brought you back safely to port, created a lifetime of memories, and they accomplished all of that in a manner that seemed effortless - not to mention that the 20% gratuity or whatever you feel like makes up the majority of the captain’s profit!.

If you really want a fun experience sharing time with charter captains and their crew, check out the VICL 33rd Annual Charter Boat Show the first week of November. There will be four days of non-stop story telling as they present their yachts to the charter vacation brokers who will be inspecting all of them