I just returned from my trip to the BVI’s, where I chartered through Navigare. I had originally requested a charter for 23-26 June from a broker. I went through the entire process and executed a charter contract, but I must have been more focused on the costs and did not check all the dates in the contract confirmation close enough. So – I completely missed that the dates of the charter were for 23-26 July - not 23-26 June. In any event, I turned up at BVI Yacht Charter (Navigare’s agent) in Road Town on 23/6 ready for my charter only to discover that I was one month early and the charter was not scheduled until 23/7. Checking my contract docs, I realized that they were correct and the charter was a month later. The BVI YC personnel there, specifically Abbie and Laura were very helpful and immediately identified a similar boat (Beneteau Oceanis 45) that was available and sent an e-mail to Navigare to obtain permission to substitute. Confident that she would obtain permission from Navigare, Abbie went ahead and had the boat serviced and Laura gave me a chart briefing. While I was provisioning, Navigare gave their permission and I was able to go aboard for a boat briefing. I then pulled out of the slip just 2 hours later than planned. We had a fantastic cruise and could not have been happier with the boat and the experience.
Thanks for all the help Abbie and Laura gave me and Navigare's flexibility in substituting the boat. Thanks again.