YACHT MANAGEMENT

Canadian Yacht Charters has been a recognized and respected name in the North Channel of Lake Huron for over 20 years. Our sailboat and powerboat fleet is based in the head of the cleanest and best fresh water sailing region in the world. The CYC home base is at Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. It is the center of that 120 mile boater's paradise known as the North Channel between Manitoulin Island (the world's largest fresh water island) and the north shore of Lake Huron.

For two decades our experienced and courteous staff have been providing professionally operated chartering holidays to boaters from all walks of life. The CYC team has many years of experience in the boating and chartering industries. Our staff of 16 includes our year round office staff, two full time mechanics, a scuba diver plus several cleaning, maintenance and hostessing staff members. Our marine store outlet also boasts the largest selection of inventory on Lake Huron north of Midland. All of our yachts are fully equipped for cruising comfort and safety. The fleet is maintained to our rigid specifications by people who care.

The North Channel is our home - we live here and love it! We have cruised these waters extensively. We know each of our yachts first hand - not from a long-distance reservations office. We oversee our charter operations personally seven days a week. The 'personal touch' is one factor in our success in the charter industry. This factor is what has assured our boat owners, charterers and our staff of consistent quality over the years, and will continue to do so in the future.

The Best Fresh Water Cruising in the World

"Here the cruising boat can meander through beautiful channels, can anchor near or tie up to bold cliffs of rock or soft, mysterious forests. Here the crew will hear nothing but their own voices and the cry of the loon, the squawk of the gull, and the evensong of the whippoorwill. The sun warms the flat rocks for dozing after a swim in a quiet cove, the fish jump at night, the blueberries hide in the crevices of the hills, and the wind ruffles the pines and makes them sing. In the islands is the serenity of a lazy summer afternoon, the comfort of a snug harbour or the witchery of a full moon gliding silently above the black tree points. In the islands is the stuff of dreams..."

-Marjorie Cahn Brazer
"Well-Favoured Passage: A Guide
to Lake Huron's North Channel"

This supreme waterway offers breath-taking scenery and solitude, yet is within close reach of services and all amenities. Canadian Yacht Charters provides professional charter holidays on the finest cruising (power and sail) boats anywhere. Our luxury boats are impeccably maintained to assure a trouble-free vacation in the spectacular North Channel and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron.

There are hundreds of exciting and well protected anchorages offering rugged beauty, crystal clear waters, great fishing and unlimited sailing adventures. The timeless and unique pink granite of the Benjamin Islands, the protected sailing of the Whalesback Channel, McGregor and Oak Bays, the white quartz cliffs hundreds of feet high in the 8 mile fjord, Baie Finn, are but a small part of this superb cruising area.

To the east is Georgian Bay which offers a multitude of ever-changing sailing areas; from the 30,000 islands of the east shore, to the beautiful cliffs of the Bruce Peninsula on the west side. The sailing in both of these regions is limitless. The cruising is unsurpassed.

Why Should I Own A Charter Yacht?

Most owners will tell you that they don't use their yacht as much as they would like to. In fact the average owner only uses his/her yacht for 20 days a year! In Ontario, that would be every single weekend from the end of June until Labour Day so it's possible that some owners may use it less.
The second common problem with owning your own yacht is the time obligation to maintenance and upkeep, and the rising costs of dockage, maintenance, insurance and storage. Some owners reluctantly sell (or try to sell) their "pride and joy" because they can no longer justify the time and the costs involved.
In addition to these reasons we must also recognize changing trends in our lives. Owners are spending more time at their jobs, families are growing and moving on and changing lifestyles may not allow for a lot of sailing at that time. The majority of our owners are avid boaters who lack the time to use their yacht more than a few times a year. Some owners have had to move out of their home port area and find the rising costs to keep a boat in more urban areas quite high.
There are many different scenarios that can lead to placing your yacht into our management program. Owners join our program knowing that their yacht will be meticulously maintained and managed by professional people who respect the value of their asset. We treat our owners like V.I.P.'s. They know that when they come to cruise on their yacht that it will be impeccably clean and that everything works. If an owner has special requests or specific needs, we will ensure that everything is set up for them. The owner will have no hassles, no worries and no chores.

Imagine: no more oil changes, waxing or teak work!!

We do it all and you maximize your precious vacation time.

Here is the CYC Program in a Nutshell

CYC agrees to market and maintain the yacht and to manage all aspects of charter activity
The owner receives 50% of all charter revenue.
The owner pays for only half of the dockage, insurance and storage particulars which remain at extremely low rates at our base port.
CYC will work with each owner to develop a personalized plan for vacation use.

How Do I Get Paid?

Statements are produced monthly and your share of the charter income (50%) is paid at that time. The more we charter your boat the more you earn. CYC also offers the owner a financial incentive when they refer friends and acquaintances to us as future charterers.

Be informed when shopping for a yacht management program. Some companies may offer 60% revenue but the fine print dictates that the owner must pay all expenses. When all is said and done the owner would probably make less than 50%. Still other companies may only pay the owner 30%.

Why Choose the CYC Program in the Lake Huron Area?

You may ask yourself "why should I place my yacht in an Ontario-based program when I could run my boat year round in a tropical climate"?

This is a good question.

It is true that our season is limited in Ontario. Our boats go in the water in May and are lifted-out in late October. Typically a season in Georgian Bay runs for a maximum of 15 weeks give or take a few weeks. The past few fall seasons proved to have good sailing into October, however, it is still considerably shorter than the 52 week year round cycle that a Caribbean based company could produce. At CYC we cite several advantages to our program over the year round models:

Your yacht is not a Workhorse running constantly for 52 weeks of the year.
In our program the "high season" covers an 8 to 9 week period with the remaining weeks on the shoulder and off season time frames. The constant traffic of people is significantly reduced on your yacht which guarantees that it will not be worn down like some of the tired charter boats in warmer climates. We also ensure that we space specific service days throughout the busy time in addition to our weekly maintenance checks between clients.
In addition to reduced traffic wear and tear your yacht will also escape the harmful effects of salt water and the damage caused by the relentless UV rays of the sun.
Most of us have seen or heard about the toll that salt water can take on a yacht and her equipment. Salt water can lessen a boat's value just as harmful ultra violet rays can eat through canvas and cause fading to other materials. Keeping your yacht in the fresh water cruising grounds of the North Channel will eliminate these threats and guarantee your yacht's escape from such rapid deterioration associated with the tropical climates.
We're not halfway around the world when you've got the urge to jump on your boat.
The North Channel is a little bit out of the way but this is why its cruising area is so untainted and preserved. Most of our owners live in the greater Toronto area or other parts of southern Ontario. Daily flights from Toronto can put you at our Gore Bay airport in one hour. Driving up you can choose between the Bruce Peninsula route from which the ChiCheemaun car ferry crosses several times a day or the scenic drive north on Hwy 400 and 69 through the Muskoka area.
Whatever your choice you don't need a passport to sail on your own boat! Not to mention you get to sail or cruise in the most beautiful freshwater cruising area that the world has to offer!

Smooth Sailing and Carefree Cruising

We offer a program that is intelligent, honest and realistic. Your yacht is impeccably maintained plus you receive your vacation time and generate revenue! We take care of all the details from bow to stern and treat your "pride and joy" with the respect she deserves.

In addition, our clientele are qualified boaters and professionals themselves. We check out our charter clients with resumes, references, an extensive equipment and inventory check on procedure with staff plus an additional familiarization (or test) cruise with our skippers. Each potential client is thoroughly checked out and trained in the operation of their particular yacht with its unique specifics.

Over 60% of our clients are repeat customers who return to our company year after year. Just as most of our owners have been with us for many years with some owners on their 2nd or 3rd new boat put back into our program!

How Does the Program Work?

The income you earn from chartering will significantly contribute towards the mortgage and operating costs that you must contend with as a yacht owner. This program can allow you the freedom to purchase the new yacht you want while providing an opportunity for it to generate revenue towards payments. You can literally make your new yacht pay for itself and also enjoy your own vacations aboard her with none of the maintenance hassles. CYC1s program delivers all of the benefits of yacht ownership while eliminating the headaches.

Here are the basics of how it works:

You purchase a boat. You do not pay GST or PST as we are collecting it on charter revenue. You can write off the interest on the loan against your personal income. You will be able to depreciate the boat 15% per year on a declining basis.

You can have the use of your boat in a renowned 'Sailorts Paradise' of fresh water cruising and sailing.

We will maintain the boat guarantee the condition, make any repairs and service it on a regular basis.

We will pay half of the expenses incurred from dockage, storage and insurance. We will take care of all arrangements including full insurance under our fleet coverage.

If you wish to put a used boat into our charter program the same basics apply.

The above details must be discussed to ascertain your personal financial status and the ability to carry the debt load.

Most owners with new boats are able to have the debt carried by the charter revenue.

At CYC we are have a commitment to excellence. You have worked hard to afford a yacht of your own and your yacht deserves special attention. We also recognize the importance of proper management and sound business practices. We believe in our company and are in it for the long haul. Our commitment goes beyond a piece of paper to ensure we have the best yachts that are superbly maintained.

Our track record speaks for itself. You'll find yacht management with Canadian Yacht Charters to be a very rewarding experience.

Call us anytime to discuss a plan that will work for you.

Canadian Yacht Charters : Power Trawlers and Sailboats

Ken Blodgett and Pam McLaughlin

Phone 1-800-565-0022

Base # (705) 282-0185

Fax # (705) 282-0443

Email: info@cycnorth.com