Charting Forward: Horizon expands with new tools and a broader view of the Caribbean.

As fall approaches, Horizon Yacht Charters is embracing a new phase of its evolution—digitally, operationally and geographically. With a fresh suite of websites and a few high-profile additions to its fleet, the Caribbean-based company is quietly sharpening its edge in a competitive charter landscape, all without losing the hands-on, local service that has long been central to its identity.

At the center of this update is a new set of websites. In the coming months, the company will roll out separate sites for its various offerings, including bareboat yacht charters, sailing school, luxury crewed yachts and yacht sales. These sites have been designed to better reflect the distinct arms of Horizon’s business. Most significantly, the charter site will feature a new real-time booking system, giving guests the ability to secure their dates without waiting on office hours in the islands. It’s a logistical step forward, but it is also one made with care.

• Established in 1998 in the British Virgin Islands and with a base in St Vincent & the Grenadines, Horizon has historically been characterized by its penchant for person-to-person service. Horizon Co-founder Andrew Thompson emphasized that the new digital booking option is not designed to take the place of those human interactions or automate away the personal touch. Instead, the company is simply hoping to capture bookings that might otherwise be lost across time zones. 

That modernized front end doesn’t change the company’s commitment to its clients. Horizon still avoids same-day turnarounds, ensuring every boat gets the time it needs between guests, but still offering any day to any day charters- giving clients flexibility on travel and avoiding same day fleet turnaround bedlam. They also remain dedicated to keeping the one-on-one briefings and walk-throughs that have helped them maintain a loyal base of charterers.

New Boats and Broader Choices

This year’s fleet expansion reflects Horizon’s eye for yachts that can flex between markets. In November, a Jeanneau 55 will join the BVI fleet, becoming the largest bareboat-available monohull in the region. The boat is expected to be used both bareboat and skippered, aimed at sailors who want something closer to the kind of yacht they might own—or aspire to.

Though it’s officially a bareboat offering, this particular Jeanneau leans into comfort. It’s arriving with solar installed, a suite of water toys and extra onboard amenities.

Also joining the fleet in the BVI this winter are two large catamarans for the luxury crewed market—a Lagoon 55 and a Fountaine Pajot 67 For the bareboat segment, a Fountaine Pajot 44 will be added to the lineup as a three-cabin version, designed for groups that want more space without going full skippered. Overall the fleet remains equally split between catamarans and monohulls- a rare profile in the BVI these days.

These additions broaden Horizon’s footprint across price points and sailing styles, offering new size categories while maintaining their signature focus on boat quality, maintenance  and customer service.

Reintroducing St. Vincent

While the BVI remains Horizon’s flagship base, the company continues to push for greater awareness of its St. Vincent & the Grenadines location.

“The sailing is different there. Unlike the BVI’s compact cruising grounds, SVG offers longer reaches and more open-water passages, with fewer charter boats and more private yachts. For sailors looking for a slightly more challenging cruise, it’s a welcome change of pace”.

The payoff for this more advanced sailing is a less-trafficked location with a distinctly local feel. Guests are quickly welcomed—and not in the curated, cruise-ship sense. It’s part of what keeps people coming back.

“It’s not a tourist act,” Thompson noted of the local hospitality. “ It is the genuine island vibe”.

Thompson is also keen  to dispel any lingering concerns about past storm damage. The islands have rebounded from Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm last summer.

“The region is ready,” Thompson said. “And the islands want to welcome the sailors.”

For many charterers, the appeal of SVG goes beyond the water. Fresh-caught fish, locally grown produce and small, family-run restaurants offer a dining experience that’s as memorable as the sailing itself.

Chartering Reimagined

In addition to new boats and tech-forward sites, Horizon is rethinking what a charter vacation can look like. The company is launching new experience-based itineraries that build in hiking, diving, watersports and dining. The packages are designed to expand a sailor’s trip without complicating it.

In the BVI, a new stay-and-sail partnership with Scrub Island makes it easier than ever to build hybrid itineraries that combine time ashore with time afloat. In St. Vincent, Horizon is encouraging guests to incorporate onshore hikes and inland excursions into their sailing plans.

The idea behind the itineraries is to ease each guest’s planning burden while opening up new ways to experience the islands. Travelers can still customize their routes, but they’re no longer starting from a blank slate. These themed itineraries provide a curated foundation that can either be built on or followed exactly.

Behind the scenes, a more responsive sales process aims to make trip planning feel more personal. With a new charter sales manager onboard, Horizon is offering more tailored inquiry responses and custom itineraries based on guest preferences, sailing experience and desired destinations.

Staying Rooted While Growing Outward

Even as the brand modernizes, Horizon remains firmly Caribbean-centric by choice. That doesn’t mean clients are locked into one region, however. The company is increasingly acting as a broker for partner fleets in destinations like Greece, particularly in the Northern Ionian, giving longtime clients a way to explore new waters without starting from scratch with an unfamiliar provider.

For a charter company that’s built its reputation on repeat bookings, that flexibility matters. Some Horizon clients have chartered more than 20 times in the BVI alone. Offering new experiences without losing the service quality those clients have come to expect is the throughline in all of these updates.

From upgraded tech to expanded fleets and destination variety, Horizon is charting its next chapter with care. Click here to learn more about Horizon.

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