USVI Charter Yacht Show Celebrates Record Growth, Award Winners & Island Spirit in 2025

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Boutique-style crewed charter yachts filled the docks at IGY’s Yacht Haven Grande, St. Thomas, for the USVI Charter Yacht Show, held November 7 to 10 and hosted by the Virgin Islands Professional Charter Association (VIPCA). Brokers from the Caribbean, the U.S., and Europe toured the fleet, showcasing the best in luxury chartering. The annual event signals the start of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ busy crewed yacht tourism season, a key reason the territory was named the Caribbean Yachting Destination of the Year for 2025 by Caribbean Journal in its annual Caribbean Travel Awards. Spotlighting the destination’s spirit, Official Beverage Sponsor CC1 Virgin Islands featured two of its brands, Cruzan Rum and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, in the mixology competition and more. The show’s jam-packed schedule included nightly island entertainment, a vendor showcase with local businesses, a culinary competition, and plenty of opportunities for brokers and crews to connect.

“The charter industry is very important for our economy here in the U.S. Virgin Islands,” says Dr. Haldane Davies, Director of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Economic Research, at the show’s Awards Ceremony on Sunday. “Your work over 2024 represented the spending of about $93 million throughout the territory, providing income in wages for about $43 million in value, with a territorial economic output of about $133 million and $69 million, respectively, to the GDP. Governor Bryan remains fully committed to ensuring that the work that is being done in the marine and maritime industry in the U.S. Virgin Islands continues to thrive.”

A Bespoke Fleet

The show’s crewed yacht charter fleet featured something for every guest, including multihulls and monohulls, power and sail, and vessels up to 141′ LOA. Each bespoke yacht and its crew combine to provide a customized rather than cookie-cutter vacation experience.

“We believe our win is primarily due to our genuine passion for creating a seamless, personalised, and authentic experience for every guest,” says Captain Rodrigo Pizzarro, who, with Chef Alys Servini, on the Bali 4.6, Apricity, earned Best in Show Class 40′ to 54′. “From our experience in the superyacht industry, we understand that a charter goes beyond the luxury of the yacht; it’s also about the emotional connection and tailored adventure that we personalise for every guest.” Pizzarro adds that Apricity already has eight charters on the books this season.

Whisky Sunset, a Bali 5.4, won Best in Show Class 55′ to 59′, with Captain James Cotter and Chef Phoebe Hooker. “The signature feature of the boat is our standard of luxury and extensive equipment on board, such as our 60HP tender and custom-built extension in the galley with a full-size ice maker, along with many other amenities that are well kept and cared for to a high standard,” says Hooker. “We have an extremely busy season ahead, starting with a Thanksgiving week charter, with booking availability for next July. We are excited to start filling up our 2026-2027 season.”

There were two major award wins for Reverie, a Lagoon 65 crewed by Captain Doyle Van Horn, Chef Christina Merianos, and Deck Stewardess, Jetske Van Rensburg: Best in Show Class 60′ & Over, and Best Crew.

“One of the key ingredients to being a successful yacht and crew is confidence building! Continuing to strive for excellence and improving the product of service. Leading with encouraging words and hard work sets the example for the crew always to try new things and new ways to improve their craft. We love what we do and feel it is a gift to share this experience with whoever steps foot aboard Reverie,” says Captain Van Horn, who adds the crew so far has 16 charters booked.

Donated as prizes were gift certificates and bags from Budge Marine, Cruzan Aged Single Barrel Rum, Lime Out gift cards and merchandise, gift cards from Pizza Pi and Offshore Marine, Cabana Day at Lovango, culinary prizes from KLR, and select rums from Cardow.

Two New Awards Introduced

Chris Patrick, charter broker with the CKIM Group Inc., based in Sebastian, Florida, earned the Distinguished Broker Award. Patrick started his broker career at the New Broker Seminar at the 2004 VICL’s Charteryacht Show in St. Thomas. Today, he books charters not only in the Virgin Islands but also in global destinations.

“This award was a big surprise, totally unexpected and very humbling,” says Patrick. “The Virgin Islands are a big part of my business, and close to my heart, and it’s important for me to share this area with my clients.”

Michael ‘Hank’ Hampton, co-founder and chief executive officer of Paradise Yacht Management, was awarded the Industry Recognition Award.

“We were genuinely surprised and honored to receive this award,” says Hampton, who co-founded the USVI-based business with Steve Schlosser, in 2015. “We truly appreciate VIPCA’s acknowledgment of Paradise Yacht Management’s commitment to staying and growing within the USVI and our efforts to help strengthen and improve the territory’s marine industry. We recognize the importance of the partnership with VIPCA and the U.S. Virgin Islands to continue economic growth in the charter industry and to expose thousands of guests to our beautiful islands.”

Resilient in the Face of Adversity – Looking Ahead to the Future

Over the last 9 years, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ charter yacht industry has proved resilient in the face of challenges such as hurricanes and a global pandemic. It has grown into an economic force within the territory’s marine tourism sector. However, the industry is feeling the impact of recent regulatory changes in the British Virgin Islands, which are prompting over two-thirds of the yachts in attendance to base their operations in the BVI rather than the USVI.

“The USVI Yacht Show is always a wonderful event to mark the beginning of the charter season – bringing together old friends and soon-to-be new friends convene in a beautiful location all with a shared passion for these beautiful islands and the sea,” says Kennon Jones, VIPCA Executive Director. “VIPCA was excited to partner with a number of new businesses this year in addition to long-standing sponsors, further growing the collective village that it takes to support the USVI charter community.”

The 10th USVI Charter Yacht Show will take place November 14-17, 2026. Registration information for boats and brokers will be announced at www.usviyachtshow.org

Strong Sponsor Support

CC1 Virgin Islands, a leading distributor of wine, spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic brands in the USVI, is a new sponsor of the show this year. Brands Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Cruzan Rum, specifically the new limited-release Cruzan Island Reserve, were featured in the mixology competition and for drinking throughout show events, including the opening vendor night, awards banquet, and crew party.

“At CC1 Virgin Islands, we understand the importance of supporting local initiatives and meaningful causes within our community, which is why we are thrilled to be the official beverage sponsor of the VIPCA USVI Charter Yacht Show 2025. We value the vital role that the charter yacht industry plays in our community, driving local business growth, creating jobs, and supporting sustainable tourism and environmental respect across our beautiful islands. We carefully chose our sponsoring brands, Cruzan Rum and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, to fit the relaxed island vibe and meet the premium yachting community standards,” says Loretta Biss, commercial director.

Sponsors of the 2025 USVI Charter Yacht Show include the USVI Department of Tourism; IGY Yacht Haven Grande, St. Thomas; Risk Strategies, Cigna; Mango Media; Maho Crew; Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Cruzan Rum, distributed by CC1; One Communications; St. John Meats; The Market and Moe’s Fresh Markets; Blue 11; Indigo 4; Charter Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA); Northern Lights by Parts and Power; and Chef Julius Jackson.

Additional special thanks to supporters and prize givers at the show, including Hampton by Hilton, KLR, Budget Marine, Offshore Marine, Pizza Pi, Lovango Resort and Beach Club, Lime Out, Cardow, and Java Grande.

For more information about the USVI Charter Yacht Show, visit usviyachtshow.org. For information about VIPCA and its programs, visit www.VIPCA.org, Email: info@vipca.org, or call (340) 642-0656

SIDEBAR: 2025 USVI CHARTER YACHT SHOW COMPETITION WINNERS

Best in Show Class 40′ to 54′:
Winner: Apricity Crew: Rodrigo Pizzarro, Alys Servini CHARTER VAULT
Runner Up: Kismet Crew: Nicholas Farinha, Jade Lovell ALEE YACHTING

Best in Show Class 55′ to 59′
Winner: Whiskey Sunset Crew: James Cotter, Phoebe Hooker CHARTER VAULT
Runner Up: Hourglass Crew: Adriana Vega, Daryl Hanna PARADISE YACHT MANAGEMENT

Best in Show Class 60′ & Over
Winner: Reverie Crew: Doyle Van Horn, Christina Merianos, Jetske Van Rensburg PARADISE YACHT CLEARING
Runner Up: Little Giant Crew: Guy Abramovici, Minnette Gous, Sofiya Bereza, Jason Cooke REGENCY YACHT CHARTERS

Best Crew in Show
Winner: Doyle Van Horn, Christina Merianos, Jetske Van Rensburg Yacht: Reverie PARADISE YACHT CLEARING
Runner Up: Guy Abramovici, Minnette Gous, Sofiya Bereza, Jason Cooke Yacht: Little Giant REGENCY YACHT CHARTERS

Mixology Competition – Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Judge’s Choice: Caydon Harris Yacht: Sun Daze CHARTER VAULT
People’s Choice: Minnette Gous Yacht: Little Giant REGENCY YACHT CHARTERS

Mixology Competition – Cruzan Rum
Judge’s Choice: Adriana Vega Yacht: Hourglass PARADISE YACHT CLEARING
People’s Choice: Adriana Vega Yacht: Hourglass PARADISE YACHT CLEARING
Special Mention: Eric Warner Yacht: Heavenly PARADISE YACHT CLEARING

Culinary Competition
Winner: Jade Lovell Yacht: Kismet ALEE YACHTING
Runner-up: Kelsey Wilson Yacht: Elysian ABOVE DECK
Special Mention: Christina Merianos Yacht: Reverie PARADISE YACHT CLEARING

Distinguished Broker Award
Chris Patrick

Industry Recognition Award
Michael “Hank” Hampton

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