If you’re in Florida February 16th through the 20th, come visit us at the Miami Boat Show. Beneteau will have an impressive showing of sailboats at the Strictly Sail Miamarina at Bayside, and an impressive lineup of 7 boats from the power fleet – the Swift Trawlers and the Gran Turismos – will be at the Yacht & Brokerage Show on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.
Keith Farfone will be at the Beneteau Sailboat display, Jeff Knoll will primarily be with the Beneteau Swift trawlers, and Chuck Laughlin will be with the Beneteau Flyer GT’s and the Monte Carlo 76. Please let us know if you are coming to Miami and we can personally show you through our displays.
St. Barts Yachts and Charleston Yacht Sales have merged in an effort to strengthen their presence in the southeast and will operate under the St. Barts Yachts brand maintaining headquarters at 3 Lockwood Drive in Charleston, SC with locations in Oriental, NC and Orange Park FL.
St. Barts Yachts And Charleston Yacht Sales Merge
Of the 44 North American Beneteau dealers, St. Barts Yachts is 1 of 12 who have achieved Platinum status. The new status recognition has taken many years and much effort from the entire staff at St. Barts Yachts.
St Barts Beneteau receives USA Presidents Service Award
St. Barts Yachts was the proud recipient of a Beneteau USA Presidents Service Award at the 2011 Beneteau Dealer Meeting in Annapolis, MD on October 5, 2011.
hosted by Beneteau Power
For more information about the Beneteau Win a Trip to France Contest.
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The Newsletter for St. Barts Yachts – September 2011 |
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 With Labor Day behind us we now enter what many consider the best of the boating season. The crowds are gone, the water is still swimmable, and the days still beautiful. Enjoy every minute on the water! |
| Hopefully you and your boat escaped the wrath of Irene and her fellow storms this season. Ours is a sport intimately connected to the weather, and when Mother Nature gets angry it affects us all greatly. |
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| Oceanis 45 coming to our Charleston Office |
 As you approach the Oceanis 45, you recognize that this yacht is versatile, intelligent – and beautiful.
On board, harmony reigns
supreme: everything is in its place, ready to serve a varied profile of life aboard. Prepare to get carried away by a new world of comfort, and enjoy an ocean of space. |
| All those great moments shared around the cockpit take on another dimension with the practical open bathing platform, reinvented by Beneteau. More practicality is embodied in the chart table, serving also as a living room table. |
| Never has sailing been so comfortable. The mainsail arch enables you to sail in complete safety while providing more cockpit and deck space. We’ve also widened the bilge, creating excellent hull rigidity and increasing living space. With limited heel, the yacht’s sea keeping ability is improved without loss of speed. |
| Call our office to arrange a private tour, and Click Here to see specs, photos, and videos of this beautiful boat. |
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| BUSY OCTOBER FOR ST. BARTS |
| We have a busy boat show schedule in October! See our show calendar to the right for details, but we are sure to have something for everyone! At the Annapolis SailBoat Show we’ll have two new models from the Oceanis line: the 41 and 45. |
 The Oceanis cruisers are designed to deliver exceptional comfort, beginning with a stable, high-performance hull. Comfort extends to the cockpits, sunbathing platforms and interior space, giving everyone the space they need to relax and enjoy the pleasure of being together. |
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| September is here and our boat show preparation is well underway. St Bart’s brokers and I will be traveling a lot in October. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in 4 major shows next month. |
| As you can see in the schedule, we will be displaying brand new boats, both power and sail. Beneteau has gone all out with new product that clearly demonstrates the advantage of the new designs. |
| With new features incorporated in every new model, there is a great case to be made for buying a new boat. As we meet you at the shows we will be listening and watching your reaction to seeing the new product, and we’re prepared to explain all the features and benefits on any particular model. |
| The huge investment made by Beneteau to have so many new models has been very successful. It is going to be a great fall for St Barts and our clients and we really look forward to seeing you at the shows. |
| We feel very fortunate to have escaped any damage in our Charleston and Jacksonville Florida offices. Dave and Steve in Oriental were not so lucky, but it could be worse. We had 3 feet of water in our office at the Oriental Harbor Marina, but no damage to our inventory. We should be back in the office by mid September. |
| I really hope you are able to make one of the shows this fall. Going boating is a great family activity, and picking out the boat is really an enjoyable part of the whole process. |
| Have a great fall and I hope to speak with you soon. |
| Sincerely, |
| Chuck |
| Chuck LaughlinSt. Barts Yachts843-577-7377 Phone843-577-7375 Fax |
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| Founded in 1987 by Chuck Laughlin, St. Barts Yacht Sales is the leading Beneteau dealer in the Southeast. With corporate headquarters in Charleston, SC, and facilities in Jacksonville, FL and Oriental, NC, we have models on display, both in and out of the water. |
| With a sales team led by Keith Farfone in Charleston, Jeff Knoll in Jacksonville, and Dave Wright in Oriental and with a dedicated and professional service department at each location, we’re sure to help you find the perfect boat, and to help you keep it in perfect condition. |
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SWIFT TRAWLER REVIEWS ARE OUT!!!
The folks at Boattest.com recently reviewed the Swift Trawler 44 and the Swift Trawler 52, and we’re proud to make those reviews available to you below. |
| The new ST 44, which debuted in the US at the Miami Boat Show, is attracting a lot of attention and a lot of favorable press. Beneteau learned a lot from their highly successful ST 42 (which the 44 replaces) and this new and improved version incorporates some major enhancements for comfort, speed, style, and efficiency. Boattest.com really loved the “Cinerama” wraparound windshield! Check out their review here. |
| If you like reading glowing boat reviews and looking at beautiful photos, check out the Boattest.com review of the ST 52. We could not have written a nicer review ourselves! |
| With the fuel prices we’re seeing at the dock today, it’s reassuring to have the flexibility to cruise the ST 52 all day at 8 knots on 4.75 gallons per hour, but have the horsepower to bang it up to 24 knots at WOT to catch a bridge opening, or outrun a squall. At a 20 knot cruise, the twin Volvo Penta D-9 diesels burn just 40 gallons per hour. |
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| Celebrate Summer with a NEW Beneteau! |
| Beneteau 46 or Oceanis 50 |
 Beneteau has just announced a tremendous opportunity for those interested in a Beneteau 46 or an Oceanis 50. Unfortunately, as we write this, complete details are not yet available … but call any of our locations in the next week, when we’ll have full information on these deals! |
| Meanwhile, check out the specs, photos and videos of the Beneteau 46 and the Oceanis 50. |
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| Our service department has received Beneteau service awards every year since 2002, when the award was instituted. We are Raymarine and also National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) certified. Our sales teams may sell the boats, but our Service Department keeps our customers happy! |
| Here are a few of the boats we have “in the shop” right now for commissioning or refitting: |
| Beneteau 40 |
Beneteau Monte Carlo |
| Beneteau 36.7 |
Island Packet 370 |
| Beneteau Flyer 12 |
Beneteau 57 |
| Beneteau 31 |
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| Service@St-Barts.com or call: |
| Charleston, SC – (843) 577-7377 |
| Jacksonville, FL – (904) 264-9100 |
| Oriental, NC – (252) 249-7245 |
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| Memorial Day weekend has arrived. A great time to go boating with family and friends. Here in Charleston, where the season is almost never-ending, this is a weekend we traditionally go boating. |
| Charleston is an incredible boating venue! Two major distance sailboat races have just left town: Velux 5 Oceans (with Charleston Hero Brad Van Liew in the front) are on their way to La Rochelle in France, with an anticipated finish of May 27th. The Charleston to Bermuda race left this past Saturday with 11 boats in the fleet and good winds so far. |
| Just last month we had the largest regatta week in the US with Charleston Race Week and some 280+ boats on the various start lines. |
| But major racing events aren’t the way most of us go boating. I can invite some friends and their kids to join my wife and me for a day on the water (and not break the bank). |
| We bring some food and drinks, take a tour around Charleston harbour, drop the hook, take a swim, then come back to the dock. |
| A powerboat or sailboat can do that trip at a very low cost. On the Beneteau Swift Trawler 42, with 740 HP total, I can burn less than 20 gals of diesel in a full day of messing around and having fun. |
| Beneteau continues to have great sales programs ensuring you the very best value in your new boat. I just did a factory tour with some new clients in Marion, SC, and it is a very busy place! |
| We’ve seen many changes and improvements in the 24 years we’ve been a Beneteau dealer. But Beneteau has always had some of the best product at the best price. We at St Barts promise to do everything we can to ensure that your boat is put together correctly to have a great start to this lifestyle. |
| Take some time and go boating. |
| Fair winds, |
| Chuck |
Chuck Laughlin
St. Barts Yachts
843-577-7377 Phone
843-577-7375 Fax |
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| www.St-Barts.com |
| Please check out our Blog. |
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| Founded in 1987 by Chuck Laughlin, St. Barts Yacht Sales is the leading Beneteau dealer in the Southeast. With corporate headquarters in Charleston, SC, and facilities in Jacksonville, FL and Oriental, NC, we have models on display, both in and out of the water. |
| With a sales team led by Keith Farfone in Charleston, Jeff Knoll in Jacksonville, and Dave Wright in Oriental and with a dedicated and professional service department at each location, we’re sure to help you find the perfect boat, and to help you keep it in perfect condition. |
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The Newsletter for St. Barts Yachts | March 2011 |
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| St. Patrick’s Day…March Madness… Spring! We’ve got a lot to celebrate this month, and a lot to get ready for, so… |
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RACEWEEK IS COMING TO TOWN!
We are absolutely thrilled that the Sperry Topsider Charleston Race Week is coming to our home port from April 14th to the 17th. |
| With more than 240 boats registered for racing, the rapidly growing event has become the largest keelboat regatta in the US. |
| Check out the Race Week website, especially the great footage of racing (and relaxing) in the video. With average temperatures of highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s (and lots of good wind), this event is a sure crowd-pleaser and just plain awesome for the participants. Hope to see you there! |
| See who’s in it to win it. |
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| TAKE A LOOK |
| Sense 50 |
 Our Sense 50 returns to the Charleston yard after a successful campaign at the Miami Boat Show in February. Stop by for a guided tour, or click here to get yourself a quick preview. |
| This boat continues to be a “show-stopper!” Her designers have literally reinvented the concept of sailing in comfort and with speed.
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| NEW BOATS |
| Beneteau First 30 |
 Our featured boat this month is the Beneteau First 30. We’ll be getting one in our Jacksonville office in April, and the Annapolis Yacht Sales Race Team will be racing one during Charleston Race Week. Good Luck! |
| Check out this video of Benetau’s latest high-performance cruiser. |
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| Our sales teams may sell the boats, but our Service Department keeps our customers happy! |
| Jean Michel, our service manager, comes back from France next week after a series of meetings with Beneteau Customer service. He spent a week on the production lines of the Monte Carlo 47 and Beneteau Oceanis 58. This will greatly help our service department as we commission these big new boats. |
| Service@St-Barts.com or call: |
| Charleston, SC – (843) 577-7377 |
| Jacksonville, FL – (904) 264-9100 |
| Oriental, NC – (252) 249-7245 |
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| www.St-Barts.com |
| Please check out our Blog. |
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| Oriental (NC) Boat Show |
| (April 15 – 17, 2011) |
On Display |
| Beneteau 34 NEW |
| Click here for more information. |
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| Jacksonville FL Boat Show |
| (April 15 – 17, 2011) |
On Display |
| Beneteau 34 NEW |
| Click here for more information. |
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| Both of these shows are the same weekend as Race Week, so we at St. Barts Yachts will be pretty busy – but we still hope to see you somewhere that weekend! |
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| The boating season is here. We are seeing 70 degree weather and great winds! |
| Our service department is in full blown new boat commissioning mode. We’re getting a new boat each week from the Beneteau factory, for which we are very grateful. The new owners are excited too, and are actively making their cruising plans for this spring, summer and beyond. |
| The Miami Boat Show never fails to amaze me. So many boats in 4 different venues — it would take several days to see everything! But that’s a show you want to see, if you get the chance. Go with friends, see all the new boats and accessories. As I walked around the show, I was reminded of why I love boating, and of all the great family times I have had being a boater. |
| All of us came back enthused by seeing our customers at the show, and the new friends we made. I predict that, when all is said and done, we will have had one of the best Miami shows in the history of St Barts. |
| Charleston Race Week is next month and we are excited for the Annapolis Yacht Sales team to bring their First 30 to race. CRW is the largest Keel Boat Regatta on the East Coast of the US, and has 240 boats scheduled to race. This is the first race for the First 30 in the US, stay tuned to see how we do! Jeff Knoll from St Barts will be crewing and learning how to make it fast. Next month we will get a First 30 to Jacksonville, Fl — Jeff will be racing it with the new owners. |
| I hope you have big plans for this season and if there is anything we can do to help facilitate your boating please let us know. |
| Fair winds, |
| Chuck |
Chuck Laughlin
St. Barts Yachts
843-577-7377 Phone
843-577-7375 Fax |
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| Founded in 1987 by Chuck Laughlin, St. Barts Yacht Sales is the leading Beneteau dealer in the Southeast. With corporate headquarters in Charleston, SC, and facilities in Jacksonville, FL and Oriental, NC, we have models on display, both in and out of the water. |
| With a sales team led by Keith Farfone in Charleston, Jeff Knoll in Jacksonville, and Dave Wright in Oriental and with a dedicated and professional service department at each location, we’re sure to help you find the perfect boat, and to help you keep it in perfect condition. |
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The Newsletter for St. Barts Yachts | January 2011 |
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 Come See Us at
TrawlerFest 2011!
Sponsored by
PassageMaker Magazine
January 27 – January 29
St. Barts will be participating in TrawlerFest, at the Bahia Mar Resort and Yachting Center in Ft. Lauderdale. |
| Jeff Knoll, our managing Florida broker, will be on hand with the Swift Trawler 34 as well as the Swift Trawler 52. For information, or to make an appointment, email him at Jeff.Knoll@St-Barts.com. |
| Also, Captains Chris & Alyse Caldwell from Captain Chris Yacht Services will be hosting couples who wish to learn about cruising and get hands-on experience on our Beneteau Swift Trawler 52! |
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| ST. BARTS AT MIAMI BOAT SHOW |
SBY Displays Power, Sail at 3 Venues
February 17 – February 21 |
| SBY brokers Keith Farfone, Jeff Knoll, Carey English & Chuck Laughlin have got Miami covered this year with an exciting array of sailboats and power boats, both in the water and on the hard: |
| 1. At Pier B at Strictly Sail Miami at Miamarina, Bayside, we’ve got sailboats & accessories. Visit our in-water display featuring:
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| 2. Inside at the Miami Beach Convention Center, see the display of power boats only under 40’. Get up close with the Swift Trawler 34 at our Booth C-87. |
| 3. Finally, take a free tour of The Yacht and Brokerage Show at Collins Avenue on the Indian Creek Waterway, featuring over 500 new and pre-owned vessels valued at more than a billion dollars! Be the first to see the Swift Trawler 44 as she makes her US debut, as well as the Swift Trawler 34 and the Swift Trawler 52. |
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| Capt. Richard Thiel, Editor-in-Chief of Power & Motoryacht magazine, made this suggestion in his letter in the January issue: |
| “Want to win a couple of beers next time you’re out with your boating buddies? Bet them they can’t name the biggest boatbuilder in the world. In fact, bet them they can’t even name what country it’s based in.” |
| We’re proud to say the answer is Group Beneteau. St. Barts Yachts represents Group Beneteau with their Beneteau, First, and Swift Trawler lines in the southeastern US. |
| Read all about it in Power & Motoryacht |
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| Our sales teams may sell the boats, but our Service Department keeps our customers happy! |
| Service@St-Barts.com or call: |
| Charleston, SC – (843) 577-7377 |
| Jacksonville, FL – (904) 264-9100 |
| Oriental, NC – (252) 249-7245 |
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| I hope you had a nice winter break and enjoyed the holidays. It was hectic around here, but fun, with family and friends. |
| The Paris powerboat trip was great for Jeff Knoll and me in our continuing education of the Beneteau Power Boat expansion into the United States. |
| The January issue of “POWER & MOTORYACHT” really highlighted this expansion. That is a new Monte Carlo 76 on the front cover. The Beneteau-Group is now the largest boat builder in the world and clearly will be focusing their energy on the US market for both power and sail. |
| Have you seen the very cool Beneteau Magazine? They are 5 issues so far and the photography and content is excellent. We will have the new issue at our offices any day, please stop by and pick one up. |
| Jean Michel, our service manager, is going to France next month to get trained on a couple of new boats: the Monte Carlo 47 and the Beneteau 58 sailboat. Both are like small cities inside a fiberglass hull, and require some extra study to save time in commissioning and troubleshooting. |
| The beauty of this is how comfortable JM is inside the factories (14 years working for Beneteau)…and each evening he can go home and visit with his Mom! |
| The Miami Boat Show this year will be booming. St Barts has been going for 20+ years and we would be glad to share our thoughts with you about the various venues. |
| If you are going please let us know, we’d love to see you. It is always warm and there is a lot to see; we hope you can make it! |
| Fair winds, |
| Chuck |
Chuck Laughlin
St. Barts Yachts
843-577-7377 Phone
843-577-7375 Fax |
| www.St-Barts.com |
| Please check out our Blog. |
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| Founded in 1987 by Chuck Laughlin, St. Barts Yacht Sales is the leading Beneteau dealer in the Southeast. With corporate headquarters in Charleston, SC, and facilities in Jacksonville, FL and Oriental, NC, we have models on display, both in and out of the water. |
| With a sales team led by Keith Farfone in Charleston, Jeff Knoll in Jacksonville, and Dave Wright in Oriental and with a dedicated and professional service department at each location, we’re sure to help you find the perfect boat, and to help you keep it in perfect condition. |
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Of the 44 North American Beneteau dealers, St. Barts Yachts is 1 of 12 who have achieved Platinum status. The new status recognition has taken many years and much effort from the entire staff at St. Barts Yachts.
St Barts Beneteau receives USA Presidents Service Award
St. Barts Yachts was the proud recipient of a Beneteau USA Presidents Service Award at the 2011 Beneteau Dealer Meeting in Annapolis, MD on October 5, 2011.
More...
Breaking News:
Miami Boat Show
If you’re in Florida February 16th through the 20th, come visit us at the Miami Boat Show. Beneteau will have an impressive showing of sailboats at the Strictly Sail Miamarina at Bayside, and an impressive lineup of 7 boats from the power fleet – the Swift Trawlers and the Gran Turismos – will be at the Yacht & Brokerage Show on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.
Keith Farfone will be at the Beneteau Sailboat display, Jeff Knoll will primarily be with the Beneteau Swift trawlers, and Chuck Laughlin will be with the Beneteau Flyer GT’s and the Monte Carlo 76. Please let us know if you are coming to Miami and we can personally show you through our displays.
More...
Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Formerly called “Decoration Day,” Memorial Day is a Federal holiday commemorating US soldiers who died in military service.