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Taboo was designed by famed yacht designer Doug Peterson, who has built America's Cup winning racing yachts for New Zealand. She can reach speeds to wind of 8-10 knots and off the wind can exceed 22 knots.
You'll find the accommodations aboard TABOO spacious and comforable. There is plenty of room to gather with your friends and there are even more places where you can spend quiet time alone to read a book or watch the latest movie or concert on DVD.
Five queen sized roomy staterooms each have their own shower and toilet. Each stateroom is fitted with a TV/DVD, telephone, intercom, FM radio & CD player, hair dryers, fans, A/C and a queen sized double berth.
TABOO is fully air conditioned. On the top deck you can lounge in the sun or settle in the shade.
TABOO Specifications
| LENGTH |
85ft (25.9m) |
BEAM |
21ft (6.4m) |
ENGINES |
|
FLAG |
Virgin Islands (British) |
| DRAFT |
13ft 0in (4.0m) |
TYPE |
Sail yacht |
| YEAR BUILT |
1994 |
REFIT |
2007 |
SPEED
CRUISE/MAX |
10kts / 22kts |
|
|
| DESIGNER |
Doug Peterson |
BUILDER |
Aquastar |
| STABILISERS |
None |
|
|
CREW |
Captain David Hartstone & Chef Miranda Hartstone + 2 |
TABOO Accommodations
Sleeps 10 In 5 Cabins
TABOO can accommodate 10 guests in 5 cabins. The Master cabin has a queen size bed, shower and toilet. 2 Guest cabins have a queen size bed, a single bed, shower and toilet. 2 Guest cabins have a queen size bed, shower and toilet. TABOO is fully air conditioned through out. Crew has a separate companionway, heads and shower.
Docked in Gustavia, St.Barts
capt'n Dave Filming your holiday
Aft Double Stateroom One of two.
TABOO Crew Profile
TABOO is a family operated yacht. Your crew, Miranda and David Hartstone and their son Travers (all non-smokers) have twenty years of charter experience to help you in every aspect of your sailing vacation. Once onboard, you’ll quickly discover the easy, breezy Caribbean lifestyle they love. Be as active as you want to be with skiing, tubing, scuba diving, snorkelling, swimming, and hiking. While you sail past different islands, the crew will point out local sites of interest. The great thing about chartering an owner operated yacht is that great service and a fantastic time on your vacation is guaranteed . . . they want you to return and sail with them again, and 90% of TABOO’s business is repeat and referral.
Your safety is a primary concern of the crew who are very experienced sailors and handle all the deck equipment with the greatest of ease and welcome any offers of sailing participation from you. Given David’s multiple Atlantic crossings and sailing trips all around New Zealand, England and the Channel Islands, not to mention 20 years sailing the Caribbean, you are assured total safety. With him at the helm you can relax. His best qualification.....experience! Miranda has a few tricks up her sleeves as well. Her years of designing menus and buying food for large Vancouver Hotels helps to explain why 90% of the charter guests return again - and again to enjoy quality local ingredients in a tasty cuisine. Miranda always has a smile on her face and has a vast experience in sailing. Working from your food preference information sheet, Miranda covers every detail to design a menu just to your taste.
David’s 20 years in the Rock'n'Roll industry in New York and London have given him an ear for any conversation and oh, what tales he can tell! Both Miranda & David are both professional photographers. They take approximately 300 pics of your total vacation, aboard and on land, and send them in DVD format with music.
TABOO Testimonials
Arrived safely back … What a climate shock compared to what I just experienced for the last two weeks with you guys. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for a very memorable time onboard your home, Taboo. The accommodations, service, food, music, sailing and conversation where tops and I can’t forget the boat drinks. Travers, I’m still recovering from your medium blends. I will carry these fond memories with me for a long time. David, you are the heart and soul of your small universe. You’re a lucky man to have a soul mate like Miranda and a son like Travers. Keep on trucking and keep an eye out for pirates! I’m still on the lookout for a stuffed parrot for your shoulder.
March 2011 charter guests
Whenever one comes to consider chartering a yacht the usual questions always come to mind. How will we get on with the Captain and crew? What level of comfort can we expect? What level of safety and security will we find? The answer to all these questions can best be described, and this time by two words; First Class. Captain David Hartstone and his charming wife Miranda are probably the single most experienced team chartering in the Caribbean. Their nautical expertise is both impressive and extremely reassuring. On a personal level they are both very well travelled and worldly people, yet at the same time they offer a type of humility and warmth that one would usually only find amongst very old friends or close relatives. It truly is hard to fully describe a trip with TABOO other than to say that during your time onboard you will experience everything from high excitement all the way through to moments breathtaking tranquillity and pretty much everything in-between. Miranda is a wonderful cook and Travers their young son together both perform an absolute myriad of functions in order to make your trip an absolute joy. The final and perhaps most telling thing I can tell you about a charter aboard TABOO, is that on the day you leave you will definitely be sad to go, and I would be very surprised if you were not already planning to return again as soon as you possibly can. I will never forget one night on TABOO, being anchored in an indigo moonlit bay, drinking a glass of chilled white wine and wondering if heaven would look like this. I certainly do hope so.
Bon Voyage, Greg Lake.
Greg & Ringo Greg Lake has a band of his own and is a very successful act in his own right, performing with Ringo Starr, Jethro Tull, and many other super stars. Of course his biggest act was with Emerson Lake & Palmer who are currently planning a world tour for 2009.
Dear David, Miranda, Travers and Stephan:
On behalf of my family I want to thank you guys so much for a great trip. You were wonderful with Dylan and Maya and we are very grateful for that. We found out that Maya had an ear infection when we got home...poor thing. She's back to her usual sweet fun self.
You guys run a great charter and I will recommend you to anyone seeking a good time in the Caribbean.
I've been looking at the photo album you put together, and I think what you do for your charters is really special. I'm so happy to have such great photos and video of my family. It was really nice to not worry about having to pick up the camera to preserve a moment because I knew that you would be there to do it for us. AWESOME. YOU GUYS ROCK!
Warmest regards,
David and his posse
David Steinberg, PhD
Dick asked me to drop you a line to let you know that we all thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on Taboo. Miranda is a saint! We were not easy, as there were 10 of us, ages 11 months to 76 years....some complete vegetarians, some who don't eat fish, others who don't eat meat, so feeding us was a challenge. However, Miranda made it look easy, and did so with very good cheer! Her meals were creative, delicious, and always more than plentiful, but cooking isn't her only strength. She is a great hostess, accommodating in every way, as were the entire crew. Everyone went out of their way to make this a fun time for the kids and a relaxing one for the adults. Nothing was too much trouble.
David is an excellent sailor. Although the wind wasn't terribly cooperative on this trip, when it was there, we had some exciting sails. Taboo sails beautifully, and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for an exciting sailing vacation.
Sincerely,
Judith Steinberg
