After operating a luxury catamaran in the Bahamas for two years, charter boat operator Keerome Maybury is floating the vessel in the Bermuda market.

“I thought why not test one of the assets in Bermuda and experience the intense summer season here,” said Mr Maybury, owner of Traveler Charters Bermuda. “It may be a better financial play than the same period in Nassau, at least this early in the game.”

In late April, he had his boat, Grand Crew — a 50ft Leopard catamaran, sailed from Nassau to Bermuda. After arrival, it took a little while to get Grand Crew registered, so he had a delayed start.

Grand Crew is now in operation. Mr Maybury’s hope is that it will soon be as busy as his 50ft yacht, Traveler.

“Traveler can do up to three charters a day in the busy season,” he said.

He expanded his operation to the Bahamas seeking market opportunity and regulatory practicality.

The season is longer in Nassau, tapering off in the heat of August, when the Bermuda season is hitting its peak.

There was a learning curve to operating in the Bahamas.

“You don’t just show up as an overseas national, and start engaging commercially,” he said. “Things need to be done through local proxies and partners.”

However, once he understood how the process worked, he found that the Bahamas could actually be more accommodating to foreigners than Bermuda.

“Bermuda doesn’t really allow for overseas nationals to come here and start chartering boats, which is understandable,” he said.

He had to accept an initial unprofitable period, while trusting the game plan and doing the groundwork to establish the Nassau operation, but they have since been able to see results.

The catamaran was previously called Clicquot. Looking at marketing ideas he decided to pursue a partnership with the French champagne house Veuve Clicquot.

During negotiations he realised it was simpler if his catamaran had a different name.

“Not changing it would have created another process,” he said.

It is now called Grand Crew, a play on grand cru champagne, an elite category.

The boat’s signature black sails carry the Veuve Clicquot name, and all charters start with a bottle of bubbly.

“That can be in the form of the beverage in its pure sense, or it can be champagne mimosas, whatever you like,” he said.

“The Goslings and Veuve Clicquot folks have been very generous with the structuring of wholesale pricing as part of the deal,” Mr Maybury said.

• For more information, seewww.grandcrewcharters.com or call 705-6326