AWATEA

Dearest Olivia & Fraser,
You two! You are both brilliant, and you absolutely smashed it. Beyond being terrific hosts, you brought such a cool, easy vibe to the week, and I know I can speak for all of us when I say we loved being in your company.

Olivia, the immense workload of making so much incredibly delicious and impressive food was astonishing (and without a break! (We’re so glad we skipped the restaurants!)). Fraser, thank you for being our barista, filleting our fish, making sure we were having fun, keeping us safe, and steering the ship (and more and more, I’m sure).

I miss those cappuccinos. The memory of coffee being delivered to sip while taking a morning dip is a favorite. And the trays full of piña coladas and spicy margs. And the freshly harvested coconut milk in our meals. And the boom jump and water toys, lounging on the trampoline while we sailed, and the gorgeous spinnaker. All of it.

And the boat! Wow — Awatea was just so lovely, comfortable, and perfect.

As my work and life to-do lists continue to grow and our three-year-old becomes more challenging, I find myself pulling from the reserves this trip banked for a little serenity. It was such a luxury to slow down. I remember being called to do so immediately on the walk from the airport to Awatea. Fraser, your pace on that walk was a perfect welcome — easing us into what has to be the most relaxed and relaxing vacation I’ve ever known.

I was so content to simply stare at the horizon and that stunning blue water. I tried reading my book but kept reading the same sentence over and over, so I gave up — my surroundings were far more compelling. And losing my grip on my phone and laptop was a priceless gift.

We know there’s an incredible amount of work happening behind the scenes to make a week like this feel so effortless, and we’re deeply grateful for all of it. On behalf of all eight of us, thank you. One million times.

Fondly,
Sarah

PS. Fraser — David reminded me of a conversation the eight of us were having around the table one evening about mustaches (one of the many dumb conversations you were probably forced to overhear). I’m sorry about that. We’re idiots. And for the record — you look great with a mustache.

We had a party of 8 adults over New Year’s Eve of highly experienced world travelers and we all had the most amazing vacation ever! The owner/operators Fraser and Olivia went above and beyond every single day to make our trip an adventure as well as relaxing. They were incredibly knowledgeable and flexible and friendly! One of the best treats of the week was Olivia’s cooking. She is amazing and made the most wonderful meals 3 times a day. The food was very fresh, creative and tasted amazing!! We all also awoke each day to Fraser’s fresh ground expresso and lattes! The yacht was gorgeous and comfortable. We had plenty of space! Total dream vacation!!

Our Thanksgiving trip with Awatea Adventures November 2025 was, quite simply, the trip of a lifetime. We were a large group of nine, which can often feel cramped or chaotic on a yacht, but Fraser and Olivia handled our crew with incredible grace, professionalism, and “Kiwi” charm.

The Boat & Space: The 63ft Balance catamaran is wonderful. Even with nine of us, we never felt like we were on top of each other. The layout is modern and airy, with plenty of spots to tuck away for a quiet moment or gather as a group. Impeccably clean, barefoot luxury style and in cabin heads for everyone it’s just right for relaxing time.

The Crew (Fraser & Olivia) What makes Awatea special is that it’s owner-operated. Fraser and Olivia aren’t just staff; they are master hosts who genuinely love what they do. Fraser is a wealth of knowledge with a great sense of humor and sense of adventure and Olivia’s cooking is 5-star quality—how she produces such amazing food, never repeating a meal and with spot on wine pairings on a boat for nine people has us all convinced she has a bit of magic. Fraser is quite the mixologist and his specialty cocktails that match the dinner theme were terrific. We cannot say enough about this charming and highly skilled couple. We arrived as guests and left as friends.

The Adventure: True to their name, they delivered on the “Adventure.” From E-foiling and wake boarding to incredible snorkeling and deserted secret beaches, fishing and hiking there was never a dull moment. They kept our entire group ages 25-67 completely captivated and active the entire week.

The Verdict If you want a “white glove” but sterile corporate charter, look elsewhere. But if you want a soulful, high-energy, and deeply personal adventure on a world-class sailing vessel, book Awatea. Everyone who went said best vacation ever – and we are a fairly sophisticated group of world travelers. We’re already trying to figure out how to get back on board.

Took a while for our November charter to write a review but finally received it and it didn’t disappoint! I have already put it up on CYA.

Have a great day,
Olivia

Our Thanksgiving trip with Awatea Adventures November 2025 was, quite simply, the trip of a lifetime. We were a large group of nine, which can often feel cramped or chaotic on a yacht, but Fraser and Olur crew with incredible grace, professionalism, and “Kiwi” charm.

The Boat & Space: The 63ft Balance catamaran is wonderful. Even with nine of us, we never felt like we were on top of each other. The layout is modern and airy, with plenty of spots to tuck away for a quiet moment or gather as a group. Impeccably clean, barefoot luxury style and in cabin heads for everyone it’s just right for relaxing time.

The Crew (Fraser & Olivia) What makes Awatea special is that it’s owner-operated. Fraser and Olivia aren’t just staff; they are master hosts who genuinely love what they do. Fraser is a wealth of knowledge with a great sense of humor and sense of adventure and Olivia’s cooking is 5-star quality—how she produces such amazing food, never repeating a meal and with spot on wine pairings on a boat for nine people has us all convinced she has a bit of magic. Fraser is quite the mixologist and his specialty cocktails that match the dinner theme were terrific. We cannot say enough about this charming and highly skilled couple. We arrived as guests and left as friends.

The Adventure: True to their name, they delivered on the “Adventure.” From E-foiling and wake boarding to incredible snorkeling and deserted secret beaches, fishing and hiking there was never a dull moment. They kept our entire group ages 25-67 completely captivated and active the entire week.

The Verdict If you want a “white glove” but sterile corporate charter, look elsewhere. But if you want a soulful, high-energy, and deeply personal adventure on a world-class sailing vessel, book Awatea. Everyone who went said best vacation ever – and we are a fairly sophisticated group of world travelers. We’re already trying to figure out how to get back on board.

Seriously the best charter ever! Olivia and Fraser are amazing, super attentive and always keep drinks full ;). Their kids are amazing too, very sweet and respectful. Such a lighthearted, fun, kind family. We had so much fun with all the water sports they had and activities we did. The scuba diving was especially awesome!
Props to Olivia for the food, my family has very specific eating restrictions and she did an INCREDIBLE job with everything. Also props to Fraser for the sourdough bread he makes, it’s the best! You will not be disappointed. We had so much fun, such an amazing experience!

We’ve just returned from what is by far the best vacation we’ve ever taken- six days on a sail catamaran in the British Virgin Islands. While the locale itself was spectacular, the trip was special because of Fraser and Olivia themselves.

A party of nine including five teenage boys (!), we spoke with them before the trip about our interests and prior experiences. We immediately felt at ease with their Kiwi charm. They then planned a sail throughout the BVI, visiting some known and many not-so-known gems throughout the islands.

The boat itself was beautiful. Six cabins. Six bathrooms. Underwater scooters, powered hydrofoil, scuba, snorkeling, float ring, wakeboard, tubing, paddleboards, water golfing. Fresh herbs grown onboard. A charcoal grill. Sourdough bread baked fresh onboard each day. A projector and screen that allowed the @philles phanatic among us to catch Jhoan Duran’s debut on our last night. Full kitchen and bar. A friggin pizza oven.

The days were packed with adventure while somehow being relaxing and refreshing in a Caribbean sort of way. Fraser is probably the most interesting man in the world: blue water sailor, nautical engineer, marine biologist, deep sea fisherman, dive master, cliff diver, rock climber, surfer, mixologist, barista, sourdough maker. He dove under the boat at night with a headlamp and screwdriver and fixed a generator. He literally bested a shark in hand to fin combat (look at their Instagram profile!).

Meanwhile, Olivia is probably the only person on the planet who is Fraser’s equal. She’s also the only person I’ve met in the past 25 years who made my wife actually admit that she cannot top something culinarily. I have no idea how she did it, but every single meal was unique and spectacular- and she took care of nine people for a week. She was also a sneaky enabler of Fraser’s thrill-seeking (“18 year-old you would do that, Fraser”).

Their most impressive feat is that they were able to captivate five teenage boys for six days. Their energy is boundless.

I’m out of superlatives. It rocked.

We can’t thank them enough for this experience and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who likes awesome people and fun risks.

These three individuals, Frazier, Olivia and Jess, made the trip for us, and the role they played in how much we enjoyed our week cannot be understated! They are, all three, amazing, steady, competent, warm and engaging.
They greeted us warmly, gave us a tour, and throughout the course of the week, became friends. We were so sad to have to say goodbye to them!
They were consistently cheerful, helpful and available, even when they had worked a long day and into the night.
They took the time to hear what we’d like to do, and to share their considerable expertise with us.
They encouraged a wide array of activities, and provided any instruction needed.
All three are incredibly experienced which contributed to our ability to sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip.
Frazier was clearly an incredibly competent, skilled and experienced captain. He was willing to
explore, but the safety of the guests, crew and his boat were forefront. He had a general plan for our week, incorporating weather/wind forecasts, etc., but took the time before we arrived, and each day, to hear of our preferences.
We were offered options for adventure (hiking, jumping off rocks or the boom, visiting out-of-the-way beaches to explore, snorkeling and exploring, etc), as well as the ability to just relax in any one of the cozy seats and cushions to read or enjoy a cocktail and conversation.
Frazier and his family have clearly explored the “less traveled” aspects of the BVI and he and Olivia were incredibly knowledgable, which allowed them to show us “less traveled” inlets and harbors, or more “touristy” areas, at our preference.
Frazier had a general plan, incorporating weather/wind etc., but took the time before we arrived, and each day, to hear of our preferences.
We were offered options for adventure (hiking, jumping off rocks or the boom, visiting out-of-the-way beaches to explore, snorkeling and exploring, etc), as well as the ability to just relax in any one of the cozy seats and cushions to read or enjoy a cocktail and conversation.
I don’t know what we expected, but the reality blew us away! Olivia could be a chef at the best restaurants in the world.
In her little galley kitchen, she came up with fresh bread every day, 3 meals a day that were delicious, varied, and beautifully served.
She used locally sourced ingredients to make fresh and delicious meals and “starters” from a range of world cultures (we had a “Spanish day”, and “Middle East” day, etc.)
She caters to individual preferences (even those of us who don’t eat seafood, despite the fact that it was from the ocean to the table in under 2 hours).
She took the time to listen to our preferences, and incorporate them into three meals + extras each day.
I’m not sure how many boats have herb gardens but Olivia utilized hers in most meals. Coffee was made to order each day.
The size and layout was incredibly comfortable.
Staterooms had comfortable beds, were spotlessly clean, with well-appointed Heads. It’s hard to find king berths and Awatea had two of them.
The crew kept the entire boat clean and neat, despite our best efforts to leave equipment and “toys” around.
There was plenty of room to move around, so we never felt cramped or confined. The trampolines on the bow were a terrific spot to enjoy both sailing and sunset cocktails.
They had “all the toys” for water fun and encouraged (and taught) us to use them.
Awatea had all the toys you could imagine, and the crew were skilled and knowledgeable and willing to share their time and experience in instructing and encouraging.
They had good beach-games, and I’m happy to say that the women beat the men soundly in our game of Cups (Cubes??).
Frazier would take us to beaches, hiking trails or other on-shore locations and would guide us in other times of leisure activities.
Leisure time was spent reading, sailing, watching the islands pass by, and conversing among ourselves or with the 3 crew members.
Jess and Olivia offered excellent cocktails, and one night, encouraged us to make our own .. with a bit of competition to see who’s was the best.Again, enough cannot be said about how much the crew of the Awatea impacted our experience.
Whether you are a family with kids/teenagers, or group of friends of any age, Awatea is your boat.
It is truly a bespoke experience with Frasier, Olivia and Jess providing an incredible trip to remember.

Fraser and Olivia were such an absolute joy. They were so fun to be around and did such a great job in making sure we had a wonderful stay. The food and drinks were great, they were so careful to tailor the whole trip to what we wanted to do.
…given the circumstances of our charter, they did an absolutely amazing job. All the food we had was incredible and everyone loved it.
Fraser sat down with us several times during the trip to give us itinerary options and to check in to see what we wanted to do. He listened and paid attention to the things we liked to do and made recommendations on where to go next and what to do. He really did such a great job making sure we had a memorable trip.
Fraser was very good at paying attention to what we like to do and suggesting activities based on that. He was checking in constantly to see what we wanted to do next.
I honestly don’t have one negative thing to say about. It was perfect.
My kids have already been asking if we can go out with Fraser and Olivia again!

We had a wonderful time!
The weather was perfect and it was a lovely, much-needed respite!
The crew was absolutely delightful. Captain Fraser was an excellent captain who showed us many beautiful beaches and snorkeling spots. He found a perfect windy spot for Kenny to kite-board, twice.
Olivia was an excellent cook with a lovely demeanor and Jess was very accommodating and so sweet. They were sweet enough to make a reservation for Kenny and I to dine at one of the restaurants while the kids stayed on the boat and had a blast playing board-games with the crew. The boat was very clean and comfortable.
We have only glowing things to say about our experience on Awatea.
Thank you again for a wonderful vacation.

Hi,

We are home now. Just wanted to leave you a review. Our family had a wonderful week on the Awatea with Fraser, Olivia and Jess. They are high quality individuals with a wealth of sea going experience. They are kind and friendly hosts, hard working and their presentation is on a professional level. They are personally experienced in sourcing farm fresh meat, fish and produce, grow their own herbs and presenting the most well made highly nutritious 5 star meals. Olivia baked fresh bread for us multiple times a day. Jess kept us from going thirsty and made us the most delicious drinks. Fraser is a highly skilled captain, fisherman and expert on the ocean. Each day we sailed and explored all there is to see in the BVI, they took our kids tubing, efoiling, snorkeling, we all paddle boarded and enjoyed swimming, playing and laying about in the ocean. Definitely a life changing experience that we won’t soon forget.

Best Regards,

James