The C & C Charters Story - 1973 to 2024
C & C Charters was organized in 1973 by Mike Landers, Jim Smith, and Neal Barrett with offices in Annapolis, MD, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Pt. Pleasant, NJ, Bristol, RI, and St. Thomas, USVI offering bareboat and captained charters. In 1986 only the Grasonville, MD and Pt. Pleasant, NJ offices remained. That year, Rick Nissen was recruited to manage the Grasonville office, which he then purchased in 1989, and became owner of C & C Charters Maryland (Chesapeake and Caribbean Charters, Inc.)
The 1990’s were the heyday for bareboat charter companies on the Chesapeake Bay due to luxury tax incentives for charter boat owners, and the enticing revenue split between boat owners and the charter company. Fleets consisted of mostly sailboats, and there were hundreds of boats available for charter on the Chesapeake. To protect the reputation of these charter companies and their boats, the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Charter Association was formed. Rick served as vice president, then three terms as president. The association established ethics and operations guidelines to maintain the reputation of charter companies, offering well-maintained vessels and professional staffs, promoting safe boating; and lobbying for related issues such as MD excise tax caps and reciprocity, charter sales tax and amusement tax issues, and documented vessel issues associated with the Jones Act and demise charters.
Over the years C & C Charters offered bareboat charters on vessels 27ft-56ft, captained charters, yacht repair and maintenance service, yacht management, brokerage sales, small boat rentals on center console models by Henry-O, and captained charters on certified multi-passenger vessels - a 96ft Mathis Trumpy ,“El Presidente” and a 60ft sailing catamaran, “Jolly Mon”. C & C Charters participated in boat shows in Annapolis, Philadelphia, New York City, Atlantic City, and Harrisburg to promote chartering, recruit boat owners to offer their boats for charter, and to bring tourism dollars to Maryland.
C & C Charters’ hope has been for charter customers to make memories with family and friends while cruising the miles of navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, attractions, activities, historical sites, and dining options to enjoy seafood specialties make the Chesapeake Bay ideal for boating vacations. Chartering has allowed the boat owners to defray the expense of ownership while ensuring that their boat was professionally maintained to protect their investment. The company’s responsibility to qualify charterers encompassed proof of charterer experience, their knowledge of boat systems and “rules of the road”, and boat handling, and navigation skills.
rick@atlanticyachtworks.com 410-827-3300 - Atlantic Yacht Works – Yacht Brokerage 410-827-7888 - Atlantic Yacht Services – Marine Service