Painted Pelican | 2024
Aquila
Painted Pelican
About Painted Pelican
Best for: families and groups of friends, with multi-generational groups a close second.
Painted Pelican is a 2024 Aquila power catamaran, 54 feet of well-appointed deck space based in the British Virgin Islands, and her standout feature is a generous flybridge complete with an electric grill and sunbathing pads, giving guests an elevated perch to watch the BVI unfold around them. Four spacious cabins, each with a private head and individual air-conditioning control, sleep up to eight guests in real comfort, and the crew quarters are separate.
Captain Joseph Paolone brings close to a decade of Caribbean and Mediterranean charter experience and a genuine enthusiasm for sharing favourite snorkelling spots and active shore excursions. Chef and VIPCA Award winner Ariq Flax-Clarke, who grew up on Virgin Gorda, builds vibrant menus from local, seasonal ingredients and handles any dietary requirement from vegan to gluten-free. In the water there are two stand-up paddleboards, two pedal kayaks, snorkelling gear, a 60 HP dinghy, floats, and a Sunchill, with rendezvous diving and fishing available to arrange on request.
Specifications
Water sports & toys
- Painted Pelican
- Amenities/Additional Activities Include: WIFI through Starlink, lounging pads for sunbathing, electric grill located on the flybridge, electric winch-style dinghy lift platform, blue tooth capabilities, and sound system. Noodles, Dinghy 60 HP, 2 Stand Up Paddle Boards, Selection of floats, Snorkeling gear, 2 Sitting Pedal Kayak Boards, and Sunchill.
- We can also coordinate (third party)
- • Rendezvous diving at weather permitting locations
- • Fishing
- • Snorkeling tour of Horseshoe reef in Anegada
- • Kiting surfing lessons
- • Efoil lessons
- • Hobie cat rentals
- • Virgin Gorda Peak Tour
- • Hikes on different islands
- • Beach pub crawl in Anegada
Onboard amenities
Entertainment
StarLink and WIFI
Accommodations
Ready for your trip of a lifetime? Painted Pelican is waiting for you on clear blue seas in the beautiful British Virgin Islands.
The exquisite 54-foot Aquila Power Catamaran offers 4 spacious cabins each with private head and AC control for your guests to enjoy. 5th Cabin for crew.
As you navigate the turquoise blue waters, ask the captain to bring you to one of our secluded snorkeling spots. You will feel like you are swimming in a tropical aquarium as you experience rare and colorful sea life all around you. After your swim, head up to the huge flybridge to dry off and get an overhead view of the coral reefs that surround the island.
If relaxing is more your style, lay back on the built-in deck lounging pads or one of our floating mats. The warm island waters will not disappoint, and neither will our delicious Caribbean cocktails!
Watch the sunset as you enjoy an extraordinary meal prepared by your chef, who will happily accommodate any guests’ dietary requirements. Check out our sample menu for examples of some of the delicious meals Painted Pelican has to offer.
When the sun has set and you are ready to rest, you will feel at home in our spacious and comfortable cabins. Each cabin is equipped with storage space for your belongings and a queen bed. (King in master) The galley and salon have a contemporary configuration and an open-concept space perfect for enjoying time with friends and family. A flat screen TV is placed on the back wall for viewing pleasure in and out of the salon at the barstool seating. Wi-Fi is also included should you choose to stay connected on your dream vacation.
Other amenities include: lounging pads for sunbathing, electric grill located on the flybridge, electric winch-style dinghy lift platform, blue tooth capabilities, and sound system.
WIFI Included
Guest policy
Meet the crew
Sample menu
Gallery
Details
Dive programme
Green initiatives
- No
- No
General rates
Guest reviews
1) The boat was amazing - all the creature comforts you would want , five star hotel
2) The Captain and first mate Joe and Julia were just wonderful
3) The food was better on the boat than at the top restaurants ( which were great as well and suggested by the crew)
4) The spots we anchored were great and the crew took us by dingy to all places we wanted to go
Awesome
We had an absolutely incredible experience with our private captain, Joe, and chef, Ariq. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. Joe was professional, knowledgeable, and made the entire trip smooth, safe, and enjoyable. Ariq was truly outstanding—every meal was beautifully prepared, delicious, and thoughtfully presented. Both went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Their attention to detail, warm personalities, and exceptional service truly made this trip special. I cannot recommend them highly enough—over-the-top great in every way!
Also, we so appreciate you going back to Willy T’s to represent Underwater Construction Corp. with the sticker! Hope to see it with you guys in the future!
We would recommend MarineMax Vacations, Captain Joe, Chef Ariq to anyone looking for an amazing, memorable and affordable vacation of a lifetime. The attention to detail on food and places from our profile sheet was spot on and the food didn’t disappoint, it rivaled any top end restaurant you could dream of. We will be back soon, you should book now too! Your memories are awaiting!
We just finished 8 amazing days on a crewed Aquila 545 charter with MarineMax, and I can honestly say it completely changed how we’ll travel on the water going forward.
We’ve done a very similar trip before without a crew, and after this experience, there’s no chance we’d ever do that again. Having a crew turns the entire trip into an actual vacation instead of a job.
Captain Joe was fantastic from day one. He was professional, easygoing, and incredibly knowledgeable. He knew where to go, when to go, and always seemed one step ahead—whether it was weather, anchor spots, timing, or just making sure everything ran smoothly. We felt totally relaxed knowing he had everything handled, while still keeping the trip flexible and tailored to what we wanted.
Ariq, our chef, absolutely blew us away. The food was consistently excellent—fresh, flavorful, and thoughtfully prepared. Every meal felt special, and the variety throughout the week was impressive. It truly felt like having a private chef onboard rather than “boat food.” He was also great to be around and always happy to accommodate requests.
I also want to call out Danielle, who was instrumental in helping us book the trip. She answered all of our questions upfront, set clear expectations, and made the entire booking process easy and stress-free. Going into a trip like this with everything explained ahead of time made a huge difference.
The Aquila 545 itself was clean, comfortable, and well laid out for a longer charter. Plenty of space to relax, great cabins, and everything worked exactly as it should. Combined with a great crew, it was the perfect setup.
MarineMax did a great job overall, but what really made this trip unforgettable was the people—Joe, Ariq, and Danielle. They elevated the entire experience and made the week effortless and memorable.
If you’re on the fence about going crewed, do it. It’s absolutely worth it, and we’re already talking about when we can book our next one.
We just completed a cruise with Marine Max - two families of 3 (two couples and teenagers) - on a 545 Aquila. Overall the experience was first rate - starting with our Captain (Joe) and chef ( Ariq). Joe was completely prepared for every stop after the intake call and provided exceptional service all 8 days. Found great places for us to snorkel, made great recommendations on places to stop (bars, shops and restaurants) and was nice and friendly while providing top notch service. He also kept a good eye on us for the snorkeling excursions - always knew he was looking out for the safety of group members. It was clear that Joe was completely focused on us having a great vacation.
We had travel complications heading out and he was even checking on us after we left the boat. It was similar with Ariq - our girls can be particular and every meal was spot on (have never heard so many superlatives from the teenagers - they are wrecked now coming home from all of the spoiling 😀). The food was really delicious - I have a heavy couple weeks of working out to try to shed the weight! It was similar with Ariq and Joe - not just exceptional quality and service but delivered in a friendly and welcoming way.
The boat was nice and easily accommodated the two families and we were very comfortable - it was clear the boat was well taken care of.
Our experience with Marine Max and this crew was truly excellent - we would never hesitate to sail with them again. It was a top notch vacation and the service made it truly special.
Estimate your charter
Fully inclusive — choose your dates for a tailored quote.
In demand — 21 weeks already reserved. Popular dates go quickly.
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Rate shown for up to 8 guests · Other
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