Author Archives: Tom Virden

About Tom Virden

Founder, Boatbookings.com

Genoa MYBA Charter Show – New Luxury Destination Recommendations

The main lecture at the MYBA Yacht Charter Show on Tuesday featured knowledgeable captains discussing some of their favorite destinations.  Their recommendations:

Corsica to Sardinia.

Corsica Luxury Yacht CharterBy capt James Pitman, HEAVENLY DAZE

These two amazing mediterranean islands offer great beaches, chic and glamorous restaurants and nightlife for where celebrities and the rich and famous hang out. They also offer incredible beauty and solitude.  And, because they are in close proximity to the French and Italian Coasts, they are easy to get to and offer a full array of luxury yachts.

See our Corsica Yacht Charter Guide and our Sardinia Yacht Charter Guide for further information and itinerary ideas.

Greece – Kalamaki to Kithira

Kalamaki Yacht CharterEveryone has heard of Santorini, but for a different experience featuring ancient history and quiet beaches, try Kalamaki to Kithira. Simplicity is the key word says captain Berdos Evangelos, SUNCOCO, meaning relaxation, beauty, and calm.

We have an excellent itinerary for this area starting in Kalamaki.

Turkey

Turkey has vast shoreline and charter areas. Here’s an extended luxury yacht tour of the highlights.

Istanbul and the famous Bosporus is great for larger yachts. Atakoy marina is just 8km from airport.Make sure you have some time to spend exploring famous Istanbul.

Cesme offers white beaches nightlife.

Gulet CharterBodrum on the southwest tip of Turkey is hot spot for charterers, especially luxury Gulets for Blue Cruises. It offers nightlife, good restaurants and history. Bodrum features a classic wooden Gulet regatta 19 – 24 Oct 2010 – Bodrum cup – a sight to behold!

Delikada has mud baths and sea turtles only local tenders are allowed in the area.

Gocek quiet unspoilt 12 islands in the area. Simple local restaurants for essence of Turkish culture.

Fethiye. Rafting and river fishing as well as the Butterfly valley

Kalkan. Three ancient sites to visit.

Kas. Fishing village. Best diving in the region.

Kekova. Sunken city take a boat drop anchor. Glass bottom boats take you to see the sunken city. No diving or snorkeling without escort.

Finike. Home of St Nicholas. Santa claus.

Ending Antalya. Beautiful resorts. 40 mins from marina to city. Preserved antique theatre for 1500 people.

Boatbookings has experts on all of the above charter regions, and shares the captain’s love for them! We’d be happy to discuss a luxury charter in any of these regions.

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MYBA Charter Show – first look at BISTANGO – 62 meter Benetti Luxury Yacht

We visited the impressive BISTANGO yesterday under cloudy and rainy conditions at the MYBA Charter Show Bistago is a  62meter  Benetti Motor Yacht, making its first appearance  out of the shipyard.

BISTANGO is a state of the art superyacht – sumptuous in every way possible. The word opulent also comes to mind but does not begin to decribe this  amazing yacht. She offers rich luxurious fabrics including leather walls and counter tops stamped in crocodile motif.  Interior design by Mauro Izzo  and the owner himself.  Colours are black, gold, browns and creams. Black and gold leaf trim throughout the yacht with often hand painted gold. This yacht will be appreciated by guests who want the best of the best, as the designers of both the hull and interior have not left out any details and offer creature comforts in every way.

BISTANGO has 5 decks in total with elevators throughout. The upper sun deck has at a 14 person Jacuzzi. The gym has the features of a professional workout room, with a  Power Plate, eliptical and treadmill machines and free weights.

The Skylounge has baby grand piano. The theme has African influences  and is described by the crew as “Versace on Safari”. The outdoor dining table on this deck seats 16.

The Master suite is on the main deck, and offers the most spacious closets we have ever seen on a yacht. It has his and hers bathrooms with a  Turkish bath/shower in “his”. The master bed faces the bow with a 180 degree view.

BISTANGO has 6 cabins accomodating 12 guests, and is staffed by a crew of 14.  Her captain and chef are Australian.  Overall, an amazing yacht!

For further details – feel free to contact us.

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Genoa MYBA Charter Show opens

Genoa MYBA Charter ShowThe Genoa MYBA Charter Show, one of the highlights of the year for help me write my essay those of us in the yacht charter business, has opened this morning under cloudy skies, but with many exclusive and amazing yachts to be viewed. This is an exclusive industry-only show that is not available to the general public, but we have two brokers there this year reviewing all of the yachts and meeting the crew.  This will allow us to assure we have the most up-to-date information possible for our clients who are interested in chartering any of these luxury yachts.  The show has just opened, we will have regular reports about it throughout the week.

Yachts scheduled to be at the show are:

Yacht Name LOA (mt) Beam (mt) Draft (mt) Type of Yacht
AFRICAN CAT 39.65 7.7

2

 Motor Vessel
ANEDIGMI 49.68 9.14

2.90

 Motor Vessel
BAD GIRL 56.7 9.7

2.2

 Motor Vessel
BERT 30.00 7.52

3.20

 Motor Vessel
BIG EAGLE 52.43 7.92

2.74

 Motor Vessel
BISTANGO 62.0 10.45

3.10

 Motor Vessel
BLUE PRINCESS STAR 34 7.20

2.50

 Motor Vessel
CHINA 34 7.64

2.66

 Motor Vessel
CINDERELLA IV 39.0 8.40

3.9

 Sailing Vessel
CLOUD NINE 60 11.2

3.45

 Motor Vessel
COMMITMENT 38 7.79

2.50

 Motor Vessel
CRISS C 34 8.20

2.10

 Motor Vessel
DARK SHADOW 30.45 6.71

4.5

 Sailing Vessel
GOLDEN COMPASS 46 9

2.6

 Motor Vessel
HARMONY III 43.60 9.26

2.54

 Motor Vessel
HEAVENLY DAZE 32.22 6.60

3.65

 Motor Vessel
HOME 44 8

1.5

 Motor Vessel
ICON 62.25 11.4

3.4

 Motor Vessel
INEVITABLE 49.80 8.5

2.9

 Motor Vessel
JASMIN 36.84 8.38

2.8

 Motor Vessel
JAZZ JR 32.8 7.10

3.60

 Sailing Vessel
KAI 36.58 7.85

1.96

 Motor Vessel
KAIROS 38.00 8.20

3.80

 Sailing Vessel
KATYA 46 9.45

2.9

 Motor Vessel
LADY FERYAL 42.5 8.7

3.5

 Motor Vessel
LADY GOODGIRL 42.9 8.0

2.4

 Motor Vessel
LADY THURAYA 31 6.1

3.0

 Sailing Vessel
LADY VICTORIA 27.60 7.15

1.80

 Motor Vessel
LADY ZEHAVA 25 6.17

1.7

 Motor Vessel
LEO FUN 53.90 9.50

2.90

 Motor Vessel
LIZZI 23.39 5.54

1.07

 Motor Vessel
MAGIC 45 8.50

2.40

 Motor Vessel
MALANDRINO 23.98 7

1.70

 Motor Vessel
MARCELINA OF LONDON 26.75 6.75

2.15

 Motor Vessel
MAYAMA 30.70 6.90

1.80

 Motor Vessel
MONTIGNE 57 10

3.6

 Sailing Vessel
MORE 45 9.26

2.72

 Motor Vessel
MOSAIQUE 49.99 9.29

4.65

 Motor Vessel
MY SPACE 34.00 7.21

2.35

 Motor Vessel
MY TRUST 45 8.80

2.80

 Motor Vessel
NERO 90.10 12.03

4.42

 Motor Vessel
NIKCA 27.40 6.30

1.70

 Motor Vessel
NORTHLANDER 38.16 8.6

2.5

 Motor Vessel
NOSTROMO 30 7.34

3.85

 Sailing Vessel
OCEAN GLORY 26.4 5.3

3

 Motor Vessel
OUT 47 8.33

3.20

 Motor Vessel
PARAMOUR 42 8.60

3

 Motor Vessel
QUEEN OF ANDAMAN 41.00 8.40

4.16

 Sailing Vessel
RED ANCHOR 36.6 7.90

2.0

 Motor Vessel
RIVIERA 23.85 5.90

1.80

 Motor Vessel
SARITA SI 38.60 7.20

2.10

 Motor Vessel
SENSE 28 6.2

1.2

 Motor Vessel
SIERRA ROMEO 41.5 8.1

2.5

 Motor Vessel
SIRAHMY 43.00 7.39

3.00

 Motor Vessel
SOLEMAR 61.5 10.6

3.5

 Motor Vessel
TEMPEST WS 32.00 5.63

3.08

 Motor Vessel
TILUSA 25.66 6.12

2.65

 Motor Vessel
TOUCH 36.6 7.6

2.4

 Motor Vessel
TRIDENT 65.22 11.5

3.4

 Motor Vessel
WHEELS 35.5 7.54

1.98

 Motor Vessel
ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM 49.07 8.51

2.29

 Motor Vessel
5 FISHES 35 8

2.2

 Motor Vessel
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Amber Lounge announces its star-studded lineup at the Monaco Grand Prix, including “Sugababes”

The hottest ticket for entertainment during the Monaco Grand Prix is normally the Amber Lounge, where the drivers mix with  supermodels, celebs and champagne. This year should be no different, as the lineup is:

Friday night:
10 Formula One drivers modeling on the Amber Lounge Fashion catwalk

Saturday night:
Girl band Sugababes performing live

Sunday night:
World class DJ Pete Tong spinning the decks for the Formula 1 fraternity

As per our previous post, there are still some stunning yachts with guaranteed berths available for the Grand Prix.  See more info about Monaco Grand Prix Charter here.

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Oakland Boat Show Review

America's Cup TrophyMeg Toppa, who is our Sailing Yacht Expert for the US and Caribbean, just attended the Oakland Boat Show last week.  Here is her report:

I just attended the West Coast’s only all-sail show, which was held  at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA.  “Big deal” you say, “just another boat show”.  Well in some respects, that’s correct.  There are monohulls and catamarans, sail makers, riggers and everything else that makes a boat show.  The thing about this show is that it is in the back yard of the new home of the America’s Cup!  The actual cup was on display from 12-6 today and show attendees were encouraged to take advantage of this unique opportunity to view the America’s Cup.

This past February, BMW Oracle Racing became the first American team to win the cup since 1992.  Larry Ellison and skipper Russel Couts have decided to take the cup on the road to promote the sport of sailing in the U.S.  The event includes sailing and design team members in an open and interactive Q & A session.  Video highlights of the winning campaign for the 33rd America’s Cup were shown.

Seeing the cup gave me goosebumps!  Growing up in Newport, RI, where the cup was contested for years, I have sailed on a 12 meter and worked for one of the syndicates during the 1983 campaign.  BUT I had never seen the cup until today and it was pretty cool.

Besides ogling the cup, Meg did find some great new yachts for charter in San Francisco and the San Juan Islands, as well as learning all about new models on the market that will soon be chartering in the BVI, Bahamas, Grenadines and the rest of the Caribbean. Feel free to give her a call in our Ft Lauderdale office for any questions you may have about a sailing charter.

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