Category Archives: Expert Commentary

Alluring Alaska: Luxury Yachting Destination of Breathtaking Beauty and Awesome Adventure

Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other United States combined, which makes it an unparalleled yachting adventure with endless possible itineraries and ports of call. Captain Josh Kaberon, of the classic Burger 68’ LONGHORN, has lived in Alaska for decades and is intimately familiar with the region. He shared with us his favorite destinations for a weeklong yacht charter embarking from Ketchikan. Here, an overview of his Alaska itinerary reveals some highlights.

Ketchikan is both an air and marine transportation hub for Southeast Alaska, and facilitates international travelers with numerous convenient flights. Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island, 90 miles north of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It is a charming point of embarkation, known as the Salmon Capital of the World and boasting the most standing totem poles on the planet.

Ketchikan is also the gateway to the Misty Fjords National Monument, one of the areas major attractions. The protected area spans over two million wilderness acres of Tongass National Forest and is called “The Yosemite of the North” for its similar geology. Pale granite, 50 to 70 million years old, sculpted by glaciers, forms glacier valleys and natural canals filled with seawater. Here, near vertical walls soar an astonishing 3,000 feet above sea level.

Captain Josh’s itinerary includes time spent hiking around picture postcard Hugh Smith and Ella Lakes, where wild animals are ever-present and trout fishing is renowned. By day four, yacht charter guests have reached the spectacular destinations of Rudyerd Bay and Punchbowl Cove that are notable for dramatic sheer rock walls and breathtaking landscapes. Day five reveals spectacular waterfalls along the lake trail at Manzanita Bay.

The day prior to departure, Josh advocates a soothing soak at Bell Island Hot Springs where yacht charter guests will enjoy first class resort facilities and the opportunity to relax and share their experiences with other travelers over hors d’ oeuvre and cocktails.

Boatbookings.com features numerous exceptional itineraries, normally written by Captains who know the regional waters intimately and are experts at local attractions and intriguing points of interest both above and below the waterline at Yachting Itineraries

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Race Winning Potential: Green Marine Rudder for 216-Foot Vitters Sloop

Green Marine, a leading specialist in high-tech carbon fiber molding, announced their latest accomplishment, the completion of one of the world’s largest composite rudders for an in-build project at Vitters Shipyard in the Netherlands. A performance boat builder in Lymington, UK, Green Marine has built many of the world’s renowned racing and cruising yachts, including Volvo Round the World Race contenders, America’s Cup challengers, and cutting-edge cruising superyachts.

The rudder, designed by Dubois Naval Architects for a new 216-foot sloop, is constructed of carbon fiber for outstanding strength and stiffness at the lowest possible weights. A test program was created to validate the properties of the chosen materials and if the 25-foot rudder meets performance expectations it is likely to impact construction techniques throughout the marine industry.

Green Marine used high-tech 3D precision measurement equipment during construction, which played a vital role in the validation of the accuracy of the foil shape and the bearing alignment. Once in service the rudder will see enormous twisting and bending loads and the Dubois team calculate that the reaction load at the lower bearing will reach up to 160 tonnes. The rudder also features a crash tip that will snap off in the event of the vessel grounding.

Specializing in working with carbon fiber, Green Marine is well placed to have built this innovative rudder, having built rudders for other Vitters super yachts, and more than 50 racing and cruising yachts ranging from 40-130 feet. In recent years, the company has also applied its expertise to a wide variety of composite industrial and commercial components, including steering systems, canards, hatches, water tight doors and superstructures for racing and super yachts.

If you want to feel the adrenaline rush of high performance racing, Boatbookings.com offers information on race destinations and an extensive selection of luxury race yachts. Here is a link to help you set sail: Regatta

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REEF Experts Reveal Luxury Yacht Destination Palm Beach Boasts Awesome Snorkeling and Diving

Palm Beach has a plethora of activities to offer yacht charter clients. Designer shops and gourmet restaurants line Worth Avenue, excellent museums, upscale marinas and the Blue Heron Bridge, which according to Mike Phelan, REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) Expert surveyor, is a little known biological hotspot.

This is a top dive destination for sighting unusual species that can be added to your lifelist. Mike Phelan and two other REEF members often dive this site. The day before Thanksgiving, they were treated to quite a sight – a large school of Cownose Rays! This is a rare sighting in Florida, but it’s just another day at the Blue Heron Bridge. Some of the more unusual and recent sightings include the Blackwing Searobin, Roughtail Ray, Northern Stargazer, Orange spotted Blenny, Polkadot Batfish, and the Chain Pipefish. In fact, the Blue Heron Bridge has over 282 species recorded in the REEF database and this number is on the rise.

The dive site is located in Phil Foster County Park. Dives must be shore based and dive at high tides when depths range from 8 to 17 feet. Mark Phelan suggests that divers may combine their bridge dive with offshore diving in Jupiter to witness the winter Lemon shark aggregation, or in early summer for the active Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback turtle-nesting season.

REEF is an active organization of divers and marine enthusiasts committed to ocean conservation. Their many projects include a lionfish research program. Lionfish are exquisitely beautiful but unfortunately an invasive species of voracious predators that pose a serious threat to the marine environment. In an effort to stop the rapidly expanding population, REEF has just published The Lionfish Cookbook, with the aim to make the fish a catch in high demand. The book makes a novel holiday gift for Atlantic and Caribbean divers, with proceeds that support marine conservation and lionfish research.

Photos by Mike Phelan, courtesy of REEF.org

Boatbookings.com has an extensive selection of yachts available for charter equipped with dive gear and dive masters onboard. Here are a couple of links to begin exploring the possibilities:  Florida and Bahamas Yacht Charter,  Caribbean Yacht Charter,  BVI Yacht Charter

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Boatbookings Onboard Oceanco 168 LAZY Z: The Quintessential Luxury Family Charter Yacht

What makes a truly superlative family charter is the combination of a magnificent luxury yacht and a long term, professional yet playful crew. LAZY Z not only meets but also exceeds these criteria.

Oceanco built LAZY Z in 1997, but you’d never guess her age because this stunning superyacht is graced with a timeless beauty of design and blessed by an owner and crew who keep her meticulously maintained, from the smallest knob on up.

Interior spaces are furnished with an elegant simplicity of design, featuring plush carpeting, supple leather upholstery and rich Indonesian bubinga hardwood against a backdrop of soft silk paneling. The palette of warm wood tones and golden hues is relaxing and inviting. The wide central staircase is a stunning and unusual architectural feature.

LAZY Z has accommodations for twelve guests in 6 spacious staterooms with a special cabin designed to delight children, right down to the teddy bears. With a 29 foot beam the true full width master suite, from porthole to porthole, is wonderfully spacious and filled with natural light. There is also a dedicated gym and the elegant observation lounge is an inspiration.

Even the radio room on LAZY Z is impressive, housing racks of state of the art equipment, including the Kaleidescape entertainment system storing over 3,000 movies, a capacity that exceeds yachts twice the size of LAZY Z.

We are not surprised when we are told that there is nothing on the bridge that is more than 12 months old. The CCTV was upgraded ten months ago; two new radars were upgraded eight months ago. The Servowatch integrated ship control system, which monitors the main engines, generators, bilges, water tight doors, all of those sort of systems onboard, is just eight months old. From comfortable banquette seating guests can peer at the high tech electronic chart system and the forward facing sonar, which gives a 2D display of what the seabed is like ahead.

Out on deck, LAZY Z has fabulous seating under a huge shade awning, and surrounding the Jacuzzi pool, which is only a couple of years old, there’s lots of sunbathing and, of course, you cannot miss the slide. This is a huge hit with all charter guests who, we are told, opt to use it every day. The owner of the boat is 72 years old and he uses the slide, preferring to go down backwards or head first. It’s simply awesome, they’ve had girls as young as three slide down it.

It is quite evident why LAZY Z is a very busy yacht featuring charters in the Caribbean and Mediterranean directed toward young families who, at the end of their charter, eagerly book a slot for the following year. The youthful and energetic crew boasts a guarantee that if you are a charter client on this boat you’ll be back again next year. We have no doubt.

Boatbookings.com features an extensive selection of charter yachts for every destination, type of clientele and information on family charters. Here are a couple of helpful links:

Chartering with Children,  Super and Mega Luxury Yacht Charter

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Heesen Yachts Build Contract for Luxury 65-Meter Concept Yacht

Heesen Yachts announces a signed contract for their latest new build concept, a 213-foot aluminum hull design scheduled for delivery in June 2013. Following positive results of tank tests completed at the Wolfson Unit in April 2010, Heesen launched the revolutionary 65-Meter concept during the Monaco Yacht Show in September, which resulted in attracting very enthusiastic future owners.

The construction of the 65-Meter Fast Displacement superyacht will start in mid-December 2010 at the Heesen shipyard in Oss, the Netherlands. The cutting-edge yacht is projected to attain a maximum speed of 27 knots, a remarkable achievement for a vessel of this size. The yacht features expanded exterior spaces including a voluminous pool and extended beach deck and accommodations for 12 guests and 13 crew.

LOA: 213.25’

Beam: 37.4’

Draft:  10.17’

Maximum speed: 27 knots

Minimum speed: 24 knots

Range at 14 knots: 4200 Nm

Engines: 2 x MTU 20V4000 M93L

Stabilizers: 5 x Seakeeper gyroscopes

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