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 Charter By 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 Charter Everyone 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.

Bodrum 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.

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Tom Virden — No Comments ↓

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.

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Tom Virden — No Comments ↓

Genoa MYBA Charter Show opens

The 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

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Tom Virden — 1 Comment ↓

Oakland Boat Show Review

Meg 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.

Posted on April 26, 2010 by Tom Virden — No Comments ↓

Update from the Miami Boat Show – Odessa, Carpe Diem, Cuba

Boatbookings was at the Miami Boat Show yesterday in chilly weather, and saw plenty of excellent charter yachts. We also attended a captivating presentation about Cuba and their plans for building the yacht charter industry in the waters that Hemmingway loved so much.

Top yachts from the Miami Boat Show: We had a tour of ODESSA with the project manager at Christensen, and we think she is one amazing yacht! She is a brand new (2009) 160’/49m luxury motor yacht, with 6 beautiful cabins. The fit and finish is superb, and the decoration is contemporary, minimalist, using the finest woods (mainly walnut), silks and leathers. She is the talk of the show, and you can get complete details by contacting us for more information.

We also were impressed by the superb interior of the Trinity Yacht CARPE DIEM (150’/45.7m 5 cabin semi-displacement motor yacht) – with its white carpets accented with dark brown wood accents and trim. Everything about the yacht works together perfectly, and delivers a feeling of class and relaxation. Contact us for complete details.

For a complete update on news and hot yachts from the Miami Yacht Show, feel free to contact our Ft Laudersdale office at +1 954 584 0026.

Cuba! Ernest Hemmingway fell in love with Cuba – for its beautiful waters, sport fishing and carefree lifestyle. There are movements afoot to rebuild Cuba as a major holiday and yachting destination, beginning with the construction of several marinas that will soon be able to better accommodate yachts of all sizes, including mega and super yachts. Cuba offers superb beaches, excellent deep sea fishing, amazing marine life, interesting history and architecture and the famous Cuban food and libations.

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Tom Virden — 1 Comment ↓