Beijing Buys Out The Very Best of British Yachting

Sunseeker is Britain's largest and most recognised yacht builder, renowned for stunning aesthetics and build quality. Based in Dorset, Sunseeker produce the iconic Predator motor yacht series, as well as the classic Manhattan line and Portofino model.

The Snapper Luxury Sunseeker Motor Yacht

For a company whose success is heavily based upon tradition, a radical change to the management and culture of the company is naturally going to face some serious opposition. This comes with the news that Dalian Wanda, the Chinese property group are set to pay around £300 million for a 92% stake in Sunseeker International.
Sunseeker's are popular because of their spacious accommodation and deck areas, making them very popular with sporting icons, such as French footballer Marcel Desailly, as well as Formula 1 veterans Eddie Jordan and Nigel Mansell. This takeover follows the growing trend for Chinese companies acquiring top end British companies, in search of bringing western luxury to the country. Mr Wang of Dalian Wanda has been a lifelong fan of the Sunseeker brand, illustrated by the acquisition of a custom built Sunseeker Predator 108, which featured in James Bond, Casino Royale.

Brand New Eddie Jordan Sunseeker Yacht

The Snapper was Eddie Jordan's first Sunseeker motor yacht. This 37m fully crewed motor yacht features accommodation for up to 10 guests in 5 cabins, as well as stunning decks throughout. However, Mr Jordan has recently commissioned Sunseeker for a larger yacht, which will blow The Snapper out of the water. The 155ft new build project will feature four decks, accommodating up to 12 guests. The Sky deck is likely to feature a Jacuzzi and a bar, which would be the perfect place to enjoy cocktails while watching the sunset.

If spending £25 million on a brand new Sunseeker motor yacht is out of your budget, try your hand as owner by chartering your very own luxury Sunseeker! We have a host of stunning Sunseeker motor yachts all over the world, but it is hard to find one that is better equipped or better placed than Natalie, a Sunseeker Predator 84, based in the Golfe of St Tropez. She has incredible deck spaces to both the bow and aft, perfect for soaking up the summer rays with your family. Accommodation is provided in 4 cabins, making her perfect for up to 8 guests in stylish surroundings! We look forward to receiving your enquiries and helping you to plan your summer vacation in St Tropez.

Check out our website, www.boatbookings.com, and start searching for your luxury yacht charter on the French Riviera for this summer. We have a team of highly skilled professionals who are extremely knowledgeable in their destinations and will be able to help you bring together the yacht, the crew and all the other aspects that make your charter special.

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Posted on June 20, 2013 by admin

A Day in the Life of an Intern, Part V

Following on from 'A Day in the Life of an Intern Part IV', Part V will keep you informed as to what else the interns have been up to, including more time spent sailing around Cannes! Now that the summer season is in full swing, the atmosphere is heating up and everybody is looking to get out on the water.

So, some of the interns did! We jumped at the chance to spend a morning on a bareboat with skipper and we took the brand new Sacs 680 Rib out for a spin from Golfe Juan. It really is worth doing the trip, so we know exactly what our clients get when they charter, and it is a great experience.

We headed out from Port Gallice, and at Ben's request, our skipper Baptiste sped up. We flew across the water, at 45 knots, past Palm Beach in Cannes, around to the Iles de Lérins; it was an exhilarating ride, with the wind in your hair (or in Charlotte's case, her hair in her face!).

We anchored between Ile Sainte Marguérite and Saint Honorat, where the water is as crystal clear as the waters in the Caribbean Sea. Of course, we took the chance to swim, but as it was still early June the water was still quite fresh! Still, the sun was shining and we couldn't miss out on the turquoise water. We headed away from the islands, and back towards Cannes to have a look at the Croisette from the sea, it's good to see it from a different perspective!

We stopped off at Billionaire's Bay, or translated from French 'Fake Money Bay' at Cap d'Antibes, home to the famous Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, where many of the big names stayed during the Cannes Film Festival. One of the morning's highlights had to be when we inflated the donut, and all took turns at being towed along behind the boat, at speed; our skipper was definitely trying his hardest to get us in the water! It is obvious why people look for a long list of water toys on their charter, as we had so much fun with just the donut – we can't wait to try and get our hands on a jet ski!

Apart from spending our weekends out at sea, we do like to get our heads down in the office as well. Charlotte has been spending her time working away on the Boatbookings Newsletter. She works with all of the Brokers to get their suggestions for their favourite yachts of the moment for all of our worldwide destinations, and brings together all the yachts, destinations, descriptions and images to put in our newsletter.

It's quite a task to bring it together, working with the whole team for the yacht choices, the layout, inputting all the information and bringing together the final edit, before sending it out to our subscribers. See our most recent Boatbookings Newsletter here.

Boatbookings.com provide a truly unique Internship program and there is no better place to learn about one of the worlds most luxurious sectors than in the South of France. If you are interested about enquiring about our internships or would like to apply, please contact our Managing Director, Capucine De Vallée: [email protected]

Posted on June 18, 2013 by admin

Three Fantastic Options for Luxury Day Charters in Cannes

With the summer fast approaching, and the weather in Cannes constantly improving, we highly recommend looking into chartering a luxury yacht for a day. In this blog, we outline just three of the many fantastic options that you can choose from. As always, if you have any questions about chartering, please do contact us.

Our first option for your day charter is the stunning AQUA BLUE, a Sunseeker Predator 74, accommodating for up to 6 guests overnight or 10 on a day charter. Her interior is both bright and airy, with a delightful blend of light wood and cream furnishings. On the aft deck, and on the front of the yacht, there is some beautiful deck space for all guests to enjoy. Her crew are extremely professional, and will ensure that your day charter is nothing less than unforgettable. She is available for charter at a rate of €5,000 per day plus expenses.

Our second choice for your day charter is DELHIA, a Mangusta 92, accommodating for up to 11 guests for day charters along the French Riviera. Charter Brokers Ben and Adam recently saw her and were both amazed by her crew and the food prepared on board. Ben said, about the food, “the preparation on DELHIA was second to none, I would highly recommend trying the chicken in soy and honey sauce!” She has a large open interior, and our favourite space on board was on the aft deck, DELHIA is available at a daily rate of €8,125 plus expenses.

Our third and final option is a new yacht to the charter market. The Sessa C48, a slightly smaller option, offers guests an extremely luxurious day out on board. The Captain is absolutely fantastic, and he will make sure that you have an extremely special day out, whether you're planning a day to Monaco, Saint Tropez, or just a trip to the stunning Iles de Lerins. She accommodates for up to 10 guests for day charters, and is available at a rate of €2,500 plus expenses. We currently have a fantastic offer on her too, giving clients a VIP package on board. Guests will receive a bottle of champagne, fresh fruit, soft drinks and beach towels, all complimentary.

Posted on June 17, 2013 by admin

A Day in the life of an Intern, Part IV

This blog continues the series describing one day, and in my case a rather special one, in the life of an intern at Boatbookings. On 7th May I was lucky enough to be invited, along with Charter Director, Mimi and Charter Broker Cordy, on a day’s viewing of 4 luxury sailing yachts.

The day starting at about 12 o’clock after being picked up from the new port in Cannes in a gorgeous tender. Although both Mimi and Cordy were dropped at ALPINA, a lovely 3 cabin Swan 82, I carried on, and was dropped off at WALLY ONE. WALLY ONE is the original WALLY, the very first to be built and an absolute gem. Constructed in 1991, she was designed well before her time and having been refitted in 2009 she can compete with the best around, as well as having that added class and style as the first in a line of celebrated yachts.

Once on deck she has far more space than it might seem from pictures. The smooth teak deck is perfect for relaxing, with an assortment of comfortable cushions and bean bags. As I was introduced to the Captain, Nounou, an energetic and smiling man who placed a drink in my hand, he promptly whisked me off for a tour of his yacht. Below deck, the dining room and salon with its nice blend of woods has space to relax, watch a film or entertain guests. Further on, the cabin arrangement also stands out; in 4 cabins, there are 11 berths which make WALLY ONE a fantastic yacht for a family holiday.

The early afternoon was spent getting to know the yacht and its Captain while tucking into the delicious meat and cheese platters, the salmon canapés and an assortment of salads, which all went well with a glass of rosé. They were so good in fact that we did not even realise that these would be followed by a main course, which consisted of a fantastic tortellini and feta dish. Soon after, along with the other yachts SHAMLOR, ALPINA and WORLDS END, we set off sailing around les Iles des Lérins for a magical finish to the day.

Boatbookings.com provide a truly unique Internship Program; there is no better place to learn about one of the world’s most luxurious sectors than in the south of France.

Posted on June 12, 2013 by admin

The Winner of the Cannes Film festival: La Vie d’Adele (Blue is the Warmest Colour). Our Yacht Winner – Black and White!

The winner of the 66th Cannes Film Festival is La Vie d’Adele (Blue is the Warmest Colour). The most coveted prize in film after the Oscars went to this three hour emotional tale of love and sexuality by Abdellatif Kechiche that centers on a 15 year old girl (Adele Exarchopoulos) and her lover (Lea Seydoux) and is the first time in the festivals history that the Palm d”Or has gone to a French film in two consecutive years. It is also notable that this steamy lesbian epic has won the highest award on the day when hundreds of thousands of demonstrators marched in Paris on Sunday to protest France's recent legalization of same-sex marriage. (See more on this film here)

The other notable winners in the 66em Festival de Cannes were:

Grand Prix: Inside Llewyn Davis, Joel and Ethan Coen, U.S.

(See more here).
Prix du Jury: Like Father, Like Son, Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan.

(See more here).
Prix de la Mise en Scène (Best Director): Amat Escalante, Heli, Mexico
Prix du Scénario (Best Screenplay): Jia Zhangke, A Touch of Sin, China.
Prix d’interprétation masculine (Best Actor): Bruce Dern, Nebraska, U.S.
Prix d’interprétation feminine (Best Actress): Bérénice Bejo, The Past, France. (See more here).

However, it is obviously the yachts that are most important here. Our team here at Boatbookings choose a yacht for every film, yet what were our winners? Which yacht got our Palm d'Or?

After some intense debate, we narrowed the field down to just three yachts. WILD THYME, BLACK AND WHITE and CALLISTO. Chosen for their gorgeous lines, high performance and supreme luxury, they would provide any guests with a charter of a lifetime, yet which one would edge the other out to win Boatbookings Palm d'Or?

And the winner for Best Yacht in the Cannes Film Festival is…..

BLACK AND WHITE as it was ended up sweeping away the field and taking the prize as our favorite yacht from this series of

blogs marking each day of the Cannes Film festival. Her gorgeous lines, immaculate and luxurious interior, fantastic outdoor spaces for sunbathing or al fresco dining and superb crew propelled her to victory. (Click on here to find out why she was our favourite!)

At www.boatbookings.com, we are here to help you plan your perfect luxury yachting holiday. We have a team of highly skilled professionals who are extremely knowledgeable in their destinations and will be able to help you bring together the yacht, the crew and all the other aspects that make your charter special.

Posted on May 27, 2013 by admin