Race in a Regatta from the Luxury of Your Own Home

A new phenomenon is taking a hold in the world of sailing fanatics, having already signed up some 300,000 players. “Virtual Regatta” is a fantastic new way to skipper your own sailboat, but from the warmth and safety of your own home. Think about this – you can navigate through day and night, storms and calm seas, all from a computer.

We think this is absolutely fantastic, and while 20 real-life skippers are navigating the globe for three months, a large group of virtual skippers are sailing the Vendee Globe too, but from their own homes.

The program has taken the sailing world by storm (excuse the pun), and with great additions such as a worldwide real-time weather simulator, virtual skippers are sure to experience all different types of sailing. Not only does this simulator encompass rain and sun, but accurate wind speed and direction.

Loads of extras are available throughout the regatta, one virtual skipper has paid €20 / $25 to have an autopilot for the night, and an extra choice of sales. It’s not just about being a one man team though, many a group have taken to joining, taking hours each and relaying the race, so they can be as fresh and awake as possible.

Although players don’t have to deal with real life situations of navigating storms and terrible tides, they might have to deal with more expected problems – the Internet. Unfortunately thousands of virtual skippers were left behind recently when the site was off limits for 5 hours due to a technical hitch.

Although we encourage people to give this great program a try, we also very much encourage you to look at being a real life skipper, with a bareboat charter of a catamaran in the BVI this Winter. Interested in chartering a catamaran in the BVI? See our blog on the Top 3 Crewed Catamarans of the BVI Yacht Show 2012.

If you’re interested in chartering a yacht, please go to boatbookings.com, or email us at [email protected] and one of our charter specialists will get back to you shortly.

Posted on November 21, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

Luxury Yacht Charter for the Monaco Grand Prix 2013, Part II

With a circuit that runs through the streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine, past the many superyachts which are moored in the harbour, the Monaco Grand Prix is considered to be one of the most prestigious and exciting sporting events in the world.

Known to be one of the most demanding courses in Formula One, the circuit contains both the slowest corner and one of the fastest in the Grand Prix calendar, as well as a variety of uphill and downhill sections.

Organised by the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) and the Fédération International de l’Automobile (FIA), the Grand Prix circuit takes around 6 weeks to build and 3 weeks to disassemble.

In addition to the main Formula One race, other events in the FIA series (such as GP2 and GP3 touring-car races) are provided to keep crowds entertained. There are also hundreds of other related events and parties that draw some extremely high-profile guests. Many of these guests combine their trip with a visit to the Cannes Film Festival, which takes place at around the same time and is only a short boat ride away.

In 1995, the harbour was also used as a location in the James Bond film GoldenEye. The title character (played Piers Brosnan for the first time) tries to stop Xenia Onatopp from stealing a military helicopter.

Charter guests watching the race from the marina have a perfect view as the cars emerge from the famous tunnel at speeds of 280 kilometres per hour and are forced to break sharply in order to successfully negotiate the tight left and right chicane. This is arguably one of the most exciting areas of the track as it is generally one of the only places that drivers can attempt overtaking manouvres. The chicane has produced some of the biggest accidents in the past few years.

After coming through a corner called Tabac, charter guests can continue watching the cars move quickly through the swimming pool section and through the two final corners (La Racasse and Virage Antony Noghes). The cars then begin the ascent back up towards Casino Square.

Renting a berth in Port Hercules may be too pricey for some, but anchoring just outside the port is free and an equally enjoyable experience. Boats anchored outside the port won’t have a perfect view of the race, but most clients chose to book a lunch and viewing spot on the private balcony or roof terrace of one of the many high-rises around Monaco. Guests are brought in by tender before the race starts. We can help you find the best viewing tickets as part of our comprehensive Monaco Grand Prix service.

Among the boats that we have available during the Monaco Grand Prix is D5, a Fairline Squadron 78 with plenty of indoor and outdoor living space. We recommend chartering her (or one of our other fantastic crewed motor yachts) as part of a 4 or 5-day charter from Antibes up to Monaco for the race on Sunday and along to Portofino or Corsica.

Please have a look at our Monaco Grand Prix Yacht Charter Overview for more information and a comprehensive listing of boats that are available for charter in Monaco.

Posted on November 6, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

Second-leg of America’s Cup World Series underway

The second stage of the first ever America’s Cup World Series will take place this week at Piers 30-32 of San Francisco Bay. The first leg of the competition (which took place at the end of August) attracted more than 150,000 fans who were excited to watch a fantastic race between 11 of the best sailing crews in the world.

Despite being the oldest active trophy in international sport (first contested in 1851), the America’s Cup Final has not always attracted significant media attention or the sponsorship money that comes with it. For those of us who do not have significant sailing experience, watching the Americas Cup can be a slightly bewildering experience.

For readers who are not quite sure how the America’s Cup works, I will briefly explain the basic rules. The first yacht (the Defender) represents the yacht club that is the current holder of the Cup. For the 2013 America’s Cup Finals this will be Golden Gate Yacht Club, owned by the BMW Oracle Racing team. The remaining yachts (the Challengers) race for the other yacht clubs that will be challenging for the Cup. In 2013 these yachts will represent Artemis Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Challenge and Team Korea.

Until recently, the organising committee behind the America’s Cup were not too worried about whether or not the race would attract a large global audience. However, two years ago officials announced that the competition will undergo a number of important changes in order to bring in some extra revenue from sponsorship and television rights. These changes are designed to help some of the less fortunate sailing teams who struggle to raise the tens of millions of dollars that are needed in order ensure a successful build and to race in the cup. This included the creation of the World Series format.

As of 2013, 72-foot AC72 wing-sail catamarans will be used for the America’s Cup races. This is designed to add both speed and an element of danger by using boats which move much faster and can capsize very easily. The races will also be held closer to shore, where wind patterns can be slightly less predictable and where they can be viewed by a larger crowd.

The World Series uses AC45 catamarans. The final World Series event will be broadcast live across America on NBC this Sunday.

If you would like any additional information on hiring a luxury yacht charter in San Francisco during the America’s Cup, please have a look at our page on America’s Cup yacht charters or send an email to [email protected]. We would be delighted to assist you with your charter search.

Posted on October 1, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

Charter a Yacht in St Tropez for the ‘Voiles de St Tropez’ Regatta

For anyone looking ahead to plan a yacht charter on the French Riviera at the end of the summer, what could be better than chartering from St Tropez during one of the most distinguished Regattas of the season? Les Voiles de St Tropez is the final yachting event of the high season on the Cote d’Azur. It is truly a spectacular culmination of a summer packed with exciting seasonal events such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.

For one week in October the port of St Tropez draws yacht enthusiasts from all corners of the world to marvel at the hordes of traditional sailing yachts which fill the marinas. St Tropez is the perfect port for this one-off gathering of the finest in classic sailing boat design. Famous for being a playground for jetsetters and millionaires, St Tropez is a beautiful and historic location and a fitting setting for this prestigious event.

The visual spectacle of so many stunning sailing yachts lined up in this world-renowned port is truly a site to behold. From the 1st – 5th October 2012, St Tropez is the place to be for anyone interested in both classic and modern yachts. Soak up the excitement in the air during this festive week by chartering a yacht from St Tropez, and enjoying the best the town has to offer with a gourmet meal at the famous Club 55 restaurant, or a day relaxing on Pampelonne Beach.

If you would like to charter a yacht from St Tropez please see our St Tropez yacht charter guide or see the Yachts for charter in St Tropez.

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Tom Virden — No Comments ↓

Sailing the Voiles d’Antibes Regatta on “The Blue Peter” Classic Yacht

To true sailors, there’s nothing like a classic yacht regatta. One could spend an entire day just looking at the yachts’ gorgeous lines, woodwork and finishings, but to actually crew on one in a regatta surrounded by these beauties is about as good as it gets. Add on top the sun, beautiful blue sea, views of the French Riviera, superyachts and villas, a fun crew who loves what they’re doing and the excitement of trying to win a race – and you can see the deep attraction that people have to classic yacht regattas.

We had the pleasure of crewing on the Blue Peter during the Voiles d’Antibes this week. Captain Matt Barker is a veteran of many regattas and has built an excellent crew and track record over the years. He has a relaxed demeanor, but make no mistake, he takes the race seriously and loves to win!

The race has several parts: pre-race planning, the start, racing the course, finishing, and celebrating (whether you won or not!)

Pre-Race Planning

About an hour before setting sail, the whole crew gets a briefing on the weather, their jobs for the day and anything else that might be required of them. Everyone is assigned to a specific area of the boat and task – there can be no training once the race starts. Some help with navigation, some with trimming the sails, some with raising and lowering the spinnaker and foresails.

There is anticipation in the air, but everything is still calm especially on a day like today when there isn’t much wind.

Around 11:00, most boats started out of the port toward the start of the race, directly outside the port. Along the way, we had to make way for a few super yachts that decided they needed to start their cruises in the middle of a regatta.

Most boats do a quick shake down, testing the wind and sails and making sure all crew members were comfortable with their tasks for the day.

There was not much wind, but the sun was peaking through the clouds, meaning that the breeze would freshen as the land heated up and created a convection current.

The Start

There’s nothing quite so chaotic as the start of a regatta. Boats maneuver for position as successive guns go off signalling 10 minutes, 5 minutes and 2 minutes to start. Because they’re under sail, the yachts don’t have a lot of ability to avoid other boats who might be trying for the same position as you. Everyone is at close quarters, and it’s not unusual to hear a bit of shouting between boats about who has the right of way.

Oops – at the start we heard a second shot, meaning at least one boat had jumped the gun. Despite years of practice and coordination, part of our boat was over the line at the gun. We had to turn back and try again, losing somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute.

The race

The course today would take us by some of the most valuable real estate in the world – from old Antibes around the villa-laden Cap d’Antibes, to Juan les Pins and Golfe Juan and back. The first mark was east of Antibes toward the Nice airport, then back toward and around the Cap.

We got stuck (as many other boats did) in a particularly dead area just after the start, and were literally barely moving for about 5 minutes. Some boats in our class escaped earlier than we did, while others were mired in it for 20 minutes more.

The breeze freshened as we headed back to Cap d’Antibes, and we finally felt like we were sailing. We performed several tacks and ultimately put up the spinnaker. Once the spinnaker was up (which many refer to as the “kite”) the crew had little to do except eat a sandwich and watch the villas go by.

When we got to Golfe Juan, we did have a bit of excitement, as we performed a “Kiwi Drop” (raising the foresail, while dropping the spinnaker at the same time as you’re jibing around the mark). This was made more exciting by cutting between the gorgeous classic yacht Cambria and another smaller boat right before the mark. Just as it looks like the day will end with these gorgeous yachts in splinters, they magically avoid each other and round the mark.

The finish

Despite our slow start, we made up a lot of ground on many boats, as the Blue Peter is quite a fast boat and we made some good decisions as to where the wind would be. We were unable to place first in our category, but did end up 4th out of 10, just 2 minutes out of 2nd place. Our slow start had made the difference.

The Celebration

No matter where a boat finishes, there’s ample reason for celebrating at the end of the day. Two perfectly executed “Kiwi drops”, nice sailing around the Cap, and beating our arch competitor Halloween by nearly 30 minutes were all reasons for champagne, rose, white wine and any food that could be found in the galley.

A superb day on a beautiful yacht, with a fun and dedicated crew sailing in the Cote d’Azur. Exhilarating, exhausting, not to be missed!

Click here to read more about chartering for a sailing regatta. If you’d like to charter the Blue Peter for a regatta with Captain Matt and the crew. Or see more about the Blue Peter Classic Yacht Charter here.

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Tom Virden — No Comments ↓