Category Archives: Yacht Manufacturers and Brands

Chartering a crewed Catamaran in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Virgin Gorda is the third largest and the second most populated of the British Virgin Islands. The island is a well-known destination for romantic getaways and for relaxing holidays with friends and family. Christopher Columbus is said to have named the island “The Fat Virgin” because its profile on the horizon looked like a fat woman lying on her side. Whether this is true is still open for some debate.

The population of Virgin Gorda was only about 600 when American venture capitalist Laurence Rockefeller constructed the Rosewood Little Dix Bay resort in 1964. The resort is credited with establishing the tourism industry on the island, whose population now stands at over 3,200. Rosewood Little Dix Bay is a 4-diamond resort offering luxury villas and suites, an award winning spa and its own spectacular bay and beach. It is located near Spanish Town, the island’s capital city.

Although the pace of life can be slow on Virgin Gorda, the island provides the ideal blend of stunning scenery, good restaurants and plenty of activities and tourist attractions for those who have had enough of sunbathing on the beautiful white beaches.

The giant granite rock formations of the Baths, found in the south-west of the Island, are the biggest tourist attraction in the BVI. The rock pools and secret beaches found here are fascinating to explore and show evidence of the island’s volcanic origins.

This protected area also includes Devil’s Bay, a horseshoe shaped bay that is a 15-minute hike from the top of the Baths. Alternatively, hikers can take a second, more challenging path that involves climbing a series of ladders that scale the boulders. This is the perfect location for swimming, snorkeling and unwinding on some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.

Established in 1974, the 265-acre Gorda Peak National Park is also extremely popular. The park, which is the perfect example of Caribbean dry forest, contains a path leading up to the island’s highest point of 1,370 feet. Here you will find a wide variety of indigenous and exotic plants and an observation tower that offers panoramic views of some of the surrounding islands.

One yacht that is perfect for a romantic getaway in Virgin Gorda is the stunning Sun Odyssey 54 DS SAYANG. This crewed sailing yacht is hugely popular for honeymoon charters and ideal for sailing vacations and holidays around the Virgin Islands.

Please have a look at the 7-day BVI sailing itinerary on our website. If you would like some advice and help in planning a trip to the BVI, please send us an email to [email protected], where one of our Brokers would be delighted to assist you.

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Chartering a crewed Catamaran in Anegada, British Virgin Islands

Anegada, the second largest of the British Virgin Islands, is an extremely popular charter destination for snorkelers and scuba divers. As the only coral reef island in the Virgin Islands (the rest are all volcanic islands), Anegada is home to many rare species of marine life, including needlefish, stingrays, parrotfish and sea turtles. The island is also known for its famous rock iguana and beautiful fauna including wild orchids.

Anegada takes its name from the Spanish word for “drowned”. As it is not a volcanic island, Anegada is relatively flat and can be difficult to navigate by boat. At it’s highest it is just 26 feet above sea level. Before the advanced global tracking systems of the modern era, mariners often couldn’t see it and became trapped in the coral of Horseshoe Reef which, at eighteen miles long, is the largest barrier coral reef in the Caribbean and the fourth largest on earth.

Visitors can dive down to sunken ships or snorkel in the turquoise waters from one of the white, sandy beaches such as Loblolly Bay or Cow Wreck beach. Much of the island’s best marine life can be found among the wreckages of Spanish trading ships and British warships. Despite its size, Anegada is the most sparsely populated of the main islands; it is almost like having your own private beach.

After a long day soaking up the sun, many chose to dine at restaurants that serve fresh lobster. Often found in the deep waters off the North Drop, the locally caught lobster have a reputation as the best in the Caribbean.

Anegada is the perfect place to charter a yacht over the festive period. It is an island that really embraces the spirit and traditions of Christmas. The lighting of the biggest Christmas Tree in the BVI, with more than 15,000 lights, has become an annual event. The tree, which stands at 35 feet high, is lit on first Saturday evening of December each year as part of a cultural event that brings together the island’s community.

One yacht that would be perfect for friend and family charters in Anegada is CATSY, a fantastic Sunreef 62 Catamaran, who was voted as the Best Multihull Over 51 Feet at the 2011 Tortola Charter Yacht Show. She has plenty of living space and beautiful al fresco dining areas with stunning views of the Caribbean scenery.

You can find more information about Anegada yacht charters on our website. If you would like some advice and help in planning a trip to the BVI, please send us an email to [email protected], where one of our Brokers would be delighted to assist you.

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Chartering in the BVI on our Top 5 November Crewed Catamaran’s, Part I

Following on from October’s edition of our top 5 luxury charter yachts in the West Mediterranean, November’s edition aims to bring you the very best crewed catamarans for the upcoming BVI and Caribbean season. There is no better way to spend your christmas vacation than in the natural beauty of the BVI with both friends and family on a luxury crewed catamaran charter, which allows you to relax and spend time with loved ones. Tortola is renowned for being one of the leading sailing destinations in the world, with beautiful white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. The north coast of the island is where you will find the best beaches, perfect for sailing, surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling. The turquoise waters of Smugglers Cove, on the western tip of the island, are particularly popular with snorkelers but never feel overly crowded. It really is paradise.
Screen-Shot-2012-11-09-at-10.48.43The first of our top crewed catamarans is CATTITUDE, a 75ft Privilege Alliaura with 4 beautiful cabins and a great crew. She is brand new and offers a sumptuous black and white decor throughout, giving a contemporary yet elegant feel to the vessel.  All four cabins have en-suite bathroom facilities, making this a great option for chartering with a close set of friends, as each couple will have their own suite. The master cabin features a generous suite, with a king sized bed, his and her sinks, a jacuzzi bath tub and a hydro massage shower. Guests will find all the modern technology that they will need, including the very latest iPod music system, as well as a large set of water toys to keep the kids happy! She is booked over Christmas and New Year, but remains at your disposal for many weeks in December, January and February so don’t miss the opportunity of a lifetime to charter her in the BVI or the Grenadines.

Screen-Shot-2012-11-09-at-10.49.24The second of our favourite crewed catamarans is IN THE WIND, a 62ft 2011 Sunreef with 4 stunning cabins. The Boatbookings.com view of this yacht is simple: “A high performance luxury sailing catamaran – guaranteed to exceed expectations” She is a great choice for your Christmas luxury yacht charter and will not disappoint even the most discerning guests. She has plenty of water toys and games on board, including water ski’s, Sea-doos, kayaks and diving gear to satisfy the whole family. Her styling is bold and incorporates dark wood with bold fixtures and fittings, making her quite unique in the crewed catamaran market. Her cabins are spacious and comfortable and provide excellent sleeping quarters for both friends and family. There is no better way to enjoy this luxury crewed catamaran than on her Flybridge, offering great space for the whole family to relax, socialise and soak up all that the BVI has to offer.

If you would like to find out more information on how to charter in the BVI or anywhere else in the world, please do so via our website www.boatbookings.com. If you are interested in any of the boats listed, please enquire through the page links to the yachts or send an email to [email protected]. Watch this space for Part II of our favourite November luxury crewed catamarans. To view our top 5 yachts for the upcoming season in the Western Mediterranean, please click here.

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Steve Jobs Custom Luxury Yacht Charter Feadship Unveiled

Just over a year after his death, the luxury motor yacht that Apple founder Steve Jobs commissioned and helped to design has finally been completed and launched in the Netherlands.Described by some as looking like a “floating Apple Store”, the custom built 80m (260ft) Feadship is named VENUS, after the Roman goddess of love.

Job’s biographer, Walter Isaacson, suggests that Jobs became almost obsessed with the yacht in the months leading up to his death. Jobs is quoted as saying “I know that it’s possible I will die and leave Laurene [his wife] with a half-built boat. But I have to keep going on it. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die.”

Designed in collaboration with French product designer Philippe Starck, VENUS is now a posthumous testament to the sleek and crisp white designs that became synonymous with Apple during Job’s time as head of the company. While Starck denies that there is any relation between the design of this yacht and Apple (he insists that the electronics company and a boat of this size are completely different), he does admit that VENUS “is a Steve Jobs work”.

Jobs had asked the chief engineer of the Apple Stores to design a special glass that would allow 10-foot-high windows while also providing the necessary structural support. Apple also provided 7 24-inch iMac’s to be set up on the bridge of the yacht, among other Apple equipment.

The Jobs’ family reportedly attended the launch of the yacht and gave a customised iPod Shuffle to everybody who helped with the build, as a thank you for their ‘hard work and craftsmanship.’

With their ability to custom build yachts to exacting owners specifications, Feadship has been a major force creating the super yacht market as we know it today. The company has built over 200 yachts since it was founded in 1949, releasing an average of just 4 or 5 new yachts a year.

In addition to the Apple founder, Feadship has built a 200-foot yacht for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1996 as well as custom yachts for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic, founder of the Ford Motor Company Henry Ford, and Malcolm Forbes of Forbes magazine.

If you are interested in chartering a Feadship yacht (or any other type of yacht) then please see here or email [email protected].

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