Environmentally Friendly Luxury Yacht Charter on “Island E Motion”

With global warming and the production of greenhouse gases both attracting huge media attention, Swiss company MCM and Future Island of Australia have joined together to create “Island E Motion” – a truly unique, environmentally friendly luxury motor yacht which is said to encompass “sustainable luxury at its best”.

Designed by Swiss duo Milena Cvijanovich and Dennis Muller, Island E Motion is based on the idea of creating a sustainable luxury lifestyle by “harnessing the power of the wind, the sun and the waves.” It has an ecological footprint that is up to 60% lower than that of more traditional yachts.

Built as part of the ‘Floating Island’ series, the yacht is made from recycled materials and is powered through the use of alternative energies. This includes a combination of thermal and electronic solar panels and the use of both wind and wave energy. The yacht also uses an advanced propeller technology with liquefied natural gas, a recycled water circuit filter for collecting rainwater and a specially-designed desalination system. Bubbles generated by forcing air underneath the vessel reduce friction, meaning that it requires lower amonts of energy to propel her forward.

Cvijanovich and Muller have managed to create an environmentally friendly yacht without compromising on luxury and design. Guests can enjoy a truly luxurious experience within in a natural environment that includes permaculture vegetation such as grass and palm trees, and sandy beaches.

Island E Motion features a large dining room for twenty-four guests, several lounge areas, spas, a gymnasium, massage room, home cinema, library, and indoor/outdoor bars. The larger model, which offers private helipads and a swimming pool, is perfect for hosting big events such as fashion shows and art exhibitions.

A percentage of the profits made by Island E Motion will be donated to the Global Life on Water (GLOW) foundation – a side project that is looking into the construction of floating hospitals.

Other recent environmentally friendly yacht designs include the E-Max Ultra Green Pure Care Carrier by Sauter Carbon Offsets Design and Project Atlas, a joint collaboration between H2 Yachts and Laurent Gilles Superyacht Designs.

For more information on chartering a luxury yacht, please have a look at our website or send an email to [email protected].

Posted on November 12, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

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.

Posted on November 9, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

Luxury Crewed Yacht Charters or Bareboat Charters, Which to Choose? (from Guest Blogger Alan Cairns)

If you’re thinking about chartering a luxury yacht there are two options to consider; bareboat or crewed. It’s a choice that makes a big difference to your holiday or trip. While bareboat charters offer you the opportunity to take charge of the vessel, crewed charters offer the opportunity to hire a boat complete with all the necessary skills.

Bareboat Charters

Bareboat Charters are the simplest type of yacht charter, offering just the boat itself. Bareboating offers complete privacy and freedom, as well as the opportunity to captain a boat yourself. With bareboat charters you take full responsibility for all aspects of looking after the boat, including navigation, mooring, sailing, motoring, cooking and cleaning. If you’re not an experienced boater you will need to consider hiring a skipper or finding a friend with experience in sailing or motor boating.

Bareboat charters are often used for corporate events and team building days, as they can require that everybody on board takes responsibility for some element of the upkeep of the boat. Skippers should not only manage and direct the boat’s path, but should also be able to organise and manage the crew successfully, especially on sailing boats.

It’s important that whoever is in charge can delegate responsibilities, which could include hoisting sails, dropping anchor, cooking, cleaning and other general maintenance. The person in charge should communicate these expectations to the rest of the crew, and ensure that they understand what is expected of them.

Skippered Bareboat Charters

When you charter a bareboat you may be given the option of adding a qualified skipper who can take responsibility for navigating the boat. It can still feel like you have your own boat, as you will need to help them to raise the sails and drop the anchor. A skippered bareboat charter is less expensive than a fully crewed yacht, but the skipper can take responsibility for some of the more stressful aspects of boating, including navigating through coral and plotting a course.

Crewed Charters

Crewed charters are boats that come with all necessary crew in one package. The number of crew will depend on the size of the boat. Smaller boats might require simply a skipper and a chef, while bigger boats could require a team of many more including deckhands, stewards, stewardesses and engineers.

You could even consider including scuba diving instructors, special caterers or entertainers in your boat team, to ensure you have a fun-filled and luxurious trip. Crewed charter yachts and motorboats are the easiest way to enjoy a charter boat trip. Roles and responsibilities will be delegated so you can concentrate on relaxing and enjoying the journey.

Alan Cairns writes on a number of subjects including outboard motors and canal boat holidays. Image sourced under creative commons licence courtesy of Jon Olav. Southern Shipwrights Ltd is one of the leading outboard motor dealers in the South East of England. SSL are dealers of Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury outboard motors as well as SunSport inflatables and 3D Tender RIBS and inflatables.

Posted on October 24, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

New James Bond film, Skyfall features the luxury sailboat charter yacht REGINA.

Skyfall is the latest film in the 007 James Bond collection starring Daniel Craig. The film is set to be another blockbuster hit, which sees Bond’s commitment to M put into jeopardy as a ghost from the past comes to haunt her. James Bond is synonymous with glamour, gadgets and action and the latest movie is no exception. However, Skyfall also features one of our favourite modern day sailing yachts REGINA, a 56m Schooner built by Med Yachts.

She has 6 impressive staterooms, accommodating up to 12 guests. She has 7 crew, who will attend to your every need to make your cruise as enjoyable as possible. The master cabin includes a large bedroom with a lounge, a walk in wardrobe and a luxurious marble en-suite bathroom. REGINA`s interior is a beautiful mélange of dark wood and soft furnishings. Her saloon is a great example of this, offering seating for at least 6 guests comfortably. The large saloon opens into a lavish dining area and a grand piano.

She has great decks and offers the very best in al fresco dining. Her aft deck holds a dining area, as well as a large day bed, perfect for sunbathing. Her forward deck has a beautiful dining table, providing a great setting for dinner. Guests will also find multiple sunbeds and a seating area, making her a great choice for relaxing and taking in the sights of the Turkish Coastline. REGINA has a host of water toys to keep her guests entertained, including a 115 HP tender, a jet ski, water ski’s, canoes and paddleboards. She is the ultimate luxury sailing yacht for chartering around Turkey and the East Med.

The film is released on the 22^nd October and is set to be one of the biggest Bond films to date. Watch this space for industry gossip and reviews on some of the most exclusive and luxurious yachts on the market. If you would like to enquire about chartering REGINA in the East Mediterranean, please enquire through her page on our website.

Posted on October 4, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓

The 2012 Antigua Charter Yacht Show

With many of the world’s biggest and most luxurious chartered yachts heading over to the Caribbean for the winter season, now seems like the appropriate time to write about chartering a yacht from the beautiful island of Antigua. Antigua is one of the most beautiful island getaways in the Caribbean, and a favorite sailing charter destination. It is particularly popular with those who wish to go snorkeling and scuba diving on the coral reefs.

The main Caribbean charter season runs from early November through to June/July, with the high season from around mid-December to March. This is the period in which those wishing to escape the cold temperatures of North America and Europe arrive in huge numbers. A large proportion of the islands revenue is made during this time through tourism.

English Harbour (and the neighbouring port of Falmouth) has gained international recognition as one of the best yachting and sailing destinations in the Caribbean. Situated on the southern coast of the island, these ports are mostly sheltered from the violent storms and hurricanes which can hit the island between July and late October. The area gets its name from the harbour in which the Royal Navy established its base of operations during the eighteenth century. It is also home to the Nelson’s Dockyard cultural heritage site, named after Admiral Nelson (who lived in the Dockyard from 1784 to 1787).

One of the most important upcoming events is the 51st Antigua Charter Yacht Show, which will take place in the first week of December. The yachts on show at this event range in length from 46 feet to 245 feet and are berthed in the three marinas mentioned above. The basic premise of the show is to gather Yachts that have come to the Caribbean for the winter yachting season in order to allow charter agents to view exactly what is on offer. This includes meeting with captains and crews and sampling the delicacies provided by the many talented chefs. Many of the chefs will have the opportunity to participate in the 13th anual “Concours de Chef”. The theme for this years competition is the Healthy Dinner Challenge. Chefs must create a 3-course menu which promotes healthy eating with “great tasting local Caribbean cuisine and simplicity in preparation.”

The success of the island as a charter destination is hardly a surprise. The local yacht workers are known for being extremely and helpful, while there are many small businesses which cater to all yachting requirements. The historical ambiance of the Dockyard and the friendly locals are also crucial factors.

Among the boats on show is the luxury crewed sailing catamaran CROCODILE DADDY, which is designed for long distance cruising with luxury, comfort and speed.

This Lagoon 620 has large windows which allow for an extremely light and spacious modern interior with wenge woodwork and white leather sofas.

CROCODILE DADDY also has a large deck area, which is the perfect place to enjoy fine alfresco dining.

Another boat that will be on show is the Swan 80 SELENE – a world class sailing yacht built by Nautor’s Swan and designed for comfort and performance.

Selene has both won and placed well in regattas around the world. With an open deck layout, top rate galley and luxurious interior, this sailing boat provides the ideal setting for a sunset dinner with an exotic backdrop.

If you would like any additional information on organizing a luxury yacht charter in the Caribbean, please have a look at the link provided or send an email to [email protected]. We would be delighted to assist you in any way possible with your charter search.

Posted on September 26, 2012 by admin — No Comments ↓