CharterWave eNews
June 2008
 Genoa Show Heavy on Motoryachts, Including Several Debuts
Between 60 and 70 charter yachts lined the marina in Genoa, Italy, from May 5-9 for the 21st annual Western Mediterranean industry-only charter show. The vast majority were motoryachts, with only a half-dozen or so sailing yachts in attendance—and the yachts were as big as ever, including the 198-foot motoryacht Titan, the 247-foot sailing yacht Mirabella V, and the 290-foot motoryacht Lauren L.
“What’s surprising is not the size of the yachts that were there, but the news from the show about what’s coming next,” says CharterWave editor Kim Kavin. “The international charter industry shows every sign of continuing to welcome more and bigger yachts, including a pair of 354-foot sisterships that the owner of Lauren L announced plans to build and have in charter within the next few years.”
There were three fresh-from-the-shipyard motoryachts vying for attention at this year’s show: the 177-foot CRN Maraya, the 173-foot Benetti Latinou, and the 150-foot Palmer Johnson Hokulani. An unscientific poll of reputable charter brokers on the docks showed Maraya to be the belle of the show for most people, with Latinou destined to earn even more  accolades following her return to the Benetti shipyard to receive her final construction detailing. Hokulani, an express-style yacht compared with the other two traditional designs, turned a lot of heads thanks to her sexy exterior paint job, which the captain called “metallic olive gold with black trim.”
And as exciting as these new launches were, it was the sailing yachts that put on some of the best shows at the Genoa event. Mirabella V offered attendees rides halfway up her mast—to some 150 feet in the air—inside the crew’s hydraulic crow’s nest (the photos in this section of eNews were shot from up there). Not far from there on the quay, the crew onboard the 114-foot sailing yacht MITseaAH put on an afternoon tea in which they served dessert delights while dressed as superheroes and comic book characters.
“I thought that some of the crew at the show, like MITseaAH’s, really went all out in trying to show the brokers and press what distinguishes their yacht from the next one on the dock,” Kavin says. “That’s the name of the game—being the best charter yacht in your size and price range—and several of the crews at this show offered good evidence that they were just that.”
Word on the docks was that the sluggish U.S. economy is not affecting the largest charter yachts in the Western Mediterranean, but that there is an unusual amount of availability for yachts in the 100- to 130-foot size range, particularly motoryachts, which make up the heart of the Western Med market. The consensus was that these yachts are sitting idle because the Americans who typically charter them are looking elsewhere, suffering sticker shock thanks to the current euro-dollar exchange rate.
“If you’re interested in chartering in France or Italy this summer, that’s actually good news,” Kavin says. “In years past, you would have had to book far in advance. This year, you can literally call a reputable broker today and still have a good chance of getting a great charter yacht.”
 Greece Charter Show Welcomes Smaller Yachts for First Time
Typically, the annual, industry-only charter show in Greece features yachts 65 feet and larger. Those yachts were on display again this year, too, but they were alongside their smaller sisterships for the first time in that charter show’s history.
Charter broker Missy Johnston of Northrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters has attended the annual charter show in Greece every year but one since its 2000 inception. We got this exclusive interview with Johnston about the show held in May, when she was one of just 25 or 30 brokers on the docks on the island of Poros.
Among Johnston’s observations: There are more newer, international-quality motoryachts headed for Greece; Greek boats are now chartering beyond their nation’s borders in places like Croatia; Americans are booking fewer Greek charters because of the euro-dollar exchange rate; and some good-quality smaller yachts are entering the Greek fleet, including the nation’s first sailing catamaran.
Read more about the Poros show in our exclusive interview.
 Yachts at Turkey Show Move Further Toward International Standards
The industry-only charter show held every May in Marmaris, Turkey, included about 55 yachts this year--and more than a few with amenities like hot tubs, entertainment systems, and internationally trained chefs.
That's just one of the trends noted by charter broker Beverly Parsons of Interpac Yachts, who has attended all but one of Turkey's charter shows since they started some 25 years ago. She also heard on the docks that bookings by Americans are way down because of the euro-dollar exchange rate, and that some Turkish charter yachts are considering lowering their prices to make up for the shortfall.
Read more about what Parsons learned at the Marmaris show in our exclusive interview.
 Tortola Show Hosts About 25 Yachts,
with Several Standouts
The industry-only charter show held every May on Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, is far less heavily attended than the one held in November, right before the busy Caribbean season. Even still, broker Gail Hartman of V.I. Sailing never misses the May show—where she is one of just a handful of brokers who take the time to see how the Virgins fleet and crews are faring after the end of their busy season.
We got this exclusive interview with Hartman about what she saw on the docks, including which yachts had fared the best or improved the most since our editor visited the Tortola fleet in November. Among Hartman's observations are that the market is faring well despite the lackluster U.S. economy—a surprise given the news from our Genoa, Italy, and Turkey boat show reports about flagging demand in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean markets.
Read more about the Tortola show in our exclusive interview.
 Report from the Red Carpet Yachts at the Cannes Film Festival
It’s not every charter broker who is on the ground in France when the celebrities descend for the Cannes Film Festival, but Rebecca Riley of Paradise Yacht Charters was there, supporting her celebrity client who had booked a week onboard the brand-new, 177-foot motoryacht Maraya.
Riley shared some of her photos with us in this exclusive interview, as well as her thoughts about what it takes to pull off such an event-heavy charter. “These are event and business charters as opposed to pure vacations,” she says. “It’s not like you’re going to St. Tropez for the summer, where you’re there to relax and have fun.”
Read more about Riley’s experience at the Cannes Film Festival, and her tips for anyone wanting to charter there in the future, in our exclusive interview.
 Camper & Nicholsons International
Releases First Super Yachting Index
As we first reported in the CharterWave Editor’s Blog, the world’s largest charter company, Camper & Nicholsons International, on May 13 released a 43-page document titled the Super Yachting Index—the first-ever attempt by a private company to quantify the scope of the worldwide megayacht and charter yacht industries.
“We decided to do this because there is a lot of misinformation being given to the public about the superyacht industry, particularly in the lifestyle magazines,” explained Laurent Perignon, CNI’s director of marketing, during a press event at the New York Yacht Club. “We also believe that the superyacht industry is no longer a cottage industry. It is quickly becoming a global industry, and all true industries make their statistics available to the public. As the world’s leading superyacht company, we wanted to take a leading role in this.”
The report includes information never before made public, including CNI’s own internal data as well as data taken from industry-only databases such as MYBAnet, which only registered brokers can access.
Among the more interesting assertions from the Index’s section on charter:
* There are 830 yachts available for charter in the 80-foot-and-larger size range. These charter yachts account for 20 percent of all 3,800 superyachts afloat.
 * 60% of those 830 yachts fall in the 100- to 165-foot size range, making it the heart of the superyacht charter industry. Yachts from 80 to 100 feet make up 27 percent of the available fleet, with yachts 165 feet and larger comprising the remaining 13 percent of the fleet.
* 100- to 130-foot yachts accounted for 63.5 percent of the charter bookings in 2007. Yachts from 80 to 100 feet did 21 percent of the bookings, and yachts from 130 to 165 feet did 15.5 percent of the bookings.
* With a handful of exceptions, no yachts larger than 240 feet are available for charter, even though the largest private motoryachts being built today surpass 500 feet in length.
* About 75 percent of the 80-foot-and-larger yachts available for charter are motoryachts, with sailing yachts comprising about 25 percent of the available fleet. About half of those sailing yachts are at the small end of the superyacht scale, between 80 and 100 feet long.
* More than half of the worldwide superyacht charter contracts being written today are in euro rather than the U.S. dollar, which represented virtually all contracts just a few years ago. Given the current exchange rate, this indicates that charter is in practical terms becoming more expensive.
* The average duration of a yacht charter vacation is 8.75 days.
 * Charter clients vacation onboard smaller sailing yachts longer than they vacation onboard larger ones, while the opposite is true of motoryachts, with the larger motoryachts inspiring longer stays.
* The 830 charter yachts 80 feet and longer performed a total of 2,750 weeks of charter in 2007. About 200 of the 830 available yachts represented some 50 percent of those 2,750 weeks of bookings.
* The Mediterranean accounted for 70 percent of all charter vacation destinations, with 56 percent of charters occurring in the Western Med and 14 percent of charters occurring in the Eastern Med.
* The Caribbean was the second-most popular destination, with 15 percent of charters occurring there. Florida and the Bahamas were next, at 7 percent combined, with New England trailing at 2 percent.
* U.S. and British clients booked 60 percent of the charter vacations that took place in 2007. Russians made up just 8 percent of the charter client base, but spent nearly twice as much money as any other nationality, booking larger yachts for longer periods of time.
* Corporate charters represented 8 percent of the bookings in 2007, with more than 90 percent of bookings for vacations–primarily by families.
* About half of the smaller yachts are booked within a month of the charter date, while charter yachts 165 feet and larger are typically booked from four months to a year in advance of the charter date. Middle-range superyachts are typically booked three to six months before the charter date.
* About 50 percent of people who charter a yacht will do so again, typically within two to three years. Some 30 percent of charterers go on to purchase their own yacht, while about 15 percent of charterers never return. [Note: These figures do not equal 100 percent.]
One Virgin Islands Clearinghouse Closes, Another Immediately Opens
 With little fanfare, the Virgin Islands-based charter company Oceanwide Yacht Charter Group ceased operations in May, leaving at least nine sailing catamarans without a clearinghouse.
As we first told you on the Editor’s Blog, six of those yachts have joined forces to create a new company called Cool Cat Charters, with some former Oceanwide staff as well as the help of Pamela Wilson, who previously worked for the Virgin Islands clearinghouse Flagship.
The charter yachts affected by the clearinghouse moves are the 44-foot Castellina, 44-foot Catatonic, 46-foot Catnap, 50-foot Charme, 46-foot Good Medicine, 44-foot Hypnautic, 71-foot Serendy, 46-foot Solitude, and 55-foot Tomcat.
We’re Scouting for you in Newport
CharterWave editor Kim Kavin is on the road again this month, bound for Newport, Rhode Island, and its annual, industry-only charter yacht show.
About 30 yachts are expected to attend, including a good number of motoryachts larger than 100 feet in comparison with years past. More charter yachts in that size range seem to be headed to New England for the summer, as opposed to crossing over to the Mediterranean, where the dollar is weak against the euro.
Kim will be blogging from the Newport show on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog the week of June 23rd. Keep an eye out for her daily reports.
 New Vidcast: A Ride up Mirabella V’s Mast
It’s not every day that you get to step into the crow’s nest and take a hydraulic ride halfway up the mast aboard the tallest sailing yacht in the world. We did just that, video camera in hand, towering some 150 feet above sea level courtesy of Mirabella V.
Here’s our exclusive vidcast, which runs about four minutes long.
Best of the Daily Editor’s Blog
An Eco-Friendly Motoryacht. I shot the above photo while standing in the main saloon onboard Cristalex, a 100-foot Azimut motoryacht, at last week’s charter show in Genoa. Looks like lots of other charter yachts, right? Don’t see anything all that different? The truth is, what makes Cristalex different–dare I say unique, at least in her size range–is the yacht’s dedication to being eco-friendly. … Read more…
Best of the Sponsored Blogs
American Airlines Cuts Back. From the V.I. Sailing blog. You have probably already heard that AA has said that it will start charging $15.00 US for the first checked bag and will reduce US domestic flights. Now, they have announced that they are considering cutting some of its Caribbean destinations because of high fuel prices. … Read more…
Crewed Motoryacht of the Month:
 Latinou
The brand-new, 173-foot Benetti Latinou has a striking glass elevator that goes from her bottom-deck massage room all the way up to her sundeck. We got onboard for some exclusive photos of that elevator and more before the yacht was completely finished, giving us yet more content here on CharterWave that you simply won’t find anywhere else.
Click here to read our exclusive First Impression review, which is based on a private tour of the yacht with the broker who helped to oversee its build.
 Crewed Sailing Yacht of the Month: Mirabella V
Built in 2003, Mirabella V is still the tallest single-masted sailing yacht in the world, making her a jaw-dropping sight in any harbor. We not only got onboard for a tour of this six-figure charter yacht, but also for a ride halfway up her mast (150 feet in the air!) with our video camera in hand.
Click here to read our exclusive First Impression review, or click here to go straight to our four-minute vidcast of the ride toward the sky.
 Captain of the Month: Julian Legg
Julian Legg is the captain onboard Haida G, a 233-foot motoryacht built way back in 1929 and still offering charter experiences full of regal grandeur.
Not bad for a guy who dreamed as a child of becoming a fisherman, and who spent years in the Merchant Navy and serving as commander of massive tanker ships. Learn more about Capt. Legg in our exclusive interview.
 Chef of the Month: Anita van der Werf
Looking for a chef who skips formal meal plans and instead helps you decide around lunchtime what you might want for dinner? Meet Anita van der Werf of Harmony 1, a 105-foot motoryacht that offers summer-only charters in the Mediterranean.
Our exclusive interview includes vad der Werf’s take on favorite cruising destinations, her yacht’s interior décor, and more.
 Broker of the Month: Nick Trotter
Nick Trotter spent 25 years living and working in the British Virgin Islands before forming Meridian Yacht Charters in the U.S. state of Virginia with his wife, longtime charter broker Jenny Trotter. Today, they book yachts everywhere from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, including a good number of multi-yacht corporate charters for heavy-hitting business clients.
Learn more about Nick, his approach to working with new charter clients, and whether he might be the right broker for you in our exclusive interview.
Fleet and Management Company News
Athens Yachts says the 80-foot motoryacht Chrysanthe S has new availability for charters in Greece in August…
BCR Yachts says the 85-foot Mangusta motoryacht Indulgence of Poole has reduced its high-season base rate to 35,000 euro… the 118-foot motoryacht Sunliner X is in the market for last-minute bookings in the Western Mediterranean at a lowest weekly base rate of 42,000 euro…
 Camper & Nicholsons International released its first Super Yachting Index, an attempt to quantify the megayacht and charter yacht industries using previously unpublished data. (See our story above in this edition of eNews)… CNI is celebrating the 183-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Selene (a CharterWave favorite whose master stateroom is shown in the photo at right), which won the Best Sailing Yacht Interior category at the World Superyacht Awards… New to the fleet are the 138-foot Heesen motoryacht Mac Brew, which takes 12 guests, and the soon-to-launch 102-foot Hero, which will take 10 guests beginning in July in the Western Mediterranean… Also new to the fleet are 148-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Helios, the 111-foot Westport motoryacht Resilience, the 106-foot Westship motoryacht Primadonna, and the 138-foot Sunseeker motoryacht Outback Star... The 164-foot motoryacht Braveheart has a new owner who plans to offer her for charter in and around Phuket, Thailand… And the 159-foot Alloy sailing yacht Georgia is finishing a refit, bound for charters this summer in the Mediterranean...
CharterPortBVI’s 47-foot sailing catamaran Swish (a CharterWave favorite) has added a portable defibrillator to its first aid kit, along with new scuba and snorkeling gear for charters in the Virgin Islands…
Churchill Yacht Partners says the 154-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Andromeda la Dea is available for charters this summer in the Western Mediterranean. She takes eight guests with nine crew at a lowest weekly base rate of 105,000 euro…
Edmiston & Company welcomes the 161-foot Feadship motoryacht Teleost (a CharterWave favorite) to the fleet. She will be in the Western Mediterranean this summer, and then in the Seychelles and Maldives this winter, at a lowest weekly base rate of $225,000 for 12 guests…
Folio Charter, a company that works exclusively with Ferretti-brand yachts, has opened a charter division in Moscow. The new general manager there speaks Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, and English…
 Fraser Yachts Worldwide, in conjunction with 37 South of New Zealand, reports a half-dozen motoryachts available for charters in the South Pacific: the 115-foot Surprise (a CharterWave favorite shown in the photograph at right), the 112-foot VvS1, the 100-foot Huntress, the 68-foot Harrier, the 75-foot Escapade, and the 108-foot Askari (also a CharterWave favorite)…
International Yacht Collection officially welcomes three motoryachts to the fleet. The 150-foot Palmer Johnson Hokulani is available year-round in the Western Mediterranean at a lowest weekly base rate of 160,000 euro. The 130-foot Hatteras Charisma is available this summer in the Bahamas at a lowest weekly base rate of $88,000. The 142-foot Palmer Johnson Pure Bliss is chartering in the Western Mediterranean this summer at a lowest weekly base rate of $165,000…
Liveras Yachts announced in early May that it is in final negotiations with two European shipyards to build a pair of 354-foot sisterships that will go into charter within three or four years. Previously, Liveras held the record for the most expensive charter yachts in the world with its 280-foot sisterships Annaliese and Alysia, when they had base rates of $840,000 per week at the time the record was set…
Neptune Group Yachting says 110-foot Horizon motoryacht Adriana III, built in 2008, is on her way up to New England for summer charters. She takes eight guests at a weekly base rate of $49,500… There is a special $100,000 weekly base rate on charters confirmed by August 15 onboard the 170-foot expedition motoryacht Latitude, which is currently in Panama…
New Zealand Yachts reports that it has completed a year-long refit on the 138-foot sailing catamaran Douce France. The yacht is headed for the South Pacific, where she is expected to charter in Micronesia for a few months before offering charters in the Indian Ocean this winter…
 Nicholson Yachts says the 54-foot sailing yacht The Dove has charter availability this June and July in the Caribbean (and possibly next spring in Panama’s San Blas Islands)… The 70-foot sailing yacht Mira has a new chef: Neslihan Ulutas, who graduated from the University of Turkey with a degree in tourist management…The 90-foot expedition-style motoryacht Tivoli (whose main saloon is shown in the photograph at right) is offering a $5,000 discount off New England charters this summer… The 53-foot sailing yacht Ashlana has availability for charters this summer in Maine, then in the Newport area after September, at a lowest weekly base rate of $11,900 for four guests…The 82-foot Fortuna is offering a special 16,000 base rate for July and September charters in the Mediterranean…
Northrop & Johnson officially welcomes the 145-foot Christensen motoryacht Aghassi to its fleet. The 2002 build takes 10 guests with eight crew at a lowest weekly base rate of $170,000. She’s headed to the Pacific Northwest this summer… The 120-foot motoryacht Sovereign (a CharterWave favorite) will be based out of Mystic, Connecticut, for charters from July through October…
Northrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters has added longtime broker Carolyn Titus to its team. With more than 27 years of experience in the yachting industry, Titus previously was the international charter director for NautorUSA…
Odysseus Cruising reports that its 75-foot motorsailing gulet Odysseus still has availability for charters in Turkey in August and September…
Primo Yacht welcomes the 85-foot motoryacht Mr. Incredible II to the fleet, following the yacht’s brief departure from the worldwide charter market. The yacht will be based in Rome this summer… Also new to the fleet are the 96-foot Agarttha, a 1977 wooden sailing yacht that underwent a refit earlier this year; the 96-foot Princess motoryacht Mimi la Sardine, which will launch this month and offer her first season of charter in the Western Mediterranean; and the 94-foot Peri motoryacht Bibich, which will launch at the end of June in Turkey and be available for charters in the Western Mediterranean beginning at the end of July…
Regency Yacht Charters’ 55-foot sailing catamaran ReAction still has availability for Virgin Islands charters in June and July. The yacht has a new 15-foot dinghy and is planning an interior refit this fall…
Robert J. Cury & Associates says the 116-foot Lazzara motoryacht Serenity whose main saloon is shown in the photograph at right) is available for charters in the Bahamas during June and August with no delivery fees being charged to clients. The yacht’s weekly base rate is $65,000 for 10 guests with four crew…
Seal Superyachts Asia welcomes Queen of Andaman to the fleet. She’s a 134-foot motorsailer based in Southeast Asia…
Seascape Yacht Charters says the 86-foot Azimut motoryacht Rena N is available for charters this summer in Greece. She takes eight guests with four crew at a lowest weekly base rate of 44,000 euro… Also available this summer in Greece and the broader Eastern Mediterranean is the 110-foot motoryacht Pollux, at a lowest weekly base rate of 65,800 euro…
Sunsail, which offers skippered charters (not fully crewed), has added two new yachts to its Martinique fleet: the Sunsail 393 and the Sunsail 44, taking six and eight guests, respectively…
Sunseeker Charters announces the launch of the brand-new 82 Predator motoryacht Low Profile, which, at 50 knots, is the fastest Predator available for charter in the Mediterranean… Also new for charter is the Sunseeker 75 Yacht New Beginnings, which is based in Antibes…
The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals says the 139-foot Feadship motoryacht Dreamseeker turned heads in May as a host yacht for the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, Florida… Sacks welcomes the 130-foot Feadship motoryacht Golden Rule to the fleet, at a lowest weekly base rate of $75,000 for 10 guests in New England this summer and the Bahamas this winter… Also new to the fleet is the 106-foot Lazzara motoryacht Bella Contessa, taking six to eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $38,000 in Florida and the Bahamas…
The Shipyard Group has three motoryachts available for charters this summer in the Bahamas and Florida. The 100-foot Broward Island Time takes six guests at a weekly base rate of $34,000; the 78-foot Hatteras Bella Sohia takes six guests at a weekly base rate of $18,000; and the 70-foot Hatteras All My Girls takes six guests at a weekly base rate of $15,000.
New First Impressions Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Antares Avance, 100-foot sailing yacht
Haida G, 233-foot motoryacht
Harmony 1, 105-foot motoryacht
Maraya, 177-foot motoryacht
Mirabella V, 247-foot sailing yacht
Latinou, 173-foot motoryacht
Party Girl, 146-foot motoryacht
New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Captain Julian Legg, motoryacht Haida G
Chef Anita van der Werf, motoryacht Harmony 1
New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Nick Trotter, Meridian Yacht Charters
New Helpful Articles Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Interview with broker Rebecca Riley from the May 2008 Cannes Film Festival
Interview broker Missy Johnston from the May 2008 Poros, Greece, charter show
Interview with broker Beverly Parsons from the May 2008 Marmaris, Turkey, charter show
Interview with broker Gail Hartman from the May 2008 Virgin Islands charter show
New Vidcast Posted on CharterWave This Month:
A four-minute ride halfway up the tallest sailboat mast in the world aboard Mirabella V
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