September 2010

CharterWave eNews

New Data: Value of Charter Market Dropped 30 Percent in 2009

In August, Camper and Nicholsons International released the third edition of its Superyachting Index, the world's most comprehensive compilation of data about the new construction, brokerage sales, and yacht charter industries for boats larger than 80 feet. The 48-page report provides market analysis of the calendar year 2009, which was the first full year following the global economic downturn.

As expected, the report shows that the charter industry took a hit. In blunt numbers, the hit was to all segments of the market at levels that vary from about 25 percent to nearly 50 percent.

In terms of overall value generated, 80- to 100-foot charter yachts were at $28 million in 2009, a decline of 35 percent from 2008. The 100- to 165-foot segment—the heart of the crewed charter industry—saw a decline of 40 percent from 2008, and yachts larger than 165 feet saw a drop of 24 percent.

In total, the overall value of the charter industry fell to $72 million in 2009 compared with $100 million in 2008, a decrease of nearly 30 percent.

Our full report on the new 2009 Superyachting Index from Camper and Nicholsons International is posted here on the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog.

Late-Season Discounts Available in Mediterranean, Beyond

As the summer season begins to wind down in the Mediterranean, New England, and Bahamas, a good number of charter yachts are offering last-minute booking deals and discounts.

One is the 141-foot Feadship motoryacht Eclipse, part of the Fraser Yachts Worldwide charter fleet. Eclipse has dropped her weekly base rate in the Eastern Mediterranean from the original €150,000 to a summer-season low of €90,000. That is a discount of 40 percent.

Another is the 152-foot Feadship motoryacht Jana, part of the Ocean Independence charter fleet. Jana’s weekly base rate for Western Mediterranean charters after September 1 has dropped from €100,000 to €77,000, a discount of nearly 25 percent.

Also lowering its rate in the Western Mediterranean is the 130-foot Christensen motoryacht Lady Zelda, part of the Northrop and Johnson charter fleet (and shown in the photograph at right). Originally $125,000 and then discounted to $100,000, the yacht’s weekly base rate is now $85,000.

Even yachts that are not publicizing discounts are being advertised as “eager to hear all offers.” Such is the case with three motoryachts in the Primo Yacht charter fleet, all currently in the South of France. The 66-foot Dominator Lady Isabel has a lowest advertised weekly base rate of €23,000; the 70-foot Leopard motoryacht Ellery goes for €22,000; and the 96-foot Princess motoryacht Mimi La Sardine lists at €59,000—but all three owners have indicated that they are willing to negotiate for late-season bookings.

Any reputable charter broker can help you book any of these yachts, or other yachts that are still available and seeking late-summer bookings.

Non-Traditional Locales Drawing Well-Known Charter Yachts

Usually at this time of year, charter yachts are preparing to move into the Caribbean and Virgin Islands for their usual winter season. Plenty are doing so, but there appears to be a noteworthy uptick in the number of well-known charter yachts forgoing the Caribbean in 2010-11 to instead offer charters in less-traveled destinations.

The 228-foot motoryacht Sherakhan, part of the Camper and Nicholsons International fleet, will be available this winter in Patagonia and Antarctica. (That's a rendering from the yacht's marketing efforts at right.)

Also worth noting from the Camper fleet are the 184-foot Benetti motoryacht Galaxy, the 211-foot Benetti motoryacht Silver Angel, the 196-foot CMN motoryacht Cloud 9, and the 184-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Panthalassa—all of which will charter in the Indian Ocean this winter.

Farther afield in South Pacific, options this winter include the 45-foot sailing catamaran Two if by Sea, which for years has been available in the British Virgin Islands through CharterPortBVI but is now offering charters in Tonga. Also well-known in the Caribbean is the 80-foot sailing yacht Matelot, part of the fleet at Nicholson Yachts and now available in the Society Islands and Tuamotus.

Any reputable charter broker can help you book any of these yachts, or talk to you about additional options in non-traditional charter locations.

Financial Times: Crackdown Has Greek Owners Selling Yachts in Droves

The Financial Times reported in late August that yacht owners are moving quickly to put their boats up for sale. The rush comes as the nation’s financial police crack down on tax evasion by citizens who flouted the country’s charter rules and regulations.

The agency, according to the report, has set a goal of collecting at least €2.5 billion in fines and back taxes, in part by cross-checking the names found on marina registries against income tax returns.

“Until this summer yacht owners were able to exploit a 40-year-old Greek legislative loophole allowing luxury vessels to be imported tax-free by professional charter operators,” the report states. “Well-heeled Athenian doctors, lawyers and accountants set up companies to handle fictitious charters, disguising weekend outings and holiday cruises with family and friends as ‘providing services to foreign tourists.’”

Yacht owners found to be in violation will have to pay 23 percent VAT on the yacht’s price, plus a 10 percent luxury tax. In addition, punitive fines can be as high as 66 percent of the yacht’s value. Owners who refuse may have their yachts confiscated.

As always, we at CharterWave encourage you to book charters in Greece (or anywhere else) through a reputable charter broker, whose job it is to know which yachts are operating correctly in the charter marketplace.

Charter Yacht Latitude Aids Scientists with Gulf Oil Spill Research

Oceana, the world's largest international organization focused wholly on ocean conservation, recently announced a partnership with the 170-foot expedition charter yacht Latitude. The owner of Latitude has agreed to let his yacht spend the month of September mapping the Gulf of Mexico’s underwater oil plume with sophisticated sensors. Scientists also will use a remotely operated vehicle to investigate a deep-reef complex off Alabama’s shore that is an important habitat for food and sport fish.

“Latitude is not a white swan,” the owner's representative told CharterWave. “It’s a rugged boat that can go anywhere in the world. The owner built it that way because he loves the ocean, to go where other boats cannot go. When Oceana came along, it was a natural thing for the owner to get involved. His personal love of the sea made him want to help.”

The owner negotiated the yacht’s usual charter rate to make the Oceana effort possible, and he agreed to let the nonprofit paint its logo on the side of the vessel, which will be known as the Oceana Latitude for the duration of the effort.

Latitude is expected to return to the charter market in early October, with bookings available this winter in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Neptune Group Yachting is the management company.

Further details about the Gulf oil spill research are posted here on the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog.

Facebook Post Leads to 10-Day Charter Booking

Shannon Webster, who owns Florida-based Shannon Webster Yacht Charters (a CharterWave sponsor) uploaded the following post to her company's Facebook page on August 13: “New England is booking very quickly as the summer is coming to a close. There are very few available larger motor yachts that have an open calendar. Many owners are using their boats at the end of August, causing further lack of inventory. Northern Lights, the 132' Westship, and Sovereign, the 120' Broward, still have open time on their charter books. Inquire today before they are gone!”

Less than a week later, Webster announced a 10-day booking as a direct result.

“It pays to use Social Media,” she posted. “Just booked Northern Lights yesterday for 9 nights, only 4 days after posting her availability in New England on my FaceBook wall."

Northern Lights is a charter yacht with a top weekly base rate of $90,000.

How to Negotiate the Deal for Your Next Charter Vacation

The September “Winter Charter” edition of Yachting magazine is on newsstands now. It includes this article by CharterWave’s editor about how the charter-booking process has changed in the wake of the global recession. Whereas price negotiations and discount offers used to be a rarity, they now appear to be the rule.

“There have always been clients who wanted to negotiate rates, but it was not something you could do on a charter of less than three weeks,” a longtime charter broker is quoted as saying. “Now, yacht owners will negotiate on a weeklong charter or less. A good broker has to have different skills now. I need to have a feeling for what a week aboard a boat is actually worth. The clients are determining the boat’s worth, with the broker negotiating on their behalf, as opposed to the owners setting the price.”

Several other leading charter brokers are also quoted in the article, including some who offer advice about how to negotiate the best rate on the yacht of your choice.

For more stories from Yachting’s winter charter issue, visit the magazine’s website.

New Vidcast: On Charter in Fiji

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to book a yacht charter in Fiji? To cruise amid undeveloped islands, meet local villagers, and participate in traditional ceremonies of song and dance?

Our new vidcast takes you there, courtesy of the 111-foot Alloy motoryacht VvS1 and her management company, 37 South.

The Jetstream: Interesting New Media Option for Charter Clients

The newest edition of Antennae, a promotional brochure from Edmiston and Company, has a substantial feature on a new multimedia service called The Jetstream.

The Jetstream—which was developed specifically for the yachting industry—offers remote access to your favorite TV channels through a single portal, wherever you are in the world.

So, for instance, if you are an English-speaking client on charter in a place like Abu Dhabi, where the local satellite signals are in Arabic, you can connect to The Jetstream to get your favorite U.S.- or U.K.-based programs. The signals are delivered across the Internet, so the only hardware that you need to access The Jetstream is a decent laptop computer.

As the FAQ section on the company's website explains it: “The age-old problem which The Jetstream aims to solve is that of what happens when you sail away and leave the reception area of your favorite media service. Before The Jetstream, yachts were basically out of luck when they voyaged off to foreign waters. With The Jetstream, you have the flexibility to ‘snipe’ in content from anywhere, to anywhere, provided you can get a reasonably good data link."

Edmiston and Company is now supplying The Jetstream to its managed fleet of yachts. Edmiston says it can also install the system on any chartered yacht for its clients who book vacations, presumably even if those vacations are aboard yachts in competing companies’ fleets.

Best of the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog

Want to race in Les Voiles de St. Tropez? Each autumn, the South of France plays host to Les Voiles de St. Tropez, a regatta that typically attracts about 300 of the world's finest modern and classic sailing yachts. This year's Les Voiles de St. Tropez will be held September 25 through October 3, and BCR Yachts tells me that two of the serious sailing yachts in its fleet are being made available for charter clients who want to race… Read more …

Best of the CharterWave Sponsored Blogs

From the Paradise Yacht Charters Sponsored Blog on CharterWave: Destinations. Welcome to "Destinations," a new series on yachting destinations throughout the world. We begin our adventures in the Society Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, featuring the sailing yacht Matelot with Captain Angus Fuller at the helm… Read more …

Three Brokers Say: Winter Season Discounts—Likely, or Unlikely?

Following a summer charter season that saw a steady stream of deals and discount offers in the Mediterranean, Bahamas, and New England, industry eyes are now turning to the Caribbean and the upcoming winter season. The question on everyone’s minds is, of course, whether the trend of discount pricing will continue.

We requested a reading of the tea leaves from Sharon Bahmer at BoatBookings, Derek Holding at International Yacht Charter Group, and Ann Landry at Northrop and Johnson.

Interestingly, their views are quite different in terms of what they expect charter clients to encounter from yacht owners in the coming months. Click here to read our September edition of CharterWave Three Brokers Say.

Motoryacht of the Month: Destination Fox Harb’r Too

CharterWave’s editor was invited for a few days of cruising in Nova Scotia aboard the 161-foot Trinity motoryacht Destination Fox Harb’r Too, which spends each summer at anchor off the owner’s golf resort in the region. The itinerary included lots of golfing, proving that yachting and the links can be very effectively combined into a luxury vacation experience.

Our newly posted, full-length feature on Destination Fox Harb’r Too not only includes a description of the area and yacht by our editor, but also a description of the local golf courses from her husband, who is both a PGA member and the head golf professional at a country club in the New York City region.

If you would prefer to see the charter in Nova Scotia in a video format, then check out our newly uploaded vidcast:

Sailing Yacht of the Month: Lady Thuraya

The 228-foot motoryacht Sherakhan has long been a success story in the world’s premier charter regions, with an owner who renovated her into one of the most sought-after yachts in her class. Now, that same owner has refit the 101-foot sailing yacht Lady Thuraya with the same attention to detail.

Fresh from two years of renovations in a Rotterdam shipyard, Lady Thuraya is now available for charter through Camper and Nicholsons International, the same management company that represents Sherakhan. Our editor—who has cruised aboard Sherakhan in the past—spent some time aboard Lady Thuraya with the owner for this newly posted First Impression review.

Captain of the Month: Chris Felstead

Chris Felstead has spent nearly 40 years on boats, the past six of them at the helm of the 140-foot Lady Goodgirl, a lovingly maintained 1964 motoryacht that is part of the Ocean Independence charter fleet. His decades of experience combine with Lady Goodgirl’s classic looks in a way that makes half of their charter business repeat bookings. One of their repeat clients charters the yacht twice a year.

Our newly posted, exclusive interview with Capt. Felstead explains more about his background and Lady Goodgirl’s future in the charter industry.

Chef of the Month: Ben Dineen

At age 25, Ben Dineen of the 120-foot motoryacht Touch is already one of the most impressive chefs aboard yachts in Touch’s size range. Our editor enjoyed a luncheon onboard and commented, “The veloute of roast vine tomatoes was a lovely soup on a chilly spring day, the Nicoise salad was delightful, and the roasted organic chicken breast went beautifully with the asparagus risotto. I practically ate the dessert plate, trying to enjoy every last bite of the caramelized banana chocolate brownie.”

Learn more in our exclusive interview about Dineen’s cooking experience, how he got into yachting, and the way he loves to prepare tasting menus for charter clients.

Broker of the Month: Ali Kaufmann

Ali Kaufmann spent more than three years as the executive and charter assistant to Jennifer Saia, who is president of The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals. Kaufmann began handling her own clients during the global economic recession and proved so valuable to the firm that she was recently promoted to retail charter broker.

Our exclusive interview includes Kaufmann’s take on what makes her different from other brokers, what types of charters she enjoys booking, and how she tries to go above and beyond every client’s expectations.

Fleet and Management Company News

37 South sends word from New Zealand that the 147-foot McMullen and Wing motoryacht Big Fish, which will be available in Antarctica this winter, is offering to share up to $50,000 worth of airfare costs with clients who book before September 15, for charters anytime in December, January, and February…

A1 Yacht Trade Consortium welcomes the 121-foot Benetti motoryacht Red Dragon to the charter fleet. She will perform maintenance work following this summer’s season in the Mediterranean, and then will become available for winter charters in the Seychelles and Thailand starting in mid-January. The weekly base rate will be €200,000…

Atalanta Golden Yachts sends word from Greece that the 104-foot Maiora motoryacht Marnaya is immediately available at a lowest weekly base rate of €60,000 for ten to 12 guests…

Athens Yachts says the 112-foot Ferretti motoryacht Pandora has dropped its weekly base rate from €78,000 to €67,000; the 108-foot Maiora motoryacht Ramina has dropped its weekly base rate from €80,500 to €64,400; the 130-foot Westport motoryacht Endless Summer has dropped its weekly base rate from €115,000 to €90,000; and the 120-foot Heesen motoryacht AA Absolute has dropped its weekly base rate from €70,000 to €55,000. All four motoryachts are in Greece…

BCR Yachts tells us that two of the serious sailing yachts in its fleet are being made available for charter clients who want to race in Les Voiles de St. Tropez from September 25 through October 3: the 82-foot Swan sailing yacht Crackerjack, at a base rate of €70,000 per week, and the 62-foot J&J sailing yacht Tucana PJC, at €24,000. Charter clients who want to use these yachts as spectators only can book them for base rates of €35,000 and €14,000, respectively. Other sailing yachts available for spectator use at Les Voiles de St. Tropez include the 72-foot Shipman Geometry at €24,000, the 97-foot Chantier Moonlight II at €26,000, the 107-foot Wally sailing yacht Wally B at €54,000, and the 76-foot CNB Sunday Morning at €23,000…

Bradford Marine Yacht Charter welcomes the 95-foot Broward motoryacht Golden Rule to the charter fleet. She takes seven guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $25,000 in Florida and the Bahamas… Also new to the fleet is the 106-foot Lazzara motoryacht Secret Spot, taking eight guests in the Bahamas and Caribbean at a lowest weekly base rate of $47,000… Four yachts have late-season availability in the Bahamas: the aforementioned Golden Rule, the 92-foot Cheoy Lee motoryacht Yoly, the 70-foot Hatteras motoryacht All My Girls, and the 65-foot Hatteras sportfishing yacht Premium…

Burgess Yachts welcomes the 142-foot Richmond motoryacht Natita II to the charter fleet. This is the first time the 2008 build has been offered for charter. She will take 10 guests with seven crew at a lowest weekly base rate of $140,000 this winter in the Bahamas and Caribbean… Also new to the Burgess fleet is the 171-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Galaxia (formerly known as Liberty). She will take 12 guests beginning with the summer 2011 season in the Western Mediterranean. The owner also will consider inquiries for Scandinavia and the Eastern Mediterranean…

C U Yacht Charters welcomes the 68-foot Azimut motoryacht Allegria V to the charter market. The 2007 build is touted as “immaculately kept” and is available for late-summer and early-autumn charters out of Long Island, New York. Allegria V takes eight guests with two crew at a lowest weekly base rate of $24,000…

Camper and Nicholsons International sends word that the 228-foot motoryacht Sherakhan will head toward South America in late October, with charter availability beginning in the Cape Verde Islands on November 11. The yacht will then become available from Montevideo, Uruguay, or from Buenos Aires, Argentina, beginning November 25. Sherakhan will stay in those regions as long as charter inquiries require, moving no earlier than December 1 to Patagonia. There will be charter availability in Patagonia as well as in Antarctica until late February 2011. The yacht will then head north, arriving in Central America's Panama region as of mid-March. Sherakhan will offer charters there, as well as in Costa Rica, until late April 2011… New to the charter fleet are the 138-foot Holland Jachtbouw motoryacht Calliope, which will become available for Mediterranean charters in summer 2011, as well as the 85-foot Riva motoryacht Jurata, which is available in the Western Mediterranean year-round…

Carol Kent Yacht Charters welcomes the 65-foot McGregor sailing yacht Independence to the charter fleet. The 1995 build will be based in Salem, Massachusetts, and available for charter in and around Boston Harbor…

CharterPortBVI fleet yacht Two if by Sea, a 45-foot sailing catamaran, welcomes new “crew” member Bits, a Schichon puppy. The yacht is available this winter in Tonga…

Churchill Yacht Partners says the 154-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Andromeda la Dea is offering eight days for the price of seven through the end of September in the South of France. The lowest weekly base rate is €99,000, and the company encourages clients to “bring all reasonable offers”…

Edmiston and Company says the 124-foot Benetti motoryacht Lady Ellen is available before September 4 and after September 17 in Greece and Turkey… The 154-foot Amtec motoryacht Out is offering a 20-percent discount off her weekly base rate of €165,000, plus free delivery, for charters in Sicily and the Tyrrhenian Sea… The owner of the 169-foot Alloy sailing yacht Mondango will include all crew gratuities in the yacht’s lowest weekly base rate of €185,000 for charters this winter in the Caribbean… The 101-foot Baia motoryacht Mirage is available in Greece at a 15-percent discount off the lowest weekly base rate of €75,000 for 10 guests… The 88-foot Arno motoryacht Serenity is offering a 15-percent discount, dropping her lowest weekly base rate from €40,000 to €34,000… The 144-foot Feadship motoryacht Kingfisher has dropped its weekly base rate from €180,000 for seven days to €145,000 for eight days in the Mediterranean… The 125-foot Ocean Pacifico motoryacht Ligaya has just completed shipyard work and is available for charters in Southeast Asia, where she has been based for the past six months… The 28-guest expedition motoryacht Atmosphere is offering “Taste of Chile” charters in October and November, based on the success of the original “Taste of Chile” weeks in 2009… The 111-foot Arno motoryacht Anita is offering a 20-percent discount in the Western Mediterranean, dropping her lowest weekly base rate from €90,000 to €72,000… The 131-foot Feadship motoryacht Seaflower is available for September charters in the South of France and Corsica at a 20-percent discount, dropping her lowest weekly base rate from €130,000 to €97,500…

Fraser Yachts Worldwide says the 141-foot Feadship motoryacht Eclipse, which previously dropped its weekly base rate from €150,000 to €120,000, is now being offered at €90,000 for charters in Turkey and Greece… New to the fleet are the 164-foot Picchiotti motoryacht Exuma, taking 10 or 11 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €175,000 in the Mediterranean; the 144-foot MMGI motoryacht H2OME, taking 10 guests out of Monaco at the lowest weekly base rate of €155,000, and the 92-foot Heesen motoryacht Hearbeat of Life, taking six or seven guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €35,000 in the Western Mediterranean… The 164-foot Feadship motoryacht Inevitable, whose lowest weekly base rate is regularly $225,000, is offering 14 days at $350,000, or 12 days at $300,000, or seven days at $190,000 during the month of September… The 150-foot Trinity motoryacht Magic is offering 10 days for the price of eight in the Western Mediterranean and Croatia… The 78-foot Ferretti motoryacht Orlando L has dropped its weekly base rate from €50,000 to €35,000 for eight guests in Croatia…

International Yacht Collection welcomes the 157-foot Christensen motoryacht Nice N’ Easy to the charter fleet. Built in 2005 and refit in 2009, she takes 12 guests with 10 crew at a weekly base rate of $215,000. She is currently based in New England, and is expected to move to the Bahamas and Florida for the upcoming winter season…

Luxury Charter Group tells us the 121-foot Dubois sailing yacht Bliss is available in Tahiti during September and October, taking six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $80,000…

Neptune Group Yachting says the 66-foot Alaskan motoryacht Lexington is based in Seattle, Washington, and is accepting late-season charter inquiries. Lexington takes four guests at a weekly base rate of $10,000…

Nicholson Yachts tells us the 75-foot sailing catamaran Matau is offering special rates this winter in the Caribbean. Usually $46,750 for six guests or $48,000 for eight guests, Matau is now being offered at $37,400 and $39,900. The discounted rates are available any winter weeks except Christmas and New Year’s. Matau is expected to spend at least part of the winter season in the Grenadines (see this just-released Yachting magazine article by CharterWave’s editor about being onboard Matau in the Grenadines)… The 65-foot sailing catamaran True North will be available for charters in Belize and Panama during the summer 2011 season… New to the fleet is the 75-foot Radford sailing yacht Ke Ama II. She is available for six guests in Fiji year-round at a lowest weekly base rate of $25,000… The 72-foot sailing yacht Pacific Wave is offering $1,500 off its usual weekly base rate for all charters that commence between November 1 and May 31, including Thanksgiving, New Year’s, Spring Break, and Easter… The 80-foot sailing yacht Matelot is offering 10 days for the price of seven throughout the month of September in the South Pacific’s Society Islands…

Northrop and Johnson says the 130-foot Christensen motoryacht Lady Zelda, whose weekly base rate in the Mediterranean previously was $125,000, is now being offered at $85,000. The special is valid until September 15… The 154-foot Delta motoryacht Mr. Terrible is available in the Bahamas. The regular weekly base rate of $220,000 has been dropped to $198,000… The 98-foot MCP motoryacht Eagle’s Nest will be available in the Grenadines this winter… The 115-foot Crescent motoryacht Kapalua is offering eight nights for the price of seven from December 18 through 26 in the Virgin Islands area. The base rate is $44,000…

Ocean Independence has opened an office for yacht sales and charter in Mumbai, India… New to the fleet is the 111-foot J.O.M. sailing yacht Annagine. Due to launch in September from the shipyard, she will take eight guests in the Caribbean this winter at a lowest weekly base rate of €39,000… Several motoryachts still have availability in Spain’s Balearic Isles: the 85-foot White Fang, the 72-foot Wini, the 85-foot Cento by Excalibur, the 85-foot Mizar, the 72-foot Santana IV of Plymouth, the 109-foot Daniella, and the 82-foot Newflash…

Paradise Yacht Charters has created a new informational series called “Destinations” featuring yacht charter destinations, available yachts, and crew around the world. The first edition focuses on the Society Islands, the 80-foot sailing yacht Matelot, and Capt. Angus Fuller. You can receive “Destinations” by signing up for Paradise Yacht Charters mailing list at the company’s website, or by reading items that the company posts on its CharterWave Sponsored Blog…

Peter Insull’s welcomes the 131-foot Tamsen motoryacht Namaste to the charter fleet. Built in 2008, she accommodates 10 to 12 guests with seven crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €126,000. Her current base is the South of France…

Primo Yacht has several motoryachts available for late-summer bookings in the South of France. They include the 96-foot Princess Mimi La Sardine for eight guests, the 70-foot Leopard Ellery for seven guests, and the 66-foot Dominator Lady Isabel for six guests… Also available, but with a Malta home port, is the 80-foot Offshore motoryacht Sundene for six guests… The 116-foot Azimut motoryacht Kasioca is available out of Rome for 12 guests… The 104-foot Mangusta motoryacht The Storm 1 is based in St. Tropez and available for nine guests…

Regency Yacht Vacations sends word from the Virgin Islands that the 60-foot Hatteras motoryacht Analisa is offering a 10-day rate during Christmas and New Year’s without the customary holiday surcharge. For four adults and two children, the inclusive 10-day rate is $21,400. If you prefer a seven-day holiday booking, the yacht is offered at a 10-percent surcharge above its regular rates… The 55-foot sailing catamaran ReAction has a new crew. Trevor and Shari Sadler have cruised, raced, instructed, dived and worked as a charter couple in Australia, Fiji, the Maldives, the Mauritius, Europe, the United Kingdom, and, for the past two years, in the British Virgin Islands, where ReAction is based…

RJC Yachts tells us the 103-foot Broward motoryacht Trilogy will be arriving in Nassau, Bahamas, on September 2 and is available for charters throughout September with no delivery fee. The weekly base rate is $22,500…

Southwest Florida Yachts is offering an “11 percent for 2011” discount on all charters of three days or more from January through June, and from October through December. The discount doubles to 22 percent for charters in July, August, and September…

Sunreef Yachts Charter announces the launch of the world’s largest, sloop-rigged sailing catamaran, the 114-foot Che. She will become available for charter as of January 2011 in the Caribbean and Panama. Later, bookings will be available in French Polynesia.

New Destination Features Posted on CharterWave

161-foot Trinity motoryacht Destination Fox Harb’r Too on charter in Nova Scotia
144-foot gulet Mare Nostrum on charter in Turkey

New First Impression Reviews Posted on CharterWave

Criss C, 111-foot Christensen motoryacht
Lady Goodgirl, 140-foot classic motoryacht
Lady Thuraya, 101-foot sailing yacht
Nikca, 88-foot Maiora motoryacht

First Impression Review Updates Posted on CharterWave

120-foot custom motoryacht Touch

New Vidcasts Uploaded to CharterWave

On charter in Fiji with the 111-foot Alloy motoryacht VvS1
On charter in Nova Scotia with the 161-foot Trinity motoryacht Destination Fox Harb’r Too

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave

Ben Dineen, chef, 120-foot motoryacht Touch
Chris Felstead, captain, 140-foot motoryacht Lady Goodgirl

New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave

Ali Kaufmann, The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals

New “10 Best” Lists Posted on CharterWave

10 Best Charter Yacht Dining Areas
10 Best Recently Refit Charter Yachts
10 Best Charter Yachts with Christmas 2010 Availability
10 Best Charter Yachts for Learning New Things