CharterWave eNews

December 2008

CharterWave Set to Re-Launch with New Features, Updated Design

In October, CharterWave began its third year online by commissioning a redesign that will allow for additional original content, extra user-friendly features, and more. The redesign is just about done, and barring any unforeseen gremlins in the coding, we hope to be celebrating the new year with you reading the next edition of CharterWave eNews in our new format.

    Among our new content will be a monthly roundup called “Three Brokers Say,” in which we’ll feature three of the reputable charter brokers who are also CharterWave sponsors. They will speak in-depth about a topic of importance to charter clients. Some of the questions we plan to ask involve crew gratuities, comparing charter yachts by age, judging crew experience, ensuring safety onboard, and assessing broker qualifications. “Three Brokers Say” will appear on the CharterWave home page near our popular, weekly “10 Best” lists, and will be highlighted here in CharterWave eNews every month.

    Also new to the site will be a home page section dedicated to the most recent posts from our sponsored blogs, giving you a one-stop location for finding out the latest information from our sponsor brokers and companies—who often blog with breaking news from boat shows and charter yachts around the world. Whenever one of our sponsors posts a new item to their CharterWave blog, the headline will appear in the new section of our home page the same way our Daily Editor’s Blog headlines appear in their own section now.

    Our new user-friendly features will include a stronger search function, plus icons atop each of our articles that will let you print or e-mail—or make a PDF—instantly. If there’s a review of a charter yacht, or an interview with a broker, or anything else you see on CharterWave that you want to save or share, this new feature will let you do so in literally one click of your mouse.

    We’re also adding a new section to the home page called Digital Newsstand. Here, we plan to post links to all the new charter-related content we find on boating, travel, and luxury lifestyle websites, so that you need look no further than CharterWave to find all the latest charter news and information from all over the World Wide Web. Just as you might go to Expedia.com to see all the latest hotel prices, you will be able to come to CharterWave’s Digital Newsstand to find all the latest charter yacht news.

    Our new Digital Newsstand will also be a place where you can find copies of CharterWave Direct, a new service we’re offering to reputable charter brokers and management companies who want to package our online content into their own, customized e-magazines. You’re also going to see more banner ads throughout CharterWave, as we do our best to make room for all the sponsors who have been banging down our door to take advantage of the strong charter readership we have developed during our first two years online.

    We hope you will share our excitement about all these improvements. At a time when most media enterprises are cutting back because of economic concerns, we are thrilled to be investing in CharterWave and continuing its growth. We thank you for your continued readership and support, and we look forward to sharing all our new features with you in the new year.

Andreas Liveras of Liveras Yachts Killed in Mumbai Terror Attacks

Andreas Liveras, owner of Liveras Yachts—a fleet that includes some of the most expensive charter yachts in the world—was killed during the November terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. He was 73.

Liveras was among the tourists trapped in the Taj Mahal Palace, where he had gone because he had heard that one of its restaurants served good curry. It appears that terrorists with machine guns entered the restaurant just after Liveras had sat down and ordered his meal.

The last public statement that Liveras made was via his cell phone to the BBC, for whose reporters he described the chaotic scene of being trapped among about a thousand people. (You can watch this BBC vidcast that includes the taped telephone call.) Sometime after calling the BBC and his family, Liveras suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

 “Not only was Andreas one of the great entrepreneurs and characters of the yachting business; he was also a much loved and respected father, grandfather and friend,” the Liveras Yachts team said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed by all who loved him and knew him.”

Edmiston & Company released a statement explaining that Liveras’s 280-foot charter motoryacht, Alysia, was in India at the time to host a company event. All five of the Edmiston workers who were on site are accounted for and safe. Company Chairman Nicholas Edmiston was scheduled to fly home with Liveras’s body.

“Andreas was a close personal friend and a wonderful person with whom to do business,” Edmiston said in the statement. “Always straightforward, honest and generous, he was a bon viveur to the last. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.”

 Liveras’s yachts have been a fixture on the large-scale charter scene for years, including the 175-foot Princess Lauren and the 189-foot Princess Tanya, which he refit during the 1990s. He became perhaps the ultimate figure in “super-size” charters in 2005, when he launched the 280-foot sisterships Alysia and Annaliesse, each capable of carrying 36 guests (well more than the typical top number of 12 in private yacht charter). At the time, each yacht’s weekly base rate was $840,000, making them the most expensive charter yachts in the world.

More recently, he refitted the 295-foot motoryacht, Lauren L, which made its debut this past May in Genoa, Italy. At the time, the company announced plans for a new pair of 354-foot sisterships that Liveras intended to put into the charter market in the next few years, thus cementing his status as the owner of the world’s largest, highest-capacity charter yachts. Construction on those yachts began a few months ago in western Europe.

Report from the Tortola Charter Show

CharterWave editor Kim Kavin was at the industry-only Tortola charter yacht show in early November, when talk on the docks indicated that the global economic crisis was indeed being felt throughout the Virgin Islands charter industry.

    “Brokers, owner-operators of yachts, and management companies alike all told me they are seeing a 40 percent to 50 percent slump in business right now over last year’s numbers,” she says. “The yachts are doing their best to keep prices at their current rates, but there was a strong indication that some yachts were going to be as flexible as possible to encourage business.”

    The 76-foot sailing catamaran King’s Ransom was the talk of the docks at the beginning of the show, having arrived on this side of the Atlantic just one day earlier from the shipyard that built her in South Africa. She is the third, identical model in a trifecta of top-dollar Virgin Islands sailing cats (the other two are Akasha and Zingara), and will be priced the same as those popular yachts to encourage a similar level of business. We have exclusive photos and Kim’s opinion of the yacht and crew already posted in this First Impression review.

    At the end of the Tortola show, attention turned to the 48-foot sailing catamaran Victoria, whose chef, Martha Cabada, stunned the brokers on hand by winning the chef’s competition during her first year of entering. Not only that, but Cabada won by preparing a four-course meal in Victoria’s tiny galley, which is just 4 feet long by 4 feet wide. (And Cabada stands 6-foot-2!) Kim sat down with Cabada to get this exclusive interview for CharterWave readers.

    Also worth noting is that the 55-foot sailing catamaran ReAction took the Best in Show award among the yachts, following a lot of hard work by her longtime crew to keep the 1988 build looking her best.

Report from the St. Thomas Charter Show

Our editor couldn’t make it to this year’s St. Thomas charter show because she had to jet over to Thailand to check out a new charter yacht there, so we enlisted the help of longtime charter broker Emily Mack of Ed Hamilton & Co. to be our eyes and ears on the ground.

    This exclusive interview that Mack did for CharterWave readers talks about some of the best yachts that were on display, crew who made a good impression, and the overall state of the charter industry on the U.S. side of the Virgin Islands.

Report from the Phuket Cruising Grounds in Thailand

CharterWave editor Kim Kavin returned to Phuket for the second time in two years to spend a few days aboard the 134-foot sailing yacht Queen of Andaman and tour the new marina and hotel developments on land.

    “I’m thrilled to report that this locally based sailing yacht is offering a world-class standard of service,” she says. “Last year when I was in Phuket, I felt that the locally based yachts still had some work to do in terms of crew training and boat maintenance. I have no such concerns about Queen of Andaman after a few days onboard. She was terrific.”

    The area, too, is developing nicely for charter, Kim reports. There is a new megayacht marina called Ao Por Grand whose docks are in, and whose master plan indicates that it will be built out as “the place” to start and end charters on the east coast of Phuket island in the future. Upscale hotel and spa developments are also coming to this side of the island, with developers including the Jumeirah Beach Hotel company from Dubai and the owners of the prestigious Chedi resort on the island’s west coast (their new east coast offering, by Philippe Starck, will be called the Yamu).

    A handful of international motoryachts were at Ao Por Grand marina, eager to book charters, but local agents told Kim that only a handful of international boats are making the trip to Thailand at this time. Concern is apparently strong that yachts moving from the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and then over to Southeast Asia—without charter guests onboard—are in some danger from pirates as they cruise along the eastern coast of Africa. Recent cruise ship attacks have increased these concerns, and hopefully the problem will be solved in time for more charter yachts to take advantage of the new facilities and investments in the eastern Phuket cruising grounds, which are a stunning winter alternative to the Caribbean.   

Several Charter Yachts Win Awards from Superyacht Society

The International Superyacht Society announced the winners of its 2008 Design Awards in late October. Among the winners were the 147-foot Feadship Harle, in the category Best Power 40-65 meter, and the 269-foot Oceanco motoryacht Alfa Nero, in the category Best Power 65+ meter.

    For a complete list of all winners (including yachts not available for charter), visit the Society’s website.     

Merrill-Stevens Still Booking Charters

Merrill-Stevens Yachts, which closed its Fort Lauderdale charter division in March, announced in early November that it was closing all of its remaining Fort Lauderdale operations. This news sent rumors running around the World Wide Web that the company was no longer booking charters at all—but those rumors were false.

    The Merrill-Stevens charter office in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, remains open, managing a fleet of about a dozen charter yachts and booking retail charters for clients around the world.

    Longtime broker Marta Iglesias remains in charge of the Palma office.

Neptune Group Yachting Opens Latin America Division

Neptune Group Yachting, whose charter operations are headed by longtime broker and now company President DJ Parker, created a Latin American division in November.

The office, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be headed by resident agent Eduardo T. Nahuys.

“Eduardo’s Brazilian heritage and extensive background in yachting and chartering will greatly enhance Neptune Group’s operations, and promises to add invaluable expertise in the lucrative Latin American market,” the company said in a press release.

The Sacks Group Sponsors ‘Perfect Setting Tabletop Challenge’

The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals sponsored the awards for the first-annual “Perfect Setting Tabletop Challenge” at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October. The competition, which was organized by Yacht Next Interiors and Outfitting, tested the talents of yacht stewards and stewardesses, whose tabletop settings and theme night presentations are a major part of any charter yacht vacation.

    Stewards and stewardesses competed in two categories. The first was “Neptune: God of the Sea,” highlighting a casual, outdoor table setting. First place went to stewardess Lani Erediano of the 132-foot motoryacht Beeliever; second place, stewardesses Lauren Steyn and Rene Mainstone of the 120-foot motoryacht Touch; third place, stewardess Reneta Dimitrova of the 141-foot motoryacht Pure Bliss.

    In the second category, “A Formal Evening Afloat,” first place went to stewardess Anick Cliché of Sea Fox; second place, stewardesses Coty, Haley and Sara of the 139-foot motoryacht Paramour; third place, stewardess Reneta Dimitrova of Pure Bliss.

    The grand prize winner was Erediano of Beeliever. She received an engraved pewter champagne cooler from Yacht Next.

We’re Scouting for You in Antigua, with Brokers’ Eyes in St. Maarten

CharterWave editor Kim Kavin is back on an airplane this month, heading to the industry-only charter yacht show on Antigua. She’ll be blogging every afternoon on the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog, giving you up-to-the-minute news and information about the yachts, crews, and brokers who are in attendance.

    The Sint Maarten charter show is scheduled simultaneously this year with the Antigua show, so Kim will be interviewing a reputable charter broker later this month to make sure you get a firsthand evaluation from that show, as well. Stay tuned.

Best of the Editor’s Blog

Eco-Maniacs. I have arrived at the Tortola charter show, where I just finished the day by touring the 45-foot sailing catamaran Two if By Sea–one of the most environmentally friendly charter yachts I’ve ever seen. … read more …

Best of the Sponsored Blogs

From charter broker Gail Hartman’s blog: Sleigh Is Full For Caribbean Holidays

If you are planning to head down to the Caribbean during the holidays, be aware that American Airlines is implementing baggage limits to the Caribbean during the holiday season. ... read more ...

Crewed Motoryacht of the Month: Latitude

CharterWave editor Kim Kavin got onboard this 170-foot expedition motoryacht off the western cost of Panama, in the Las Perlas Islands. She put the boat’s array of water-sports tenders and toys through their paces, checking to see whether the crew could live up to their claim of offering world-class sportfishing and scuba diving in the most remote of locations.

    How did the yacht rate? Read Kim’s complete article about the charter here, or click over to The High Five for a quick look at the five key categories that can give you insight into any charter yacht.

Crewed Sailing Yacht of the Month: King’s Ransom

As you read earlier in this edition of CharterWave eNews, the 76-foot sailing catamaran King’s Ransom won a lot of fans on the docks at November’s Tortola charter yacht show. We got onboard for this exclusive First Impression review, including a chat with the yacht’s captain and chef.

Captain of the Month: Graeme Lawrence

British-born Graeme Lawrence has been working on boats his entire life, and has spent more than a decade cruising around Southeast Asia. He now leads the international team aboard the 134-foot sailing yacht Queen of Andaman, which is based in Phuket, Thailand.

    We snagged this exclusive interview with him while he sipped coffee in the pilothouse one morning, overlooking some of his favorite charter islands.

Chef of the Month: Martha Cabada

As you read earlier in this edition of CharterWave eNews, Martha Cabada stunned the Tortola charter show in November by winning the chef’s competition during her first time entering. Even more impressive was the fact that her winning four-course meal came out of a 4-foot-by-4-foot galley.

    Our exclusive interview talks about how she pulled off the victory, and about her unusual background, which includes working as a quality control manager for Chrysler cars.

Broker of the Month: Leann Morris Pliske

Leann Morris Pliske grew up on St. Croix and has been around boats all her life. She entered the charter industry as a yacht stewardess and went ashore about a decade ago to become a broker with The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals.

    Today, she books some of the most luxurious motoryachts afloat. Learn more about her background and how she can help you book the charter of your dreams in this exclusive interview.

Fleet and Management Company News

37 South, in conjunction with Fraser Yachts Worldwide, reminds potential clients that there are two major charter events upcoming in Auckland, New Zealand. The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series will take place January 31 through February 14, and the Millennium Cup Superyacht Regatta will be February 9-11…

Absolute Yachting tells us the 62-foot sailing catamaran Anassa will be available for charter this winter in the Caribbean. She takes 10 or 12 guests at a weekly rate of $33,000, which includes fuel and meals…

Athens Yachts welcomes the 78-foot AlfaMarine motoryacht A&I to the fleet. Based in Greece, she takes eight guests with three to four crew… Also new to the fleet and based in Greece is the similarly named AI, a 130-foot Broward motoryacht that takes 10 guests with six crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €70,000…

Camper & Nicholsons International welcomes the forthcoming 196-foot CMN motoryacht Cloud 9 to the fleet. She will be the second launch in the builder’s new 60-meter series, available for charter this summer in the Mediterranean for 12 guests… Also new to the fleet are the 103-foot Azimut motoryacht Sultan’s Way 007 and the 96-foot Leonardo motoryacht Sultan’s Way 001, both of which have locally based crew and are available for charter in the Maldives… The 115-foot Benetti motoryacht Latiko has completed a refit and will be available for charters this winter in the Mediterranean… Still more yachts new to the fleet are the newly refit 102-foot sailing yacht Thuraya (from the same owner as the 228-foot motoryacht Sherakhan), the 98-foot Azimut motoryacht Cristalex, the 118-foot Broward motoryacht Redemption, and the 103-foot Broward motoryacht Lady Andrea, which just completed a $2 million refit…

Churchill Yacht Partners tells us the 88-foot Rayburn motoryacht Lady Victoria is still available for a holiday charter in the Bahamas. The high season rate is $35,000 per week, plus expenses… Yachts with post-holiday availability include the 121-foot Crescent motoryacht Olga in the Caribbean, the 114-foot Hatteras motoryacht Camille in the Bahamas, the 110-foot Broward motoryacht Kaleen in the Caribbean, the 90-foot custom design Trilogy in the Bahamas, and the 116-foot Holland Jachtbouw sailing yacht Whisper in the Caribbean…

Edmiston & Company welcomes the 144-foot Feadship motoryacht Kingfisher to the fleet, with a lowest weekly base rate of $160,000 for 12 guests… Also new to the fleet is the 157-foot ISA motoryacht Alexandar V, which takes 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €180,000…

International Yacht Collection welcomes the 197-foot Lurssen motoryacht Linda Lou to the fleet, making the award-winning 2006 launch available for charter for the first time. The crew include Capt. Michael and Heather Schueler, formerly of the 184-foot expedition charter yacht Pangaea. Linda Lou is available in the Caribbean this winter and currently has an open calendar for the Christmas/New Year’s holiday. She takes 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $495,000…

Neptune Group Yachting says the 70-foot Hatteras sportfishing yacht Hard Hatt is available for holiday charters this month with no repositioning fees to Bimini… New to the fleet are the 106-foot Lazzara motoryacht Bella Contessa,  the 84-foot Palmer Johnson motoryacht Captivator, the 110-foot Delta motoryacht Intrepid, the 100-foot Broward motoryacht Turnin’ Left, the 87-foot Johnson motoryacht Paladin, the 80-foot Lazzara motoryacht Miss Nicole, the 73-foot Ocean Sportfish Sarita, the 61-foot Viking sportfish yacht Fish’n Tales Too, and the 58-foot Hatteras sportfishing yacht Reel Left…

Nicholson Yachts tells us that the 90-foot Doggersbank motoryacht Tivoli is offering as many as 10 days for the $35,000 weekly base rate of a seven-day charter… The company has 10 yachts still available for holiday charters. Tivoli is the only motoryacht. The nine sailing yachts are the 57-foot Bandera, the 72-foot Campai, the 80-foot Coconut, the 72-foot Fearless, the 47-foot catamaran Genesis, the 80-foot Lelanta (which has come back to the fleet after some time away), the 80-foot Melinka, the 72-foot Pacific Wave, and the 62-foot catamaran Safari (also returning to the fleet after some time away)…

Northrop & Johnson says the 115-foot Trinity motoryacht Watercolours has reduced its weekly base rate from $49,500 to $42,000 as a result of the global economic crisis. The yacht is in the Caribbean, able to take eight guests… The 145-foot Christensen motoryacht Aghassi is also offering a price reduction for Caribbean charters, with the weekly base rate now $150,000, down from $170,000…

Primo Yacht Charters welcomes the 68-foot Azimut motoryacht Princess Sissi to the fleet. Based in the South of France, she takes eight guests with two crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €24,500… The 130-foot motoryacht Ineke V is keen to do day charters this winter in the Western Mediterranean…

Robert J. Cury and Associates tells us the 124-foot Delta motoryacht Murphy’s Law is offering eight days for her typical seven-day, $70,000 weekly base and is still available for holiday bookings this month in Nassau, Bahamas. She takes 10 guests with six crew…

Shannon Webster Yacht Charters, a sponsor of ours here on CharterWave, has launched a second website… www.swc-yachtcharters.com

Sunreef Yachts Charter says the 74-foot sailing catamaran CHE will be available for charter in Thailand during most of the month of January, and then in the Maldives from the end of January onward. She takes six guests at a weekly base rate of €35,000…

Sunseeker Charters, in conjunction with Sunseeker International and the Sunseeker International Charitable Trust, will host the second annual Outward Bound Trust Ball on Friday, January 9. The event will include a celebration of the Bee Gees musical group with singer Robin Gibb, with a goal of raising more than £300,000 to benefit Outward Bound…

The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals welcomes the 85-foot Pacific Mariner motoryacht Carbon Copy to the fleet. She takes eight guests at a weekly base rate of $29,500… Also new to the fleet is the 112-foot Crescent motoryacht Shear Fantasea, which takes eight guests at a weekly base rate of $47,500…

Ultra Marine Yacht Charters, the agency of longtime charter broker Cindy Brown, launched this new website in November. If you need proof that she works with some of the most recognizable people on the planet, check out the biography section, which showcases a photograph of her with former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

New First Impressions Posted on CharterWave This Month:

King’s Ransom, 76-foot sailing catamaran

Ohana, 154-foot motoryacht

Paramour, 139-foot motoryacht

Pure Bliss, 141-foot motoryacht

Seafarer, 100-foot motoryacht

Victoria, 46-foot sailing yacht

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave This Month:

Martha Cabada, chef, 46-foot sailing yacht Victoria

Graeme Lawrence, captain, 133-foot sailing yacht Queen of Andaman

New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave This Month:

Leann Morris Pliske, The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals

New Boat Show Report Posted on CharterWave This Month:

An interview with Emily Mack of Ed Hamilton & Co. following the November charter yacht show on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands