CharterWave eNews

Charter Yachts Continue to Discount Winter Rates in the Caribbean
Promotions for discounted charters continue to flood our in-box here at CharterWave, with yacht owners offering everything from free massages and chilled champagne for last-minute Valentine’s Day bookings to discounts of more than $100,000 off regular weekly charter rates. So far, the vast majority of discounts have been offered for Caribbean and Virgin Islands charters that take place before the end of the current winter season.
    “Charter yachts in all price ranges are feeling the effects of the global economic downturn this winter,” says CharterWave editor Kim Kavin. “However, we have yet to see these kinds of sweeping discount offers for upcoming summer charters in the Mediterranean. Only time will tell whether the current trend in discounted rates will hold into May and June, when summer-season charters will begin to take place.”
    We’ve been posting a lot of the current discount offers on the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog, including recent posts about the 53-foot sailing yacht Ashlana, which is part of the Nicholson Yachts fleet; the 145-foot motoryacht Aghassi, which is part of the Northrop and Johnson fleet; and the 228-foot motoryacht Sherakhan, which is part of the Camper & Nicholsons International fleet. There are also countless discount offers for you to view if you scroll down to this eNews edition’s Fleet and Management Company News section.
    Keep watching the Daily Editor’s Blog (or subscribe to its RSS Feed) to see the latest offers that our editors have received from management companies worldwide.

    
Antigua Officials, Community Work to Improve Safety

Officials on the Caribbean island of Antigua are working to enhance safety in the popular charter yacht locations around English Harbour, Falmouth Harbuor, and Nelson’s Dockyard following the murder of a charter yacht captain walking along a local street on January 23.
    As we first reported in the CharterWave Digital Newsstand, Capt. Drew Gollan of the 163-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Perseus was shot to death by a purse-snatcher as he walked home from a local restaurant with his girlfriend and their child. The killing, which has had little to no known impact on charter yacht clients visiting Antigua, sent shockwaves throughout the international charter yacht community. CharterWave’s recent First Impression review of Perseus, which includes quotes from our interview just a few weeks ago with Gollan, was mentioned everywhere from Sydney, Australia, to Taipei, Taiwan, including excerpts being printed in the International Herald Tribune. The CharterWave article is based on the last interview believed to have been done with Gollan before his murder.
    Antiguan police have arrested a 21-year-old local man in the killing and recovered a gun as evidence. The owner of Perseus has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of Gollan’s killer, and the Antigua & Barbuda Marine Association is overseeing a fund offering a separate reward for information.
    Meanwhile, island officials and marina operators held a meeting to discuss installing closed-caption video cameras as well as additional lighting in the areas where charter yacht crew and guests frequently walk in and around English Harbour, Falmouth Harbour, and Nelson’s Dockyard. The Antigua & Barbuda Marine Association has requested that police be assigned to foot patrols in the area between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m., and has further requested that mobile police patrols be added to perform vehicle searches as needed for weapons and illegal drugs.
    This popular charter yacht area on Antigua is the site of the largest annual, industry-only charter yacht show, with reputable charter brokers visiting from all over the world every December.

YachtZoo Launches Website, Expands in U.S. and Europe
YachtZoo, a Monaco-based charter company that we first told you about in CharterWave eNews when the agency opened for business in September 2007, has recently expanded with new staff, a new office, and a new website.
    The new website has an entire section devoted to yacht charter destinations where you can search by region (Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, etc.) as well as read suggested itineraries for specific locations within regions. There’s also a search page where you can look for charter yachts.
    The company’s new office is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is under the direction of Neil Emmott, who used to be the captain aboard the successful 173-foot charter motoryacht Passion. Also new to the YachtZoo staff as a charter marketing manager in Monaco is Vanessa Morlot, who previously worked for Edmiston & Company.

OceanStyle Opens Office in Mumbai, Seeks to Grow India Charter Market
OceanStyle, a sister company to Burgess Yachts, opened a new office in Mumbai, India, in January. The office’s goals will be to develop a yachts sales and charter market throughout the Indian subcontinent.
    Roshini Pahlajani, a lifelong sailor who holds an American bachelor’s degree in business as well as a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, will head the new office. OceanStyle cites statistics showing that India’s number of high-net-worth individuals earning at least $1 million per year increased 20 percent in 2007, and that the nation’s luxury goods market is expected to be worth $14.35 billion by 2010.
    Look for more information about the new OceanStyle office at the Mumbai Boat Show from February 19-22.

Sunseeker Charters Reports Strong Business Despite Global Economy

British-based Sunseeker Charters, an independent company that works in partnership with the Sunseeker boatbuilding shipyard, is bucking the global economic forecasts of doom and gloom in 2009 with an announcement in late January that business, so far, is up.
    The London Boat Show, which ended Jan. 18, was the catalyst for several charter bookings, the company says, adding that deals are actually up over the same time period last year.
    "The majority of charter inquiries have been for the larger models, from the 86 Yacht upwards," says Stefan Wertans, director of Sunseeker Charters. "The 30-meter Yacht, which was launched at the show and is the actual vessel we will have available for charter in the Mediterranean this year, proved to be particularly popular."
    Sunseeker Charters also saw an uptick in interest among corporate charter clients who gravitated toward the 37-meter Yacht and 34-meter Yacht that were at the London Boat Show display. Family charter clients booked the Predator 92 and Predator 84 models, the company says.

Late Ferry to BVI Should Ease Travel Woes
CYBA International, a professional organization of charter brokers, announced in January that the BWI has confirmed the start of a late ferry running from Red Hook, St. Thomas, into Road Town, Tortola. The late ferry was added to accommodate yacht charter clients who want to fly into St. Thomas and then meet their boats in Tortola on the same day, which previously was hard to do because the airline and ferry schedules did not coordinate.
    The late ferry will depart St. Thomas every Thursday through Sunday at 9 p.m., with the departure time remaning flexible specifically to accommodate any late-arriving flights into St. Thomas from the United States. This should make flying into St. Thomas for a Tortola-based yacht charter just as viable an option as flying through San Juan, Puerto Rico, to the airport nearest Tortola at Beef Island, in the British Virgin Islands.
    Any reputable charter broker can give you more information about ferry schedules and flight options.

YCO Visa Helps Clients Track Expenses
Monaco-based YCO is began a program in January of offering a YCO Visa card to every yacht in its charter and management fleets. The idea is to give yacht captains a way to purchase items such as fuel and food without having to spend cash, including while provisioning for upcoming charter vacations.
     "In addition to the obvious issues of security, there is quite some dichotomy between the strict limitations on the amount of cash which can be legally carried onboard and that which captains may be required to spend on fueling and provisioning the yacht during each trip," YCO Managing Partner Gary Wright said in a press release. "This can be problematic logistically. We have introduced YCO Visa as a solution to this issue."
     Each yacht in the YCO fleet is eligible to open one or more YCO Visa accounts, and the company says the new system has been popular among charter yachts for handling the APA--advance provisioning allowance--that charter clients pay in addition to the yacht's weekly base rate. Onboard large charter yachts, APAs can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. With the new YCO Visa system, the funds are all handled electronically, and the charter client receives a single printout of every single expense as opposed to a stack of receipts for verification at the charter's conclusion.
     YCO Visa cards also can be activated solely for the duration of a single charter, giving clients a further guarantee that their APA funds are being properly monitored and spent separately from the yacht's other, regular expenses.
     The company says it has successfully tested this new Visa option and is now making it available to all of its charter yachts. Any reputable charter broker can tell you more about how this option might affect your ability to spend and monitor APA funds if you book a charter onboard a yacht in the YCO fleet.

Three Brokers Say: When to Book Late

Our February edition of Three Brokers Say offers answers to the question: Is booking a charter at the last minute ever a good idea?

    Brokers Gertrud Annevelink of Charter Experience, Ed Hamilton of Ed Hamilton & Co., and Heather Krebs of Abiego Yachts offer their answers. In some cases, they say, booking last-minute can be good—and the meaning of "last minute" has changed somewhat during the current global economic downturn.

     In other cases, these brokers say, booking at the last minute gets you nothing in terms of better pricing, and in fact can cost you the opportunity to receive the quality of charter yacht and service that you should expect no matter who your charter broker is. Check out these brokers' expanded answers to this month's question by clicking here.

Welcome New Sponsor
We’re pleased to welcome Ed Hamilton & Co. as a new sponsor this month on CharterWave. Ed will be writing two CharterWave sponsored blogs. One blog is from the perspective of his company, which is one of the largest booking agencies in the world for Caribbean charters, and the second blog is from his personal perspective as a charter broker with nearly 40 years’ experience.
    Ed Hamilton & Co. is also the new sponsor of the Daily Editor’s Blog here on CharterWave. We’re thrilled to have such a reputable charter company supporting our daily posts, and we hope you will take a minute to learn more about Ed Hamilton and the way his company does business.
    You might also check out this interesting survey that his company put online recently, discussing recent charter trends and what can be expected for 2009. The results of the survey are updated in real time, if you want to see how people are voting from day to day.
 

Welcome New Sponsor
We’re pleased to welcome New Zealand-based Charter Experience this month as the sponsor of CharterWave’s weekly “10 Best” feature. The company is run by longtime international charter agent Gertrud Annevelink, who has already begun adding posts to her CharterWave sponsored blog.
    Gertrud is based in New Zealand, which is great for CharterWave readers because she will be able to provide firsthand information about South Pacific charter yachts and destinations. We couldn’t be happier to have her as CharterWave’s newest set of eyes and ears in that part of the world.

Welcome New Sponsor
We’re pleased to welcome a dual sponsorship this month between yacht management company Nicholson Yachts and retail broker Sandy Carney of Sanderson Yachting, both of whom are based in the New England charter capital of Newport, Rhode Island.
    Nicholson Yachts is one of the world’s leading charter management companies for crewed sailing yachts, while Sandy is a longtime retail broker who works with Nicholson through a strategic partnership. Sandy has already started posting to the duo’s sponsored blog here on CharterWave, including offering excellent insider information about yachts in the Nicholson fleet.

Best of the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog
Broker Gives Back with Books. Ann-Wallis White is a longtime charter broker who owns her own agency in Annapolis, Maryland. She is one among the hundreds of international charter brokers who descend upon the Caribbean island of Antigua each December to attend an industry-only show of the world's most luxurious charter yachts. For some two decades now, Ann has arrived a few days early for the Antigua charter show and spent her time delivering books to needy communities around the island. … Read more … 

Best of the CharterWave Sponsored Blogs
Greek Yacht Charter Itinerary: Mykonos, from the Northrop and Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters blog. Mykonos, one of the most well know of the Greek Islands, has become a vacation spot for the rich and famous.  The main harbor, ringed by cafes, and home to Petro the Pelican, is the quinsentential Greek Island harbor.  However, with growing yachting activity, this harbor is now too small for visiting yachts.  Several marinas have been built just outside of the harbor, so all can be accommodated, however, as these marinas are not right in town, expect to walk, take a taxi, or the yacht’s tender to visit the main harbor.  While Mykonos may or may not be your cup of tea,  everyone should visit at least once, and who knows, you may fall in love with the island, like many others. … Read more …

Motoryacht of the Month: Seawolf
It's hard to believe that a motoryacht as lovely as the 193-foot Seawolf started out life as a working tug that once towed two aircraft carriers simultaneously from the United States to Japan. It's true, and she's about to put her muscle to good use again by offering charters in parts of the world where other boats don't regularly go.
    Our editor got onboard for this exclusive First Impression review in December, when Seawolf was in the Caribbean. The yacht is currently preparing for a trip to Panama, the Galapagos Islands, and the South Pacific, where charters will be offered later this year. Our review talks about the yacht's history as well as plans for additional, upcoming refit work that should make Seawolf even more of a welcoming yacht for charter guests.

Sailing Yacht of the Month: Noheea
The first owner of the 82-foot sloop Noheea left her for the salvage yard, but the current owner spent years bringing her back to life--in the form of a beautiful charter yacht.
    We got onboard for this exclusive First Impression review during the middle of the yacht’s winter Caribbean season, after which she is bound for the Mediterranean. Our review includes extensive information about all the work done during the refit, including upgrades to things such as refrigerators and freezers that you might not notice, but that will certainly make a difference during a charter if you're interested in the freshest foods and nicely chilled drinks.

Captain of the Month: Dustin Graham
As captain of the 55-foot sailing catamaran Frangines, Dustin Graham works hard to make sure his guests are as relaxed as possible in the British Virgin Islands. He has worked his way up from boats with less-than-stellar reputations to his current position at the helm of a yacht that many charter brokers recommend enthusiastically.
    Learn the story of his success in the Virgin Islands charter community, and more about the kinds of charters available aboard Frangines, by reading our exclusive interview with Capt. Graham.

Chef of the Month: Peggy Langenbeck
Chef Peggy Langenbeck is the only chef we’ve found so far in the international charter industry who is also a registered nurse with a license that is active in the United States. She can cook her hometown New Orleans gumbo for you, or tailor a meal to suit medical needs such as diabetes. She's also a longtime participant in sailing regattas, so she knows a thing or two about how to show you a good time on the water as well.

    Learn more about Langenbeck and her boat, the 59-foot sailing catamaran Ocean’s Seven, by reading our exclusive interview.

Broker of the Month: Sarah Piggin
A lot of charter brokers say that they grew up around boats, but Sarah Piggin actually did--on her parents' sailing yacht off the coast of Italy. She’s now based in Antibes, where she is the senior charter broker for Yachting Partners International.
    Learn about Sarah’s areas of expertise—including all the languages she speaks, and how those skills once helped her secure the perfect charter for a client—by reading our exclusive interview. Sarah also talks about the importance of working directly with a charter client, instead of relying on personal assistants or other go-betweens who can do more to hurt rather than help your yacht charter plans.

Fleet and Management Company News
37 South says the 112-foot motoryacht VvS1 has moved from New Zealand to offer charters in Tahiti and Fiji for eight guests… The 115-foot McMullen & Wing motoryacht Surprise has returned from shipyard work in Australia and is also offering charters in Fiji, for nine guests… The 103-foot sailing yacht Pacific Eagle is based in New Zealand’s Marlborough Sound wine country and is offering charters throughout the South Pacific… The 100-foot motoryacht Huntress is currently offering charters on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and will be moving to the Solomon Islands in June and July… The 75-foot motoryacht Escapade is currently in New Zealand and will be moving to Fiji in May, with charters available in Tonga on request for as many as six guests…

Absolute Yachting tells us the 112-foot sailing yacht Trojan Legend, previously known as Troia, is moving from her previous cruising grounds in Greece to offer charters this summer in Croatia. Trojan Legend takes 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €34,300… A brand-new 117-foot motorsailer taking 12 guests in six cabins is expected to launch from the shipyard this month and will be available for charters this summer in Greece at a weekly base rate of €52,500…

Athens Yachts says a half-dozen yachts in its fleet will be keeping or reducing their 2008 summer charter rates for the 2009 season in Greece. They include the 110-foot Cantieri di Pisa motoryacht Astir, which takes 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €74,550; the 130-foot Broward motoryacht A&I, for 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €70,000; the 78-foot Alphamarine motoryacht A&I II, which takes eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €35,000; the Mangusta 80 motoryacht Chrysanthe S, for six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €36,000; the 80-foot Ferretti motoryacht Kentavros II, which takes eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €33,600; and the 104-foot sailing yacht Hermina, for 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €26,600…

BCR Yachts says the 147-foot motoryacht Fathom has reduced its lowest weekly base rate for eight guests from €120,000 to €110,000 … Also offering a rate reduction is the 65-foot sailing yacht Viking Girl II, which has a new owner and a lowest weekly base rate of €12,800… The 75-foot Oyster sailing yacht Holo Kai is preparing to move from the Caribbean to Panamas San Blas Islands in February and Costa Rica in March. Charters will be available in all locations at a lowest weekly base rate of €22,000 for six guests… The 118-foot motoryacht Sunliner X is based in Antibes this winter and willing to consider last-minute charter bookings…

 BoatBookings.com tells us the 157-foot Christensen motoryacht Lady Joy (whose master stateroom is shown at left) is offering a price reduction of $100,000, dropping the weekly base rate for 12 guests from $225,000 to $125,000 for charters taking place before April 14. Lady Joy is currently in the Caribbean…

Bob Saxon Consultancy has opened its doors in Florida and will offer charter yacht marketing in addition to other services. There is no website yet, but you can call (954) 224-5307 for information...

Camper & Nicholsons International welcomes two new yachts to the fleet. The 111-foot Alloy sailing yacht Aime Sea takes eight guests and is currently available in the Caribbean at a lowest weekly base rate of €51,000, while the 141-foot Palmer Johnson motoryacht Pure Bliss will take 10 guests in the Mediterranean this summer. ... The 106-foot Holland Jachtbouw sailing yacht Carl Linne will be moving to French Polynesia this summer to offer charters in the Tuamotu islands and Tahiti. She takes six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €29,000... The 184-foot Benetti motoryacht Galaxy is moving to Central America to offer charters for 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €255,000... The 205-foot Codecasa motoryacht Apogee is completing a refit this month and will be returning to charter in time for the upcoming Mediterranean charter season... Five of the fleet's charter yachts have been nominated for 2009 "best in class" World Superyacht Awards: the 240-foot Siren, the 197-foot Xanadu, the 197-foot Amnesia, the 177-foot Maraya, and the 141-foot Hana. In addition, the 143-foot Sedation has been nominated for "best refitted yacht" in the 2009 World Superyacht Awards...

Churchill Yacht Partners says the 121-foot Crescent motoryacht Olga is offering a special base rate of $10,000 per day for charters of less than one week, as well as a special St. Barth’s Valentine’s Day charter package… The 154-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Andromeda la Dea is offering a reduced weekly base rate of $115,000 for eight guests for the rest of the winter season in the Caribbean, as well as a special Valentine’s Day package deal in and around St. Maarten… The 116-foot Holland Jachtbouw sailing yacht Whisper is also offering a special Valentine’s Day package deal in and around St. Maarten… The 102-foot Palmer Johnson motoryacht Banyan is completing a nine-month refit and cockpit extension and will soon be available for charters with six to eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $31,000 in Florida, the Bahamas, and New England…

C U Yacht Charters tells us the 72-foot Viking motoryacht Quite Enough will offer charters in New England this summer at a lowest weekly base rate of $16,500 for six guests. Half-day and single-day rates are also available… New to the fleet are the 78-foot Chris-Craft motoryacht Right of Passage (shown at left), taking six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $14,500, and the 78-foot Hatteras motoryacht The Big Kat, taking six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $16,500…

Edmiston & Company says the 123-foot motoryacht Calaf will be available for charters in the Eastern Mediterranean in May and June before moving to the Western Mediterranean for the remainder of the summer season. The lowest weekly base rate is €70,000 for eight guests… The 173-foot Alloy sailing yacht Drumbeat has just received a new hull paint job and is preparing to leave the Caribbean for a world cruise. Charters will be available in Tahiti from late June through August, and in Fiji during September and October… The brand-new, 170-foot Alloy sailing yacht Mondango will be available for charters in the Caribbean beginning in March, and in the Mediterranean beginning in May. The lowest weekly base rate is €185,000 for 10 guests…

Hoa Yachting says the 72-foot motoryacht Surubim will be available for charter this summer in Croatia, from a base in Montenegro. She takes eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €12,500…

Neptune Group Yachting welcomes the 112-foot Westport motoryacht New Moon II to the fleet. The boat spends winter in Florida and the Bahamas, and summer in the Great Lakes near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. New Moon II sleeps eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $42,500… Also new to the fleet is the 97-foot Hargrave motoryacht Gigi, which spends winter in Florida and the Bahamas, and summer in New England and Maine. Gigi takes eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $34,000…The 110-foot Horizon motoryacht Adriana III is offering a special base rate of $44,500 for eight guests for any charters booked by March 15… the 61-foot Viking sportfisherman yacht Fish’N Tales Too is offering a special base rate of $9,750 for five guests for charters in Florida and the Bahamas through May 1…

Nicholson Yachts tells us the 53-foot Little Harbor sailing yacht Ashlana (shown in the photograph at left) is offering a “romantic getaway” option for the month of February in the Caribbean. See our recent post to the CharterWave Daily Editor’s blog for full details… Ashlana will move to New England this summer and is still available for a charter during the New York Yacht Club cruise round-trip to Newport the first week of August… The 104-foot Trehard sailing yacht Kalikobass II is offering inclusive weekly charter rates that range from from $50,000 for two guests to $57,500 for eight guests for charters during the month of February… The 74-foot sailing catamaran Matau is offering nine nights for the price of seven throughout the month of February in the Virgin Islands and parts of the Caribbean. Matau’s weekly base rate is $42,500 for six guests and $44,000 for eight guests--though there is another special rate option being offered that knocks $5,000 off that price for seven- or eight-night charters… The 65-foot sailing catamaran True North is also offering nine nights for the price of seven. True North’s weekly base rate is $29,500 for six guests and $31,500 for eight guests… The 80-foot sailing yacht Matelot has reduced its weekly base rate for summer charters in Croatia by €2,000. The new lowest weekly base rate is €20,000 for six guests...

Northrop and Johnson says the 153-foot NAYS motoryacht Argyll has new availability for 2009 charters in New England, the Bahamas, and the Virgin Islands. She takes 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $150,000… The 145-foot Christensen motoryacht Aghassi has reduced its weekly base rate from $170,000 to $150,000 for 10 guests… The 122-foot Flagship motoryacht Shogun is offering a special nine nights for the price of seven during March and April on Mexico’s West Coast. The base rate is $69,000 for eight guests… The 115-foot Trinity motoryacht Watercolours has reduced its weekly base rate for eight guests from $49,500 to $42,000 for Caribbean charters this winter. She is in the Grenadines throughout the month of February… The 115-foot Crescent motoryacht Kapalua has rejoined the fleet and will be available for charters beginning in June in the Bahamas and New England… The 130-foot Westport motoryacht Arioso has announced a location change for upcoming summer charters. The boat will be based in the Bahamas… New to the fleet is the 86-foot Nordhavn motoryacht Caryali, which takes eight guests in the Caribbean and Mediterranean at a lowest weekly base rate of $60,000… The 161-foot Trinity motoryacht Destination Fox Harb’r Too has been nominated for a 2009 World Superyacht Award as the best launch in its class …

Northrop and Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters tells us that the 72-foot sailing yacht Pacific Wave is offering reduced rates for Caribbean charters. The special base rates, for two to six guests, are $13,500 to $15,500. Regular rates are $16,000 to $18,000… The 135-foot Christensen motoryacht Atlantica (whose main saloon is shown at left) is offering eight days for the price of seven, 10 nights for the price of eight, and free diesel fuel for Virgin Islands charters through the month of April…

Ocean Independence welcomes three new charter yachts to the fleet. The 154-foot motoryacht Arethusa takes 10 guests and will be in the Mediterranean this summer. The 114-foot sailing yacht Galatea takes six guests and will be available in Croatia. The 99-foot Southern Wind sailing yacht Mrs. Seven takes eight guests and will be available in the Western Mediterranean…

Robert J. Cury and Associates tells us the 124-foot Delta motoryacht Murphy’s Law has reduced its weekly charter base rate to $65,000 for eight or 10 guests in the Bahamas, and is offering eight days for the price of seven for springtime charter bookings… The 80-foot Azimut motoryacht Joe Cool has reduced its weekly base rate to $23,000 for six guests, including the use of a 34-foot tender… The 75-foot Hatteras motoryacht Victory, which is based in Boca Raton, Florida, will consider offers for one-day and short-term charters at a base rate of $3,500 per day for as many as six guests…

Seascape Yacht Charters says the 86-foot Azimut motoryacht Rena N will be available for charters this summer in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. She takes eight guests with four crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €44,000… The 80-foot Canados motoryacht Hanja is available for charters this summer in Greece for eight or nine guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €29,400…

Sunreef Yachts Charter tells us the 62-foot sailing catamaran Anassa is offering a special, all-inclusive rate of €18,000 for 12 guests for any last-minute charters that take place during the month of February. The yacht will remain in the Caribbean throughout the upcoming summer season … The 70-foot sailing catamaran Seazen II will make its public debut at this month’s Miami International Boat Show… The 70-foot sailing catamaran Aegean Cat has changed its name to Mamma Mia…

Sunsail, which offers skippered charters in addition to bareboats, has announced plans to open a new base in Pula, Croatia. When the Pula base opens in May, it will be the company’s third in Croatia, including bases in Kremik and Dubrovnik. Other newly opened Sunsail bases are in Koh Chang, Thailand; Palermo and Tropea, Italy; Orhaniye, Turkey; and the British Virgin Islands…

The Moorings, which offers skippered charters in addition to bareboats, has opened a new base in Orhaniye, Turkey. It will house boats from 40 to 44 feet long for itineraries along the Lycian Coast and into Greece’s nearby Dodecanese Islands…

Yachting Partners International welcomes the Mangusta 85 motoryacht Indulgence of Poole to the fleet. She takes eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €24,500, based in the South of France… The 152-foot Holland Jachtbouw sailing yacht Windrose and the 108-foot Klaasen sailing yacht Shamoun will both be participating in the St. Barth’s Bucket Regatta before offering charters in the Mediterranean this summer. (Shamoun was the regatta’s overall winner last year.)… The 115-foot sailing yacht Signe is offering charter itineraries in Venezuela. See our recent post on the CharterWave Daily Editor’s blog for full details…  

New First Impression Reviews Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Albireo, 56-foot sailing yacht
Amnesia, 197-foot motoryacht
Frangines, 55-foot sailing catamaran
Mac Brew, 133-foot motoryacht
Noheea, 82-foot sailing yacht
Ocean’s Seven, 58-foot sailing catamaran
Seawolf, 193-foot motoryacht
Texas Star, 102-foot motoryacht

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Dustin Graham, captain, sailing catamaran Frangines
Peggy Langenbeck, chef, sailing catamaran Ocean’s Seven

New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Sarah Piggin, senior charter broker, Yachting Partners International

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