CharterWave eNews

Shipyard Explosion Destroys 88-foot Wally Sailing Yacht Tiketitan

On the same day that this edition of CharterWave eNews was uploaded, we reported breaking news on the Daily Editor’s Blog that an explosion at a shipyard in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, has left the 88-foot Wally sailing yacht Tiketitan “a complete loss,” according to multiple sources.
    Tiketitan was built in 1998 and chartered at a weekly base rate of €35,000 for 10 guests with three crew.
    Several hours after CharterWave’s report went online, other news outlets including MegayachtNews and The Yacht Report began to report confirming and additional information.  We will continue to post links on the CharterWave Digital Newsstand as these  other reputable media post their own updates.
    Special thanks to broker Gertrud Annevelink of Charter Experience for e-mailing the photograph shown above.

Summer Discount Offers Begin to Appear Worldwide
The Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival open in about three months, marking the “official” start of the 2010 summer charter season in the Mediterranean. Already, major management companies are promoting deals and discounts, perhaps indicating that, like last year, there will be a good number of last-minute bookings at reduced base rates.
    Examples include the 118-foot Benetti Sail Division motoryacht Grand Cru III (shown in the photograph at right), which is offering a 20-percent discount, and the 104-foot Canados motoryacht Lady Natinia, whose owner is “open to negotiation.” Both yachts are managed by Edmiston and Company. Also in the mix is the 97-foot Benetti Sail Division motoryacht Mrs. White, which is offering a 20-percent discount through management company Primo Yachts.
    Discounts are also beginning to be publicly announced for summer charters in the Virgin Islands and Caribbean, such as the 72-foot custom sailing yacht Pacific Wave, which is offering a $1,500 discount in St. Vincent and the Grenadines through management company Nicholson Yachts.
    Meanwhile, Fraser Yachts Worldwide stated in its most recent newsletter: “Despite a slow winter, inquiries for the summer season are coming faster than last year. We expect to see a rise in Mediterranean charters compared to 2009, although, most probably, firm bookings will again come late and discounts will need to be given to secure them.”
    For more information about deals and discounts, keep an eye on the CharterWave Twitter Feed, where we post such information the moment we receive it.

Welcome New Sponsor: Northrop and Johnson

We are thrilled this month to welcome the newest CharterWave sponsor: Northrop and Johnson.
    Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Northrop and Johnson is a full-service yachting company that manages a fleet of charter yachts, offers retail bookings, and handles yacht sales and management. The flagship in the company's charter fleet is the 198-foot Feadship motoryacht Blue Moon, one of the most exclusive yachts available for charter anywhere in the world. Also in the Northrop and Johnson fleet are head-turners like the 161-foot Trinity motoryacht Destination Fox Harb'r Too, the 150-foot Trinity motoryacht Vita, and the 136-foot J-Class sailing yacht Ranger.
    In addition, the retail charter brokers at Northrop and Johnson are well respected among their peers as well as by their longtime clients. Ann Landry was the owner-operator of a charter boat before becoming a full-time broker nearly 20 years ago, and June Montagne worked as crew aboard charter yachts before becoming a full-time broker nearly 10 years ago.
    We’re told that Northrop and Johnson became CharterWave's newest sponsor because the company is impressed with the quality of our editorial content—and we take that compliment as high praise, since Northrop and Johnson is regularly featured in the world’s leading yachting magazines.
    As always, please support Northrop and Johnson, along with all of CharterWave's sponsors, when it comes time to book your next yacht charter vacation. It is because of such sponsorships that CharterWave is now in its fourth year of bringing readers like you the world's most trusted editorial coverage of the crewed charter industry.

FYBA Names Ann Landry 2009 Charter Broker of the Year

On January 29, the Florida Yacht Brokers Association named Ann Landry of Northrop and Johnson its 2009 Charter Broker of the Year.
      As luck would have it, Landry and CharterWave’s editor chatted just a few days before the FYBA announcement. Among the things discussed was the evolving role of retail charter brokers as the global recession continues to upend long-established yacht-booking practices.
        By Landry’s estimation, what was once a seller’s market is now a buyer’s market, and charter brokers need to know not only about the best yachts and crew, but also about how to negotiate prices effectively.
        “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,” she told CharterWave. “Yacht owners would not do it. Now, they’ll negotiate on a weeklong charter or less.
        “A good broker has to have different skills now, in terms of being able to effectively negotiate. 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.”
        The full text of CharterWave’s exclusive interview with Landry is available here, and serves as our Broker of the Month feature for February.
     And of course, our warmest congratulations to Landry on winning the FYBA award.

IYC Names Mark Elliott 2009 Sales and Charter Broker of the Year

International Yacht Collection has named Mark Elliott both Sales and Charter Broker of the Year for 2009. It is the first time a single broker has won both awards, according to IYC Vice President Brian Tansey.  
    CharterWave got hold of Elliott in his office at Isle de Sol Marina on Sint Maarten. He told us by telephone that he thought creativity was the driving factor behind his success during what was one of the most challenging years the yachting industry has seen in at least a decade.
    “On the sales end, it’s all been about doing trades, including more big-yacht trades than I’ve ever seen before," Elliott told me. "Nobody wants to part with cash, so I’ve had to be very creative about how the trades work.”
    One of the trade deals that Elliott helped to organize in 2009 was worth more than $100 million and involved the 183-foot Benetti motoryacht now known as Four Aces within the IYC charter fleet.
    “With charter, I think there are more clients for charter right now than there are yacht buyers,” Elliott said. “People, again, don’t want to part with a lot of cash. It’s easier in an iffy market to commit to a charter than it is to owning a megayacht.”

Churchill Yacht Partners Extends Bahia Mar Lease in Fort Lauderdale
In January, Churchill Yacht Partners and its Rikki Davis charter division announced that the company has signed a two-year lease extension to remain in the Bahia Mar Resort and Marina in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
    The announcement is a sign of stability in a down market for a company that is a relative newcomer in the charter industry. Other, larger agencies tout the fact that they have been in the yachting business for centuries, while Churchill has only existed since 2004.
    The owner of the 116-foot Holland Jachtbouw sailing yacht Whisper started the company in Newport, Rhode Island, where it handled yacht charter as well as yacht sales. In July 2005, it acquired the longtime charter agency Rikki Davis Yachts, giving it instant credibility for top-dollar charter bookings. In March 2008, Churchill shuttered its sales division and stated it would focus exclusively on charter yacht management and retail bookings, with business apparently now strong enough to support the signing of a two-year lease for offices in a prime Fort Lauderdale location.
    And the Churchill charter fleet continues to grow, too, most recently in November, when the company welcomed the the 67-foot Alloy sailing yacht Jewel. Churchill now markets more than a dozen yachts for charter, with the largest being the 121-foot Crescent motoryacht Olga and the 154-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Andromeda la Dea.  

New, 62-foot Sailing Catamaran to Join BVI Fleet

Capt. Paul Johnson and chef Melissa Murphy, longtime crew aboard the 57-foot sailing catamaran Saga Boy Too, will be taking command of a newly launched 62-foot sailing catamaran called Avalon this fall in the British Virgin Islands.
    Full details are posted here on the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog.

We’re Scouting for You at the Miami Boat Show

CharterWave editor Kim Kavin will be at the Miami International Boat Show this month in Florida, where at least a half-dozen charter yachts are expected to be on display.
    Kim will post updates from the show on both the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog and the CharterWave Twitter Feed. Stay tuned.

 Three Brokers Say: Preference Sheet Mistakes
If you want your charter to be perfect, you must complete a preference sheet before you even step onboard. This sheet outlines your expectations for the yacht’s captain, chef, and crew, so that they can prepare specifically for your charter.
    Unfortunately, many charter clients come up short on their preference sheets—which makes it much harder for the yacht’s crew to succeed. For the February edition of "Three Brokers Say," we try to help you avoid this pitfall by asking brokers Ed Hamilton, Gertrud Annevelink, and Beverly Parsons for the most common preference-sheet mistakes that charter clients make.

Best of the CharterWave Daily Editor’s Blog

More on New Year’s at St. Barth’s. You may recall this image from a post that I uploaded on January 4 about the massive ocean swell that emptied Gustavia Harbour, St. Barth's, on New Year's Eve. I have just received another firsthand account of what happened during that holiday weekend, this time from Capt. Colin Boyle of the 198-foot CMN motoryacht Cloud 9. I think his description of events is the most detailed I have heard so far, or seen published anywhere… Read more…

Best of the CharterWave Sponsored Blogs

From the BoatBookings.com sponsored blog. Croatia Yacht Charter - 2010's hot spot? We’re seeing huge demand for Croatia this year—for all types of yachts.  Croatia has already gained a reputation among bareboat charters as one of the best destinations in the world, but we're now seeing, significant demand for luxury charters, from beautiful catamarans to super yachts… Read more …

 Motoryacht of the Month: Utopia

At 234 feet long, the Feadship Utopia is one of the largest yachts available for charter anywhere in the world. Utopia's weekly base rate? A staggering €450,000 for 12 guests.
    Our exclusive First Impression review includes a look at Utopia’s unique deck configuration, which allows an unusual (and highly pleasing) arrangement of guest cabins. If you equate modern spaciousness and classic grandeur with luxury, then this Feadship is likely to impress you.

 Sailing Yacht of the Month: Liara
Liara is the first PY100 model from Performance Yachts and is earning accolades for design and construction, including being selected as a finalist in both the "Best Sailing Yacht in 30m to 44m size range" and "Technology Award" categories in the Boat International Media 2010 World Superyacht Awards.
    Our exclusive First Impression review examines Liara from a charter perspective, including a look at details that the owner incorporated because he wanted to improve on the charter experience as he knew it from his previous sailing yacht.

Captain of the Month: Warren East

Few captains know their yachts as well as Warren East knows the 73-foot sailing catamaran Wonderful, which he was involved with during its original construction. He has been the charter captain aboard for several years, he served as the sales broker who sold Wonderful to its current owner, and he recently oversaw an interior and exterior renovation with charter in mind.
    We caught up with East for this exclusive interview, which includes his take on how a successful charter yacht like Wonderful is handling the financial pressures of the continuing global recession.

Chef of the Month: Simon Ben Jones

Desserts are a specialty of chef Simon Ben Jones, who earned a Michelin star as the head chef at L'Escargot in London before joining the 214-foot Feadship motoryacht Trident. Our editor got aboard Trident for a luncheon in Antigua and, afterward, snagged this exclusive interview with the chef himself.
    Among the interesting details we discovered: Jones has never worked as a chef aboard a yacht smaller than 150 feet. (Wow!)

Fleet and Management Company News

37 South writes in from New Zealand to say the 112-foot Alloy motoryacht VvS1 is currently en route from Auckland to Marlborough Sound wine country to offer charters…

Absolute Yachting in Greece says the 92-foot motorsailor Liana H is available year-round at a lowest weekly base rate of €32,200 for as many as 12 guests with five crew, and still has a wide-open calendar for the popular cruising months of August and September… The 112-foot gulet Troia is available in Greece at a lowest weekly base rate of €28,000 for 12 guests with five crew… The 52-foot sailing catamaran Elvira is offering a 10-percent discount off published rates for charters in Greece from April through October, excluding July and August…

Athens Yachts welcomes the newly launched, 121-foot Couach motoryacht Dragon to the charter fleet. She will be available this summer in Greece, taking 10 or 12 guests with seven crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €100,000…

BCR Yachts is reportedly being purchased by Logemann Yachting. European companies have a combined 20 years of experience in sailing yachts and charter, with the current management fleet ranging from 60 to 150 feet long… The 82-foot Swan sailing yacht Crackerjack will be available in Croatia this summer at a lowest weekly base rate of €35,000 for eight guests… Then78-foot Baltic sailing yacht Lupa of London will be available this summer in the Western Mediterranean and Greece’s Ionian Islands at a lowest weekly base rate of €26,500 for six guests…

BoatBookings.com told us on January 22 that three Perini Navi sailing yachts are offering deals. The 152-foot Antara is available through April at a weekly base rate of $115,000 for a maximum of 12 guests, the 142-foot Ohana is available from February 21 through March 25 at a weekly base rate of €85,000 for 10 guests, and the 184-foot Rosehearty is available until February 24, then again from March 10-30, at a weekly base rate of $200,000 for 12 guests…The company welcomes Meg Toppa, formerly the marketing director for Ferretti Group USA, as a sales and marketing associate…

Bradford Marine Yacht Charter says the 70-foot Johnson motoryacht Charmer is available for a Super Bowl charter this month in Miami, Florida. She takes six guests and is being offered at a base rate of $9,000 for three nights, including free dockage in Coconut Grove, an afternoon cruise in Biscayne Bay, and an evening cruise off Miami …

Cape4Yachting welcomes Xenia Tsipidou as the new head of its charter department… The 100-foot Falcon motoryacht Ouranos will be available this summer in Greece at a lowest weekly base rate of €42,000 if contracts are signed before the end of April. The regular low-season rate is €49,000… Similarly, the 94-foot Admiral motoryacht My Way will be available at a lowest weekly base rate of €34,300 if contracts are signed before the end of April… The 109-foot Cantieri di Pisa motoryacht Astir will be available this summer in Greece, taking as many as 12 guests with five crew…

Camper and Nicholsons International has released its Charter Collection 2010, a 200-plus page,  hard-cover catalog of yachts available for charter worldwide. The book also includes cruising guides for charter itineraries worldwide … New to the fleet is the 184-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht Panthalassa, which was delivered to her owner in December and is currently available for charters in the Caribbean… Also new to the fleet is the 129-foot sailing yacht Clear Eyes, which will take 12 guests in the Eastern Mediterranean this summer…. Also new to the fleet are the 124-foot Moonen motoryacht Northlander and the 100-foot San Lorenzo motoryacht Lady Luck, each of which will take 10 guests this summer in the Mediterranean… Also new to the fleet is the 90-foot motoryacht Stella Nova, which will take eight to 10 guests this summer in the Baltic Sea…

CharterportBVI sailing catamaran Viking Dream will return from the Grenadines earlier than planned and become available for charters in the British Virgin Islands beginning May 29… The 45-foot sailing catamaran Two if by Sea has changed plans will be chartering in Tonga and Fiji, instead of in French Polynesia as previously announced. The yacht is scheduled to arrive and begin to charter in September…

Churchill Yacht Partners says the 114-foot Hatteras motoryacht Camille is available this month in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, at a lowest weekly base rate of $35,000… New to the fleet is the 145-foot Heesen motoryacht At Last, which has just completed a two-year engineroom and interior refit. She takes 10 guests and is available in Florida and the Bahamas… Also new to the fleet is the 105-foot Chantier Navale N2A sailing yacht Apache, based in Charleston, South Carolina, and taking eight guests at a weekly base rate of $40,000… The 95-foot motoryacht Zazu is available for a Super Bowl charter this month in Miami, Florida…

Edmiston and Company says the 104-foot Canados motoryacht Lady Natinia will be based in Malta this summer and is available throughout the Western Mediterranean. She is also still available for the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix with a maximum 30 guests for cocktail parties. Lowest weekly base rate is €59,000 for eight guests …The 94-foot Sunseeker motoryacht Dreamster also is available this summer in the Western Mediterranean, and the owner is “very keen to charter.” Dreamster takes as many as nine guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €40,000… The 146-foot Intermarine motoryacht Balaju is offering five nights for a base rate of $62,000 during the U.S. President’s Day holiday this month, and is “entertaining all reasonable offers” for charters during the remainder of the Caribbean season… The 118-foot Benetti Sail Division motoryacht Grand Cru III is offering a 20-percent discount on summer charters in the Mediterranean for all bookings confirmed before February 26…  The expedition motoryacht Atmosphere is offering an inclusive weekly rate of $398,450 for up to 20 guests on a “Tasting Chile” wine and food charter in Patagonia, beginning either April 18 or April 22… The 131-foot Feadship motoryacht Seaflower will be available for the Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival before moving to the Baltic Sea for summer charters in Helsinki, the Aland Islands, the Stockholm Archipelago, Copenhagen, and the Oslo Fjords. The owner is “open to negotiation” on the weekly base rate of €130,000 for eight guests… The 262-foot classic motoryacht Talitha is available in the Grenadines from March 14-25, and the “owner is open to negotiation” on the weekly base rate of €280,000… The 114-foot Benetti motoryacht Enchantress is now commanded by Capt. Nick Powell and will be available in May and June in Turkey before moving to the Western Mediterranean… New to the fleet are the 150-foot Leopard motoryacht Pure One and the 104-foot Leopard motoryacht Pure, both available in the Western Mediterranean, as well as the 100-foot Baia motoryacht Mirage, which will be available in Greece and Turkey this summer…

Fraser Yachts Worldwide welcomes Kathleen Helege to the Monaco office as a trainee charter broker alongside longtime broker Jason Whiting. Helege is fluent in English, Spanish, and French, and previously worked for The Crew Network… The company reports that the Caribbean charter season was slower this year than last year, and that while summer inquiries right now are up compared with last year, expectations are for many last-minute bookings in the Mediterranean at discounted rates… New to the fleet is the 127-foot Hakvoort motoryacht Pretty Woman, taking 10 guests in the Western Mediterranean at a lowest weekly base rate of €105,000… The 143-foot Oceanco motoryacht Deep Blue is offering a weekly base rate of €120,000 (regularly €130,000 to €140,000) for charters the last two weeks of June and July in the Western Mediterranean, as long as the booking is confirmed before the end of February… The 115-foot Christensen motoryacht Ocean Pearl is offering 10 days for the price of seven in Mexico and Costa Rica… The 100-foot Northstar motoryacht Besame is offering nine days for the price of seven in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez…

Horizon Yacht Charters has opened a second office on the Caribbean island of Grenada. The company has been established for 10 years at the True Blue Resort and Marina on the southwest coast, and now will also have an office at the Camper and Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in St. George’s… The company’s British Virgin Islands office is matching charter clients’ donations up to $20 and forwarding them to the Red Cross to help with humanitarian efforts following January’s earthquake in Haiti…

Moran Yacht and Ship welcomes the 187-foot Abeking & Rasmussen motoryacht Excellence III to the charter fleet. She is currently in the Caribbean and will move to the Mediterranean for summer 2010, taking 12 guests…

Neptune Group Yachting says the 102-foot Palmer Johnson motoryacht Banyan is available for a Super Bowl charter this month in Miami, Florida. She takes six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $29,900… Also available for the Super Bowl is the 82-foot Horizon motoryacht Adriana II, being offered at a base rate of $4,500 per day with a four-day minimum. She takes six guests…

Nicholson Yachts congratulates the 98-foot sailing yacht Liara on being named a finalist in the Boat International Media 2010 World Superyacht Awards, in the categories of Best Sailing Yacht in her size range as well as Technology Award… The 72-foot sailing yacht Pacific Wave is offering a $1,500 price break on all contracts signed before July 31 for charters that begin before December 31. The offer includes the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays, and includes scuba diving as well as ship’s bar if the charter is in the British Virgin Islands… The 65-foot sailing catamaran True North is available in the British Virgin Islands through May, after which she will move to the Northern Caribbean for June and July, then the Grenadines for charters from August onward… The 90-foot Doggersbank motoryacht Tivoli has extended its reduced weekly base rate of $25,000 for six guests through February 15. Tivoli will charter this summer in Scandinavia or New England, depending on charter demand… The 88-foot sailing yacht Icarus has extended its lowest weekly base rate of $45,000 for six guests through the end of the Caribbean charter season… The 61-foot sailing yacht Sudiki is offering a honeymoon special for two guests at a weekly base rate of $4,950… The 90-foot sailing yacht Atalante is offering an introductory weekly base rate of $40,000 in the Caribbean… The 80-foot sailing yacht Matelot will be available for charters in the Society Islands and Tuamotus this summer at a lowest weekly base rate of €29,500 for six guests…

Northrop and Johnson tells us the 198-foot Feadship motoryacht Blue Moon, currently available for charters in the Caribbean, will be moving this spring to Mexico and Costa Rica. The yacht just uploaded a new online brochure…   The 161-foot Trinity motoryacht Destination Fox Harb’r Too has just completed a series of Caribbean charters totaling 30 days and continues to be available for the rest of the Caribbean season at a lowest weekly base rate of $230,000…

Ocean Independence welcomes the 126-foot Sanlorenzo motoryacht Onyx to the fleet. She takes 10 guests with six crew and will be available in the Western Mediterranean at a lowest weekly base rate of €98,000… Also new to the fleet is the 70-foot Azimut motoryacht Wini, which will be based in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and available in the Balearic Islands. With top speeds above 30 knots, Wini is one of the fastest motoryachts in the company’s charter fleet. She takes eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €13,500 from November through February… Also new to the fleet is the 120-foot Broward motoryacht Sovereign, taking as many as 12 guests in Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and the U.S. East Coast…

Paradise Yacht Charters says the 68-foot Maiora motoryacht Wilpower is offering a discount through February 14. The regular weekly base rate is $21,900 for six guests, but through February 14, the weekly rate is being dropped to $14,700 for six guests. Wilpower is based in Sint Maarten…

Peter Insull’s welcomes the 168-foot renovated ferry Dionea to the charter fleet. Launched in 1962 and refitted in 2003, she will be in the Mediterranean taking 12 guests with 10 crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €80,000… Also new to the fleet is the 158-foot gentleman’s motoryacht Grace, which will be available year-round in the Norwegian Fjords. Her lowest weekly base rate is €100,000 for 10 guests with nine crew…

Primo Yacht tells us the 97-foot Benetti Sail Division motoryacht Mrs. White is offering a 20-percent discount off all summer charters in the Mediterranean that are booked before April 30. The new, lowest weekly base rate is €52,000 (previously €65,000)… The 257-foot classic steam yacht Delphine is offering a base rate of €980,000 (regularly €1.46 million) for any four-week charter during the summer in the Mediterranean…

RJC Yachts congratulates Sylvia Bolton Design n taking first place in the Yacht/Jet Design category at Seattle Design Center’s Northwest Design Awards for 2009. Sylvia Bolton Design was the designer of the 80-foot Cheoy Lee motoryacht Aquarius, which is available for charter as part of the RJC fleet. The yacht currently is offered in Sint Maarten, the British Virgin Islands, and the United States with no delivery fees… New to the fleet is the 75-foot Hatteras motoryacht Child’s Play, previously known as Summer Suite. She will be available for charter in Florida and the Bahamas… Also new to the fleet is the 112-foot Westport motoryacht Silver Moon, available in Florida and the Bahamas at a weekly base rate of $49,500…

Sail Connections is currently accepting inquiries for spring and summer charters in Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Sicily, and Sardinia aboard the 50-foot sailing catamaran Ombre Blu. She takes six guests with two crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €10,500…

Sunreef Yachts Charter says its first “superyacht,” the 102-foot Ipharra, will be available by late summer for charters in the Western Mediterranean…  Meanwhile, the 62-foot sailing catamaran Catsy will be available in the Bahamas beginning in March before moving to the Western Mediterranean this summer… The 62-foot sailing catamaran Tahaa II is currently in the Grenadines at a discounted weekly rate… The 62-foot sailing catamaran El Capi III is available in and around the Dominican Republic…

Sunseeker Charters reports strong charter inquiries following the company’s appearance at the London International Boat Show. “In particular, the 88 Yacht for the U.K. has created quite a stir,” said company Director David Ward. “One of our regular clients got in touch directly after the show saying they couldn’t wait to charter it! This is the optimistic start to 2010 that we had hoped for”…

The Moorings says its in-house charter specialists are now available seven days a week, from 8 a.m. till 9 p.m. EST Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. EST Saturday and Sunday…

The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals welcomes the 84-foot Mone Fino motoryacht Lady Di to the charter fleet. She will take six guests at a weekly base rate of $25,000 year-round in the Bahamas… Also new to the fleet is the 70-foot Horizon motoryacht Easy Rider. She will take six guests at a weekly base rate of $16,500 this winter in Florida and the Bahamas, and during summer 2010 in New England…

Virgin Island Sailing has released a new edition of its Charter Chatter newsletter. It includes an extensive look at St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands…

Voyage Charters says it has completely phased out 50-foot sailing catamarans from its fleet in the British Virgin Islands. From now on, only 58-foot sailing catamarans will be available…

Voyage Yacht Share has a 52-foot Sunseeker motoryacht with captain and mate available for a Super Bowl charter this month in Florida. The weekly base rate is $14,500 for six guests, or you can charter for $3,500 per day and up to 12 guests. Dockage is included at Sunset Harbour Yacht Club in South Beach, Miami...

Yachting Partners International welcomes the 141-foot CRN motoryacht Sofico to the charter fleet. Built in 2009, she takes as many as 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €115,000. Sofico will charter in both the Eastern and Western Mediterranean this summer… Also new to the fleet is the 101-foot CMN sailing yacht Attimo, which takes eight to 10 guests with five crew at a lowest weekly base rate of €42,000 in the Western Mediterranean… Also new to the fleet is the 100-foot Falcon motoryacht Synergy, which is based year-round in Cannes. She takes 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of €28,000.

New First Impressions Posted on CharterWave

Damrak, 70-foot Sunreef powercatamaran
Liara, 98-foot Performance Yachts sailing yacht
Trident, 214-foot Feadship motoryacht
Utopia, 234-foot Feadship motoryacht

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave

Warren East, captain, 73-foot sailing catamaran Wonderful
Simon Ben Jones, chef, 214-foot motoryacht Trident

New “10 Best” Lists Posted on CharterWave

10 Best Questions to Ask Any Charter Broker Before Booking
10 Best Charter Yacht Sundecks
10 Best Romantic Yachts for Valentine’s Day Charters
10 Best Charter Yachts Still Available for the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival