Exclusive News and Photos from the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
The wind-driven, often horizontal rainfall during last month’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show didn’t keep CharterWave editor Kim Kavin off the docks. There were just too many charter yachts to tour, captains to meet, and brokers to interview.
Kim managed to snag some of the first photos ever publicized from the brand-new 164-foot motoryacht Mine Games, as well as some photos taken during an exclusive tour with the owners of the brand-new 124-foot motoryacht Perle Bleue (that’s the boat whose French moderne main saloon is pictured at right).
You can read Kim’s reviews of these yachts and others from the Lauderdale show—including the 121-foot Crewed Motoryacht of the Month M4—in the CharterWave First Impressions section.


New “10 Best” Feature is No. 1 with Readers, Brokers
CharterWave’s new “10 Best” feature went live online last month, and it’s been a hit with readers who keep coming back to find out which boats, destinations, and advice make the list each week. If you haven’t taken a look yet, click here to read the latest “10 Best” list.
Reputable charter brokers, too, are responding from around the world with suggestions for these “10 Best” lists—plus others that they’d like to see us run in the future. We’re just thrilled to have found yet another interesting way to introduce you to great charter yachts, crew, and brokers.

American Express Enters the Charter Business
As we first reported on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog last month, American Express is touting its new card-member service through which you can book charter yachts. Apparently, the company has teamed its in-house travel agents with experts from companies like Fraser Yachts Worldwide and International Yacht Collection.
We’re not sure why you wouldn’t just call those highly reputable yacht charter companies directly, instead of playing phone tag through a travel agent who probably knows less than half as much about yachts.
But then again, we’re not nearly as powerful as American Express…

We’re Scouting for You in St. Thomas and Tortola
After a quick one-week break following the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, CharterWave editor is heading back to the airport, bound for the annual charter yacht shows in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Keep an eye on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog for Kim’s daily updates from the show, which typically include fantastic entry-level yachts with crew. Kim also will be snapping some photographs of the new Yacht Haven Grande marina in St. Thomas, which is getting rave reviews from big-money motoryacht captains.

Last Call for 2007 Advertising Rates
It’s hard to believe that 2008 is just two months away. And with the new year will come new advertising rates for sponsored pages on CharterWave.
If you’ve been thinking about advertising and want to sign on while our introductory rates are still in place, now is the time to get in touch with editor Kim Kavin. Our current rates start at just $50 per month, which we think is pretty darn good given our growing readership base—and the fact that our readers are contacting charter brokers worldwide to book vacations. Check out our online media kit for more information.

New CharterWave Vidcast: Interview with Broker Rebecca Riley
Our first vidcast, an interview with charter broker Gina Roberston of Yachtstore, got great reviews and a good number of downloads last month--both from our own website and from search engines like Google video. We’re following that up with a new vidcast this month, an interview with our charter broker of the month, Rebecca Riley of Paradise Yacht Charters.
Coming next month, we hope to have our first vidcasts involving yacht crew. We’ll be talking with captains and chefs at the St. Thomas and Tortola boat shows, plus taking our camera behind the scenes to show you what happens on the bridge and in the galley during typical yacht charters. Stay tuned to our multimedia page for the latest.

Best of the Editor’s Blog
My Mom is One Smart Lady: My Mom called this weekend to ask me about a promotional mailer she received from the Best Cruises Travel Agency, which she used to book a cruise ship vacation to Alaska a couple of years ago. “They’re offering something called a Caribbean Yachting Voyage,” Mom told me. “So I thought of you. But then I was looking at the details, and it says there are 55 couples onboard the boat. How can it be a yacht if it takes so many people?” ... Read more ...

Best of the Sponsored Blogs
From the Regency Yachts sponsored page:Ready for the holidays? Most familes are accustomed to planning well in advance for their vacations plans — everything must be coordinated around school schedules, including yacht charters! For those of you who are a couple, your advantage is that you can do some last minute ‘let’s go’ trips ... Read more ...


Crewed Motoryacht of the Month: M4
M4 is only the second 121-foot motoryacht ever built by Sunseeker, and it’s the first one to come to the United States and Caribbean to offer charters. M4 is not only beautiful inside and out (that's the main saloon in the photograph at right), but also has some nifty design features that should enhance any charter experience.
Read our exclusive First Impression review--based on a tour with the project manager who oversaw the yacht's construction in England--by clicking here.

Crewed Sailing Yacht of the Month: Sabore
Sailing catamarans are all the rage in the Virgin Islands, and this 58-footer continues to be one of our favorites. That’s because her crew is just as impressive as the boat itself, offering good charters for repeat clients as well as first-timers who don’t want to break the bank.
Our First Impression review is online for you to read by clicking here, as is an exclusive interview with Sabore’s chef, Lori Cady.

Captain of the Month: David Thompson
The 83-foot motoryacht Lion’s Whelp isn’t the sexiest you’ll find in New England for summer charters, but she certainly has one of the most storied histories, in large part thanks to Capt. David Thomson’s personal seafaring heritage.
We snagged Capt. Thompson for an exclusive interview during the Newport charter show. Click here to check out what he had to say.

Chef of the Month: Victoria Allman
When she’s not busy preparing health-conscious meals for guests onboard the 118-foot motoryacht True North, Victoria Allman is busy trying to publish her first book, a combination memoir and cookbook.
We sat down with the former Miss Adams in Fort Lauderdale for this exclusive interview, which took place just before her wedding to True North Capt. David Allman.

Broker of the Month: Rebecca Riley, Paradise Yacht Charters
Looking for a charter broker who will always take your call, even if it comes at 11 o’clock on a Saturday night? The hard-working Rebecca Riley just may be the broker for you.
We sat down with Rebecca for this exclusive interview, as well as for an extended vidcast that you can watch by clicking here.

Fleet and Management Company News
Blue Line Yachts in Greece has added a 75-foot Aicon motoryacht to its charter fleet. The company also sells the Aicons, and so also has several others available in other sizes…

Burgess didn’t make an official announcement, but we confirmed on the docks during the Fort Lauderdale boat show that longtime charter broker Cindy Brown has left the company. She was one of our favorites, and though we’re sad to see her go, we have full confidence in Solenn de Braux, who is the charter broker on duty in Manhattan now…

Camper & Nicholsons International earns our kudos for making as little impact on the environment as possible during this year’s Fort Lauderdale International boat show, offering its clients pickup and drop-off car service with a fleet of hybrid vehicles… CNI also welcomed a bunch of new yachts into its fleet this month, including the 110-foot Turkish gulet Shanti, which will be available in the Caribbean for charters this winter… Coming to the CNI fleet for summer charters in the Med: the newest Amnesia motoryacht (due to launch in March) and the 177-foot Maraya (due to launch in January)…

Edmiston & Company has added two brand-new motoryachts and two older launches to its charter fleet. The big news is the brand-new, 192-foot Outback, which will be chartering in the Caribbean this winter at a weekly base rate of $399,000. Also new, but just a hair smaller, is the 100-foot motoryacht Humminbird, which will be available in the Mediterranean next summer at a lowest weekly base rate of 55,000 euros. The older launches joining the Edmiston fleet are the 152-foot motoryacht Audacia, built in 1987 and offering charters in the Caribbean this winter at a weekly base rate of $190, as well as the 105-foot motoryacht Heavenly Daze, built in 1972 and offering charters in the Mediterranean next summer at a weekly base rate of 55,000 euros…

Fraser Yachts Worldwide welcomed the brand-new 124-foot Hakvoort Perle Bleue into its fleet with a debut showing at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. We spotted world-renowned designer Evan K. Marshall taking a tour onboard with the owners, which should tell you just how unique this new yacht is inside and out…

International Yacht Collection welcomed the brand-new 164-foot Trinity motoryacht Mine Games into its fleet with a debut showing at the Fort Lauderdale boat show, where they apparently forbade photographs by the media. That was after our editor got onboard, luckily… IYC is also happy to welcome former CharterWave Captain of the Month David Linebaugh back into its fleet onboard the 146-foot motoryacht Balaju. As we first reported on our Editor’s Blog, the yacht is offering a $10,000 discount to the first five customers who book a $145,000-a-week charter in the Caribbean this winter…

Merrill-Stevens Yachts says the 97-foot motoryacht Gigi is still accepting bookings for holiday-season charters this winter in Florida and the Bahamas. The base rate is $40,000 a week for eight guests, and there is a seven-night minimum during Christmas and New Year’s… Merrill-Stevens also still has holiday availability onboard the 110-foot motoryacht Kaleen, which will be in the Caribbean at a weekly base rate of $38,000 for up to nine guests. That yacht has a 10-day minimum…

Nicholson Yachts says the 76-foot sailing catamaran Akasha has a super-cool new tender: a 36-foot high-performance speedboat available along with regular charters for an extra rate of $2,000 per day. That’s not something you find very often with sailing cats in the Virgin Islands… Nicholson welcomed one of CharterWave’s previous Yachts of the Month, the gorgeous 80-foot sailboat Melinka, into its fleet at a weekly base rate of $18,500 (Can we pick 'em, or what!)… Also new to the fleet is the 70-foot sailing yacht Claudia IV, chartering in the Caribbean this winter at a weekly base rate of 17,000 euros…

Northrop & Johnson is extremely proud of Capt. Bob Corcoran and the crew onboard the 153-foot motoryacht Argyll, which just won a Distinguished Crew Award from the International Superyacht Society. We first reported this on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog after an exclusive interview onboard with Capt. Corcoran…

Orca Yacht Charters was the first company to clue us in to the fact that Stabbert Maritime is bringing the new 143-foot motoryacht Devotion to Alaska for charters next summer. We confirmed the fact with the yacht's owner, Dan Stabbert, whom we know because of our previous experience onboard his former charter yacht Centurion. The weekly base rate for Devotion will be $120,000 for 12 guests…

Robert J. Cury & Associates tells us that the 124-foot motoryacht Murphy’s Law is still available for holiday charters in the Bahamas. She takes up to 10 guests at a weekly base rate of $65,000…

Sapphire Seas, a division of Wright Maritime group, has snagged the new 157-foot Christensen motoryacht Lady Joy for its charter fleet, we learned from an inside source. Stay tuned for rates and destination information…

Sunseeker Charters welcomed the second-ever Sunseeker 37-meter motoryacht into its charter fleet, making M4—our Motoryacht of the Month for November—the first model of its kind available for bookings in the Caribbean…

The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals and Select Yachts announced a strategic partnership that involves Ann E. McHorney, a former Sacks employee and the current owner of Select Yachts, also working as a charter broker for Sacks. The partnership gives Sacks a presence in the Caribbean just in time for the upcoming winter season, since Select Yachts is based on the island of Sint Maarten…

The Shipyard Group welcomes the 118-foot motoryacht Wanderlust into its fleet at a weekly base rate of $35,000 for nine guests. We got onboard for a tour with the owner in late October, so you can look for our exclusive First Impression soon…

New First Impressions Posted on CharterWave this Month:
Le Reve, 110-foot motoryacht
M4, 121-foot motoryacht
Mine Games, 164-foot motoryacht
Obrigado, 98-foot motoryacht
Perle Bleue, 125-foot motoryacht

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave this Month:
Capt. David Thomson, m/y Lion’s Whelp
Chef Victoria Allman, m/y True North

New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Rebecca Riley, Paradise Yacht Charters

New Vidcast Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Five-minute interview with charter broker Rebecca Riley