Special Report: Lessons Learned from the Lady Candida Fire
In July 2007, the 97-foot motoryacht Lady Candida caught fire and sank three miles off the southwest coast of Corsica, in the Western Mediterranean. There were six crew and 11 charter guests onboard when the fire started, with four of the charter guests being children. All were taken safely to shore as the yacht was engulfed in flames.
On February 18, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which is part of England’s Department of Transport, published this 32-page report about the fire and subsequent sinking. In summary, the report states that Lady Candida was operating without a full crew, that the crew onboard were not properly trained for emergencies, that the fire detection systems onboard were not properly maintained, that the crew onboard were not practicing basic fire-prevention acts such as cleaning a dryer’s lint trap, and that crew fatigue likely contributed to the scope of the fire and subsequent sinking.
These are serious claims regarding any charter yacht, and in particular one that is part of a fleet at a well-known, worldwide charter management company. Such is the case with Lady Candida, which at the time of its sinking was marketed for charter by Camper & Nicholsons International.
In an effort to help charter guests protect themselves against such a frightening scenario, we here at CharterWave have prepared this special report in the wake of the Lady Candida fire investigation. We solicited comments from Camper & Nicholsons International, as well as analysis from reputable charter brokers who are also licensed yacht captains.
Our special report offers suggestions for industry changes that could make charter yachts safer in general, and, most important, offers questions that anyone considering charter should ask to ensure that a yacht is operating in compliance with all maintenance and crew training requirements.


CharterWave Exclusive: Report from the 2008 Dubai Boat Show
Our editors were not in the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai Boat Show from March 11 through 15, but reputable brokers from some of the companies we cover did attend the show. They include International Yacht Collection, Sunseeker Charters, and Neptune Group Yachting—whose on-site team included company President DJ Parker, assistant Clancy Weller, and broker Julie Haiko.
It was Neptune Group Yachting’s first time with a booth at the Dubai show, as well as Parker’s first time in the country, She gave us an exclusive interview to explain what she discovered to CharterWave’s readers. Parker (shown seated at bottom left in the photo above) reports being surprised and pleased, not just with the show itself, but also with the future of Dubai as a vacation destination in general and a charter destination in particular.
Click here to read our interview and to see more of Parker’s photographs from the Dubai Boat Show and surrounding area.


Weak U.S. Dollar Affecting Some Mediterranean Charter Bookings
As we first noted on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog, reputable charter brokers are reporting that the strength of the euro, compared with the weak U.S. dollar, is causing some charter clients to forgo their annual summer charters in the Mediterranean.
Charter yacht owners, too, are feeling the squeeze, and are setting their Mediterranean rates to match. The most eye-popping example we’ve seen of this so far is the 124-foot motoryacht Perle Bleue, which recently announced that its summer rate in the Mediterranean will be 155,000 euros. That’s about $245,000 at today’s conversion rate, and a solid $100,000 more than the yacht’s base rate this winter in the Caribbean, as we also first reported on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog.
The good news wrapped into this euro-dollar situation is that charter yachts in the Bahamas, New England, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska are going to feel like pretty good deals this summer, as they typically base their expenses in dollars.
We have full-length features here on CharterWave about yachting experiences in all of these destinations, to help you get started on research if you choose to stay on this side of the Atlantic for the summer.

Charter Yachts Act to Preserve Beef Island
As we first reported on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog, a good number of charter yachts in the British Virgin Islands have donated recently to the BVI Heritage Conservation Group in an effort to preserve Beef Island.
Their donations come as a developer wants to put up a resort with 600 villas and a golf course in the Hans Creek area of Beef Island. The Virgin Islands Environmental Council says the development would damage a protected fisheries area, thus making the proposed new construction illegal. All parties are headed to court on May 14. (Learn more about the case here.)
One of the groups that is staunchly on the side of preserving Beef Island is the BVI Charter Yacht Society, as charter yacht owners want to keep the islands as beautiful as possible for guests wishing to cruise there on vacation. Close to a dozen charter yachts that regularly cruise in the area have donated to the cause, including Promenade, Swish, Serendipity, Viking Dream, Sandcastle, Fantasy Island, Shellete, Free Ingwe, Aldebaran, Jet Stream, Endless Summer, Best Revenge 5, and Caribbean Dream.
These are often significant contributions. The team on Promenade donated $3,000 off a charter. This is a 65-foot trimaran, not a 150-foot motoryacht. When the weekly rate for the yacht is $18,000, giving away $3,000 of it is no small percentage.
If you would like join these yachts in trying to maintain Beef Island, go to the website of the BVI Heritage Conservation Group.

BHC Charters Struck from Reputable Brokers List
On March 31, editor Kim Kavin deleted the company BHC Yacht Charters & Sales and its broker Andrew Buys from the CharterWave reputable brokers list. It is the first time a broker has been removed from the list since CharterWave’s inception in October 2006.
For more information, read this post on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog.

New Vidcast: Onboard the Motoryacht Jo with Chef David Beltran
Looking for a little poetry served up alongside your gourmet meals during your next motoryacht charter?
Chef David Beltran is your man, and we caught him in action onboard the beautiful, 160-foot motoryacht Jo in Antigua.
Click on the following links to check out our exclusive vidcast and extended interview with the man in the galley.

Best of the CharterWave Editor’s Blog
Perle Bleue Aims to Set New Standard. The team at management company International Yacht Collection tells me the 124-foot motoryacht Perle Bleue, previously promoted as heading for the Bahamas, will instead be chartering in the Western Mediterranean this summer–at an eye-popping weekly base rate of 155,000 euros. ... Read more...

Best of the CharterWave Sponsored Blogs
From the Fine Yachts blog: More on the Classic Yacht Theme. Last week I wrote briefly on the classics. This weekend the latest edition of WoodenBoat magazine arrived and it contained a variety of features on exactly the same subject. What a delight for anyone interested in beautiful wooden objects that float and sail. … Read more…

Crewed Motoryacht of the Month: Phoenix
CharterWave editor Kim Kavin had the pleasure of spending a few days onboard this 52-foot powercatamaran in Greece’s Dodecanese Islands.
The yacht is preparing to offer charters this summer in the Bahamas, with the same crew onboard that Kim had the chance to meet and evaluate. It's a husband-and-wife team from New Zealand who love to explore almost as much as charter clients will.
Read our full review by clicking here, or skip straight to The High Five.

Crewed Sailing Yacht of the Month: Tenacious
It’s not every 114-foot sailing yacht that carries a working cannon onboard, or that has proof of its hull being bulletproof. We caught up with this one as her captain showed off a recent interior refit to oohs and aahs at the Antigua charter yacht show.
To read our exclusive First Impression review of Tenacious, click here.

Captain of the Month: Matt Hardy
Sailing since the tender age of 1 day old, Capt. Matt Hardy is now in command of an 82-foot Swan sailboat that he loves to race with clients just as much as he enjoys cruising with them. He'll even teach you to sail if you're interesetd.
Check out our exclusive interview with Capt. Hardy by clicking here.

Chef of the Month: David Beltran
David Beltran from onboard the 160-foot motoryacht Jo is the only charter chef we’ve ever found who introduces his gourmet meals to guests by writing and reciting beautiful poetry at the dinner table.
We nabbed him for this exclusive interview, as well as for this vidcast including footage of his handiwork in Jo's galley.

Broker of the Month: Laurence Provost
Based near Paris, and fluent in both French and English, Laurence Provost loves to book charter yachts that feature the best French chefs she can find. Her company, Blue Latitude Yachting, manages charter yachts worldwide as well as books vacations onboard them.
Read the interview we did with Provost while she was evaluating a charter yacht off the coast of Brazil in March by clicking here.

Fleet and Management Company News
BCR Yachts welcomes the 75-foot sailing yacht Aglaia to this fleet. She takes six guests with three crew at a lowest weekly base rate of $25,000, and will be available this summer on the western coast of Costa Rica and Panama… The company also is taking legal action against a former sales broker who created a website announcing that BCR Yachts is in financial trouble. The 20-yearl-old company says that accusation is “blatantly false”…

Camper & Nicholsons International welcomes the 92-foot motoryacht Number Five to the fleet. She’s available (red leather sofas and all) in the Mediterranean this summer for up to seven guests… Also new to the fleet are the 98-foot high-performance sailing yacht Dark Shadow, built by Wally, and the 130-foot motoryacht Lionshare… CNI is also reporting that the 177-foot motoryacht Maraya will be available for industry tours in Italy next month, where we already have an appointment to get onboard for a CharterWave review…

Churchill Yacht Partners welcomes the 110-foot motoryacht Kaleen to the fleet. She sleeps as many as nine guests and is heading to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, this summer at a weekly base rate of $35,000… Churchill also is promoting the 121-foot motoryacht Olga in Central America and Western Mexico, at a weekly base rate of $65,000 for eight guests. Olga’s crew offers Thai massage, spa treatments, scuba diving, fishing, and more…

Folio Charter, a three-year-old England-based company that manages yachts built by the Ferretti Group, is offering the boatbuilder’s first Custom Line Navetta 26 for charter. She will be in the Mediterranean this summer and the Caribbean next winter, sleeping nine guests. The yacht has Mitsubishi anti-roll gyro stabilizers, a nice feature on an 85-foot boat. … Folio Charter tells us it is working toward becoming a member of the professional organization MYBA by next summer…

Fraser Yachts Worldwide, in partnership with Auckland-based 37 South Lt., is promoting the 65-foot motoryacht Harrier for charters in New Zealand. Prime season in that part of the world is from October through April, so book now for next year’s prime weather dates…


International Yacht Collection tells us the soon-to-be-delivered, 230-foot Lurssen motoryacht Martha Ann is proceeding on schedule with final touches at the shipyard. She should arrive in the South of France by the end of this month, when she will become available for charter at a weekly base rate of 600,000 euros for 12 guests. That makes her one of the most, if not the most, expensive 12-guest charter yachts in the world… IYC also has a special on the 135-foot motoryacht Atlantica. Clients who book a summer Bahamas charter before May will receive a $5,000 discount off the $110,000 weekly base rate…

Neptune Group Yachting welcomes former Merrill-Stevens charter marketer Clancy Weller as a personal executive assistant to company President DJ Parker. Weller intends to work toward becoming a retail charter broker with NGYI within a year’s time… NGYI also welcomes the 62-foot motoryacht Lady Z to its fleet. She takes six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $22,000, and will be available in New England this summer… The company also reports that the 103-foot motoryacht Trilogy has completed a substantial refit and is available for charters in Florida and the Bahamas this summer…

Newport Yacht Management is promoting the 100-foot sailing yacht Sapphire as a classically styled yacht built with all the modern comforts. She’s available for four to eight guests at inclusive weekly base rates ranging from $36,000 to $40,000…

Nicholson Yachts has two sailboats available for charter in the lower Caribbean and Grenadines. The 54-foot Dove takes two to four guests, while the 65-foot Makayabella takes as many as eight guests. … The company also announced a cancellation on the usually booked-solid, 65-foot sailing catamaran Angel Glow, which now has an opening during the month of July, which the yacht will begin in Grenada… Nicholson Yachts also added the 75-foot sailing catamaran Matau to its fleet, at a lowest weekly base rate of 35,000 euros in the Mediterranean this summer …

Northrop & Johnson welcomes the 130-foot motoryacht Arioso to the fleet. Launched in 2006, the yacht takes as many as 10 guests at a weekly base rate of $95,000. She will be available in New England this summer… The 120-foot motoryacht Sovereign is staying in the Bahamas through June before moving to New England at a lowest weekly base rate of $70,000 for 12 guests… The 102-foot motoryacht Bellflower is currently in the shipyard getting a 14-foot extension and overall refit. She’ll be available for charter beginning in August in New England… Also see our First Impression update regarding a new cabin arrangement on the 87-foot sailing yacht Jess-Sea…

Northrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters has launched a nifty new website that features a good number of articles written for magazines by CharterWave editor Kim Kavin…

Ocean Independence has added four yachts under 100 feet to its charter fleet, as we first reported on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog. They include The 88-foot Hardwork II taking six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of 42,000 euros, the 80-foot Champagne O’Clock taking eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of 40,000 euros, the 75-foot Alexsophie taking eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of 30,000 euros, and the just-shy-of-74-foot Momas taking six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of 24,000 euros …

Primo Yacht Charter tells us the 147-foot motoryacht Secret Life and the 131-foot motoryacht Ineke IV will be featured in an upcoming French comedy film titled “Les Randonneur a Saint Tropez” (The Hiker of St. Tropez). You can view photos and trailers by clicking here.

Southwest Florida Yachts, which offers skippered charters as well as bareboats, is promoting a special. If you request a powerboat or sailboat charter that takes place between May 1 and December 13, you’ll get two free days onboard for every three days you book. Charters planned for December 14 through April 30 will receive one free day for every three days booked…

Sunreef Yachts is promoting eight sailing catamarans from 56 to 74 feet long for charter this summer. Destinations range from the Eastern and Western Mediterranean to Spain’s Balearic Isles, the Seychelles, and Venezuela. Weekly base rates start at 15,000 euros…

Sunseeker Charters has launched a new website that is designed specifically to help corporate charter clients. The site not only features available charter yachts, but also provides a list of upcoming events to help corporate planners organize their charter dates accordingly...

The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals welcomes two new yachts to its charter fleet. The 140-foot motoryacht Monaliza (formerly Martha Ann) takes 10 guests at a weekly base rate of $85,000, while the 100-foot motoryacht Da Bubba takes eight guests at a weekly base rate of $42,500. Monaliza will be in the Mediterranean this summer, while Da Bubba will be in the Bahamas…

The Shipyard Group says the 73-foot motoryacht Sedrop is becoming available for charter this month in the Bahamas at a lowest weekly base rate of $28,500 for eight guests… Also returning to charter this month is the classic, 61-foot Trumpy motoryacht Sea Tabby, in New England, at a lowest weekly base rate of $12,000 for five guests… The 75-foot motoryacht Zest for Life II will be available in the unusual summer destination of Port Washington, on New York’s Long Island, at a lowest weekly base rate of $18,500 for six guests....

Voyage Charters recently announced some changes that apply to all the yachts in its fleet. The changes include a 10-percent surcharge on charters of five nights or less, the appointment of an in-house dive master who will be available to rendezvous with charter clients for scuba, the requirement that charter brokers sign a new agreement before getting access to the company's yacht-reservation system, and a reduction in number of crew onboard Voyage 580s from three to two.

New First Impressions Posted on CharterWave This Month
Blind Date, 135-foot motoryacht
Caribbean Dream, 47-foot sailing catamaran
Gale Winds, 130-foot motoryacht
Jo, 160-foot motoryacht
New Moon II, 112-foot motoryacht
Nikata, 82-foot sailing yacht
Private Lives, 120-foot motoryacht
Slumber Venture, 60-foot powercatamaran
Tenacious, 114-foot sailing yacht
Tiger’s Eye, 98-foot motoryacht

New Charter Feature Posted on CharterWave This Month
52-foot powercatamaran Phoenix in Greece’s Dodecanese Islands

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave This Month
David Beltran, chef, motoryacht Jo
Matt Hardy, captain, sailing yacht Nikata

New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave This Month
Laurence Provost, Blue Latitude Yachting

New Helpful Articles Posted on CharterWave This Month
CharterWave Special Report: Lessons Learned from the Lady Candida Fire
Report from the 2008 Dubai Boat Show

New Vidcast Posted on CharterWave This Month
Chef David Beltran, motoryacht Jo

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