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Written by Kim Kavin
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Friday, 07 December 2007 11:13 |
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"All right, folks. Here it is: In my opinion, the most impressive charter yacht at the St. Maarten show is the brand-new 190-foot Abeking & Rasmussen Lady Sheridan.
I can't wait to write up a full First Impression review of this yacht, which has an interior decor that literally left me speechless. I sat in the pilothouse after my tour, waiting to interview the captain, and I simply couldn't process all the fantastic colors, fabrics, woodworking, and art that I had just seen. Lady Sheridan--and I know this is a bit of a cliche--is a floating sculpture. She's just spectacular, and with a crew to match. Even the chief stewardess was at the yard in Germany during the build, helping to organize stowage spaces to enhance guests' charter experience. Just top notch!
I also want to give a shout-out to the 130-foot motoryacht Lady Zelda and the 125-foot motoryacht Milk & Honey, both of which impressed me during the evening yacht hops with terrific parties. Lazy Zelda did a "Brokeback Mountain" theme full of cowboy hats and slow-cooked ribs, while Milk & Honey had fan hats and gladiator costumes. Charter guests will love to throw parties on these boats.
And last but not least, I'd also like to mention the 138-foot motoryacht Noa VII, which was one of the nicer refits I've seen in a long time. The owner is a collector of rare sculpture and art, much of which decorates the interior. I'll show you photos as soon as I get back home from the Caribbean and have time to write up my First Impression review.
Lady Sheridan and Noa VII are both part of the fleet at Burgess Yachts, while Milk & Honey is with International Yacht Collection and Lady Zelda is with Fraser Yachts Worldwide. Contact any reputable charter broker for booking information." |
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Written by Kim Kavin
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Wednesday, 05 December 2007 12:31 |
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"I believe that I can officially say the new trend in motoryacht interior decor is mother of pearl--having now seen strips of it turned into wallpaper or bathroom tile on all three of the newest motoryachts here at the annual charter yacht show on St. Maarten.
The new 157-foot Christensen Lady Joy makes extensive use of the design element, as does a new Feadship I'm not supposed to mention by name. I toured both of those boats yesterday, before today's look around the new 190-foot Abeking & Rasmussen Lady Sheridan, whose master bathroom suites have, in my opinion, the nicest displays of all these yachts, with the mother of pearl strips inlayed into golden-colored marble and onyx.
Another trend in interior decor seems to be lighted onyx bars. There's one onboard Lady Sheridan, as well as on a few other yachts I've toured in the past year or so. Gorgeous stone work is no longer enough. Apparently, it now needs to be inlayed with lighting or glittery mother of pearl designs.
Take note, fashionistas. Typically, when these kinds of trends start showing up on luxury yachts around the globe, they're soon to follow in retail stores and jewelry shops." |
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Written by Kim Kavin
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Tuesday, 04 December 2007 11:46 |
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"So I'm here at the Sint Maarten charter show, having arrived late last night after all of the brokers had a full day to get onboard the boats. First thing this morning, I asked a few of the reputable brokers I trust which yacht had made the best impression on them so far, and virtually every single one told me to walk to the end of the dock and get onboard the new 200-foot Feadship motoryacht Secret, which is part of the fleet at Burgess Yachts.
You can imagine my surprise when I walked up the boarding ladder, presented my boat show credentials--and was told that I was not allowed onboard because I was a member of the press. I had to go find a Burgess broker who knew me, speak directly with the captain, and promise to leave my notebook and cameras at the dock if I wanted to take a look around.
Which I did, and, frankly, resented--as should you. The yacht's owner, I'm told, made an arrangement with some bigtime, non-boating magazine for a feature in exchange for keeping all other journalists away for an entire year--far longer than any regular "exclusive" period of publication. That means that if you're wondering whether this boat is actually worth the (gulp) $550,000 a week base rate that the owner is asking, the only "independent" information you'll be able to find is going to be in a magazine whose writers are not experts in boating or charter.
I certainly can't tell yacht owners what to do with their boats, but putting them into a boat show and then denying access to the press just makes those of us who write about boats for a living think that the owners really don't care much about reaching out to charter clients, which is what the boating press facilitates. It makes me wonder how much the yacht's owner cares about chartering at all--and it should make you wonder, too.
And that, unfortunately, is the only thing I can tell you about this particular new yacht, since I had to agree not to write about what I saw onboard the boat itself.
What a shame for everyone.
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Written by Kim Kavin
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Sunday, 02 December 2007 07:28 |
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"I'm just thrilled to announce that International Yacht Charter Group has become CharterWave’s newest sponsor—not just because it’s a reputable charter company, but also because its owners are among the savviest brokers in the world when it comes to doing business on the Web.
The brokers who work at International Yacht Charter Group are members of three out of the world’s four premier professional associations: MYBA, FYBA and CYBA International. I regularly see company President Janet Bloomfield and broker Patty Wilson at major boat shows worldwide, inspecting boats and interviewing crew to make sure they have all the latest, up-to-date information. That’s the kind of diligence I look for in a reputable company, and it's a big part of the reason why I'm so happy to have International Yacht Charter Group as a sponsor.
The company was founded by CEO Derek Holding, who previously had a successful career working in Internet development. The International Yacbt Charter Group website is one of the most complete online, regularly ranking at the top of search engines and winning new clients. (It was built in cooperation with LS Media, which is the company that designed CharterWave, too.)
That Holding and the International Yacht Charter Group team now see CharterWave as a valuable online partner makes all of us here at CharterWave proud. They know a good website when they see one, and we’re thrilled to have them join our growing list of sponsors.
Click here to head over to International Yacht Charter Group’s sponsored page on CharterWave—where the company’s brokers are going to begin blogging this month, straight from the much-anticipated Caribbean yacht charter shows." |
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Beverly Parsons has been chartering since 1969. She is a licensed, bonded broker and a founding member of the professional groups AYCA and CYBA International. Contact Beverly.
Nicole Caulfield is licensed, bonded, and a longtime member of FYBA and AYCA. She brings a unique perspective as a broker, having worked aboard yachts for nearly 10 years. Email Nicole
Trina Howes has 10 years of experience in the charter industry finding great pleasure in creating the best yachting vacations possible. E-mail Trina
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