CharterWave eNews
May 2008

Ocean Independence Buys Cavendish White
Ocean Independence, which was created in 2005 by the merger of Ocean Cruise and Sea Independence, announced in mid-April that it has acquired British-based Cavendish White. The deal actually was finalized on April 3, but the companies waited to announce the news until the owners of all the yachts in their respective fleets could be notified.
     The acquisition gives Ocean Independence a fleet of 81 charter yachts, the second-largest in the world following Camper & Nicholsons International, which has 106 charter yachts in its fleet.
    Ocean Independence also now has at least a dozen retail charter brokers in offices around the globe, including Zurich, Antibes, Dusseldorf, Fort Lauderdale, Geneva, Monaco, Palma, St. Tropez, and the United Kingdom.

Welcome New Sponsor:
Shannon Webster Charters
We’re thrilled to welcome Shannon Webster Charters as the newest CharterWave sponsor.
     Shannon started out in the charter business working onboard yachts with her husband, Capt. Dan Webster (who is still in the business, commanding the 120-foot motoryacht Joanne). Shannon left boats in 1989 to open Shannon Webster Charters, which has since grown into one of the world’s most successful retail charter booking agencies.
     The majority of the crewed yachts that Shannon books are 80- to 150-feet long, power and sail, all over the world. Shannon has extensive global cruising experience, too, which gives her an advantage when helping clients select itineraries.  (See our editorial interview with Shannon for a complete list of all the cruising grounds she has personally visited.)
     Shannon’s sponsored page on CharterWave includes a blog, where she plans to begin posting tips and information soon. Until then, you can check out her company’s website.

Broker Sue Flammia
Joins International Yacht Charter Group
Sue Flammia, a longtime charter broker with Fort Lauderdale-based Merrill-Stevens, left the company in April to join International Yacht Charter Group.
     As we first reported on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog, Flammia’s move leaves Merrill-Stevens without any retail charter brokers in the United States, where the company had both a retail charter division as well as a charter yacht management division until last month.
     Merrill-Stevens charter director Marta Iglesias and broker Natascha Weber remain available to book charter vacations through the company’s office in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Iglesias says Merrill-Stevens will continue to have a retail charter division, though at this point, the only in-house brokers will be located in Spain. The company is considering its options for the Fort Lauderdale office.
     International Yacht Charter Group (a CharterWave sponsor) is a Florida-based retail charter booking agency. President Janet Bloomfield is growing the company quickly and luring talent from longstanding charter companies, most recently bringing aboard Patty Wilson, who formerly worked for The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals. 
     Flammia says her departure from Merrill-Stevens was amicable, and that she looks forward to assisting her clients with the charters she booked for them while working there.

We’re Scouting for You in Italy (and Maybe France, Too)
CharterWave Editor Kim Kavin will be in Genoa, Italy, this month for the largest industry-only European charter yacht show of the year.
     “There are a lot of exciting boats scheduled to attend this show,” Kim says. “I’m looking forward to seeing the new Benetti motoryachts Maraya and Latinou, as well as the new Palmer Johnson motoryacht Hokulani. I hear there’s also been quite a refit on the 295-foot Lauren L, and I have already secured one of the first appointments to get onboard for a tour.”
     Keep an eye on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog for Kim’s daily updates from the Genoa show, as well as for news of whether the new Lurssen motoryacht Martha Ann makes it from the German shipyard down to the port in Antibes, France, in time for Kim to get onboard. As always, we’ll post exclusive First Impression reviews of the yachts from all over Europe just as soon as possible.

Reputable Brokers are Scouting for You
in France, Greece, Turkey and the BVI
While Kim is busy in Italy and Antibes, several of the reputable brokers we trust here at CharterWave will be taking notes for us at boat shows from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.
      Missy Johnston of Northrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters will be at this month’s charter show in Poros, Greece. Beverly Parsons of Interpac Yachts will be at the show in Marmaris, Turkey. Gail Hartman of Virgin Island Sailing will be scouting for us at this month’s show in the British Virgin Islands, and Rebecca Riley of Paradise Yacht Charters will be on the docks in Cannes.
     We’ll have extensive interviews with these brokers available for you to read by June, just as we interviewed broker DJ Parker of Neptune Group Yachting about the recent boat show in Dubai.

New Featured Brokers Section on the Reputable Brokers Page
Beginning on April 9, reputable brokers who are also CharterWave sponsors began being highlighted in a rotating “featured brokers” section at the top of our reputable brokers page. Brokers who are not CharterWave sponsors are still listed on the page, though farther down on the screen.
     This new format in no way changes CharterWave’s policies about accepting sponsors, which are outlined in our 2008 Media Kit. To be clear: CharterWave only accepts advertising from brokers who are members of key professional organizations. Thus, all the featured brokers in this new section are, indeed, reputable according to international standards.
    Our goal with this change, as you might imagine, is to give greater recognition to the reputable brokers who support CharterWave. They provide the funding that allows our editorial content to grow, and thus we hope that when it comes time to book your next charter vacation, you will reward their support of this website by giving them your business.

New Podcast: Basics for First-Time Charter Clients
It’s interesting how people who are new to chartering always ask the same initial questions. Radio hosts, too, tend to want to cover the basics, which CharterWave editor Kim Kavin has learned while doing on-air interviews to promote the new edition of her book Dream Cruises: The Insider’s Guide to Private Yacht Charter Vacations.
     If you want to hear the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about charter, click over to this podcast interview that Kim did for a radio show called AuthorTalk. The clip is about 20 minutes long, with most of the chartering information discussed during the first 15 minutes.

Best of the Editor’s Blog
Same Size, Different Setup. The photo above is of the 47-foot sailing catamaran Genesis, which is brand-new to the Nicholson Yachts fleet in the Grenadines. What caught my attention about this yacht (whose crew I have yet to meet) is that she’s the same size as a lot of sailing cats that take six or even eight charter guests, but she’s being marketed far differently: as ideally accommodating a single couple… Read more…

Best of the Sponsored Blogs
From broker Agnes Howard, A Little More on the Motoryacht Java: My clients onboard the motoryacht Java had a wonderful time, telling me that the yacht, crew and meals were all fantastic. I’ve already heard from two of my client’s business associates, proving just how quickly word-of-mouth can spread about a great charter yacht… Read more…
 

Motoryacht of the month: Le Premier
It’s not often that we feature barges here on CharterWave, but the 127-foot Le Premier is unique in that she was rebuilt and continues to be run by former charter yacht owner-operators.
     Based on the Canal de Borgogne in Burgundy wine country, Le Premier is one of less than a half-dozen barges that offer yacht-level accommodations and service in France. We got onboard for a few days’ cruise from Dijon to Escommes, sampling exotic cheeses and touring historic chateaus along the way.
    Click here to read our full-length feature, or click here to jump straight to The High Five.

Sailing yacht of the month: Axia
Typically, it’s the brand-new sailing yachts that leave brokers oohing and aahing at boat shows, but the 123-foot Axia, which was originally built in 1990, drew quite a crowd during the time we were onboard in Antigua.
     She’s not only classically beautiful, but she has a well-known and highly experienced captain whose crew speak more than eight languages altogether. Check out our exclusive First Impression review.

Captain of the month: Scott Gaffga
Commanding the 116-foot motoryacht Serenity is only part of the job for Capt. Scott Gaffga. He also keeps up with the newest technology for making yachts compatible with wheelchairs, as Serenity is one of the only charter yachts in her size range that was built specifically to be handicapped accessible.
     Learn more about how Gaffga came to work onboard, and how he helped to oversee the yacht’s construction just last year, by reading our exclusive interview.

Chef of the month: Nicole Poirier
Not quite ready to go vegan, but wanting to eat less meat and fat? Consider the menu onboard the 154-foot sailing yacht Andromeda la Dea, which chef Nicole Poirer calls flexitarian. It’s mostly seafood and vegetables, with just enough flexibility to satisfy any meat-lover’s palate.
      We caught up with Nicole while Andromeda la Dea was in St. Kitts in late April. Here’s our exclusive interview.

Broker of the month: June Montagne
It’s not every charter broker who can find a Feadship motoryacht and red-carpet tickets for the Cannes Film Festival with only two weeks’ notice, but June Montagne did just that once for a client—and has worked overtime to satisfy many more clients’ requests since then. She’s part of the team at Fort Lauderdale-based Northrop & Johnson, where she books crewed yachts of all sizes and styles worldwide.
     To see how June got into the business and learn more about her specialties, read our exclusive interview.

Fleet and Management Company News
BCR Yachts says the 75-foot Oyster sailing yacht Holo Kai is available for charters during August in the Eastern Mediterranean, due to a last-minute cancellation… The 118-foot motoryacht Sunliner X is available for Monaco Film Festival and Grand Prix charters this month…

Burgess Yachts is mum on the details, but rumors have slipped out onto the Internet that the newly built, 145-foot sailing catamaran Gemini will be available for charters taking 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $150,000…

Camper & Nicholsons International is working with the owner of the 228-foot motoryacht Sherakhan to refit the 102-foot sailing yacht Thuraya. Built in 1982, Thuraya will take eight guests post-refit, beginning with the winter 2008-09 season in the Caribbean…

Churchill Yacht Partners says the 121-foot Crescent motoryacht Olga  (shown at left) is available for a charter crossing the Panama Canal beginning May 25… New to the fleet is the 107-foot Burger Silver Seas, witha weekly base rate of $38,000 in the Bahamas and New England …

C U Yacht Charters welcomes the 90-foot Christensen motoryacht Yianoula to the fleet. Built in 1981, she takes eight guests and will be available in Florida and the Bahamas this summer at a lowest weekly base rate of $20,000…

Fraser Yachts Worldwide, in conjunction with New Zealand-based 37 South, is offering the 115-foot research/expedition yacht Codene for scuba-diving charters in Palau, Thailand, the Maldives, and the Andaman Islands throughout 2008 and into early 2009. She has two dive masters as part of her crew and takes six to eight guests….

International Yacht Collection welcomes two motoryachts to the fleet. The 157-foot Trinity Chevy Toy will take 10 guests in the Bahamas at a lowest weekly base rate of $157,000, while the 147-foot Izar/Navantia Tuscan Sun will take 12 guests in the Western Mediterranean at a lowest weekly base rate of 160,000 euro… IYC also says the new 230-foot Lurssen motoryacht Martha Ann has left the German shipyard and is bound for Antibes, preparing to offer charters this summer in the Western Mediterranean…

Neptune Group Yachting has extended the special offer by the 120-foot motoryacht Paladin, which is available for charters in the British Virgin Islands without repositioning fees throughout the month of May. Her weekly base rate is $55,000 for eight guests…

Nicholson Yachts welcomes the 62-foot Little Harbor sailing yacht Wanderer into the fleet. She was refit in 2005, is fully air conditioned, and has 6½ feet of head room throughout. Weekly base rates this summer in New England range from $10,500 for two guests to $14,500 for six guests…  Also new to the fleet is the 47-foot sailing catamaran Genesis, which takes just two guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $7,900… There’s a new crew onboard the 65-foot sailing catamaran True North. Capt. Virginia Wagner and mate/engineer Jamie Stark previously worked onboard the motorsailor Aria. The yacht will be based in Newport, Rhode Island, this summer at a weekly base rate of $27,500… If you book the 52-foot sailing yacht Ashlana before May 15, you can receive a 10-percent discount…

Northrop & Johnson says the 115-foot Trinity motoryacht Watercolours will be available for charters in the Turks & Caicos islands beginning in mid-May, before moving into the Bahamas for the summer season. She takes up to eight guests at a weekly base rate of $49,500, which includes the use of a 32-foot Intrepid tender… There are three new yachts in the fleet:  the 113-foot Diaship-Heesen motoryacht Lady J, which will take eight guests at a weekly base rate of $39,000 this summer in New England; the 130-foot Westport motoryacht Arioso, which will take 10 guests at a weekly base rate of $95,000 this summer in New England; and the 145-foot Christensen motoryacht Aghassi, which will take 10 guests at a weekly base rate of $170,000 this summer in the Pacific Northwest… The 122-foot motoryacht Shogun will be in the Pacific Northwest this summer, while the 87-foot sailing yacht Jess-Sea (shown in the photo above) will be on the western coast of Mexico…

Orca Yacht Charters is promoting two motoryachts available for charter in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest this summer. The 145-foot Devotion takes 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $125,000, while the 85-foot Sisu takes six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $35,000…

Primo Yachts says the 98-foot CRN motoryacht Ladies First has a good bit of availability for charters this summer. The boat is based in Viareggio, Italy, at a lowest weekly base rate of 50,000 euro… The 100-foot Canados motoryacht Blue Chip is available at a discounted low-season base rate of 44,000 euro per week during the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix… New to the fleet is the 94-foot motoryacht Bibich, which is expected to be delivered brand-new from a Turkish shipyard in mid-June. Charters will be available there, and later this summer in the Western Mediterranean, at a lowest weekly base rate of 60,000 euro for eight guests… Also new to the fleet is the 65-foot motoryacht Ali Baba, taking six to eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of 24,080 euro…

Seascape Yacht Charters says the 110-foot Cantieri di Pisa motoryacht Pollux is available for charters this summer in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. She takes eight to 10 guests with a crew of six at a lowest weekly base rate of 65,800 euro…

Southwest Florida Yachts has added a third Grand Banks 42 trawler yacht to its fleet. Dawn Treader, built in 2003, is available for skippered charters on the Gulf of Mexico’s Intracoastal Waterway. Weekly base rates start at $3,668…

Sunseeker Charters is promoting the 90-foot motoryacht In All Fairness, which will be available in Sardinia this month before moving to the French Riviera, where she will take eight guests… Two Sunseekers will be available this summer on Italy’s Amalfi Coast: a 75-footer that takes six guests as well as an 82-footer that takes eight guests… There’s also a 105-foot Sunseeker available for the Monaco Grand Prix at a weekly base rate of 110,500 euro, including a mooring at the event… A 75-foot Sunseeker is still available for both the Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival…

Taylor’d Yacht Charters opened for business in April in Natchez, Mississippi. Run by Sandy and Tom Taylor, both formerly of Northrop & Johnson in Fort Lauderdale, the new company will handle retail charter bookings of crewed yachts worldwide…

The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals has no fewer than nine motoryachts heading to the Northeastern United States to offer charters this summer. They range from the 74-foot Hatteras motoryacht Whale’s Way, which will take six guests at a weekly base rate of $18,000 in the Chesapeake Bay, to the 143-foot Van Mill motoryacht Starship, which will take 10 guests at a weekly base rate of $125,000 in New England… The 104-foot Broward motoryacht Diamond Lady is also available this summer, in the Bahamas, at a weekly base rate of $24,000 for six or seven guests…

The Shipyard Group welcomes Bonnie Mims, formerly of Moretti Yachts and, before that, Koch, Newton & Partners. Bonnie will be doing double duty as a retail charter broker as well as a charter yacht manager… The 118-foot Denison motoryacht Wanderlust is moving from the Bahamas to New England in June and is offering a delivery charter along the way…

YCO has launched a division called YCO Boutique that will coordinate land, air and sea travel in addition to the company’s yacht charter services.

New Full-Length Charter Feature Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Le Premier on the Canal de Borgogne in Burgundy Wine Country, France

New First Impression Reviews Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Trilogy, 90-foot motoryacht
Serenity, 116-foot motoryacht
Cookielicious, 72-foot sailing yacht
Axia, 123-foot sailing yacht 
Toto , 110-foot sailing yacht

New Crew Interviews Posted on CharterWave This Month:
Capt. Scott Gaffga, motoryacht Serenity
Chef Nicole Poirer, sailing yacht Andromeda la Dea

New Broker Interview Posted on CharterWave This Month:
June Montagne, Northrop & Johnson

Please Support the Sponsors Who Support CharterWave:

Boatbookings.com

Regency Yacht Vacations

International Yacht Charter Group

Virgin Island Sailing

Fine Yachts

C.U. Yacht Charters

Abiego Yachts

Shannon Webster Charters

Broker Agnes Howard

Broker Gail Hartman