Category Archives: Destination Information

Post about great (or not so great) places to charter and see

Newport RI: Sail for Pride to Benefit Servicemen and Women

Sail Newport has announced that on September 11, on the tenth anniversary of 9-11, the sailing organization will hold the fundraiser, Sail for Pride, an event that commemorates that fateful moment in history and raises funds for American service persons’ charities.

The original Sail for Pride was organized three weeks after the 9-11 terrorist attacks and to date the regatta has raised over $800,000 for over a dozen charities. This year organizers have selected the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and the R.I. Red Cross Service to Armed Forces Fund as beneficiaries of the 10th Anniversary Sail for Pride.

A fundraising event will follow the race at the Newport Shipyard where race trophies will be presented along with a trophy for the top fundraising boat in the event. A silent auction will also be held to generate additional funding for the selected charities.

Sail Newport invites boats over 22 feet to compete in the nearly 20 mile race around Conanicut Island. All types of boats will be encouraged to participate with many classes offered for handicap and one-design boats. Boats that do not have a Narragansett Bay PHRF rating will be given one for the event.

Please follow these helpful links for comprehensive luxury yacht charter and destination information about New England and Newport and Cape Cod .

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America’s Cup and ACWS: Introducing Exhilarating New Events and Technologies

Fifteen yacht clubs from 12 countries have committed to field teams to compete in the next America’s Cup, scheduled in San Francisco in 2013. Launching the event are pre-Cup races called the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS), which start this summer in Europe and the US. The America’s Cup now features two new high-tech catamaran designs representing the next generation in sailing technology, as well as onboard cameras for the ultimate in armchair participation.

The ACWS will start in Cascais, Portugal in August, followed by a race in Plymouth, England in September. A third regatta in San Diego will take place between mid-October and early December. Two more events will take place in 2012 before the Louis Vuitton Series, which selects a “Challenger” among the competing teams to face off against the America’s Cup “Defender” Oracle Racing in the 2013 America’s Cup.

Competing on the ACWS circuit will be the AC45 catamaran, a smaller version of the AC72. Both new designs are expected to reach speeds two to three times faster than previous IACC class monohulls. In fact, the tremendous speed and power, particularly of the larger AC72, introduces an entirely new and spine tingling element of danger to the competitions, as well as showcasing extraordinary breakthroughs in sailing technology.

Please follow this link to view a wide range of charter yachts available for the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco

Please see our Yachting Events Calendar and our Regattas and Sailing Events page for schedules and available charter race and spectator yachts.

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Meg Toppa Reports from St. Barths Bucket Regatta

It is an absolutely spectacular sailing event here in beautiful St. Barths. I was able to sail on Meteor,  a valiant 167 ft. Royal Huisman and watched as the crew practiced tacks and gybes,  raised the spinnaker and practiced  fleet-handed maneuvers.  Schools of flying fish and a daring humpback whale were playing in the surf, while overhead, a fleet of planes from the Texas Flying Legends Museum (owned by the owner of ketch Marie, also sailing in the bucket) dazzled crowds.

Celebrity sightings: David Letterman and Jimmy Buffet.  Jimmy is a friend of the owner of Meteor and will be sailing with the team.  He came on board and warmly shared a toast with us!  He seems to know several of these yacht owners and has no lack of invitations to sail!

Meteor won the regatta 3 years ago, she was fresh from the factory.  Last year they didn’t do so well so this year they’re ready to redeem themselves.  They have as their tactician, a veteran of four America’s Cups and three Volvo ‘s (formerly the Whitbread).  For up to the minute events please visit  St. Barths Bucket Regatta.

For information on races and regattas worldwide please see our overview on Regattas and Sailing Events and the Yachting Events Calendar.

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Splendid QUINTA ESSENTIA: Largest Yacht Launched by Heesen Shipyard To Date is Available for Summer Charter in Monaco

Heesen Yachts recently launched the first of its highly anticipated 55-meter semi-displacement series from the shipyard at Oss, The Netherlands. The head turning QUINTA ESSENTIA clearly displays, in both form and function, her esteemed Heesen pedigree.

Heesen naval architects in collaboration with Van Oossanen Associates have created a sophisticated and highly efficient hard-chine hull, while Frank Laupman from Omega Architects developed the dynamic and supremely graceful exterior lines.

The arresting exterior color striping plan alternates custom metallic dark red Awlgrip paint and oyster white. The inspiration for the plum red tone is taken from Montemaggio Merlot and reflects another of the owner’s passions – fine Tuscan wines. The dapper limousine tender, designed by Vripack and custom built in New Zealand by Vaudrey Miller, repeats the color scheme in miniature.

Renowned designer Ken Freivokh with Michela Reverberi, are responsible for cutting edge interiors that are at once artful, posh and beckoning. Commenting on this design co-operation, Nakhimov’s principal, Sergei Dorboserdov explained: “Ken was asked to create a futuristic interior in the minimalist style and while this resulted in an extremely attractive and conceptual design, the owners felt that the modern style was too stark. For this reason the owners introduced the Italian designer, Michela Reverberi to the QUINTA ESSENTIA project with a brief to make the atmosphere more intimate…Michela created a completely new interior style incorporating the color palette and atmosphere that met the owners’ taste and wishes.”

Michela Reverberi explains, “The inspiration for my work was ‘Quinta Essentia’ – the fifth element – which is the highest synthesis of the four elements. These four elements – Earth, Water, Air and Fire – are represented in the four guests’ cabins, while the owners’ suite synthesizes them all. The theme is integrated in the design thanks to details, colors, patterns that are displayed against an absolute and pure white background. Their presence is subtle and discrete. For the owners’ stateroom I chose the color silver, which reflects all the other elements, and therefore encompasses them all.”

The yacht has notable features that include a voluminous master stateroom, two double guest cabins that convert to a VIP compartment, a main deck swimming pool with lush waterfall, full gym and spa facilities on the sundeck, and a technologically innovative tender bay that can be flooded to allow easy launching and recovery of the tenders.

Yacht spotters are keeping an eye out for QUINTA ESSENTIA, a vessel certain to make a powerful impact on the luxury superyacht charter circuit in Monaco this summer.

LOA: 180.5ft.

Beam: 34ft.

Draft: 9.8 ft.

Fuel Capacity: 33,022 gal.

Water Capacity: 2,642 gal.

Maximum speed: 24 kts

Range: 4,500nm at 12 kts

Engines: 2 x MTU 20V4000M93L, each 4.300 kW

Please follow this link for comprehensive information on Luxury Superyacht Charter worldwide.

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Our Experts Experience a Caribbean Charter Aboard Stunning Luxury Yacht CHE

Our charter destinations are St. Maarten and St Barths, both renowned for fabulous nightlife, beaches, shopping and cuisine. Although these islands are considered top charter destinations in the Caribbean, when you’re chartering CHE, a stunning 114-foot Sunreef catamaran, staying on board and simply relaxing can be as alluring as going ashore.

Step on board CHE and a wave of calm washes over you. CHE is very spa-like. It has bamboo walls and floors that create a tranquil feeling of relaxation. The wife of the owner created a space that reflects her lifestyle of meditation, macrobiotic diet and overall balance.  An aura of peace permeates throughout the yacht, enveloping guests with a sense of well-being.

In contrast to the pervasive sense of tranquility at anchor, the rush of exhilaration you feel as soon as CHE gets underway is thrilling. It is quite spectacular to be on board and feel this yacht surging over the waves, the voluminous capacity of the sails propelling her with seemingly extraordinary speed over the water.

For those of us prone to seasickness, the topmost feature is that this yacht is such a huge platform of stability on the ocean, which enhances the joy of the experience. Despite rough seas with some huge swells in a wind blowing at 20-25 knots the yacht handled the surf remarkably well.

In all fairness, it was also the Captain’s ability to deal with the seas and approach the ocean with this particular yacht. His acumen surpassed any other professionally navigated catamaran we have ever been on. In fact, one of the most outstanding aspects of the entire charter was the crew. They worked flawlessly together as a team and are so synchronized that everything really happens seamlessly.

One example, the evening the Captain and two crewmembers sprang into action to save a 40-foot Beneteau that was dragging anchor. They managed to fend off CHE, jump into the dinghy and, although we were quite far out, tow the Beneteau back into the anchorage and secure it.  The guests onboard CHE were peacefully unaware of any activity, as the entire rescue was accomplished without panic, without flap, without noise, without commotion, without drama.

Luxury Yacht CHE is currently available for charter in the Caribbean with an exiting Mediterranean itinerary scheduled for the summer.

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