Luxury Charter Yacht Gadgets, including an Amphibious Quadbike!

Keeping with our recent theme of James Bond style gossip, our latest blog covers all of the best luxury yachting gadgets to have. Not only is this to coincide with the upcoming release of Skyfall but with Christmas coming soon, we thought this would be a great chance to start having a think about those all important presents.

Amphibious Quadbike

Just imagine – your yacht docks somewhere, and you hop on a jetski to land. When you get to land, you don’t get off the jetski, but it turns into a quadbike, with which you can go exploring. We’re completely in awe by this new gadget, made by Gibbs Sports Amphibians, and is called Quadski.

Top iPhone Yachting Apps:

Yachting Weather

Yacthing Weather is a great app for Captains, sailors, or anyone interested in the weather on the waters. It’s a great application that we’ve been using for some months now, and each update just gets better and better. It gives you all the information you would need to plan your charter, from temperature, wind direction and speed, wave height, wave length, wave period, storm risk, precipitation risk, humidity, pressure. It’s a great weather app in general, not only useful for those on the water.

Available for free, we highly recommend trying the app out!

Compass Eye – Marine Navigation and Bearings

Compass Eye is another great iPhone app, available at £2.99, that works with real-time camera and map views, bearing markers and an 8x zoom. Compass Eye is a fun way to make sure of your bearing. As most compass apps rely on a horizontal bearing and work only on that angle, but Compass Eye works on any angle or with any orientation, with the use of the camera.

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Luxury Yacht Charter for the Monaco Grand Prix 2013, Part I.

The Monaco Grand Prix is arguably the most famous and prestigious motor race in the world, alongside the 24 Hour Le Mans and Indianapolis 500 races. There is, however, no doubt that the Monaco Grand Prix is the most glamorous sporting event in the world, which attracts hundreds of celebrities, business VIP’s and royals every year! The streets of Monte Carlo have played host to the Grand Prix since 1929, providing a combination of tight corners, sweeping bends and fast straights. This is by far, the most accessible motor racing track in the world, being at the public’s disposal for 51 weeks of the year. There is therefore no surprise that every weekend, you will see, or more often hear the sounds of young men driving around the streets of Monte Carlo in their Ferrari’s, Mercedes’ and Lamborghini’s.

This Circuit is unique in the Formula 1 Calendar:

1) The circuit is the only one to feature a long tunnel, forcing the drivers to adjust their eyes from sun to shade on every lap.

2) It is the only event on the calendar not to feature a podium – the celebrations are held on the steps of the royal box.

3) Monaco is the only event to hold its practice day on the Thursday before the race, allowing the roads to be opened to the public on the Friday.

There has been no lack of controversy during the races history, including deliberate ploys to block the track, as well as many serious accidents and the fatality of Lorenzo Bandini in 1967. Michael Schumacher has won the race five times, which equaled Graham Hill’s record. Many enthusiasts will argue that the best period of racing was between 1984 and 1993 with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna dominating the race for the decade. This included the arrest of Senna on the Monday following the race of 1987, where he rode a motorcycle around the track without a helmet! You will be pleased to know that he was released by the police officers, once they had realised who it was.

Therefore, the Monaco Grand Prix has always lived up to its name for being the most popular, entertaining and prestigious motor race in history. It is one of our favourite events on the French Riviera and there is no better way to enjoy it than on a private  Formula One luxury yacht charter. We recommend multiple day luxury yacht charters from Cannes or Antibes on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and traveling to Monaco by water, avoiding the congested motorway. Why not live with the moment and charter a speedy motorboat to Monaco, such as Sur L’Onde, a Baia Atlantica 78. Chartering this yacht at 48 knots will be sure to give you an adrenaline rush! With the emergence of female test drivers in Formula 1, the captain on Sur L’Onde is a female and is renowned for being friendly and offering her clients a great experience on the water. Alternatively, why not meet the yacht in Monaco and arrive from either Cannes/ Mandelieu or Nice on a private helicopter transfer onto the helipad located on Sur L’Onde.

Watch this space for a series of Monaco Grand Prix related blogs, including where to go, what do do and how to do it!

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Luxury Crewed Yacht Charters or Bareboat Charters, Which to Choose? (from Guest Blogger Alan Cairns)

If you’re thinking about chartering a luxury yacht there are two options to consider; bareboat or crewed. It’s a choice that makes a big difference to your holiday or trip. While bareboat charters offer you the opportunity to take charge of the vessel, crewed charters offer the opportunity to hire a boat complete with all the necessary skills.

Bareboat Charters

Bareboat Charters are the simplest type of yacht charter, offering just the boat itself. Bareboating offers complete privacy and freedom, as well as the opportunity to captain a boat yourself. With bareboat charters you take full responsibility for all aspects of looking after the boat, including navigation, mooring, sailing, motoring, cooking and cleaning. If you’re not an experienced boater you will need to consider hiring a skipper or finding a friend with experience in sailing or motor boating.

Bareboat charters are often used for corporate events and team building days, as they can require that everybody on board takes responsibility for some element of the upkeep of the boat. Skippers should not only manage and direct the boat’s path, but should also be able to organise and manage the crew successfully, especially on sailing boats.

It’s important that whoever is in charge can delegate responsibilities, which could include hoisting sails, dropping anchor, cooking, cleaning and other general maintenance. The person in charge should communicate these expectations to the rest of the crew, and ensure that they understand what is expected of them.

Skippered Bareboat Charters

When you charter a bareboat you may be given the option of adding a qualified skipper who can take responsibility for navigating the boat. It can still feel like you have your own boat, as you will need to help them to raise the sails and drop the anchor.  A skippered bareboat charter is less expensive than a fully crewed yacht, but the skipper can take responsibility for some of the more stressful aspects of boating, including navigating through coral and plotting a course.

Crewed Charters

Crewed charters are boats that come with all necessary crew in one package. The number of crew will depend on the size of the boat. Smaller boats might require simply a skipper and a chef, while bigger boats could require a team of many more including deckhands, stewards, stewardesses and engineers.

You could even consider including scuba diving instructors, special caterers or entertainers in your boat team, to ensure you have a fun-filled and luxurious trip. Crewed charter yachts and motorboats are the easiest way to enjoy a charter boat trip. Roles and responsibilities will be delegated so you can concentrate on relaxing and enjoying the journey.

Alan Cairns writes on a number of subjects including outboard motors and canal boat holidays. Image sourced under creative commons licence courtesy of Jon Olav. Southern Shipwrights Ltd is one of the leading outboard motor dealers in the South East of England. SSL are dealers of Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury outboard motors as well as SunSport inflatables and 3D Tender RIBS and inflatables.

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The Top 3 Luxury Yachting Watches (from Guest Blogger Fraser Strand)

In my opinion there aren’t many experiences more pleasurable than sailing on the open sea. So whilst engaging in one of the most luxurious pursuits, it only follows that you should treat yourself to  an equally luxurious set of gear to accompany you, the most intimate of which is a good sturdy watch. The following timepieces combine the height of men’s luxury with the rugged durability needed to face the oceans deep:

1.    AUDEMARS PIGUET – The Royal Oak Collection

In 1914 HMS Royal Oak was launched as part of a Revenge-Class Battleship which was famously characterised by its octagonal cannon holes. This luxury sailing watch from Audemars Piguet acts as a tribute to the great ship by featuring an eight-sided rose gold bezel mirroring the distinctive and commanding nature of the Royal Oak’s weaponry. In my view, this is one of the most regal watches in the world with a unique historical relevance that gives it aura of commanding dominance.

 

 

2.    CARTIER – Calibre de Cartier

It’s no secret that Cartier watches are one of the most luxurious watch brands in the world, however it’s less well-known that they make a lavish range of men’s watches that are ideal for the open seas. Made with glareproof sapphire-crystal glass, the Calibre has a large lens set in a robust stainless steel case that is water resistant to 30 metres. In fact, Cartier have perfected the essential mechanical movements by employing the Swiss-made Calibre 1904-PS MC automatic machinery to exact a level of nautical precision second to none.

 

3.    JAEGER-LECOULTRE – Duometre

Not only does the Duometre have a stunningly unique and nautical design safe down to 3 meters, but its two independent power reserves provide an almost indefatigable reliability for up to 50 hours at sea. As with all their watches, Jaeger-LeCoultre guarantee over 1,000 hours of control tests which makes the Duometre one of the most reliable Swiss-made timepieces available.

 

Conclusion – Which is best?

Personally, when it comes to a yachting watch I think it has to be the perfect synthesis between reliability and luxury. Whilst no one does luxury better than Cartier, the Audemars Piaget Royal Oak has a robust yet distinctive style which I think gives it the edge as a true captain’s watch. If all this talk of luxury yachting has whet your appetite then check out some amazing charters at Boatbookings.com.

Fraser Strand is an avid technology writer with a passion for traveling and sailing around the world. On his own blog UK Gadget Review he writes about luxury watches, premium sailing gear, and innovative technology.

 

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57m Luxury Charter Yacht, DIAMOND A available in the Caribbean at a spectacular price!

DIAMOND A, the 57 meter luxury yacht, is available for charter this winter in the Caribbean for a reduced price of $225,000, (normally $360,000). This Abeking & Rasmussen Super Yacht accommodates up to 12 guests in 8 staterooms, as well as offering great entertaining space and water toys. She is very family friendly and sports a modern, light and airy interior, as you can see below.

For complete details and additional images, see DIAMOND A  on the site.

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