Vendée Globe Race has a Top of the Table Re-shuffle

Jean-Pierre Dick, has overtaken his fellow frenchman Sebastien Josse and shot into the lead of the Vendée Globe Solo Round the World Yacht Race.  The Race, which was one of the starting pinnacles of Dame Ellen MacArthur’s sailing career, is considered by many to be the most gruelling of solo races. The 30-boat fleet of contestants entered the Indian Ocean southeast of the Cape of Good Hope on Monday having started and continued non-stop from the west coast of France on 9th November.

Josse was also overtaken by Roland Jourdain, another frenchman, and the fourth spot is occupied by Loick Peyron, meaning that the first four places in the race are currently waving the french flag. 68.3 nautical miles behind the leader is the first non-french contestant, England’s Mike Golding. Six boats have already dropped out of the race and with the rolling and unforgiving oceans of the south yet to come we could see further abandonments as the race progresses.

Watch this space for more information!

Some information courtesy of the Daily Times.

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150 years on, the Galápagos Islands still inspire the minds of people

blue footed boobyNext year will be the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’, the world famous book where Darwin outlines his theory of evolution and natural selection that now underpins much of our modern understanding of the natural world and our own development.  Darwin was travelling on board the HMS Beagle as a naturalist and gentleman’s companion to the captain, Robert Fitzroy, when he encountered the Galápagos Islands, his findings there of unusual and unique species would later inspire his theory and book and lead to a lifetime of fame and distinction.

The Islands are still wild and inspiring today, supporting endemic species such as the blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and Giant Galápagos Tortoises after whom the islands are named (galápago means saddle in spanish).  All tourism in the area is regulated to protect the natural ecosystem that abounds there and tourism is essential to help sustain the economy and preserve the islands’ charm. Unfortunately the hotels and restaurants that arrive to cash in on the tourism are now straining the local environment to its limit and threatening the very reason people choose to visit the Galápagos. The best and least environmentally damaging alternative is on board a yacht, just as Darwin did.

Some information courtesy of the Guardian online and Wikipedia

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First teams arrive in India in Volvo Ocean Race

Three days ahead of schedule, Sweden’s Ericsson 4 team stormed ahead of the pack to reach Cochin in India yesterday morning and win the second leg of the race.  The yacht, skippered by Brazillian Olympic gold medallist Torben Grael, reached the port an estimated 12 hours ahead of the nearest contester Spain’s Telefonica Blue. Having already won the first leg which saw the race go from Alicante in Spain to Cape Town, Ericsson 4 now leads the points table with 26 points and are very happy with their 14 day journey from Cape Town to India.  This leg has been particularly tough being in a region not used before for the Volvo Ocean Race and amid fears and worries of pirate attacks heightened by the recent high profile hijackings in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa.

The next legs of the race will see the eight teams heading towards Singapore, Qingdao in China and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil before ending their 37,000 nautical mile (68,000km) journey in St. Petersburg around June 2009.

[For more information about the Volvo Ocean Race]

Some information courtesy of The Age online

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Thailand Charter Situation

As all of you have no doubt noticed, Thailand, one of our favorite charter destinations, has some political problems at the moment!

Previous problems have largely been confined to small areas around government buildings in Bangkok. Our Asia Regional Manager was actually in Bangkok during the military coup 20 months ago, and life was totally normal for 99% of the city.

This time, however, some protesters have occupied and shut down Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. This is making it awkward for tourists to get in and out of Thailand.  Here is our most up-to-date information on effect on the Thai charter regions:

Phuket

We spoke to several of the major charter operators in Phuket over the last few days. They confirm that there are no problems on the ground in Phuket, life is going on normally, charters are running and the sun is starting to shine!

Airlines are re-routing their flights to Singapore, and regional airlines are adding extra flights from Singapore to Phuket to handle the extra demand.

Koh Chang

This is the biggest travel problem area, since virtually all international clients for Koh Chang will come in through the main international airport. However, for people who still want to get to Koh Chang, it is possible. Bangkok Airways operates flights between Phuket and Utapao, just south of Pattaya. From there, a minibus transfer can take you south to Koh Chang.

Koh Samui

Phuket is the gateway again. Bangkok Airways operates flights between Phuket and Koh Samui. Charter yachts are based in Koh Samui May to September each year.

The good news for travelers is that all these issues means that demand will be down, and there will some fabulous charter offers becoming available over coming months. In fact, there are already special offers emerging from Phuket.  See our Phuket Specials or contact our Asian Office if you would like further information at: +65 9173 4520 or email Singapore.

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The Top Yachts from the Caribbean Boat Shows

King's RansomThe Stateside Boatbookings team have been cruising the boat shows of the Caribbean (still ongoing!) and at the recent British Virgin Island (BVI) and St. Thomas Shows they have formulated a list of their top picks for the coming season.  Here is what they had to say:

From the BVI Show, the top yachts were Aldebaran and King’s Ransom.

    “King’s Ransom is another great catamaran based in the BVIs. It is a brand new Matrix design, very spacious, and is definately one of the higher end crewed cats we have to offer for the BVI. Crew were lovely and the boat has all new amenties, with lovely warm soft furnishings.”

    “I also like Aldebaran, a Lagoon 57. She has great crew, a husband and wife team from South Africa. He is a dive master and she is now a qualified yoga instructor so if the guests onboard would like a private yoga class she can accommodate them! Diving facilities are onboard. Aldebaran won best multihull yacht in the BVI boat show.”

From the St. Thomas Show, the yachts of choice were 5 Star and Viaggo.

    “We both loved the yacht 5 Star. It is a great Beneteau 50 and newer to charter. She is a 2 pax boat only, so a perfect fit for a honeymoon charter, or a romantic getaway for a couple.”

    “Viaggo is motor yacht and is also brand spanking new, she really is a great boat. She is extremely spacious for her size.  A Horizon 74 design from Virgin traders, this is their first crewed yacht, so still working on the details, but watch this space and she should be on our site soon”

So, it’s all set to be another exciting season in the Caribbean with more news coming this way from the other Caribbean shows!

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