Info bits on Yacht Charter

I’d like to share some information and news from the yachting industry with you. It‘s mostly links to interesting stories and news bit from around the globe, regarding new builds, sailing regattas and races, charter destinations and opinions on what’s happening in our treasured industry.

Did you know you can now sign up on our website to receive regular email updates from Charter Experience. Go to Charter Experience to sign up.

I’d like to link you to an interview I had with Kim Kavin about the boatshow in Poros, Greece I visited last month. You can find the article here.

The superyacht sailing season will be kicked off by the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta in Sardinia hosted by the prestigious Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The line-up is impressive and the social program will be glamorous.

Then just when you’ve caught your breath from racing in Porto Cervo you should dash over to Palma de Mallorca where The Superyacht Cup is gearing up for its annual regatta from June 24 – 27. It is, as they claim, the longest running superyacht regatta in Europe. It is an incredible spectacle with many well known superyachts participating in this fun race. It has a staggered start which means that the slowest boat will start first and the fastest last. Result is they all get to the finish line at the same time, which makes good watching for spectators.

And here a link to another article of Charterwave on cruising in the Balearics.

Contact me if you’d like to charter a yacht in Porto Cervo or Palma de Mallorca to watch these regattas.

The International Superyacht Society (ISS) is seeking nominations from the yachting industry and yachting public for its annual recognition programs. You can read more about this here.

Sarah Meek from The Yacht Report writes about the plans from the Tahitian Port Authorities to improve the security and services for Superyachts visiting Papeeta during this cruising season. You can read more about it here.

Also from The Yacht Report is the update on the launch of the 65.22 m Feadship Trident by Royal Van Lent Shipyard. I might be biased being Dutch but Van Lent is a very good yard!

This is it for today. I will keep you posted on news from the yachting industry.

Gertrud

PS Don't forget to visit our website Charter Experience for a wide array of luxury yachts available for charter and sign up for our email updates.

Junglebook afloat?

Please visit the website of Charter Experience for a selection of luxury yachts available for charter.

I will soon do a post on my favourite charter yachts but this yacht deserves a bit of private attention. MY Sherakhan is I think my most favourite charter yacht at the moment. I've known the (also Dutch) General Manager Jan Verkerk for a long time and have followed him and his yacht progressing from being a bare hull to this most amazingly luxury vessel.

Sherakhan is almost 70 mtr of sheer luxury and abundance. Whether it be the incredible dining room or the amazing luxurious cabins or the onboard Spa (see picture left) the interior design is quite spectacular.

The crew of MY Sherakhan is among the best you will ever find on a charter yacht and they will make sure that everything will happen before you even finish thinking about it!

She takes an amazing 26 guests in 13 luxury cabins (there are not many yachts that take more than 12 guests) and her summer destination will be the Eastern Mediterranean.

Her weekly rate is EURO 380,000 plus expenses.

Please contact us ( charter@charterexperience.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for more information and the availability of MY Sherakhan.

Gertrud

Champagne in Palma

Please visit the website of Charter Experience for a wider selection of charter yachts.

I just come off an amazing "little" boat in Palma de Mallorca, the yacht charter hub in the West Med. Champagne O Clock is a 86' Falcon and has an amazing amount of space for a yacht this size and she is legal to charter in Spanish waters.
What do you get for your EURO 40,000 + 16% VAT and expenses?

A fully refitted, refurbished yacht in excellent condition with lots of space for 8 guests in 4 cabins. You can have a master with a King size bed, a VIP with King size bed and the other two cabins can be converted in either double or twin! any configuration is possible.
The sound system is up to date and you will find iPod docking stations throughout the yacht. The power showers are brand new and fantastic!

I don't think I've ever seen such a huge fly bridge on this size yacht. A perfect place to lounge and enjoy sun drenched days in Ibiza and sneak over to Formentera for a swim in the bluest water in the Med.

You better hurry in booking this gem! She's almost fully booked for this summer but still has a couple of gaps for you to grab and enjoy a week of Spanish life style in the fantastic Balearic Islands.

Contact us at charter@charterexperience.com

Gertrud

Sardinian Tax Cancelled

Please visit the Charter Experience website for a wide array of luxury charter yachts.

The following press release has been issued by Sardinia-based companies Luise Group and Sardinia Yacht Services in reaction to the cancellation of the luxury tax in Sardinia, which will affect superyachts visiting the island and comes at the perfect time for those vessels looking to charter in and around it: Sardinia Yacht Services, the concierge and maritime agency services in Sardinia for Luise Group, is pleased to communicate that the Sardinia Luxury Tax that has been in effect since 2006 has been cancelled.

On Wednesday, 6 May, the local regional government of Sardinia approved Article 2 of the Financial Regional Act. The approval of this act effectively cancels the law known as the “luxury tax” in Sardinia. This tax was felt throughout the tourism industry and had a negative effect on the local tourism economy. Il Consorzio Rete dei Porti Sardegna (The Consortium of Sardinian Touristic Ports) is pleased about the cancellation. In the past three years there has been a decline of approximately 50 per cent in the number of yachts present in Sardinian ports. The law, which has now been cancelled, stipulated that yachts berthed in any port in Sardinia had to pay up to 15,000 euros for their sojourn.

This tax had a visibly negative result on Sardinia’s image as a premier vacation destination worldwide. As other regions in the Med are actively trying to promote their regions, in particular with regards to high quality tourism, this tax in Sardinia had the exactly opposite effect. Fulvio Luise, Managing Partner of Luise Group commented today, “This is a very significant step forward for everyone who works in the yachting and luxury sector in Sardinia. Despite our best efforts in the past three years to help clients understand this tax, we faced enormous challenges and incurred a drop of approximately 20-25 per cent each year in superyachts travelling to Sardinia.”

Renato Azara, Managing Partner of Sardinia Yacht Services said, “We have been working very closely with the local authorities for the past three years, first in trying to have modifications made to the law and secondly in its cancellation. We were successful on both points.

The megayacht industry is an important economic component of Sardinia’s tourism industry and we are very pleased that we have a positive relationship with the local authorities and that they have a full understanding of the potential of this market for Sardinia.”

The above means that Sardinia is again a very sought after destination this summer. Be quick to book your charter yacht for the early weeks of August. In one of my earlier posts (which is here) you can find a great itinerary for Sardinia and Corsica. There is much to see and do and enjoy. Contact us for your booking charter@charterexperience.com

Gertrud

PS meanwhile i have arrived in Palma de Mallorca on the Balearic Islands and shall inspect the local fleet here and report back to you.

Charter fleet in the Balearics

The traveling for me has not yet come to an end. I am preparing to go to Palma de Mallorca to inspect the charter fleet based in the Balearics. You can find some more information on chartering a luxury yacht in the Balearics on our website. In the picture you see MY Mizar, one of the yachts I will be seeing and many others that are permanently based in Palma and are legal to charter in Spanish waters.

Spain has a special stipulation for yachts and commercial activities. Therefor any yacht willing to take on paying charter guests has to have a special charter license. Consequence is that the owner has to charge 16% VAT on the charter fee. or many years the charter industry has been lobbying to change this situation and bring it in line with the French and Italian situation but until the law is changed we can only offer yachts that are legal to charter in Spanish waters. Luckily the fleet is growing every year. The number of yachts and the quality is absolutely increasing.I shall report back with my findings and some real gems that are still available for this summer!

Having lived and sailed in Palma de Mallorca for 6 years I can wholeheartedly recommend the Balearics as charter destination and we know where to go and what to do!

Our Charter Experience is your free local knowledge.

Contact us (charter@charterexperience.com) for more information on chartering in Spain or check our website for a wide array of luxury charter yachts.

Gertrud

Carbon Offset Yacht Charter

Charter Experience offers Carbon Offsetting to its Charter clients.

Now any yacht, large or small, can act to address greenhouse gas emissions as part of the arrangements for your charter. Based on the quantity and type of fuel used during your stay, specialists calculate the carbon emissions from the yacht’s engines– then balance them with equivalent savings achieved by approved projects, worldwide, funded through your Offset.

The full performance, range and capabilities of the vessel are unaffected, and the cost is modest. You can talk to your friends or in public about the action if you choose. Through the specialist service of Yacht Carbon Offset, you can be secure in the knowledge that real, properly verified savings in greenhouse gas emissions have been arranged on your behalf.

It is a positive touch that provides an effective balance to the carbon emissions of your charter. You can have the satisfaction of knowing that where you lead, others follow.

Email us at charter@chartereperience.com for your booking or check Charter Experience website for a wide array of luxury yachts available for charter.

Gertrud

Poros - Part III

The Poros yacht charter show is over. All yachts have returned to their respective home ports and life goes on. The lovely crew of Magna Grecia has been very kind and offered me a small cruise back to Piraeus. It is a serious beautiful yacht, with a fantastic crew! See picture, her weekly rate is Euro 231.000 - plus expenses but it is absolutely worth it.

Further news from the show. I had the honor to be invited on the new Iraklis L. a brand new Gulet (work was still being carried out at the show to get her ready) She is an amazing top class Gulet. The food on board was top standard Greek food, souvlaki, tzaziki, giros and all the famous Greek dishes. A new class of Gulet in Greece is born.

Also have inspected a wide array of smaller (65-76') powerboats and they are ready to take you for a spin. I promise you, you will have a great holiday on one these yachts. Prices are all very reasonable and the quality of the yachts, the crew and service are outstanding. Contact me for more details on these little gems!

Meanwhile, keep sending the enquiries, we will answer you in shortest possible time and offer a personal service from start to finish of your charter.

Gertrud

More Poros

Visit the Charter Experience website for a large selection of quality charter yachts

Yesterday was a gorgeous day in Poros, sunshine galore and hardly any wind, a typical Greek spring day.

A perfect day to have lunch on boad of Lady Ellen, moored just across the bay and a dinghy ride in the sun away, sometimes work is really a pleasure! Lady Ellen is the latest addition of the Greek fleet. She's a 112' Benetti and in excellent condition. The chef prepared some really good courses and finished with a devine cheesecake!Soon more information on her on our website.

I've been onboard a couple of amazing Swan sailing yachts - Callisto and Aristarchos. We shall add pictures of the latter to our website shortly. Callisto is a popular 80' Swan charteryacht and in excellent condition. She has a new captain who's an avid sailor and the stewardess has been onboard for the last 13!! years, she knows the boat inside out and the cruising grounds and all the right places to go and especially not to go.

Aristarchos is a brand new 100' Swan, one in a kind and very beautiful. The crew spent the last two years up in Finland at the yard of Swan and have had a huge say in the lay out of the yacht. The result is a very good looking and very good performing sailingyacht, with a distribution that works perfect for the guests onboard and the crew. Absolutely worth chartering for those who are into sailing or if you want to try sailing, she's comfortable and has very capable crew who are all sailing instructors and happy to show you the ropes.

Today we continue our "running around" to make sure we have all the latest information on the yachts, the crew and the inside information for you.

Meanwhile please check our website for more luxury yachts and dream destinations and follow us on Twitter.

Gertrud

Poros Greece Yacht Charter Show

Visit the Charter Experience website for a wide array of luxury yachts available for charter.

Reporting from a delightful little island called Poros in Greece. Reason for being here suddenly? The annual yacht charter show for Greek yachts. As you know at Charter Experience we personally inspect the yachts we offer to our clients (we try to see them all but sometimes there is just not enough time). Why we do this? To ensure you - our valued custome - get what you deserve (and pay for). We meet the crew, see the entire yacht (if needed even the engine room), and get to eat amazing lunches and dinners on board these yachts. This way when we offer you a yacht we know that the yacht meets our and your standards. We know the food is excellent and the crew will do all to ensure you have the best time ever.

So far i've see a number of great Gullets (wooden motor sailors) Tomorrow i will have lunch on a brand spanking new Gullet and I will let you know how it was.

Yesterday I had the most wonderful lunch onboard a 58 m. mega yacht Magna Grecia. They very young chef surprised us with a number of small well presented, very tasty and colorful courses to show his versatility and skills. This is what you may expect on a yacht of this calibre. Michelin star quality food.

Also the number of good quality luxury yacht available for charter in Greece is impressive. There is no reason to think you could only charter a luxury yacht in a luxury location like Monaco or the Costa Smeralda. Greece is an amazing place to go "yachting". More on that in another post. Right now I must start preparing myself for yet another day running up and down yachts and meeting those who matter in Greek charter circles. Back with more soon.

Gertrud

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