We recently welcomed the largest solar-powered boat in the world, MS TÛRANOR. She came to our hometown of Miami, FL. As a result, she made the trip in sixteen months and nearly 30,000 miles. The world’s largest catamaran powered by the sun is nearing the end of her epic, round-the-world odyssey.
ABOUT MS TURANOR
She is a pioneer for sustainable energy technology on water. The German-made 115-foot catamaran is MS TÛRANOR. She is also known as yacht PLANETSOLAR. The yacht arrives in Monaco on May 4th – the first superyacht to circumnavigate the world on solar power alone.
CELEBRATION WEEKEND
A celebration weekend happens in the Hercule harbor in Monaco. After crossing the finish line, the crew, design team, builders, investors and owners will be participating in an official arrival ceremony with Swiss and Monegasque personalities. Several events support the festivities.
PLANETSOLAR SPECIFICATIONS
Raphaël Domjan of Switzerland conceived PlanetSolar. MS Tûranor’s build is from Kiel, Germany. Solar energy exclusively powers the boat. It draws power from 537 square meters of photovoltaic panels. PlanetSolar is behind many technological advances, especially in the field of composite manufacturing and storage of solar energy.
Follow PlanetSolar on the final leg of her amazing journey by visiting the official website at http://www.planetsolar.org/.
HOW TO BOOK A CATAMARAN CHARTER
Impressed by the largest solar powered catamaran? In conclusion, look at sail yachtHEMISPHERE. She is 44 meters long (145 ft). Hemisphere is the largest sailing catamaran in the world. She is built specifically for the luxury yacht charter market.
Attendees of the upcoming2012 WORLD SUPERYACHT AWARDS, May 5, 2012, will enjoy an exclusive opportunity to visit the shipyards of two of the top builders of luxury yacht charter vessels.
Neptune Award Statue
Builders Proteksan Turquoise, and Perini Navi are offering yacht owners, designers and VIP guests a guided tour of their shipyards in Istanbul, Turkey.
Charter vessels launched by these famous yards include:
Proteksan Turquoise motor yacht YOGI Perini Navi sail yacht FIDELIS Proteksan Turquoise motor yachtTALISMAN C
Perini Navi sail yacht BARACUDA Proteksan Turquoise motor yachtBARAKA Proteksan Turquoise motor yachtTURQUOISE
Of special note, 70.54m megayacht TALISMAN C, 50m ultraluxury sailing yacht FIDELIS, and 55.4m motor vessel TURQUOISE are 2012 World Superyacht Awards finalists.
“Hi 1-800 Yacht Charters! My family and I would like to plan a luxury sailing charter in the Greek islands. Can you tell us the best time of year for this trip, and where we should go? Thank you, Joannie S.”
ANSWER
Ahoy, Joannie! Thank you for question about the best time to enjoy a sailing vacation in Greece.
For an accurate answer, let’s turn to someone who really knows Greece like the back of his hand!
CAPTAIN COMMENTS
We presented your question to Capt. Alexandre J. MATSAKIS. Captain Alex was born and raised in Greece and has been sailing along the Hellenic coast for more than 3 decades.
As you read his response, keep in mind English is not his native language, so please forgive an occasional grammatical slip on his part.
CAPTAIN LETTER
“Greetings from land of the Gods, Joannie!
Most requests for yacht cruises in the Greek islands are for Mykonos and Santorini… I sail in Greece since 30 years and I live in the center of Cyclades – on Syros island, in front of Mykonos.
My advice is to sail the Cyclades in May, June or October, and to avoid them in July and August because of the frequent strong wind “Meltemi” – able to spoil the best vacation.
Motorsailor IRINA
I charter my 75 gross tonnage yacht IRINA for sailing in the Ionian islands in July and August (Ithaca, island of Odysseus, Kephalonia, Skorpios, island of Onassis) with one very nice sea in this period.
My other beautiful yacht ANATOLIE is sailing in the Sporades in July and August (the green islands of the movie “Mamma Mia” with Meryl Streep).
I do believe that giving the right advises is the best way to avoid problems and keep clients long time (some of them come 3 times on 3 different areas). We need to ensure the happiness of our customers (and that’s a great job :-).
HIS LETTER CONTINUES
Example. Why to send people on one crewed catamaran charters leaving from Athens in July and August? They will have 2 choices. The Cyclades with big problems in case of Meltemi. Or the Saronic islands with no chance to find place with a catamaran in their small harbors (except in Poros if lucky). Greece is not Seychelles or Caribbean!
So – we offer Cyclades cruises in May, June, September and October. Believe me, living in Cyclades, if we send our yachts to other very nice areas in July and August, is because there is serious reasons.
The English language is filled with them – figures of speechby which a locutionproducesanincongruous,self-contradictoryeffect.
AND ONE FOR YACHTING
Affordable luxury yacht charter…
After all, a yachting vacation can’t be both luxurious and affordable, right?
Well…maybe it can!
SAVE MONEY ON YACHT CHARTERS
With the right information in hand, savvy travelers can find affordable tricks to keep down the cost of a yacht charter vacation.
TOP 3 TIPS
Here are the three top tips to minimizing the costs of a yachting holiday. This is without sacrificing any of the luxurious amenities of a typical holiday at sea.
FIRST, AVOID delivery fees.
Pick your destination first, before picking a yacht. All too often, customers visit websites and fall in love with a particular yacht, only to find out the yacht is based in a location far away from their desired destination.
“Many websites will show that a yacht is ‘available’ for hire in a certain destination, such as the Bahamas, without mentioning that the yacht is actually based several hundred miles away, like Fort Lauderdale, and will charge a delivery fee to relocate. These delivery fees, for fuel and crew time, can add thousands of dollars to the cost of a charter.”
To avoid costly relocation fees, select a desired location and then ask a charter broker to focus on identifying yachts that are already in position at that destination.
SECOND, Travel OFF-Peak.
This sounds like a no-brainer…take a vacation in low season and pay lower rates. But who wants to go boating in the middle of hurricane season, for example, just to save a few bucks?
SHOULDER SEASON
The trick here is to go in a “shoulder” season – a period of dates immediately after the conclusion of the high season. The traditional high season for Caribbean yacht charters concludes after Easter – in April. For the few weeks in between high season and the beginning of low season in the Caribbean, many yachts sit idle once the tourists have gone home.
PRICE BREAKS
Here, in this shoulder season, yacht owners are often willing to offer fantastic incentives to secure bookings. It is not uncommon to find price breaks from 10% to 30%, as well as free days for every day booked.
YACHT CHARTER BROKERS
Professional charter brokers receive weekly updates from fleet managers, detailing ongoing specials. If you have the flexibility to travel in a shoulder season, ask your 1-800 Yacht Charter broker to check for special deals.
THIRD, Choose a COMMERCIALLY-registered yacht.
This tip applies more to Mediterranean yacht charters than other destinations. The laws vary from country to country. Many private charter yachts are registered by their owners as “commercial” vessels. This registration in many cases means the yacht can avoid paying any VAT (value added tax) on the price of a charter as well as certain purchases made during the charter, such as fuel.
“In some countries, the VAT percentage can be in the double digits,” says Sheeder. “This can add thousands of dollars to the total cost of a charter vacation.”
ASK ABOUT VAT
Most charter brokers will present a prospective client with several yachts for consideration. Remember to ask if the yachts suggested are commercially registered and exempt from VAT
Follow these simple tips. Savvy charter customers can save in some cases up to 50% of the cost of a yachting vacation. It seems, “Affordable luxury” is not a conflict of terms after all…
To the amazement of the crew and passengers, a Caribbean yacht charter vessel with a fortuitous name recently encountered a small pod of manatees, up close and personal, while cruising the Florida Keys.
Captain Corky Clark and his wife and first mate, Sue, had the camera rolling when four manatees slowly came alongside their 48′ sail yacht SURPRISE.
No doubt the encounter will be a lifelong memory for the onboard charter guests as well as the crew.
The 161′ Trinity motor yacht ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM is offering a20% reduced charter ratein the Mediterranean for any reservation that is confirmed on or before April 23, 2012.
Thus, clients can take 20% off any low season (June, September) charters (regular rate – $190,000 per week), or high season cruises (regular rate – $210,000 per week). All rates are plus running expenses (items such as food, fuel, dockage, etc.).
Launched in 2005, Trinity yacht ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM underwent a major refit in 2009, both inside and out. The American-made superyacht offers accommodations for up to 10 guests in 5 staterooms, and carries an impressive inventory of watertoys including a 32′ White Shark tender with twin 250 hp engines, two Yamaha waverunners, and assorted towable toys.
Other Trinity yachts currently available for hire include motor yacht UNBRIDLED, motor yacht CARPE DIEM , and the 58 meter motor yacht MI SUENO.
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The world of luxury yacht charter has finally arrived in the Seychelles. Motor yacht SEA STREAM, a 76 foot Ferretti with room for 8 guests, is now available for Caribbean yacht charter enthusiasts looking for a new destination. Ferretti yacht SEA STREAM is now available as the only high quality, luxury crewed motor yacht available […] read more
PLAN AND PACK Yikes! What to pack? In just over three weeks, you leave on a week-long Bahama yacht charter vacation. You choose a sleek, performance, basic sailing yacht with crew. Your menu provided to your yacht through your charter broker, and your crew is ready to welcome you aboard. Seriously, what do you pack? […] read more
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