Megayacht Marina to be Built in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

MiamiHerald.com | 06/27/2006 | Megayacht marina to be built

Earl E. Weber, a New Orleans developer, has taken over the Summerfield Boat Works boatyard in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he plans to build a covered marina for megayachts. There are expected to be 26 slips, costing anywhere from $2 million to $4 million each. Pier Seventeen Marina and Yacht Club, the new ownership group of the Ft. Lauderdale marina, has already taken reservations on a dozen slips.

"This deal was a no-brainer," wrote Mr. Weber, "I spend about $4,000 per month on a a slip I currently rent off the Intracoastal Waterway. I now own a secure slip that is an appreciating asset."

Watch the America’s Cup 2007 as you Sail Onboard a Luxury Yacht Charter

Watch America's Cup 2007 Sailing Onboard Luxury Yacht Charter - Fraser Yachts Worldwide

In 2007 the America’s Cup sailing tournament with be held in Valencia, Spain, which is the first time in 152 years this prestigious sailing event in the world will be held off mainland Europe.

With the amount of people expected to attend next year’s festivities Valencia’s limited number of luxury hotels are likely to fill up quickly. However, shore side accommodations in Valencia can’t compete with the vantage point offered by a luxury yacht charter. Onboard a luxury charter yacht you’ll have the best seat in the house with all the creature comforts including big screen televisions for complete coverage of the yacht race. During the day you can watch the America’s Cup sailing yachts perched from the deck of your charter yacht; in the evening relax with sunset cocktails while taking in the sights of the coast of Spain.

Fraser Yachts Worldwide, one of the leading travel charter vacation companies in the world, has been fielding numerous calls recently with clients looking for Spain yacht charters for the America’s Cup sailing tournament. “Luxury charter yachts are available in Valencia for both the America’s Cup and Louis Viutton Cup,” said Khaldoun. “Although the Cup is a year away it’s not too early to start planning your charter holiday, particularly with superyacht berthing limited in Valencia’s new Port America’s Cup.”

World's fleet of private mega yachts growing

According to a recent report by CNBC the world's private megayacht fleet has doubled to 2,500 over the past decade. There are more than 2,000 yachts in the world measuring a hunderd feet, but if you want to make a real impression, your yacht needs to measure at least 200 feet. Still this would be less than half the size of yachts for the super rich.

Read the complete article at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13345720/

New Port Tax for Sardinia, Italy

THE TRITON - Italy, Spain to tax visiting megayachts

In an attempt to bring more revenue to the region, the Sardinian regional council passed in a 42-12 vote to enforce a port tax more stringently on mega yachts this summer. Due once a year, to be charged to “pleasure yachts” visiting Sardinia, this new tax will cost mega yacht owners 15,000 euros. Mega yachts coming to Sardinia to participate in regattas and pleasure yachts that stay the whole year in the regional port structures are exempt. The port tax is due any time a boat reaches any port, landing pier or berth located in the regional territory between June 1 and Sept. 30.

Not everyone in the community is supporting this new port tax. “That’s how to kill off tourism,” replied Giorgio La Spisa, leader of the regional council’s Forza Italia group. “Thousands of people will be leaving Sardinia.” Now before you change your yachting plans, the Italian government is considering an appeal to Italy’s constitutional court to have the new port taxes thrown out. However, in the meantime, be prepared to pay when you come and visit Sardinia.

Expedition Luxury Yachts Save Fuel

Despite rising fuel prices yachting is more popular than ever. With today’s fuel prices are running between $3 and $4 a gallon owning a fuel efficient boat can help defray the increasing expense. A rugged new breed of capable luxury yachts ideal for offshore adventures have emerged: luxury expedition-style yachts.

Expedition, or often called explorer yachts are sleek, powerful and rugged on the exterior but opulent, stylish and refined on the inside. Built for safety, endurance and performance these yachts deliver the best combination of comfort and adventure. These mega yachts are designed for long offshore passages; their range for world cruising is unrivaled enabling you to explore remote exotic areas of the globe unreachable by any other means. Itasca is a 176 foot with a fuel capacity of 71,855 gallons she can travel 13,000 nautical miles at 11 knots before having to re-fuel. On average expedition luxury yachts have between a 4,000-6,000 nautical mile range. Zembra III is a Brazillian built Inace with a 9,100 tank capacity and a range of 4,500 nautical miles. Another benefit of expedition yachts is that they are displacement hulls, which means they are much more efficient. Displacement hulls require a fraction of the horsepower that semi-displacement or planing hulls require to attain optimum speed. Less horsepower equates to less fuel consumption.

With no end in sight to the economy’s rising fuel prices expedition yachts are the ideal yacht for those seeking adventure amidst luxury and comfort.

Read more about Zembra III showcased at the Newport Boat Show.

The 95 foot Zembra III is available for purchase.

The summer yaching season has arrived!

For those looking to get out and about this summer why not consider a holiday onboard a mega yacht? Although there is still a week left to the official start of summer, the summer cruising season is already in full swing.

Kicking off what is sure to be one of the busiest seasons in years, the Megayacht charter business is booming over in the Mediterranean Sea. Yachts flocked to the old port of Cannes to participate in the star studded Cannes Film Festival. At times there were dozens of yachts anchored off the shore of the illustrious Carlton hotel. Unfortunately, the May weather was not too kind to the yachts; the wind was blowing at over 40 knots causing most megayachts to seek shelter in the protected anchorages on the Cote d’ Azur.

The following megayachts were sighted of the coast of Cannes:

Annaliesse, 280’ (85m) Neorion megayacht Available for charter and sale.
RM Elegant, 237’ (72m) Lambda megayacht Available for charter.

Taking place just days after the blowing winds in Cannes, the Monaco Grand Prix was filled with all types of pleasure vessels. Dinghies, sail boats, yachts, megayachts, gigayachts and cruise ships could be found anchored in and around the port of Monaco. The Principality of Monaco hosts the last remaining Formula 1 race on a true street circuit. Yachts in the harbor get a unique vantage point for watching the race. In some locations the yachts are just a few meters away from the course! However, obtaining that positioning doesn’t come cheap; yachts have been known to pay upwards of €60,000 to reserve their berth in Monaco harbor.
Interested in hearing the Formula 1 drivers’ perspectives on racing in Monaco? Click here.

What Defines a Mega Yacht?

Large Private Yachts - Fraser Yachts Worldwide: Mega Yachts for Sale

In the world of luxury yachting, there are several different classifications of yachts. There's your standard luxury yacht that measures 40 feet, 12 meters, or more in length. The next category is for large private yachts, otherwise known as mega yachts or super yachts. These large private yachts measure over 80 feet, 24 meters. The last category is reserved for the super large mega yachts well over 400 feet, 122 meters. These giga yachts are about 100 feet longer than your standard football field, and come with amenities that are only accessible to the exclusively rich. Here are some examples of the different categories of luxury yachts, mentioned by the yacht's name, length of the yacht and luxury yacht builder/designer:

• Luxury Yacht - M/Y TEKITOO, 78-foot luxury yacht, Arno
• Mega Yacht - M/Y SOLAIA, 131-foot mega yacht, Hakvoort Scheepswerf
• Giga Yacht - THE OCTOPUS, 414-foot giga yacht, brainchild of Paul Allen

According to MSNBC.com, more and more of the elite rich are turning to mega yachts and their bigger cousins. In 2005, 651 giga and mega yachts were under private yacht construction, up from 507 in 2004 and 482 in 2003 — a nearly $1 billion increase in luxury mega yacht sales. Super large mega yachts keep growing in size. The “grow, grow, grow your boat” craze has luxury yacht builders, yacht brokers and marine architects in a race to build the bigger, better, more luxurious giga yacht.