The finalists for an international design awards program have been announced and several mega yacht charter vessels lead the pack.
SUPERYACHT SOCIETY AWARD
The International Superyacht Society has released its lists of finalists for the 2011 International Design Awards. Four of the five nominees in the Best Power category for yachts 40 to 60 meters in length are charter vessels:
Based solely on peer review, the International Superyacht Society Design (ISS) Awards celebrate the finest naval architecture, design, interiors, and engineering in the newest yachts in the large yacht industry.
AWARD GALA
Winners will be announced at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 at ISS’s annual International Design Awards Gala at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale.
Superyacht ENIGMA, unique and gorgeous rounded windows (among MANY other incredible features)
CURB APPEAL
As every real estate agent knows – if you can’t get prospective buyers to “love” the exterior of a house, your probably won’tconvince them to take a look inside. That initial “wow” factor, known as “Curb Appeal” is critical in enticing buyers to explore, and appreciate, the entire property, inside and out.
EXTERIOR OF YACHT
The same principle holds true for potential charterers. That firstlook at the exterior styling of a yacht either piques their interest, or they continue to walk the boat show docks until something clicks.
Perhaps no yacht designer understands this principle better than Espen Øino. Like Gianni Versace and luxury clothing, the name Espen Øino is synonymous with contemporary naval architecture.
ESPEN OEINO DESIGNER
Øino (sometimes written as Espen Oeino) has created some of the modern legends in the charter marketplace, including Lürssen yacht charter vessels 78m yacht TV (ex-MadSummer), 70m yacht MARTHA ANN, and 60m yacht SOLEMATES.
The prolific designer began his career at the Martin Francis Design Studio, where he became project manager of the legendary Eco project, now known as the iconic ENIGMA.
HOW DID ESPEN START?
In 1994, after eight years working as a consulting engineer and naval architect for Martin Francis, Espen set up his own design company: Espen Øino International (EOI). The Monaco-based studio is today one of the leading designers of large custom yachts.
Espen and his team of naval architects have a client base stretching from Asia and the Far East to the USA and Central America. Recent projects to splash down are Viareggio Superyachts vessels 62m yacht CANDYSCAPE II and 62m yacht RoMa.
PROJECTS
Multiple current projects exist from this man. He is known as “creator of some of the world’s most famous.” Additionally, outstanding yachts. The yacht include several high-profile Lürssen vessels. In addition, two very large yachts under construction at the Fincantieri Yard in La Spezia, Italy.
Mediterranean yacht charter fans may not know Espen’s name. Coincidentally, the yacht that first caught their eye for its elegant lines was designed by this industry icon.
Dutch builder Heesen Yachts is an innovator. Heesen is the first Dutch shipyard to use aluminum alloy for the construction of yacht hulls. It is a global-leader in the design, engineering and build of high performance, all-aluminum motor yachts.
iPAD SUPERYACHT APP
Heesen launched an iPad superyacht app. First, users browse an extensive gallery of Heesen’s latest launches. These yachts range from 37 to 65 meters. Second, the app includes basic specifications and features of every yacht in the Heesen fleet. Finally, it includes a selection of movies and images of very latest Heesen projects.
COMPARE 4 YACHTS AT A TIME
In conclusion, the Heesen iPad yacht app gives info about the builder and its yachts. Users can compare up to four images at a time, and can email individual images to their friends and contacts.
SUPERYACHT SAMPLES
Largest yachts for charter can be accessed by the app, for example, the 2011 55-meter motor yacht QUITE ESSENTIAL. Additionally, the 47 meter motor yacht RAASTA, and the star of the Croatia yacht charter summer season, the 47.70-meter Heesen motor yacht LET IT BE.
Look for more builders to take Heeson’s lead and introduce their own superyacht apps in the near future…
The latest Lürssen shipyard launch is motor yacht LADY KATHRYN V. She is previously known as Project Coco. This yacht is the fifth in a line of boats of the same name. Motoryacht LADY KATHRYN V succeeds a 164′ Wesport.
CONSTRUCTION
The yacht is steel with an aluminium superstructure. LADY KATHRYN V is an evolution of the Linda Lou series. That group of yachts began in 2006. She is 61 meters in overall length. She is slightly longer than her predecessors. There is no full-beam section to this deck. The yacht then has a sleek and classic appearance. She has a unique crow’s nest above the sundeck. The crows nest affords a panoramic view of the sea.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Adam Lay interior accommodates 12 charter guests. The master suite is situated on the main deck. There is a VIP stateroom on the bridge deck, and below that are four double cabins on the lower deck.
OTHER LURSSEN YACHTS
Other Lurssen yachts include motoryacht KISMET, superyacht SOLEMATES, luxury yacht TV, and power yacht MARTHA ANN.
AVAILABILITY
In conclusion, the owner takes delivery this Summer. Lady Kathryn V will then be available for hire in the Mediterranean. After her first winter season, she moves to the Caribbean.
For years, the name Lürssen has been synonymous with some of the most luxurious, and certainly the largest yachts available for charter. Mammoth-sized vessels such as the 70-meter motor yacht MARTHA ANN and the 60-meter motor yacht HUNTRESS (x-SOLEMATES) are testaments to the 130 yr old German shipbuilder’s dedication to craftsmanship and timeless elegance.
The latest launch by the acclaimed builder is no exception. Lurssen motor yacht ACE has the distinction of being the first superyacht to splash down in 2012. She measures 87 meters and left the company’s shipyard in Rendsburg on January 9th. The superyacht by Andrew Winch Design is magnificent. Her exterior is both unique and instantly recognizable.
Lurssen yacht ACE swimming pool and helipad
This is the unanswered, million-dollar question. Will motor yacht ACE enter the luxury yacht charter market in 2012?
According to local reports in Mexico, the crew of the 90 meter Lürssen motor yacht, ICE, assisted in a rescue operation off the coast of Cozumel in mid-February.Apparently a local dive boat was enroute with divers on board to a dive site in Playa Del Carmen known for attracting bull sharks. After taking on water in rough seas, the vessel sank, leaving all hands in the water, adrift for approximately 4 hours.
Superyacht ICE picked up the dive boat’s distress signal, calculated to where the divers would have drifted, and located all 8 divers and the boat’s operator alive in the water.
Built by Lürssen in Germany in 2005, the 90 meter motor yacht ICE (launched as motor yacht AIR) offers accommodations for 14 guests, and features a crew compliment of 27. While not currently available for hire, many other yachts by the fabled German builder are in service as Lürssen yacht charter vessels, including 2009, 60 meter motor yachtARKLEYand 2010, 60 meter motor yachtSOLEMATES.
First the incandescent light bulb, then CFLs, and now LED lighting. With homes, cars, and businesses on the path to energy conservation, we knew it wouldn’t be long before the yachting industry was in step with the mainstream.
AMBIENT LIGHTS ON YACHTS
And with the flair that defines today’s modern vessels, the yacht industry has put its signature stamp of style on the use of colored ambient lighting – underwater lights. Green yachting, James Bond gadget style.
MARINAS GLOW…
Superyacht marinas around the world are now bathed in a deep blue hue at night. Many megayachts have installed rows of bright underwater lights in their hulls.
LADY PETRA
A week ago, the newest launch at Heesen Yachts, 47 meter Heesen yacht LADY PETRA was presented to her new owners and guests at a night-time ceremony – with a full array of underwater lights reflecting off the yacht’s gleaming white hull.
TIARA
Even a few vessels designed for sail boat charters have installed lights below the waterline. The 178-foot Alloy sail yachtTIARA recently installed lights. Yacht TIARA is a certified PADI scuba center, which means charter clients can now enjoy night dives with dramatic underwater illumination.
OTHER YACHTS WITH UNDERWATER LIGHTS
Many well-known charter vessels feature underwater lights. For instance, 45 meter Feadship motor yacht HARLE, 60 meter Lürssen motor yachtSOLEMATES, and 34 meter Broward motor yacht ISLAND TIME.
It’s funny how superstitions and “tales of the unknown” tend to quietly creep into our lives and psyches.
You are going along just fine, oblivious to things that others consider eerie or supernatural. Suddenly, somebody (or something) plants a seed in your mind, and whammo – you are throwing salt over your shoulder for good luck, or giving a wide berth to the neighbors’ black cat sitting in your driveway!
DEVIL’S TRIANGLE
Case in Point – planning a Bahama yacht charter vacation, or as I now refer to it: chartering a yacht in the Devil’s Triangle. Queue the creepy music and fog…
I was recently assisting a client in organizing aLurssen yacht charteron motoryacht SOLEMATES. The gentleman wanted to take his family for a week-long adventure in the Bahamas. We were chatting on the phone when I heard his teenage son in the background say,
“Dude, I’m not down with a week in the Devil’s Triangle. Boats go there and people get abducted by aliens and disappear forever!“
The boys’ father said, “Jeremy, you’re watching too much cable TV. A little less Ghost Huntersand a little more studying…”
CREDENCE TO SUPERSTITIONS?
I remember chuckling to myself, but when I hung up the phone, I began to wonder… is there any credence to this kid’s apprehension?
WHERE IS THE DEVIL’S TRIANGLE
The Devil’s Triangle is also known as the Bermuda Triangle, an area of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and a point between Miami and Melbourne, Florida, in which numerous vessels and aircraft are said to have mysteriously disappeared.
FAMOUS DISAPPEARANCES
The most famous disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle include the USS Cyclops ship lost in March, 1918. In addition, a U.S. Navy aircraft squadron, Flight 19, is said to have vanished in a green fog in December, 1945.
BOOKS
Scores of books have been written about the mystery of the triangle, and dozens of websites offer conjecture on who or what is responsible. Theories abound – from the occult to extraterrestrials.
WEBSITE ACCOUNTS
Some sites offer a detailed list of planes, ships, and yachts that havevanished. It does make you wonder – how could so many boats and planes simply disappear?
DEBUNKED MYSTERIES
Of course, many other books and websites detail how scientists and researchers have debunked the mysteries over the years. It seems simple explanations, like tropical storms and pilot error, are the probable culprits for the disappearances.
US NAVY and LLOYD’S OF LONDON
With science on their side, the U.S. Navyand the yachting industry pay little heed to the myths and legends. Lloyd’s of London, for example, the world’s leading market for specialized insurance, does not charge higher premiums for luxury mega yacht charter vessels transiting this heavily traveled area.
MAKES ME THINK
Still, I can’t get the silly notion of aliens in the Bahamas out of my head. Not Cuban rafters, but little green aliens with antennas on their heads and ray guns in their hands.
I’m with Jeremy, dude – I’m not “down” with the Devil’s Triangle.
HOW TO BOOK A YACHT CHARTER IN SAFETY
Avoid the Bermuda triangle and spend a week in paradise on a Virgin Islands yacht charter. Contact our mythbusters, aka charter agents, HERE for more details.
Management announces the sale of the 68 meter motor yacht KISMET. She is a staple in the French yacht charter marketplace. Built in 2007, she features the charter-friendly layout ofEspen Oeino International.
INTERIOR DESIGN
The Mediterranean yacht charter superyacht boasts an Art Deco inspired interior by Reymond Langton Design. It includes black granite floors, mirrored ceilings, spiral staircase, and glass elevator. Talk about opulence! All baths feature Baccarat crystal and Sardinelli fixtures and fittings. The sinks have gold leaf scrolling.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The yacht accommodates 12 guests in 1 master stateroom, a VIP cabin, and 4 double guest cabins.
HER REPLACEMENT
Motoryacht Kismet, will be replaced in the charter market by another yacht. She is the new 94 meter (308 foot) Lürssen yacht Kismet II, scheduled to be available in 2014.
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