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Portable
Paradise
Fashionable St. Tropez. Disco-hopping Ibiza. Mystical southern
Turkey.
The Mediterranean has everything to offer, and navigating
its waters on a luxury yacht can turn your summer vacation
into whatever you desire – while at sea or ashore. If
you start planning this winter, you’ll be sailing by
summer. |
By
KIM KAVIN |
Luxury yacht charter is the most personalized style of vacation
in the world. What makes it so sublime is that hundreds of
different yachts are available in just as many ports of call.
First-time charter guests might think a $500,000-a-week yacht
is by definition better than a $200,000-a-week option, but
insiders know that what truly makes charter so spectacular
is the ability to select a yacht that suits your taste, with
the kind of ambience you want aboard, in a destination that
is your idea of paradise.
From May through October, many of the world’s finest
yachts cruise the Mediterranean Sea, offering vacation options
galore: disco-dancing on Spain’s Balearic Isles; rubbing
elbows with movie stars at the Cannes Film Festival; sipping
ouzo in the shadow of an acropolis in Greece; snorkeling in
the crystal blue waters off Italy’s Aeolian Islands;
toasting champagne from a top-deck Jacuzzi high above the
crowds in St. Tropez; sailing into the sunset after a bottle
of table wine in Sicily. Combine the many possible experiences
with the many kinds of yachts cruising the Mediterranean,
and a summertime charter can be all that you want it to be.
One of the most respected names in the megayacht industry
is Nigel Burgess. The London-based company also has offices
in Monaco, New York, Fort Lauderdale and Moscow, and its brokers
oversee a fleet of some of the finest charter yachts in the
world. Many of Nigel Burgess’s brokers have spent years
traveling aboard these yachts and working with their crews
so they can understand firsthand what kind of service charter
guests can expect aboard each specific yacht, and what kind
of guests will enjoy each destination the most.
Here’s a look at five yachts in the Nigel Burgess fleet
that are expected to be available for charter in different
parts of the Mediterranean this summer. Certainly there are
many more yachts in each destination — some managed
by other reputable companies, including Camper & Nicholsons
International, The Sacks Group, Yachting Partners International
and International Yacht Collection — but each of the
Nigel Burgess yachts profiled below has a personality and
will give you an idea of how broad the marketplace really
is.
Keep in mind that quoted base rates are just that; expect
to pay one-third to one-half over the weekly rate after adding
expenses such as food, fuel and crew tip. High season is usually
July, August and special events such as the Monaco Grand Prix;
low season is typically every other week from May through
October. |
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| While
Perfect Prescription has several al fresco dining
areas (including a snacking table near her top-deck
Jacuzzi, top), guests can also enjoy more formal
meals inside the yacht. |
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| The
staterooms have a modern feel that draws upon
traditional wood styling to keep the ambience
warm and inviting. |
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Perfect
Prescription
in the South of France
In terms of Mediterranean glamour, the south of France is
the place to be. Ports include St. Tropez, Cannes and Monte
Carlo — places where seeing and being seen among the
world’s richest and most famous is a sport unto itself.
The docks that line the sea are giant catwalks, with yachts
as the models everyone comes to ogle. To turn heads and make
an impression here, you need a yacht that emanates elegance.
Perfect Prescription, a 177-foot motoryacht expected
to be based in the south of France this summer, is an excellent
choice. The Australian builder Oceanfast — best known
for building a 228-footer for professional golfer Greg Norman
— launched Perfect Prescription in 2003. Since
she is entering only her first season of Mediterranean charter,
few of the world’s elite have had a chance to step aboard.
Her mystique turns heads, for sure.
The yacht offers better than one-to-one service, with 13 crew
to as many as 10 guests, who enjoy a top-deck Jacuzzi as well
as use of two tenders, two Wave Runners, three kayaks, four
bicycles and worldwide satellite and cellular communications
systems.
“This innovative and stylish five-deck motoryacht represents
the ultimate cruising experience in every sense,” says
Alev Karagulle, the London-based marketing director for Nigel
Burgess. “The yacht boasts all the latest state-of-the-art
entertainment equipment, including twelve plasma screens —
two for al fresco viewing — and a fully integrated audio-visual
system throughout. She really is one of the most exciting
new yachts in our charter portfolio.”
Perfect Prescription’s weekly base rate is $245,000
during high season and $224,000 in low season. |
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| Above:
Fair Lady’s dining area and main salon.
The yacht has a traditional nautical-style interior,
with warm wood accented by navy blues and deep
roses. |
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Fair
Lady in Croatia
Croatia has become a destination of choice in the Eastern
Mediterranean during the past few years, a hot spot for anyone
who wants to cruise new and virtually untouched coastlines.
Charters typically run from Trogir down to Dubrovnik, with
stops along as many of the dozens of Adriatic islands as guests
care to explore.
Fair Lady, a 121-foot motoryacht, has spent several seasons
in Croatia and intends to return this summer. She is the epitome
of classic style and modern comfort, having been built in
1928 and refitted throughout the years to add conveniences
such as satellite communications and entertainment systems.
A charter aboard Fair Lady in Croatia allows guests
to feel the way the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers did when
they set out to explore coastlines that were just starting
to develop.
“Fair Lady is a familiar visitor to Croatia,”
says Lesley Excoffon, a charter expert in Nigel Burgess’s
Monaco office. “The coast offers beautiful, clear waters
reflecting the dramatic scenery, picturesque islands and fascinating,
unspoiled ancient towns.”
With seven crew to tend to eight guests, Fair Lady
had 2004 weekly base rates quoted in euros of an equivalent
of about $72,000 in high season and about $63,000 in low season.
Rates for 2005 are expected to be set soon. |
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Infatuation
is a sailing yacht that offers hints of motoryacht-style
luxury, including a large split-level saloon
(the bottom level is shown) and a spacious cockpit
dining area. On rainy or cool days, guests can
eat at the indoor tables just up the steps in
the saloon’s upper level.
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Infatuation
in Corsica and Sardinia
Corsica and Sardinia are islands in the Western Mediterranean
that align to the north and south like buttons on a shirt.
The French-influenced Corsica and Italian-influenced Sardinia
offer the finest of each country’s culture and cuisine.
Cruising along the rugged mountain scenery is best enjoyed
after a wonderful meal at a leisurely pace, which makes a
sailing yacht a good choice for these waters.
Infatuation, a 136-foot Jongert launched in the summer
of 2004, is entering her first full season of charter in this
area. Her owners built her with the intent of seeing the world
with invited guests, so her accommodations are sized to keep
personal friends comfortable. That can be a rarity on sailing
yachts, where the third and fourth staterooms are sometimes
better left to children. The spaciousness of Infatuation’s
interior not only makes her stand out, but makes her a fantastic
option for first-time sailors who want a bit of powerboat-style
luxury in their sailing yacht’s interior. In many ways
Infatuation is — like Corsica and Sardinia themselves
— the best of two worlds.
“The yacht’s revolutionary folding keel allows
her access to the shallowest of secluded bays and anchorages,”
says Gaye Joyeau-Bourgeois, a charter specialist in Nigel
Burgess’s Monaco office. “Over a fine meal served
in the large, comfortable cockpit, guests may enjoy the magnificent
views and blue-green waters in relative privacy.”
With four crew minding her eight guests, Infatuation
is expected to charter at a base rate of $70,000 weekly all
season. |
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| The
sun-drenched boat deck dining area aboard L’Escapade
is a terrific place to indulge in a five-star
lunch after a morning of hopping off the yacht’s
swim platform and working up an appetite on
her Wave Runners. Guests who prefer shade will
be comfortable on the covered aft deck. |
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L’Escapade
in Northwest Italy
The northwest Italian coast is a combination of colorful ports
and dramatic mountainscapes. Portofino is one of the most
mesmerizing harbors in the entire world, with yellow, red
and orange buildings cascading reflections across the water
like an Impressionist painting enveloping your yacht. South
of Portofino is the famed Cinque Terre, five quaint villages
built into rocks between the beach and the hills and linked
by a hiking trail, and Elba, the largest island in the Tuscan
Archipelago, where Napoleon was exiled. A charter in this
area includes a touch of beauty, a touch of nature and a touch
of history.
Many yachts cruise this coastline during the summer, but few
have the kind of practical layout the 134-foot L’Escapade
offers. She has not just a master suite on her main deck,
but also an adjacent twin cabin — an unusual feature,
one that is perfect for couples with children they want to
keep under close watch.
“The name L’Escapade is perfect,”
says Katie Macpherson, a charter broker in Nigel Burgess’s
Fort Lauderdale office. “Her wide array of water toys
lets up to twelve guests escape on their quest to explore
scenery from San Remo to Porto Ercole.”
With nine crew, L’Escapade charters for a weekly
base rate quoted in euros of an equivalent of about $108,000
in high season and about $99,500 in low season. |
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| From
her top-deck Jacuzzi to her array of water toys,
Slipstream offers plenty of ways for guests
to enjoy the outdoors. Her interior is decidedly
modern yet comfortable and inviting after a
long day of playing in the sun (bottom photos). |
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Slipstream
in Southern Turkey
Southern Turkey is to the Eastern Mediterranean what California
is to America’s heartland: a culture unto itself. The
feeling here is almost Asian, with ancient sites to explore
on land and deep blue bays that are nearly as fascinating.
The 143-foot Slipstream was chartered in southern
Turkey last summer and intends to return this year. The prior
experience of the crew is important for charter guests, who
will enjoy all the benefits of everything the crew learned
in the area — such as which harbors are the quietest
and which vistas are the most picturesque.
Slipstream herself has a contemporary style inside
and out. Her top-deck Jacuzzi sits atop a striking black hull
and silver superstructure, and her warm wood interior has
metallic flourishes that the Museum of Modern Art would be
proud to display. “I refer to her as the James Bond
yacht,” says Cindy Brown, from the charter division
in Nigel Burgess’s New York office. “With a touch
of a button, her sky lounge instantly transforms from soft
daylight into an audiophile-quality home theatre. The shades
come down, the large viewing screen comes out of the ceiling
and the room is ready for your favorite film.”
Slipstream takes ten guests and has nine crew at
a weekly base rate of $133,000 during high season and $126,000
in low season. |
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| Kim
Kavin is a freelance journalist whose work appears in newspapers
and magazines worldwide. |
On the Cover
Sai
Ram, one of the latest launchings from the Italian
Benetti shipyard in 2004 and the epitome of contemporary
chic, off the west coast of Italy. Available through
Nigel Burgess.
Photo
courtesy of Benetti. |
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