Yachting Intelligence

Sardinia is definitely the place to see and be seen this summer, whether you’re a superstar celebrity or a top-flight superyacht.

This decidedly upmarket holiday destination, second-largest island in the Mediterranean, has hardly been off the front pages of the tabloids all summer!

Several celebs at the centre of the hottest scandals and sensational news stories in recent weeks all seem to have just returned from, or be holidaying in sunny Sardinia. And of course, as celebs tend to move in shoals, where one goes the rest follow, trailing along an entire media circus in their wake.

Sardinia’s attractions include ruggedly beautiful mountain scenery, the fabulous beaches of the Costa Smerelda Read the rest of this entry »

Victims of Pakistan’s widespread flooding will soon be receiving aid delivered in special boats donated by a UAE benefactor.

Ian Lawrie, the managing broker at ART Marine, a yacht-chartering company based in Dubai, is organising the donation of 10 Zodiac boats to the Aman Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Karachi.

The boats will join another 10 Zodiacs donated from the United Kingdom. The foundation will use them in conjunction with Pakistan’s navy to help deliver food and other types of aid and rescue those stranded by the floods, which cover about one-fifth of the country and have displaced as many as four million people. Read the rest of this entry »

Feadship has announced that it will be attending the Cannes International Yacht and Boat Show for the first time.

The world’s leading luxury motoryacht builder will feature one of its latest launches, the 39-meter Go. After wowing the crowds in Cannes from 8 to 13 September, Go will then join other larger yachts in the Feadship fleet at the Monaco show.

The third yacht in Feadship’s pioneering SL39 modular concept, Go is every inch a customized superyacht above the waterline. Her archetypal Feadship exterior profile has been designed by De Voogt Naval Architects, while the relatively modern interior comes from FPA Architects. The designers have taken the way modern owners enjoy cruising as
their template, creating a yacht that is characterized by bright spaces, wide relaxation areas
and a variety of places to make the most of an ‘outdoor-in’ lifestyle.

Source: Feadship

When I first wrote about the world’s new largest yacht in 2007, I said it would be slightly longer than 525 feet.

Yet during construction, the length of the ship–named Eclipse and owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich–started to increase. By 2010, the ship was reported to be anywhere from 530 to more than 550 feet.

Forbes and others pegged it at 557 feet–24.5 feet longer than its nearest rival, the ship Dubai, owned by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashi Al-Maktoum.

Now comes the widely respected Superyacht Index from SuperYacht Times and the yacht broker Camper & Nicholsons International. The Index lists Eclipse at 162.5 meters, or 533.1 feet. Read the rest of this entry »

« The moment I saw her, I fell in love with her. I felt it was my duty to save her, » declares Vincenzo Onorato, owner of Moby Lines Ferries and the president of Mascalzone Latino, the Americas Cup Challenge sailing team.

He is talking about his passion, a dilapidated tugboat that he had lovingly restored—to the tune of around €17 million ($21.4 million).

The 53-year-old Neapolitan entrepreneur chanced upon the neglected old ship, at the time called the Henry Morgan, several years ago, at the back of an Italian boatyard. Dating back to 1932, and used for commercial haulage during World War II, the 40-meter boat lay rusting and ready to be dismantled for parts. Read the rest of this entry »

The word ‘Origami’ is being termed to the Japanese art of folding paper into shapes to represent objects.

Inspired by  this awesome art, an Italian designer named Fabio Federici conceptualize a Superyacht out of it. In fact he won the Millennium Yacht Design Award for this design.

On a quick glance, you may be thinking it is just simple box but once it expands into a sleek speed machine. Furthermore, it comes along with an ingenious multi-functional deck and “folding wings.” With this innovative design, its price also equates with its awesomeness. It has been predicted to be amounting to more than $7.6 million once it would be made into reality. Read the rest of this entry »