MY "Fortunate Sun" at anchor

The 54m. MY "Fortunate Sun", built by Oceanfast in 2003 and design by Tim Heywwod, was at anchor near the 47m. Christensen "Lady Joy".

Both superyachts are currently lying near the Cap d'Antibes during the Festival de Cannes.

MY "Fortunate Sun" boasts a now classic grey hull that contrasts with the sleek white lines of the superstructure.

A quiet charter season ?

MY Octopus was at anchor in the baie de Cannes

The Cannes Fim Festival opened yesterday with 3D animation comedy "Up".

According to a recent article published on Reuters UK "Vanity Fair's exclusive party has been canceled, luxury yachts moored at the picturesque harbor remain unchartered and movie executives are sounding a note of caution on the eve of the world's biggest film festival."


MY Siren was also at anchor - click to enlarge

As fas as we know, a famous steel mogul would have cancelled his participation in the Monaco Grand Prix.

>> Reuters UK article

Superyacht Market Point of View

"...there has been an impact on the business due to the global economic downturn and we have attempted to reduce the effect as much as possible. We have seen a reduction in the sale of smaller models but orders for the larger models have remained steady..."
Sunseeker MD Robert Braithwaite

>> Boating Business

Somali pirates put superyacht rich in range

According to Reuters website "Multi-million-dollar superyachts sailing from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean for the European summer could be the next high-profile target of Somali pirates, security experts say."

The article explains that "...the pirates have really increased their capability, they've got better, faster boats with longer ranges, and they're able to operate at night up to 300 miles off the coast," Crispian Cuss, a security specialist with Olive Group, told Reuters."

>> Reuters

What crisis ?

SOLD (April 2009)
M/Y Heesen "Blowzy"
M/Y African Queen D
M/Y Fansea
M/Y Silver...

STILL FOR SALE
M/Y Thunder...

RUSSIAN MARKET
Riva, a subsidiary of Ferretti Group, launched a Russian language website
>> Riva

A BROKER's POINT OF VIEW
"We are now seeing around 50% of enquiries coming from emerging markets, up from around 25% in 2007, in places like Singapore, Ukraine, Turkey and Belarus."
David Tydeman, chief executive of UK-based Oyster Marine

Has the yacht ownership reached a turning point?

YachtPlus launches its first Foster + Partners designed super-yacht

The fractional ownership super-yacht company, YachtPlus, launches its first yacht – The Ocean Emerald – in La Spezia, Italy on April 25 in the presence of Norman Foster.





This contemporary 41 metre yacht has been designed with a strong emphasis on space and light and has five suites for up to 12 guests, who will be looked after by a permanent, highly trained crew of seven.





The internal planning of the yacht offers total flexibility to respond to the diverse requirements of the owners and their guests and keen attention has been paid to design and detail ranging from the internal (2,790sqft) and external (2,495sqft) areas to cutlery, crockery, fabrics and crew uniforms. All furnishings and fittings are provided by the Italian manufacturer Cassina and kitchen and galley equipment by Schiffini.



All arrangements from bookings to transport, private jet, helicopter transfers and onboard requests will be taken care of thereby further enhancing the ultimate experience in hospitality, service and luxury.

Ocean Emerald will be the first of four identical Foster + Partners designed super-yachts to be launched by the company over the next two years. The second yacht, Ocean Pearl will enter service in the autumn 2009 and the third, Ocean Sapphire in the early part of 2010. The fourth yacht, as yet unnamed, is scheduled to launch in the latter part of 2010.

According to the Wealth Bulletin, "the 164-foot super-yacht designed by world famous architect Sir Norman Foster has attracted a waiting list of 20 buyers who will each pay at least €2m for an eighth of the boat."

At the moment, as far as we know, none of the big 4 yacht brokerage companies (Burgess yacht, Edmiston, Camper & Nicholson, Fraser Yachts) offer the YachtPlus program to their clients...

Superyacht reef damage = huge fine!

The Superyacht "Azteca" at anchor

According to the San Pedro Sun, "Ricardo Salinas Pliego, a Mexican billionair, has been ordered to pay a huge price after his luxury mega yacht anchored on the reef on April seventh. The Department of Environment has concluded their assessment of the damages caused by the luxurious mega yacht, Azteca on the reef near San Pedro Town.

Captain Eckart told authorities that that the vessel was drifting towards the reef after a rope tangled in the propeller, causing it to automatically shut down. He went on to explain that he had to drop anchor to avoid running aground.
The owner, Salinas Pliego is a well known billionaire and owner of the Mexican television station, Azteca, and the chain of appliance stores, Electra. "

"Azteca" was design by M. Leach Design Ltd and built by Nereids Yachts in 2005, her sistership Arethusa is currently for sale.

>> San Pedro Sun

Nourah of Riyadh: the 65m Turkish super yacht

The Nourah of Riyadh, the megayacht produced in the Kocaeli Free Zone, was delivered to its owners with a ceremony Friday.

The yacht, design by D. Starkey, which cost 40 million euros, will be used by Saudi Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz.

>> Shipyard pictures

M/Y Silver...sold by BRS/YPI !

Who said that the superyacht market was facing a storm ?

Following the recent sale of the 50m Christensen "Casino Royal" by OCI, Yachting Partners International announces the sale of M/Y "Silver", the 74m (243ft) Espen Oeino-designed superyacht built by Hanseatic Marine in Australia.

According to IBINews, "The brokerage deal, believed to be the largest the yachting industry has seen since September 2008, was pulled together in record time and with minimum fuss, contradicting rumours of falling sales in luxury goods and of large yacht builders filing for creditor protection".

Powered by two 16V-4000 MTU engines, M/Y "Silver" effortlessly tops 25:27 knots and achieves transatlantic distances at 18 knots...

The vessel is classified by Lloyds and built to SOLAS passenger ship specifications, so instead of being limited to 12 guests, she has accommodation for 18, including Pullman berths. The superyacht was for sale at euros 64,500,000.

BRS Yachting, a subsidiary of the BRS Group, a large international ship broker company, acquired Yachting Partners International in September 2008.

Picture of the day: Leo Fun

Click to enlarge

Design by Paolo Caliari and launched in January 2009, "Leo Fun "is the sistership of "Vinydrea" and the second 53m explorer vessel built by the turkish shipyard Protelsan Turquoise.
Built in steel and aluminium to ABS class and fully MCA compliant, the superyacht achieves a top speed of 16 knots thanks to two Caterpillar 3512B engines, each producing 1,750hp.
The yacht was spotted in Monaco Port Hercules and will be available for charter through Charter & Charter.
Her sistership "Vinydrea" is currently lying in Cannes (Vieux port) and is for sale through Edmiston: the asking price is euros 23,500,000.