yacht

The world's oldest steel superyacht, still steaming along in style nearly 110 years after she was launched, is being offered for sale for about $10.5 million. The 182.-ft. Madiz (above), built by the Ailsa Shipyard in Troon, Scotland and originally christened the Triton, served in the British Royal Navy as a Royal Patrol Yacht during World War II, and King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth II used her on several occasions. The last surviving ship to have been personally designed by G. L. Watson, the pioneering yacht designer who created some of the most successful contenders for the America's Cup, the stately craft was refitted with Maybach engines and then completely restored in 2006. Decks of Burmese teak, Cuban mahogany in the master staterooms and solid oak paneling in the reception areas speak to the luxury of a bygone era. There are stylish accommodations for 14 along with 9 crew to serve them champagne and keep the woodwork shining.

[via JamesList]

In case you're a Jones-watching type, when it comes to this year's motor yachts you can take your eyes off the Joneses for a moment and turn them to Roman Abramovich. He'll be the one with the year's largest offering, the Eclipse, a yacht already so storied we wouldn't be surprised if it came with a paparazzi deck. That is, of course, assuming the intergalactically expensive yacht even gets finished.

If it doesn't, then the number two motor yacht (pictured), the Dubai, will maintain its place. Superyachts.com has a preview of this years private floating wonders, and a breakdown of the first 100 as far as size goes. In addition to the potential addition of Abramovich, there are two other new entrants to the top ten: the novel looking Swift141, and the 134-meter Fincantieri, which has been in the works for three years. Bringing up the aft is another newcomer: the 73-meter Admiral. Just 73.5 meters will get you on the list, so there's still time to place your order with the shipyard if the economic recovery has been good to you...

The impressive 280ft Alysia mega yacht is for sale and if you're in the market it might be worth a look as it claims to have more features than any other yacht available today. Built in 2005 by Alpha Marine and Lally Poulias, the yacht has room for 36 guests and offers 18 staterooms and 18 bedroom suites, including the Master suite that has its own jacuzzi, private study, panoramic window view, and private deck. Other amenities offered on the yacht include a movie theater, temperature-controlled wine cellar, saloon with Grand Piano, hair and beauty salon, gym, dedicated spa deck with Jacuzzi, children's play room, business center, helicopter pad, and a sprawling sun deck that is reached via lift that takes you 21 meters above the sea.

And all that's just a taste. The Alysia is priced at €85,000,000 and will be available for viewing at the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show at the end of this month at the Yas Marina.

Roman Abramovich's recently launched Eclipse is currently the world's largest private yacht at a whopping 557 ft. His oceanic supremacy may be short lived however, as Belgium-based Emocean Yacht Design has just unveiled plans for a 656-ft. gigayacht (above) which would put the the oligarch's new toy to shame. Like Emocean's 541-ft. design for the UK's Devonport Yachts to be featured at the upcoming Abu Dhabi Yacht Show, the 656-footer is a completely bespoke design, with equipment, styling, configuration, and class tailored to the desires and tastes of the client.

The monstrous but attractively styled vessel features a drive-in garage, two 98-foot day boats, helipad and hanger, a 100-ft. swimming pool, nightclub, casino, games room, two-level cinema, three beach clubs, a health spa, and 10 VIP rooms, 22 guest suites and a private owners deck accommodating a total of 45 passengers, along with 70 crew. Even at that size she'll be impressively fast, with a planned maximum speed of 28 knots, a cruising speed of 20 knots and a range of 6,500 nautical miles at cruising speed. No price has been mentioned yet but expect it to clock in at well over $500 million.

[via JamesList]

A charming 116-foot motor yacht is back on the market with a discount. The motor yacht Wheels was built by Horizon Yachts in 2002 and sleeps ten guests in five staterooms. The yacht's master suite includes a sunken bathroom and reflects italian style with a Versace-like opulence. The yacht was designed by Tomaso Spadolini with a low profile silhouette that includes a deep hull and large windows. The upper deck stows the yacht's tender and jet skis which are craned into the water for use. The upper deck is also home to a Jacuzzi and sunbathing area. There is ample dining space on the aft deck. Inside the yacht has been designed by Evan Marshall and has details like birds eye maple wall paneling, engraved glass door panels and marble floors. Twin engines keep Wheels spinning along at a cruising speed of 14 knots. The yacht is listed with Ocean Independence for 7,200,000 euros, a price reduction of 1,750,000 euros.

[via Superyacht Times]

For $70 million you can be the proud new owner of the SS Delphine, one of the last great private steamships of the 1920s, built for motorcar magnate Horace Dodge. The 257-ft. yacht was launched in 1921, fitted out with an interior by Tiffany & Co. and every conceivable luxury a gentleman could wish for on the high seas. Constructed at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Michigan, she was pressed into service during World War II as the flagship for Admiral Ernest Joseph King, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Navy, and Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt are said to have met aboard her prior to convening the Yalta Conference with Stalin in 1945. In the decades following she fell into disrepair until a European clothing mogul had her fully restored to former glory, including the steam engines, several years ago at a cost of $60 million. Along with accommodations for 26 guests and 28 crew members, there's a music salon, cinema, fitness center, spa, sauna, smoking room, swimming pool and original fixtures like the telegraph machine in the mahogany pilothouse.

[via Duncan Quinn]

Super Bowl XLIV's location in Miami, Florida provides the perfect opportunity to combine a trip to the game and luxury vacation. The Advantaged, a company that specializes in extraordinary home rentals and yacht charters, is prepared to help you organize your stay in South Florida. Whether your idea of the perfect view is from seats near the 50 yard line or from the pool deck pictured above (a real photo from one of their properties),they offer several options for those who would like to enjoy the area in true luxury.

The Champion Super Bowl package includes:

• A stay at one of three special Miami Mansions
• Yacht charter of your choice, which stays docked in front of your mansion.
• Four Super Bowl tickets
• Limousine transportation to and from the airport

An example of a luxury property available in the above package is called the Venetian Mansion. It is a stunning 5,500 square foot waterfront home that features: 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, swimming pool, jacuzzi, as well as Miami skyline and panoramic water views from every room. Another property they feature is called the South Hampton Villa a 7 bedroom, 7.5 bathroom property featured in the gallery below. The available yachts range from 40' to 155' and are fully crewed with personnel who are prepared to take their guests on whatever route or excursions suit their mood. They also offer custom packages where the client is able to mix and match from an extensive list of properties and yachts.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has ordered a new yacht, the "Eclipse", which is due for delivery from Blohm & Voss sometime this year and is being heralded as the world's biggest private yacht at 560 ft long. Among its many outstanding features are armor plating and a missile defense system, plus a laser shield that shoots bolts of light at cameras to ruin photographs and foil the paparazzi. He must feel safe leaving valuables inside (I guess!) because over the last several months he's been busy buying up art from the Millennium gallery in south England to decorate the yacht's massive interior. Although details on the specific pieces and prices purchased have not been released, we do know it totals 35 pieces so far and the collection is valued at over $300,000 dollars.

I would love to see that interior!

Florida-based Magnum Marine, owned by aristocratic Italian boatbuilder Marchese Filippo Theodoli, has begun production on its largest and lost luxurious yacht to date, the Magnum 100. Designed by Italy's Alberto Mancini, the sleek 100-ft. craft is made of carbon fiber and advanced composites for a high power-to-weight ratio. In addition to its twin 2,600 HP MTU diesel engines, the 100-footer has been equipped with numerous ecologically-minded devices such as an electric "harbor" drive wing engine for slow speed operation, which runs virtually silent and exhaust free. A number of indoor and outdoor seating, dining and viewing areas are incorporated into the design with an expandable top providing various movable shaded spaces when out on the water. Four double staterooms belowdecks provide luxe accommodations.

[via JamesList]

Mega luxury yacht maker Espen Øino continues its product partnership with Scalfaro to make watches. My colleague on Luxist discussed the two brands' other watch offering here. The newest watch does not have a very distinctive name or style, but a reasonably attractive look nonetheless. 44mm wide in steel with a thinner bezel and give the dial a larger look. The inner chapter-ring is hand finished and also done in brushed steel with hour indicators applied on it. The dial is easy to and monochromatic in tone. A dash of red and green give the watch a hint of color. A diamond is placed as the hour marker at 12 o'clock. Inside the watch is a Swiss automatic mechanical chronograph movement - likely an ETA 2894-2. The Espen Oeino name is placed on the chapter ring and directly below you have the yacht brand logo initials. The watch is placed on a rubber strap. Overall the Scalfaro Espen Oeino Edition is a decent looking watch, but nothing particularly special - it is limited to 100 pieces. Price is likely in the $6,000 - $8000 range.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

If you are driving a Bentley, rest your left hand gently on the rearview mirror just out the window -- this is how other drivers will notice your stunning Patek Philippe watch. At least, this is how you should roll if you're a millionaire in China.

According to a survey by Hurun magazine, China's wealthy love watches by Cartier and Patek Philippe and like to slip behind the wheel of Bentleys. Vacations in the United States are also favored. But, for cigarettes and first-class flights, Chinese millionaires like to keep it local. Air China tops the list for luxury flights, and Chunghwa is the favorite tobacco, according to Hurun, with Chinese who have at least $1.46 million in wealth. Unlike cigarettes, though, the favorite cigar brand, Davidoff, is from abroad.

The average respondent to the Hurun survey takes 15 days off a year, on average, has three cars and owns five watches that cost at least $10,000 each.

According to Rupert Hoogewerf, chief researcher and founder of Hurun, the Chinese "have a greater awareness of brands." He continued to Bloomberg News, "They are also more international-minded and keener to give their children a foreign education." Four out of five are planning to send their kids to school abroad for high school and beyond, with the United States the preferred destination.

Being wealthy doesn't mean this community is finished coveting. Now that they are taking more time off, 50 percent want to buy a yacht, and 15 percent would love a private jet.

Want to go cruising in the Caribbean like a fun-loving mega-mogul? Starting next month you can now charter Virgin founder Richard Branson's 105-ft. catamaran, the Necker Belle (above), for $88,000 per week. The carbon fiber craft, which just underwent a two-year refit at Australia's Azzura Marine, is capable of over 20 knots while under sail and 18 knots under power. The yacht can accomodate up to 10 guests in four en suite staterooms and the main cabin's lounge area, which can be converted to a double cabin, as well as a crew of seven. The modern, beach-house style interior modeled on Branson's Necker Island retreat in the British Virgin Islands features a wine cellar and there's an open-air cinema as well.

[via JamesList]

There's a unique opportunity to be transported into the jetset era of the 1950's and 1960's with a new yacht charter aboard late Greek shipping tycoon Arisotle Onassis' legendary 325-ft. Christina O. One of the world's most luxurious yachts, it has played host to the likes of Jackie Kennedy (later Onassis), Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Greta Garbo and Grace Kelly. John F. Kennedy first met Winston Churchill on board in 1957, and more recently Sean "Diddy" Combs chartered the craft; and it was also the setting for of the most glamorous, chronicled and ill-fated romances of the 20th century, between Onassis and the world's most famous opera diva, Maria Callas. The yacht's owners are now offering a special Maria Callas Experience charter this spring and summer, featuring a memorable voyage along the Cote d'Azur from Monte Carlo to Cannes, luxurious appointments, exquisite personal service from the attentive crew, superb dining, fine wines, and a bespoke recital of operatic classics with a storyline of Callas' life by some of Europe's most renowned sopranos.

[via JustLuxe]

Monaco-based boatbuilder Wally, known for its avant-garde yacht designs, has expanded its range of high-tech, high-performance skis made using carbon fiber technology borrowed from seagoing craft. The collection now includes six different models engineered for a range of expert skiing styles and conditions. Wally's skis are 30% lighter than conventional ones and combine exceptional grip on ice with high performance on powder. The carbon fiber is accompanied by cores of ash and birch wood, titanium accents and steel edging. The models in the range are the Original, Tradition, Magic, Freewally, Minipowder and Wallypowder. At 176 cm long, the new Wallypowder is one of the widest skis ever produced and the only full carbon ski specifically developed for off-piste runs.

[via Duncan Quinn]

The Orcagena is a 60-meter yacht with a 12-meter beam and room for 12 guests and 14 crew. It contains a spa and health center, sun deck Jacuzzi, and an open-air lounge for the owner's cabin. The dining room overlooks the 2-story swimming pool complex, where you'll be protected from that relentless Aegean sun by a retractable sunroof.

All of that, though, is par for the superyacht course. Where the Orcagena takes its stand is in its propulsion system: a hydrogen- and diesel-electric combination that can provide thousands of more Earth-friendly nautical miles. Dual-fuel engines can run on either diesel or liquid hydrogen, that latter fluid being stored in specially designed tanks in the bow. That engine then powers an electric motor that runs the propellers for quieter, more efficient motoring.

Running on hydrogen eliminates the yacht's carbon footprint, and using the hydrogen alone you can get from London to Brindisi at a leisurely pace, or if you're in a hurry to get to that Campari and soda, Monaco to Brindisi. The full complement of hydrogen and diesel will get you from LA to your second home in Cheju, South Korea... and back. The axe bow and hull design based on the shape of the sperm whale go a long way to making that happen.

The Orcagena is only at the design stage now, but it is more proof of the best in luxury and the best in treading softly are headed for an inevitable union.



[Source: Green Car Congress]