That's it? You’ve settled for a destination at the far side of the world in a dream location. Whether you chose the Tuamotus, the Seychelles or the French Riviera, your vacation will be idyllic, but they can also become really out of the ordinary...
Business hasn’t been too bad this year, you have friends -one or two couples - to go with, or your own large family, but especially you have a real desire to enjoy yourself. If you say exceptional holidays, this often means a stunning or wilderness destination, and/or the comfort of a 5-star hotel. But in the maritime world, these two notions can be very distant or even contradictory. A solution does exist however, making no concessions: the rental of a luxury yacht. The Great Barrier Reef, the bottom of a Patagonian fjord, the blue of a Polynesian lagoon but all to be discovered from the terrace of a palace with the cuisine and the service that flow from it, can become a reality. While an exploration cruise requires a personal and organizational commitment, here you will only have to let yourself be quietly lulled into enjoying the beauty of the place, the attractions at your disposal and a caring crew. From diving in the Society Islands to the markets of the Mediterranean, from learning yoga on the sandy beaches of the Caribbean to the sunset over the Acropolis, a cruise aboard a superyacht offers you a visa for some of the most beautiful and remote areas in the world enjoying the best possible cocooning and privacy.
A five-star hotel on the water
An attentive crew, with a minimum ratio of one crewmember for every two guests is at your fingertips to help you make the best of every moment. Whether serving cocktails, hoisting sails, looking for the next stopover, or attending to the guests’ every need, the crew of a superyacht are the basis and the spirit of the cruise. For his part, the chef prepares dishes worthy of a gourmet restaurant according to your wishes. The captain is always an experienced sailor but also a concierge (in the hotel sense of the word) and ensures and even anticipates the fulfillment of all your desires. A restaurant, an excursion, a spa, a golf course: he will find it along the coast where you are sailing, and it will be one with all the most exclusive services for your well-being. The highly qualified crew can entertain and watch your children when you need a little time for yourself or to manage your business. A superyacht is a fabulous playground for all age groups, as it will have a wide range of water sports equipment, and often a fabulous collection of films... And what about the hostesses, always on hand for you to make the most of these few days of relaxation!
Multiyachts, the ideal platform
A superyacht is above all a boat of (very) high standing. Always impressive in size, this type of unit is distinguished by a very elaborate, sophisticated and elegant design. Inside, the decor, volumes and equipment, refined by the top designers, are reminiscent of villas that are usually seen only in glossy magazines. The size of the cabins - but it's better here to talk about suites - with their private baths, their king-sized beds and desk; the living room, the dining room and all the other different indoor or outdoor living spaces, the professional galley with XXL-sized storage guarantee that you will be able to find rest and intimacy in between the leisure activities and the aperitifs.
Swimming is most often facilitated by a hydraulic platform and the storage space allows you to enjoy the latest toys, each more exciting than the last. And in superyacht sector too, multihulls are becoming more and more popular, thanks to their intrinsic qualities (see the article "The Multiyacht in question" Multihulls World No. 149). Wide beam, outsized outdoor spaces (forward, aft and flybridge), panoramic view, cabin separation and natural stability provide catamarans with structural advantages that allow for a significantly higher ranking than a monohull.
An (almost) unlimited choice
These advantages have not been lost on the biggest yards... If the first Multiyachts were one-off units, fully custom-built, such as the 138 foot "Douce France" or the largest ever built, "Hemisphere", at 145 feet, or "Magic Cat" and "Rose of Jericho", the fastest, the trend quickly became to develop semi-custom yachts. On this basis, Blue Coast Yachts has launched three very luxurious catamarans of 92, 95 and 100 feet: "Rafoly", which became "Black Swan", "Cartouche" and "Allures". Then, in the early 2000s, a brand was born that would quickly become a leader in this very particular market: Sunreef Yachts. Its founder, passionate about catamarans, began by developing a high-end charter agency. The demand was there, but few boats were available. Never mind, Francis Lapp set about building a yard to construct them. An initial 74 footer was launched in 2003, and Sunreef Yachts was born. Since then, the brand has built a hundred sailing and motor catamarans from 60' to 114', creating models with double decks and contributing to catamarans becoming a permanent feature on the superyacht market. Some, such as "Iphara", the 102’ sloop, or "Skylark", a 72' motor yacht are available for charter. Then Privilège with the 745, "Lady Alliaura", launched the notion of customizable boats in small production runs. A concept taken over and developed today by Lagoon, the world leader in production catamarans, with the SEVENTY 7 and the SEVENTY 8 motor (see tests in Multihulls World 151 and 161). The luxurious nature of equipment is becoming ever more important in the world of superyachting. Precious woods, thick wool carpets, state-of-the-art multimedia and sound systems, telecommunications and high-tech office equipment, the retractable deck in the hull and the Jacuzzi on the flybridge are all essential (just like crockery in fine china and crystal glasses) for anyone who wants to live on these luxury craft.
But beware, this does not necessarily mean that luxury and the pleasure of speed are incompatible. It was "Magic Cat" which first launched the idea of reconciling these two essentially contradictory concepts. Since then, the American brand Gunboat has made it their raison d’être. And these particularly fast high-tech boats are - for some - also available for charter, such as "Zenyata" or "Slim" or "Moonwave" the last 57' just out of a complete refit at JFA. This Brittany-based shipyard is also an important player in the world of Multiyachts. Indeed, JFA has built "Rose of Jericho" which became "Azizam", then the 110' "Mousetrap" and notably launched the semi-custom Long Island series of which the 85’ "Winquest" is available for charter. Of the total of about 150 multihulls over 70' built in the world, no less than a good thirty are for charter. Which should be enough to find happiness!
And relatively economical
The various high-end multihulls - mainly catamarans - available in charter cover a wide range of possibilities both in terms of destinations and comfort and/or performance. More or less luxurious or fast, capable of accommodating four to twelve guests, these MultiYachts are simply a phone call away. It’s also one of the characteristics of luxury charter: the broker with whom you will be in contact is first of all there to offer you an irreproachable service. He must understand what you want, take charge of and respond to your requests to customize your cruise by planning a route and tailor-made interests. And it all starts with the choice of the boat with the equipment and amenities that suit you, as well as the number and quality of the staff and their qualification for the service you want. The main charter agencies member of the MYBA (worldwide association of brokerage agencies, guaranteeing a quality of service) offer catamarans for charter, but only some agencies are really specialized in the Multiyacht. This is of course the case of Sunreef Yachts Charter but also of Merex Yachts and Blue Latitude Yachting who work very closely with the manufacturers. Bernard Gallay also offers a wide choice; and Hong Kong-based Simpson Marine, ideally located for cruises in Asia and the Indian Ocean.
How much does it cost?
So we’ve got down to the question that can be annoying: how much does the exceptional cost? If you want the top of the line for 12 guests with as many crew members, you'll have to shell out $260k per week for Hemisphere - the largest catamaran. For as many guests but with "only" seven people for the service, "Douce France” is yours for $95k for the week. In general, 70 to 90' catamarans that can accommodate from 6 to 8 passengers cost from $35 to $50k per week. A price that includes the charter with the crew and all the equipment, but the expenses of food, drinks, fuel and other consumables as well as communications and of port or delivery are additional... And that can quickly mount up on this type of boat! An advance on costs is requested in a contractual form called the Advance Provisioning Allowance (APA) for supplies. It is generally fixed at 25 to 30% of the charter amount. It is the captain who deals the accounts at the end of the charter and refunds the difference or charges for the extra consumed. If meal expenses vary according to the appetites of the guests, the fuel outlay on multihulls is much less than on the power monohulls - at least that is a given! Count about twenty percent of the original price on a multihull against nearly 35% for the most greedy superyacht engines.
Finally the tips for the crew are left to the discretion of the charterer... An amount that remains (very) significant, since for the same price as a week on a MultiYacht, you could charter a 45’ production catamaran for a whole year. But not everyone a year available to them, so make the most of it...
The owner’s viewpoint
It is of course important for the profitability of an investment, to offer your yacht for charter, unless you want to use it full time, especially since the average availability of luxury units is in the order of 80% of the time. But for all that, and if we take it for granted, the fruit of chartering for an owner will never be able to be used to finance the purchase of the boat; it will be used to cover operating expenses and the investment required for repairs and upgrades. A luxury yacht, if it wants to be attractive to customers, must always offer the latest in-vogue equipment, be it for watersports, or for home appliances, multimedia, communications and even decor. In order to guarantee safety and security, maintenance, technical revisions and upgrades must be undertaken very regularly. Electricity, Plumbing, Engine, Generator, Watermaker etc. The list of jobs and maintenance is significant so that the boat has the ability to put to sea with peace of mind and provide the comfort that customers demand. The annual operating and maintenance costs of an 80' yacht including the permanent crew of two, captain and engineer, plus a hostess and a chef for periods in use, port dues, insurance and miscellaneous costs may represent an overall budget in the region of €300k to €400k depending on the case. To this is added the agency fees for charter management. So here you are at the head of a real small business. In principle, the coverage of all costs must be balanced with an average of 10 to 12 weeks of charter per year.
