LUXURY YACHTS From

LUXURY YACHTS From royalty and heads of state to highly successful business tycoons, superyacht ownership has always been regarded a symbol of wealth, privilege and luxury. There is no denying that if you love the water and value privacy and freedom, getting away from it all on a yacht is an alluring proposition. However, in an increasingly time-constrained society, a new generation now has different priorities, and the market is changing to fulfill those needs where experience and adventure are key. The charterer is now king, and enjoying a no-strings premium life at sea is more accessible and in demand than ever before. The growing need for easy access to this exclusive lifestyle has led to an influx of new digital technologies designed to make getting on-board even easier. One of these new platforms is Boatsters.com, which offers an online service for yachts and boats much like Airbnb or Booking.com. Founder Nick Gelevert was inspired to set up the service after seeing so many boats lying unused during peak periods. “Clients can book a boat just as easily as a hotel. People often don’t know that the price for eight people in a luxury hotel for a week is often the same price as renting a boat for that trip, which can be much more spectacular and fun,” he says. “The market is growing, and now you can choose from more than 10,000 boats in 63 countries.” Gelevert also thinks that the firm has benefitted from a shift of mentality surrounding ownership of high-end cars and yachts. “I believe access is the new ownership, especially for global clients,” he adds. “The ability to grasp what you want immediately has become a luxury in itself. People don’t feel like they have to own something providing that they can still have the experience.” Nick Heming, charter and sales broker for Y.CO, has seen a similar pattern in the superyacht charter industry. “The charter market has grown considerably in recent years as more and more people are recognizing that a superyacht is by far the best way to “ M O R E P E O P L E A R E have a truly exclusive vacation,” he says. R E C O G N I Z I N G T H A T A “Chartering offers clients the ability to S U P E R Y A C H T I S B Y feel like an owner, F A R T H E B E S T W A Y T O have all of the enjoyable trappings of H A V E A T R U L Y ownership without any of the hassle and cost EXCLUSIVE VACATION” that this can involve. N I C K H E M I N G , C H A R T E R & S A L E S All of our clients, by BROKER, Y.CO virtue of the fact that they are considering yachts for charter, have the means to do most things in life, but the one thing they’re short of is time. Chartering cuts out unnecessary admin. A good charter agent will navigate you through the myriad of yachts available in various destinations worldwide, getting you quickly to your desired utopia.” With more clients seeking these kind of experiences, premium hotels have been quick to follow the trend with more adding boats to their armory. The Bequia Beach 62

PHOTOGRAPHY: BENNE OCHS, GETTY IMAGES, PR From luxury cruisers like the new Sunseeker Manhattan 66 (left) to adventure superyachts (top middle), sailing yachts and classic speedboats, new digital platforms allow you to easily view, book and then enjoy an extensive range of vessels of all types and sizes, anywhere in the world Hotel in the Caribbean is one such property, offering guests the chance to book on a per cabin basis on-board the 112-foot Benetti Star of the Sea. “From the hotel’s perspective it gives our guests the chance to experience a real taste of the superyacht lifestyle, and for only a little bit more than the cost of a hotel room,” says owner Bengt Mortstedt. “Guests might only do three days for their first trip, but then I hope that they might get hooked and next time want to stay longer.” An increased focus on experience over ownership has also seen a shift in the type of charter that people are looking for. Forget sitting in Saint Tropez with your chilled glass of champagne in hand, the hot destinations of 2017 include Papua New Guinea, the Northwest Passage, the Arctic and Antarctica. EYOS expeditions, which organizes bespoke superyacht trips in remote locations, believes this change is being driven by a “new generation” of charterers. “Luxury for these charterers is defined differently; it is about having an experience and visiting places that others can’t,” says chief executive officer Ben Lyons. “It is completely experienced-based; from watching a huge humpback whale breach right next to your yacht in Antarctica to witnessing a polar bear hunting and tracking a seal in the Arctic.” Australia is another destination to have benefitted from this movement, with areas such as the cascading waterfalls and rugged ranges of the Kimberly – Western Australia’s sparsely settled northern region – seeing unprecedented interest. “I believe the drivers of our global clients are shifting towards destinations that provide more meaningful travel experiences that connect with a real interest for an activity or region,” says Joachim Howard, the managing director of Australia-based Ocean Alliance. This combination of educational travel has proved to be particularly popular with some families. “Clients are recognizing that travel is an education, not just for themselves, but also for their children or grandchildren,” says Heming. “What better way to educate your children about different cultures, marine life, extraordinary geographic structures, the underwater world etc., than being physically there. In some instances, when the charter was during school term time, we even arranged for private tutors to be on-board with them. This helps ensure children benefit from the experience without impacting their normal schooling.” The construction side of the industry has also been affected by this trend, with Boat International Media’s reference publication Global Order Book 2016 indicating that more than 50 explorer superyachts, notable for their extreme ranges, ice-class hulls and autonomous capabilities, are under construction. While some of these go-anywhere superyachts will remain for private use, a number will become available for charter, once again expanding the options available. It has never been easier to explore the world by boat. Now you can just pick your yacht, choose your destination and your own personal adventure awaits. Sophia Wilson is Travel Editor of Boat International magazine 63