3 fantaboulous Sailboats Shows

Volvo Ocean Race in Galway (IRL), Ostar in Plymouth (UK), Vendee Globe in Les Sables d'Olonne (FRA) three great events moving at least 500.000 "sailing" people next weekend:





44 skippers from around the world have signed up for the world's oldest solo ocean challenge - OSTAR (Original Single handed Trans-Atlantic Race) 2009. the participants' sailboats will be leaving Plymouth on May 25th, the OSTAR, which dates back to 1960, has received entries from many countries: Britain, Austria, France, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and the USA. With a well established reputation for producing the sailors of the future, two young novices seek to further their reputaions in this race. Rob Cumming, is 19 years old and from Plymouth. Oscar Mead who will be just 18 years of age making him the youngest competitor to have ever taken part.
Also attracting much attention is Katie Miller who, at the tender age of 21 years old, has already been tipped as the next Ellen MacArthur and is the youngest female competitor to have entered this prestigious race.
French sailor Anne Caseneuve will skipper the same 50 foot trimaran which she raced in OSTAR 2005 when she unfortunately damaged her knee and was forced to withdraw. With her sailing experience and 50 foot sailboat she stands a very good chance of line honours, thus becoming the first ever female winner.
The Yacht club has organized some spectator boats to see the start on the water monday 25th may. Mv Plymouth Sound & Silvert Crest leave new pontoon The Barbican at 10:30 returning at 1400. Tickets for seats' rental must be purchased in advance from RWYC (tel 01752 660077) (adults £12 children under 16 £6).



The 2008-2009 Vendée Globe prize-giving ceremony will be taking place on Saturday 23rd May on the main beach in Les Sables d’Olonne. It will offer another opportunity to applaud the thirty sailors, who tackled the Everest of the Seas last winter.

The ceremony will begin at 10 p.m. This event, completely free of charge will be a great popular occasion just like the Vendée Globe itself and will correspond to the achievements of the skippers. Alongside the presentation of the thirty participants and the handing over of the Vendée Globe trophies, there will also be a pyrotechnic display, a light show projected on to giant screens and a film summarising the sixth edition of the Vendée Globe and the 30 sailboats running. A large firework display will bring the ceremony to an end. This will be the moment to applaud for one final time the skippers, who took part in this edition, before looking forward to the next Vendée Globe in 2012-2013, the start date of which will be announced during the ceremony by Philippe de Villiers, the President of the Vendée Globe.


When the Volvo Ocean Race comes to Galway and the seven sailboats berth in the harbour of Galway, a quarter of a million people are expected to watch the in-port race and the pro-am event in the Bay.
It's a great coup for Ireland, and particularly for the ancient west coast city of Galway, following their successful bid as a stopover port in the Volvo Ocean Race. The event will make its first-ever Irish stopover in the fabled waters of Galway Bay. The first sailboats arrival are expected on May 23rd and the participants to the Volvo Ocean race will stay in Galway for two weeks. Usually Galway during the spring and summer attracts visitors to several different music festivals, an International Festival of Literature, the Galway Arts Festival (Ireland’s largest), the Oyster Festival and the Galway Races, which attracts 200,000 people over seven days. So that we shall have plenty of entertainments during the two weeks of the Galway's Leg, included the In Port Race on 30th may and the major events held in the Trade And Expo Arena along the entire period.

Boat (Rich) People - 5 luxury Boats and their rich owners

6 - Christensen Hull-026 Privacy - Tiger Woods : the missed bargain



Kidding. But it is not very far the moment some will think about a yacht having in mind a thing like that. Instead Tiger Woods commissioned a 155 ft to Christiansen, she was a beautiful yacht fully optional, fine featured, $20 million or the like, but there is a small particular, Woods never bought it. Part of the contract Woods agreed with the yard was confidentiality — although pictures of the boat could be used, its name and interior details, through final fittings, were not to be disclosed. After his marriage of 5 October 2004, the couple used the boat, now called "Privacy" on a honeymoon cruise to Puerto Rico. On his return from honeymoon, Woods sued Christensen for more than $75,000 in damages, because his privacy was violated. But because of Woods' celebrity and how much clout he carries in the advertising world, compensatory damages could have reached $50 million. The action was settled out of court, and it is believed that Christensen paid Woods around half the cost of his yacht in compensation.




















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7 - ARCTIC P - Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Kerry and James Packer: who breaks the ice first?



Artic P ranks #23 in the world’s largest privately owned vessel. The late Kerry Packer, the Australian media magnate, would be proud to see how his son James is keeping this yacht busy. He loaned Arctic P, a former icebreaker, to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes for their honeymoon in the Maldives, celebrated his own nuptials aboard in the French Riviera and donated a trip in Tahiti as an auction item during Rock for the Cure, a fundraiser for the Nevada Cancer Institute, last November. One person, the winner of a week's charter on her, that in particular was the most excited about stepping aboard.








8 - Vajoliroja (ex Anatolia) - Fort Lauderdale's her hometown (Johnny Depp)





The Vajoliroja is Johnny Depp's Yacht and was purchased in 2007. It was reported that Vajoliroja is a combination of the first names of his family, "VAnessa, JOhnny, LIly-ROse and JAck". The Vajoliroja, formerly named Anatolia, is a fabulous 156' Superyacht built in 2001, with exterior design by Taka Yachts and interior design by L.M. Pagano Design. You could spot it in Fort Lauderdale very easily.


















9 - Maltese Falcon - (Tom Perkins Ewlett-Packard) the 8th Wonder



A privileged few will be fortunate enough to experience Maltese Falcon under sail. The 88 meter clipper Maltese Falcon is the largest sailing yacht in the world and in a breeze Maltese Falcon's immense DynaRig powers her to record shattering speeds. Maltese Falcon’s interior is luxurious with a rich contemporary décor, delightful to the eye and soothing to the soul. Maltese Falcon is the ideal choice of yacht for large scale entertaining while meandering between smart anchorages. Atlantic crossings in ten days are on offer from this extraordinary yacht! A masterpiece of technology and design, the Maltese Falcon is a yacht without equal.

Maltese Falcon Technical Specifications:
Length: 88.00 m (289’)
Beam: 12.6 m (42’2”)
Draft (Keel up): 6 m (19’7”)
Draft (Keel down): 11 m (36’)
Engines: 2 Deutz TBD620 12 V
Speed: Max 18.5 kts
Range @14 knots: 3,000 miles
Builder: Perini Navi Yachts
Delivered: April 2006
Number of Guests: 12
Number of Crew: 16 (Up to additional 4)

Maltese Falcon Tenders & Toys:
Maltese Falcon has 2 32' Pascoe RIB Tenders. 4 Laser Sailing boats. 1 Castold 14' Jet tender. 6 full sets of dive gear, water skis, snorkeling gear. Maltese Falcon has a full gym with Techno gym, stairmaster etc.

Maltese Falcon Guest Accommodation:
Maltese Falcon has a VIP cabin on upperdeck with queen berth. Full beam Master with King berth, a seperate full beam dressing room and private gym on lower deck. Four guest suites that can convert into two enormous VIP suites each with his/her heads. All cabins on Maltese Falcon have King or Queen berths.

Maltese Falcon Audio Visual Equipment and Deck Facilities:
Maltese Falcon has a 50" Plasma in main salon, SAT TV and DVD throuout the yacht. 50" Plasma in Master Suite, all four guest suites have 42" Plasma screens, and the "Passage Cabin" on the upper deck has a 32" Plasma screen. B & O Surround sound throughout Maltese Falcon, including lower and upper outside aft decks.

Maltese Falcon Communications:
Maltese Falcon is equipped with Furuno Sat C, Nera Fleet 77 B, Nera F33 Sat Com.
GSM Cellular. Wireless internet connection throughout Maltese Falcon via VSAT.
Charter the Maltese Falcon from 375,000 Euro per week MYBA WMT Vat Exempt


10 - Phocea - (Mouna Ayoub) Dear unlucky tall ship...


Phocea's extraordinary history began in 1972 when Alain Colas, having just won the Observer Single Handed Trans Atlantic Race (OSTAR), commissioned Michel Bigoin to design a race-winning monohull with which he could enter the 1976 race. The 4-masted yacht developed by Bigoin was built at the naval dockyard in Toulon and named Club Mediterranée, after the yacht's sponsors.
Unfortunately due to injury Alain Colas was unable to test the yacht sufficiently before the race, and whilst in the lead the halyards broke - Club Mediterranée lost the race by 7.5 hours.
Following the race, a basic interior was fitted to Club Mediterranée and she sailed to French Polynesia where she began life as a charter vessel taking guests out on day sails. Then Alain Colas lost his life whilst participating in the 1978 Route du Rhum Single-handed race and it was not long before the yacht began to look neglected. In 1982 the French entrepreneur Bernard Tapie came to the rescue. Tapie had the yacht stripped and rebuilt as a superyacht at the Chantier Naval de Marseilles and Michel Bigoin oversaw the project. The yacht was renamed Phocea - to honour the Phoceans, Marseilles's original founders. Tapie then fell in disgrace and knew for a few years the hard life of French Prisons. Club Mediterranée was sold to Mouna Ayoub, a rich Lebanese, and now is a sailboat on rent for 196.000 euro a week in the hot season.

10 top tall ships you shouldn't miss

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 is a spectacular odyssey around the North Atlantic Ocean of more than 7,000 nautical miles following the traditional route taken by sailing ships of a by-gone age. The vessels now are berthed at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Harbour, Canary Islands, Spain having departed from Vigo Spain the 30th April this year. Anyone could take part in Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009. Most of the vessels welcome novices as well as experienced sailors. The challenge is for anyone with a spirit of adventure, love of travel and sense of fun: the only problem will be choosing the best ship. I can't make my mind up ...



1. Europa

Class: A
Flag: The Netherlands
L.O.A. 44.5m
Rig: 3 Mast Barque
Year Built: 1911
Home Port: The Hague
Entered By: Rederij Bark Europa






2. Belle Poule

Class: B
Flag: France
L.O.A. 30.48
Rig: Schooner
Year Built: 1932
Home Port: Brest
Entered By: Marine Nationale - Ecole Navale








3. Jolie Brise

Class: B
Flag: UK
L.O.A. 17.1m
Rig: Gaff Cutter
Year Built: 1913
Home Port: Hamble, England
Entered By: Dauntsey's School, Wiltshire, England






4. Mircea

Class: A
Flag: Romania
L.O.A. 92.8
Rig: Barque
Year Built: 1939
Home Port: Constantz
Entered By: Romanian Naval Academy






5. Kruzenshtern

Class: A
Flag: Russia
L.O.A. 114.5m
Rig: Barque 4
Year Built: 1926
Home Port: Kaliningrad, Russia
Entered By: Baltic State Academy of the Fishing Fleet






6. Eagle

Class: A
Flag: USA
L.O.A. 80.08 m
Rig: 3 Masted Barque
Year Built: 1936
Home Port: New London, Connecticut
Entered By: USCG Academy





7. Tenacious

Class: A
Flag: U K
L.O.A. 54m
Rig: Barque
Year Built: 2000
Home Port: Southampton
Entered By: Jubilee Sailing Trust






8. Capitan Miranda

Class: A
Flag: Uruguay
L.O.A. 50.29 m
Rig: Schooner
Year Built: 1930
Home Port: Montevideo
Entered By: Uruguayan Navy







9 . Libertad

Class: A
Flag: Argentina
L.O.A. 105.10 m
Rig: Ship
Year Built: 1956
Home Port: Buenos Aires
Entered By: Argentine Navy





10. Tecla

Class: B
Flag: Netherlands
L.O.A. 27.50m
Rig: Gaff Ketch
Year Built: 1915
Home Port: Winkel
Entered By: Jan Bouwman & Jannette Sluik

Volvo Ocean: the hardest ocean to cross

The sailboats of the Volvo Ocean race are heading out across the Atlantic in what threatens to be one of the most hazardous legs of the nine-month round-the-world event. 2500 nautical miles, from Boston New England to Galway Ireland, during which the seven crews will be facing dramatic conditons. everybody is well conscious of the dramatic events of last edition in 2006, in which Dutch Bot ABN AMRO 2 lost a man at and Spain's Movistar sank in the Atlantic: "Crossing the Atlantic has always been very difficult, probably one of the hardest oceans to cross," said Ericsson 4 crewman Tony Mutter. "The weather systems are pretty violent and there can be a lot of debris in the water, and more wildlife here than in any other ocean". And Volvo Ocean Race, formerly Withbread Cup, startin from the Season 1973/74 has paid a high number of tributes in lives:

1973/74 Paul Waterhouse of Tauranga: the ship broached violently. The spinnaker boom broke at the mast end causing it to thrash around on the clew of the sail. He rushed forward to get the sails under control and retrieve what was left of the boom, but as he went forward the boat changed direction once more and the sail suddenly took off. The sheets went taut under Waterhouse and threw him high in the air, dumping him back on deck then overboard in a second surge of power.

Bernie Hocking of GBII: disappears overboard, with winds blowing Force 5-6, the crew were not able to recover him despite a search that lasted more than two hours, during which time, they neither saw him nor the dan buoy that was thrown to him after he lost his footing while tidying up in the pulpit. He was gone forever.In his log, Blyth wrote, “Other yachts would have taken this harder or more emotionally. The reason its not affecting us so much is that once again the training of the Paras comes out. You’re steeled towards death. All of us in the yacht have seen active service so have seen death before. This is more personal, but we keep our thoughts to ourselves. He will rarely be mentioned now, more out of respect than anything else. Bernie was one of us. He wouldn’t want it any other way.”

1989/90: Bart van den Dwey and Tony Phillips: a sudden and violent broach thrust Bart van den Dwey and Tony Phillips overboard. It was around 3:00, the seas were big and confused, and although both men were wearing life-jackets and equipped with flares and personal radio beacon, the business of recovery took more than 45 minutes which put their lives in the balance. Skipper John Chittenden recorded each development in detail: “The first man, Bart van den Dwey, was recovered and successfully resuscitated. Tony Phillips was recovered and resuscitation continued for three hours without success. Bart’s lifejacket was inflated. Tony Phillips’ was not. He hit a stanchion as he went overboard and it is thought unlikely that he was conscious once in the water. Two crew-members, Barry Mercer and Julian Morris, went into the sea three times to assist with their recovery. Both actions were in my opinion heroic – Julian’s in particular. A few days later, by radio agreement with relatives ashore, Tony Phillips was buried at sea.”

2006/2007 Hans Horrevoets. Falls from ABN Amro 2 and failed to regain consciousness.

5 yachts you will dream of : Boat People

1 - Octopus - Paul Allen: We are All in the Yellow Submarine.
Rich people like actors, singers, entrepreneurs or lucky heirs doesn't look for evidence. They are simply bounded to come, get off the big big boat, get in again loaded with shoppers and fade with their fortresses in the fog. Not for Paul Allen. He likes to be seen and admired and in any port he arrives, he likes to invite notable people in the superyacht OCTOPUS, a whopping 416 feet (127 m), long enough to have secured its position as one of the world's largest yachts. Super yacht OCTOPUS is equipped with a music studio and a basketball court. the interior of the boat, which cost $20 million to build, is full of modern electronics, as befitting someone with a software background. For example there's big screen TVs that slide out of the walls. The inside has a classic look, with lots of light wood paneling and muted colors. On the walls there are a couple of Andy Warhol paintings and a Max Ernst original. And more, Paul Allen seems to be an ardent fan of sea cruisers. The latest plaything in the billionaire's playground is a fully operational 40-foot yellow submarine for which he has paid a huge sum of $12 million.



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2 - Lady Sheridan - Ophrah Winfrey, Jude Sheidlin: Changing name and identity.

the Lady Sheridan, 148 ft 5, built in 1988 by Feadship Van Lent, and commissioned by Ophrah Winfrey has changed from owner to owner her name in "L'Elegance", then "Mia Elise", "Easy to Love IV" and finally the actual name, "The Judge". She's truly a female Big Boat very similar to her owners, some of the most paid women in the history of the US TV. Now "Judge" Judy Sheidlin is, with her husband and a couple of friends the owner of this wonderful Boat and are chartering it, because a boat like that is costly even for a billionaire.







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3 - Rising Sun - Larry Ellison: "I'm worried, Larry ..."

Starts like that a letter from the accountant of Larry Ellison founder of the US Oracle, software US giant. Of course, there's no question that Ellison, 62, is good for the loans. Forbes' famous list of wealthy people says the maverick entrepreneur is the nation's fifth richest individual, worth $17 billion, mostly in Oracle stock. Still, Ellison's spending and his reluctance to part with Oracle shares have caused his financial adviser some anxiety. On the water front Ellison has poured at least $194m in a new yacht and $80m in the America's Cup: a true passionate. The yacht is Rising Sun, 452 ft 8 of length, Built by Lürssen, with the style aid of Jon Bannenberg.

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4 - All a fleet - Roman Abramovic: no way, safety comes first



It's almost ready Eclipse for Roman Abramovic (here with his wife Irina in Portofino Italy), the Boat is the fifth of the group and the biggest. The others are in order of volume Pelorus, Le Grand Bleu, Ecstasea and Sussurro. It seems motor yacht ECLIPSE - the largest yacht in the world - will be well-prepared to thwart off the attacks of would-be ship and yacht seizure by Somali pirates and pretty much everyone else. Sources report the gigayacht will have special radar installed, designed specifically to warn of incoming rockets. There will also be armored protection around the wheelhouse and the billionaire owner’s master suite – along with bulletproof windows throughout.
If pirates do, in fact, breach the security cordon and climb onboard the superyacht, the Russian oligarch, 41, and several guests can escape through secret corridors to a submarine that is launchable underwater and can dive away to 160ft in depth. Move over, James Bond!
Underwater cameras with heat-and-motion sensors will detect intruders. The yacht is being fitted with the latest antibugging equipment and there are supposedly even flash sensors installed to warn of paparazzi photographers taking snaps through the windows. In addition to its anti-missile defense system, the yacht will be defended by a crew of 50 fully-armed former SAS and Special Boat Service commandos, ready to take on any modern-day pirates or terrorists.
The onboard accommodations will feature six guest suites, five VIP suites and the aforementioned 5,000 square foot owner’s cabin. All come with two en suite bathrooms and balconies. The owner’s cabin features a grand piano and a private garden area on the foredeck, spanning decks 4 and 5.
The yacht also boasts a wine cellar, humidor, two kitchens, and a mini hospital.
For watersport enthusiasts, there will be four pleasure craft, a 50ft tender to ferry guests to and from shore, 20 jet skis and of course, the 12-seat private submarine.
Currently under construction in Hamburg, Germany at the fabled Blohm + Voss shipyards, her owner is expected to take delivery next summer. Insiders put the cost of the world’s largest giga yacht at + £200m ($470m). Comfort and safety first of all.



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5. Lady Lola - Bejoncè and Jay Zed: Privacy in boat rentals

Not everybody is able to adopt security and privacy measures the like Abramovic is able to do. Not everybody has enough money or the vocation to get busy and loose finance just to take care of a large boat. In that case the Vip should be patient and smile when everybody holding a camera starts to shoot photos or hide in one of the areas expecially studied to keep privacy high. And the Lady Lola is a yacht built having clear in mind what happens in Italy in places like Portofino or the Sardinia Smeralda Coast. With her features The Lady Lola can provide plenty of private room, the upper deck is a full private Owners’ deck that can be entirely closed off from the rest of the vessel. It includes a forward master stateroom with its panoramic 270-degree view and private balcony, as well as a 3,500-square-foot suite including a salon, an office and opening aft on a large covered private terrace and many other amenities that a big star look for when in a holyday



to be continued ----------------------------------

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