Luxury Yachts: How many times have you stared out drearily at the bleak company parking lot, the hot urban sun beating down on your car, willing the paint to peel back from the frame, or watched as an inch-thick layer of ice formed on your windshield after an hour of being pelted by freezing rain? During those moments how often did you close your eyes and envision yourself sailing on a private yacht through crystal blue waters, being waited on hand and foot without a care in the world?

While buying your own private yacht and hiring a full-time crew, chef and maid, plus paying for the privilege of docking in a marina, is a few years away (as in light years), enjoying the luxury of sailing to exotic destinations aboard a world-class yacht-that’s all yours during your cruise-with private staff whose mission it is to make sure you’re happy, is closer than you think. PrivatSea is an exclusive yacht club, offering Members luxury cruising aboard an exceptional fleet of superyachts. The Club’s prestigious fleet of yachts is offered to discerning vacationers to provide the ultimate in the discreet “escape.” Every yacht is hand picked for its pedigree, crew experience and security criteria. On board, every Club member is treated as if the yacht were their own. The Club takes care of every detail leaving our Members free to enjoy a truly relaxing vacation in the height of luxury.

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Amnesia III, the latest custom yacht from Benetti’s shipyards in Livorno, Italy, shares the same name as two previous motoryachts the owner built with Benetti, but at 196 feet in length, it is 30 feet longer than Amnesia II. It also features the latest electronics, VIP salon on the bridge, and technical advances in the steel hull and aluminum superstructure. “I know I put the yard under strain with my challenging requests,” says owner Graham de Zille. “But we had to go further, keeping the best of the previous yachts and moving forward with an up-to-date design. We also wanted to improve its layout.”

The five-stateroom interior was designed by Redman Whiteley Dixon, the award-winning British yacht design firm. The light-hued interior is defined by West African anigre wood bulkheads with walnut detailing, and wenge furniture. The owner’s suite has his-and-hers bathrooms, dressing rooms, and a study, and the yacht also has two enormous salons and a massage room. Taking a leaf from the previous Amnesia, the crew quarters and their circulation throughout the yacht are separate from the guests, which should make Amnesia III as popular for chartering as its forefather ship. The yacht accommodates 12 guests and 16 crew, and its twin 1600-hp Caterpillar 3512B diesels give Amnesia a cruise speed of 15 knots and a transoceanic range of 5,000 nautical miles. (011.39.0584.3821, www.benettiyachts.it)

Technorati Tags: Benetti, Amnesia III, Livornor, Italy, Custom Yacht, Amnesia, Yacht

If you’ve got the money you can get a beautiful new white and shiny
yacht, or you can step back into the past with a sailing yacht like
Lulworth. We first saw Lulworth in 2006 after
her major refit but the yacht was built in 1920. The yacht was put back
in the water after 70 years and a 15 million euro renovation. The
152-foot teak beauty is listed at 19.5 million euros (over $30 million).

Technorati Tags: lulworth, sailing yacht for sale, yacht

This traditional cruising yacht is Float, a Mulder 73 Wheelhouse built by the Netherlands-based company for a Swiss owner. The yacht has an all-aluminum construction and twin Caterpillar C12 engines so that the boat can hit a top speed of 24 knots. The exterior features a champagne hull finished with metallic paint and and underwater lighting aft. A transom door hides a tender. The interior of the yacht is done in white-washed teak and wengé wood and there is an iPod docking station with a Denon sound system in each cabin.

Luxury Yachts: Churchill Yacht Partners wants all of its customers to know that the relationship does not end with the consummation of the transaction. It is actually just the starting point, as post-sale service is vital to maintaining a luxury yacht. Obviously, a vessel of such magnitude requires special handling and management to remain afloat.

A full-crew is required for trips; compliance to government regulations must always be addressed; and appropriate storage and security are obvious requisites. These are the areas in which CYP flourishes, as the firm's long-term objective is to form lasting partnerships with its clientele to ensure that all key issues are battened down and secured. CYP also can show owners how to effectively turn an investment of leisure into a bountiful return by chartering their yachts too. It is a definite win-win proposition with owners experiencing the best of both worlds.

Churchill Yacht Partners can also lend its expertise to clients seeking to build their own yachts. The firm is capable of coordinating a construction team that will transform a client's vision into a tangible reality. Anywhere worldwide CYP is aligned with naval architects, interior and exterior designers, and shipyards. CYP was instrumental in the development and construction of the Whisper, which was the winner of the Best Sailing Yacht Under 40 Meters in 2004 from the prestigious ShowBoats Awards. Holland Jacthbouw was the builder of Whisper; Andrew Winch Designs did the interior and exterior designs; and the architecture was the work of the Fontaine Design Group.

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