The Grand Hotel Europe recently welcomed a new addition into its extensive transport fleet - a new ultra-fast, luxury speedboat, the Katarina. With a variety of day excursions available aboard Katarina, guests can appreciate the city's history and sights from the water, leaving an unforgettable impression of St. Petersburg. Imported from Venice, the US$285,000 boat ensures the utmost comfort when cruising along the many granite embankments which line most of the city's waterways.

It is official, the nineteenth edition of the Trophée Clairefontaine des Champions de Voile will take place in the Marina Real Juan Carlos 1er, i.e. inside the port which has welcomed the base of the competitors for the America's Cup 2007. The Trophée Clairefontaine de Valencia will be raced on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September on this natural nautical stadium known worldwide. Eight great champions will be present.

The second Veolia Oceans one-design for the SolOceans has left JMV Industries yard in Cherbourg (Normandy - France). This 16-m high-tech monohull, entirely in carbon using the technology of the most sophisticated prototypes has been transported to Caen, in the V1D2 yard where SailingOne team will proceed to her equipment and her fitting-out.

This summer Mochi Craft's new lobster boat the Dolphin 54' fly is to leave the yard in Forlì, In this way the inventor of the Italian Lobster Boat Style responds to demands of owners from across the world who would like the opportunity to choose Mochi Craft excellence in both a sun top and flybridge version.

For the few lucky owners looking for exclusive, unmistakable added value, Ferretti Custom Line has created 112' NEXT. The new flagship embodies the highest standards of top-quality yacht-building and completes the fleet's planning line alongside the 97', in an exciting revamp of the range.

Ferretti Custom Line Navetta 33, a new model created with the aim of initiating a complete renewal and expansion of the yard's semi-displacement fleet. Backed by a long-lasting commercial success, Custom Line further strengthens its offer in the growing sector of semi-displacement yachts through a product able of taking on the international market and increasing penetration also in the US and Middle East.

Altura, the timeless series that has made an unforgettable contribution to the story of modern sailing, is renewing. On the occasion of the Privilege Days - an exclusive event dedicated to Ferretti Yachts owners, celebrating in 2008 the 40th anniversary of the yard's foundation - Ferretti Yachts presented the world premier of the Altura 840 project.

The Observatory Hotel is now offering guests one of the most extravagant cruises along Sydney Harbour aboard the Cambria II. Partnering with Cambria Charters, the 100-ft luxury cruiser offers unparalleled service, style and luxury, and is modeled after the classic style of The Observatory Hotel?s Globe Bar. The hotel has created an exclusive three-night 'Snooze & Cruise' package including two nights in the Observatory Suite followed by a night onboard the Cambria II. The price is $16,000 for two persons.

Alexia Barrier (France), Phil Paxton (Canada) and Yann Clavier (France) arrived safe and sound onboard Bostik, the first unit of the Veolia Oceans series for the SolOceans, in the North Cove Marina on the Hudson River, close to Manhattan skyscrapers. They entered the Ambrose Channel (Long Island SW) Monday July 21st at 10.00am local time (13.00pm UT) after 15 days 30 minutes across the Atlantic Ocean.

Marine dreams come to life when the world's largest boat show docks at six sites in the heart of Fort Lauderdale. From October 30 - November 3, 2008 at the 49th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show you'll be able to find everything you need for your favorite marine past-times. Over $3 billion worth of boats, yachts, superyachts, electronics and accessories will cover more than three million square feet of exhibit space on land and in water throughout six different sites. Below, see where everything can be found, how to navigate between the sites and where you can get your tickets:

eYachtCharter.com announced the launch of its Luxury Yacht Charter Certification Program today. The program has been established to help maintain the web based international directory's high standards of excellence and bring a recognizable logo that will aid prospective clients in discerning which vessels can be trusted in the charter market today.

OCEAN Independence Cavendish White (OCI) is proud to announce the sale of a custom built to order FM75 SOSSEGO to be delivered in 2009, by Peter Thompson of OCI UK. Reaching speeds of 43 knots, the uber-stylish FM75 SOSSEGO delivers a defining statement of both form and function. Conceived by world renowned high-speed motor yacht designer Frank Mulder and to be built by Frank Mulder Yacht Projects BV, the FM75 SOSSEGO offers blistering performance from her swift hull form, even in conditions where others will have to slow down.

Camper & Nicholsons Marinas has appointed Clyde Rawls to serve as Port Louis general manager in Grenada. Rawls, who relocated from the USA for the position, has many years' experience having managed three resort marinas in Florida - including the Bahia Mar Beach Resort & Yachting Center in Ft. Lauderdale.

Bostik, the first unit of the Veolia Oceans one-design series of the SolOceans left Cherbourg Harbour towards New York City, in a strong force 6 gusting breeze. Alexia Barrier, Bostik skipper for this Reconnaissance Transatlantic on the historical road of the great liners, crossed the departure line on the canon shot, at eleven knots of speed close hauled (facing the wind) on the direct course.

INTERNATIONAL superyacht company OCEAN Independence Cavendish White (OCI) is proud to announce that the excellent 45m MARCO POLO was awarded 'Best New Series over 40 meters', while the magnificent 38.5m SanLorenzo 4H won 'Best New Series under 40 metres' at the 18th Annual ShowBoats International Awards in Monaco on the 26th June 2008.

Burger Boat Company launched INGOT, a 153' Tri Deck Motor Yacht. INGOT is a luxurious and sophisticated Burger. Powered by twin Caterpillar 3508 engines, she is ready to efficiently cruise the world. INGOT was designed to be an environmentally friendly 'go anywhere' exploration vessel with the refinement of a classic and stately motor yacht.

Absolute Yachting is pleased to present you the luxury M/Y ELLINIA, the ideal yacht for your clients that wish to cruise the Greek islands. Her length is 80 ft, and she can accommodate 8/9 quests in one Master, one VIP, and in two Twin Cabins (one twin with a pullman berth), all with en suite facilities. Many recreations facilities are offered including: snorkeling, fishing, water skiing equipment and a wave runner.

Kiriacoulis Group introduced the innovative Large Yacht Management providing the Financial administration, Shore Support and all Managerial Services to the Owner. The luxury crewed chartering segment LMY by Kiriacoulis Group supports the management with the Charter Marketing and the Charter Administration enhancing the Yacht's Profile and Owner's Income, by offering own inventory during charters and storage facilities to protect the Owner's personal things.

Bostik, the first unit of the Veolia Oceans one-design series of the SolOceans came back to her Maintenance Base in Caen (France) last Friday evening, from Antwerp (Belgium) where the cargo ship unloaded her on her return from New Zealand. During the next couple of weeks, SailingOne's team will proceed to the usual check up of the boat plus they will install a fix boom. Then, from 17 June, Charles Caudrelier at the helm of Bostik will set sail for a major Promotional Campaign of the SolOceans in Northern Europe and in the United States.

Following five successful years chartering in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, the sumptuous 151ft Royal Van Lent Feadship, Northern Light, will embark on her most exotic journey yet: the sun-drenched islands of the Indian Ocean.

'Our fleet just keeps getting better and better,' enthused Patty Wilson and Allison Cecilio, Charter Marketing Managers for The Sacks Group. 'We are always on the lookout for the right boat that will compliment the rest of our fleet and these boats will definitely do that,' continued Wilson.

Ovid, Homer, and other poets of great and ancient repute agree that the goddess Iris bore messages from celestial powers and delivered them to mortals. They say that in transit between heaven and earth, she left behind her footprint, a rainbow. The super-yacht My Iris is fittingly named, as she provides a beauteous bridge from the quotidian to the divine.

Just recently launched from the Benetti Shipyard in Viareggio, Wild Thyme is the first of the Benetti Classic 120' series to become available to the charter market. She is already in popular demand with plans to cruise the West Mediterranean this summer. Leaving her home port on the French Riviera she will cruise down to Naples, Capri and Sicily and back again before heading to Dublin for The Ryder Cup in September - a debut season packed with new adventures.

Afroudakis Yachting is a licensed company by GNTO (Greek National Organization of Tourism) based in Athens, Greece, and was in founded in 1978 by Christos Afroudakis, a Naval Architect - Marine Engineer and respected member of the following Associations: The Hellenic Yacht Brokers Association (HYBA), The Hellenic Professional Yacht Charters Association (HYPOA), SETE (Hellenic Tourism Enterpreises), ASTA (Association of American Travel Agents)

The story of M/Y Positive Carry's Captain Whitney Reiter reads a little like a novel. But while serendipity has certainly played a role in his becoming one of the youngest captains of a 142ft Trinity, it's his skill, hard work, upbeat nature, and love of the water that provide drama and adventure for charter guests.

Even before her 2004 launch, the Lürssen-built Phoenix was being spoken of in reverent tones among the yachting set. Here our writer Scott Rose details this 201-foot beauty's myriad irresistible attributes. The megayacht Phoenix is a crowning glory of contemporary Art Deco style. Indeed, her many world-class technical refinements combined with the artistic sophistication of her design and décor distinguish her as a supreme fulfillment of the spirit of the 1925 event in Paris from which the term Art Deco was derived, L?Exposition Internationale des Art Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes.

Another banner day for CRN. A new launching that saw all the children of Ancona take part in the festivities at the shipyard. 'GiVi', a splendid steel and aluminium mega-yacht measuring 60 metres, the latest addition to the CRN family, took to the water on Saturday 8 July with more than a thousand people on hand, including a large number of children.

No running costs? Paul Crowther, new owner of Yachtbrokers International - established in Antibes for 21 years, and now with an office in Brighton too - is offering to pay the running costs of yachts under a 'guaranteed charter revenue' scheme for yachts purchased through Yachtbrokers International.

Chartering a yacht is the ultimate holiday in terms of style, service, venue, and flexibility. It is a unique way to indulge in total freedom and privacy in the most luxurious surroundings. With a huge variety of destinations and yachts from which to choose and spanning the four corners of the world, Blue Water Yachting charter professionals are dedicated to assisting their clients every step of the way in planning the perfect vacation or corporate event.

For the past 30 years, First New England Financial (FNE) has focused on small to mid-size yacht loans. When the decision was made by FNE's parent company, North Fork Bank, to enter the superyacht financing arena, Michael Lynch, President of FNE, went to the person who wrote the book in this marketplace.

The clean exterior styling of the new 42-knot, hardtop cruiser from CNM in Italy provides for an exciting charter boat on the Costa Smeralda this summer, reports Nick Jeffery

Jon Jepson, veteran Hawaii sea captain, welcomes you to preview a truly thrilling sailing experience aboard Makani, Honolulu's newest luxury catamaran, whose technology and elegant amenities make her unique.

We invite you to spend seven days of luxurious relaxation aboard the magnificent Starfire. From the historic bay of Palermo, we will leisurely explore the enchantment of Sicily?s dramatic northern coastline. We will sail on to experience more remote Mediterranean islands, such as Ustica, Lipari, and Stromboli, as we make our way to the northeastern coast of Sicily, visiting the chic destinations of Portorosa, Taormino, and Messina.

If you are of the school of thought, who believes a yacht should be white hulled, graceful and cruise solely in tropical waters, then it is just possible that you have closed your eyes to one of the best kept secrets on the yacht vacation and charter market. However if you are happy to consider a vessel that carries just twelve passengers, frequently acts as a substitute Royal yacht to the British Queen and her family providing peace and tranquillity to all those who sail in her, then the motor vessel Patricia might well appeal to you. Despite her pleasing lines apparent to any sailor no one would ever correctly call Patricia a yacht. She is, after all, strictly speaking; a working ship. She is the flagship of the Corporation of Trinity House which is the general lighthouse authority for England Wales and the Channel Islands. Her normal duties involve the maintenance of navigation buoys, attendance and refuelling of off shore lighthouses and dealing with emergencies including wrecks. Since the withdrawal from service of Britannia, the Queen's Royal yacht, Patricia, is frequently used by the Royal Family who use her for ceremonial and private functions involved with yachting.

The Mia Elise. She is 180 feet of sheerest ocean-going poetry. Imagining that your charter aboard her is an Elizabethan sonnet; the first quatrain is her classic opulence, the second her state-of-the-art outfitting and the third the impeccable professionalism of her crew. The closing couplet is comprised of the perfect, indelible memories you will savor of an absolutely unsurpassable yachting experience, rhyming beauteously into your future.

'There is no second' was the famous reply made to Queen Victoria in 1851 when she asked 'Who came second?' after the original schooner America won the Royal Yacht Squadron's race around the Isle of Wight, raced for a Cup of One Hundred Sovereigns.

Pioneering yacht management and consultancy company YCO has raised the bar on industry service standards with an innovative concierge service for the exclusive use of their clients. YCO continues to deliver on their promise to bring the highest possible standards of service and professionalism to the yachting industry with the phenomenal success of their full-service concierge facility.

There are few who can resist the allure of the charter lifestyle, and for those who step on board a luxury, crewed yacht, the truly unique experience and the opportunity to relax is far removed from the hectic schedule of everyday life.

M/Y JASMIN, with her dark blue hulk, flared bow, white superstructure, and her flawless fully-faired finish, is such a vessel. Berthed conveniently at Atakoy Marina, just 15 minutes drive from Istanbul's main Ataturk airport. When I boarded her, the JASMIN is the only yacht I have ever yearned immediately to circle over in a helicopter to enjoy an aerial view before going on board.

Lavish accommodations, state-of-the-art communications, and plenty of space for entertaining provide guests with the perfect mix of business and pleasure. With the launch of the spectacular 280ft P/Y Annaliesse in 2004, Liveras Yachts' director Kiri Kyriacou says his company has opened a new market in yacht charter.