ONELIFE #35 – American English

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
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