Superyacht Auction - Apoise Sold for $46 million

The luxury 67m Lurssen Motor Yacht Apoise has been sold to a UK bidder for a below market price sum of $46.6 million dollars at today's auction in Grand Cayman.

The yacht was held at an unreserved auction today with bidders from all over the world arriving at the Ritz-Carlton or logging on to the Ritchie Bros. site in order to take part in the auction.

MY Apoise is a widely celebrated superyacht with a powerful and sophisticated design from Espen Oeino. Built in 2006 and benefitting from a refit in 2009, the superyacht offers style, comfort and performance.

Evidently the auction for this particular yacht has proved a great success for the buyer with the sale coming in way below the estimated worth of around $87,000,000, making a difference of $52,250,000 based on the net worth of 61m Lurssen superyacht Phoenix.

For those who sell a superyacht under the hammer, however, there is always a risk, especially in an unreserved auction. Today’s bids failed to reach the estimated worth, generally, a loss can be incurred at auction with the added cost of the auctioneer commission on top. However, Stephen Branch from Ritchie Bros. auction has stated that the auction was a success "It was very good for us, the owner is extremely happy with the outcome".

Peter Bennett, Managing Director of Bluewater commented "If he had gone through a broker he would have certainly achieved considerably more than  $46.6 million , however a pleased buyer and happy seller was a good ending to this deal."

Buyers who acquire a superyacht for a greatly reduced price through auction will clearly see the immediate benefits but a superyacht should be a personal acquisition that requires great consideration.

However, Apoise will not disappoint as her palatial interior and powerful performance make her an extraordinary superyacht, ready to traverse the seas.

For more information please contact:

Lucy Tasker

t: 0493343413

Charter a yacht in Cannes for the Mipim or Mipcom

Cannes itself is a town marking the western edge of the Cote D’Azur (the French Riveriera). It has a sheltered position on the semicircular Golfe de Napoule and with an amazing sub-tropical climate, excellent beaches and a wide promenade bedecked with palm trees and bougainvillea; it is the jewel in the crown of the Riviera. The scenic view from the sea is particularly impressive with its backdrop of the distant, sometimes snow-covered, French Alps. For the chartered yachts and other pleasure boats mooring in the bay this must be the most relaxing way to enjoy Cannes and its festivities.


The Old Port (Vieux Port) at the eastern end of Cannes is the place to start a tour of the city and the shopping areas. It is a joy to explore amongst the leafy plain trees around the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), built in 1874 –6, and around the Allees de la Liberte, with its host of little cafes and restaurants. Each year near the Old Port the annual fireworks display takes place. This was introduced in 1967 and is know one of the top attractions in Cannes during the Festival season. It brings thousands of spectators to crowd the beaches and the long boulevard seafront called “Boulevard La Croisette.” The event is more of a competition than firework display and attracts manufacturers from around the world. The “Festival International d’Art Pyrotechnique” as it is called, lights up the whole bay with a continuous kaleidoscopic display after which the winner receives the “Vestal” Prize. The final decision is made by a panel of international judges whilst a constant security sweep of the harbour is made at regular intervals during the 3 –4 hours of pyrotechnics.

As you leave the Old Port a stroll along the Croisette leads to the” Palais des Festivals“,which opened in 1982. It is surprisingly large since it now has three auditoriums with sound studios, simultaneous translation facilities, audio-visual screens and large projectors. It also has an impressive number of conference rooms and exhibition halls as well as a nightclub and restaurant. The best-known Festival held annually is, of course, the Cannes Film Festival. This red-carpet event is usually held in April – May that might be considered to be the “high season.” It certainly poses a parking problem, which the international traveller using a chartered yacht does not have to experience. Once ashore near the luxury hotels on the Croisette it only takes a 20 minute stroll to the Palais des Festivals.

There are other less well-known conferences and exhibitions at the Palais that are held a little earlier in the year. A conference to bring together the most influential players in the property market will be held 16 – 19th March 2010. It is the “Marche International des Professional a Immobilier” or MIPIM for short. Although an out-of-season event this nevertheless attracted some 18,000 people in 2009 and despite problems with building mortgages, this world premier real estate conference is likely to attract many yachting enthusiasts seeking to live abroad.

In October 2010 the Festival centre conference facilities will be used by the Bluewater Yachting.

Luxury Yacht Crew

No matter what size your luxury mega yacht is, your vessel is only as good as your crew. Experienced crew are not very common and as Yachties spend most of their time confined onboard a super yacht- sometimes life becomes less than super!
Conflicting personalities or lazy crew behind the scenes on luxury yachts can spoil a summer yacht charter. Captains and owners seek team players willing to work-hard and do what needs done to ensure that the guests are enjoying their memorable time onboard. Our crew agents have 36 years of experience between them making this happen to ensure that the standard of service goes that extra mile.
With our three major crew agencies strategically placed in Palma, Fort Lauderdale and Antibes- Blue Water Yachting act as the exclusive yacht crew agency for a large part of the yachting world. As we are also one of the largest training providers in Europe most crew pass through our doors and sign up with our crew agents during their time in our MCA training centre. We also have training centres in Palma and Fort Lauderdale enabling you to get the most widely recognized and respected qualifications where ever you may currently be based.
Our head-office in Antibes, France is tactically placed as our wide client base (from junior deckhand to fleet owner) all keep this lively famous town close to their hearts as it hosts the largest yachting port in Europe. Over the past 18 years Blue Water has been building their offices around the world interacting with new markets and new clients while staying a loyal company to everyone that comes through our doors.
Yacht Crew Placement is not for the faint-hearted, you may have over 4000 people officially qualified for a position and due to special requirements, previous references and personal experience only 2 candidates may be referred to a Captain.
Our databases require that candidates actively looking for employment check in with us regularly on-line in order to be considered for a position. You would be surprised at how many people think that once having signed up they will be constantly be considered for jobs... crew members that do not check in become inactive after one month.
As the recession has begun to take impact around the world many Captains and Owners have had to revise the way they allocate the budget on their vessels and Blue Water Yachting have the answer to all of your crew recruitment needs. Our constantly updated Crew System is a database of nearly 30,000 crew members from all over the world, looking for seasonal jobs or full time positions. We really do have the perfect crew member no matter what your requirements are.
The Crew System is a highly competitive on-line system that costs a flat rate fee that you can access at any time, from anywhere around the world... Our Crew Agents can be involved as much or as little as you need to make sure that the system works for your yacht whether you need a stewardess for 3 days, an extra engineer for 4 months or 6 new full time members of crew.
The system price relates to the size of your vessel and your maximum crew size no matter what kind of crew turnaround you have. Should you wish for 2 members of crew in the next year you will make the system pay for itself and avoid wasting time. Captains on the system currently find that employing day workers that they find on the system is much more reassuring and by working closely with the crew agency the team in Blue Water Yachting get to know the yacht to a level where they know exactly what the vessel requires... The Crew system is much more efficient, cost effective and possibly the answer to your crew recruitment!

Who benefits from using Teak Cleaner?

I know many within the “professional” yachting industry will say ‘Here we go again health and safety poking its nose into our industry why can’t they just leave us alone?’ well, I’m sure that for those who don’t have to use the above product may say that, but lethargy and the inability of some people not to see the ‘wood for the trees’ is no excuse for not ensuring the safety of crew or Day–Workers.

Some teak cleaners are assigned as dangerous goods to one of nine classes dependant on the main danger presented. Corrosive Materials (Class 8) are liquids or solids that cause full thickness destruction of human skin at the site of contact within a specified period of time; or a liquid that has a severe corrosion rate on steel or aluminum, some teak cleaners fall into the class 8 category

In the past 2 years I have seen 4 individuals who have been injured having used various teak cleaners. They all agreed that something should be done to stop deck crews from being injured by these cleaning products.
Just recently, 2 weeks after having delivered safety information to crew, a young deck-hand approaches me and shows me the chemical burn injuries he had sustained to both his knees and arms, asking him how he received them, he told me, he’d been asked to clean the teak deck with a well known cleaning agent without foot /hand/eye protection or product information when I asked why his reply was ‘I was told to just get on with it’ he also said ‘you should see the state of the Bosun’s hands’ Obviously two wrongs do not make a right.
Another incident recently observed onboard was one where 2 deckhands came into the crew mess for their morning break, One guy said he had a terrible headache, which had come on through the morning, the other guy was OK, neither had been drinking the night before but both had been using teak cleaner through the fore-noon with no personal protection. They were both seemed quite happy that the hard skin had been removed from their feet but neither thought about the consequences of the substance entering their blood stream via absorption.
We know that various products attack different people in different ways, who knows what long term damage could be occurring to these individuals, lets just remember that smoking doesn’t appear to kill immediately neither does asbestos, we class these substances now as dangerous as they produce long term damage to the body but, when they were initially being used, no evidence was around to support the consequences.

So, why do we let our crew, who we train and say we care about, work with substances without the correct protection???
I believe the main cause of these injuries is the inability of yacht management to identify how a specific product should be used safely onboard. Cleaning teak for example seems to be known as a ‘Deckies pedicure’ i.e. using a teak cleaner without protective footwear. I’m sure that if I asked is footwear available and worn the answer would be yes however, the visible injuries I see do not seem to support that answer.





The following advice should be taken when using all chemicals onboard
1 Read the product Material Safety Data Sheet
2 Follow Management Company/Yacht’s written safety procedures for the product which should include a Yacht Risk Assessment – if unsure check-up on the internet

The product advice for some teak cleaners is:-

Hazards to Health
Potential routes of entry or exposure Ingestion and Absorption
Health hazards and effects of over exposure Acute irritation to skin and eyes
Emergency First Aid Procedures Inhalation - Remove to fresh air
Ingestion – DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING – keep the person warm and quiet and request immediate medical attention.
Eyes – Flush with copious amounts of water for at least 15 minutes, lifting upper and lower lids occasionally and request immediate medical attention
Special Protection Information
Ventilation Mechanical
Protective Gloves/Boots Rubber – Eye protection - Goggles
Spill or Leak Procedures
Precautions to be taken if the product leaks or is spilled Neutralise with Baking Soda or Sodium Carbonate and flush with copious amounts of water
Special Precautions
Precautions to be taken when handling and storing Store between 40 and 120 degrees C
Any other precautions Do Not Mix with – Ammonia – Bleach or Caustic Materials especially powders


If the rules are followed and you do ‘exactly as is say’s on the tin’ crew using the above product should be safe in the knowledge that all is being done to protect them.

If Personal Protective Equipment is available use it if it’s not available get it before the work commences.
Ken Dales is a project manager at Blue Water Yachting http://www.bluewateryachting.com

Blue Water Gain MCA Approval for Mallorca Fire Training Centre

Blue water yachting, the ‘one stop shop’ for yacht support services has achieved approval from the MCA for a new fire training centre near Palma in Mallorca, Spain. Modelled on the highly successful fire training centre in Biot, France, the new facility will mean that candidates for MCA STCW95 Crew Basic Training in Mallorca will no longer have to leave the island to carry out the practical fire training. Currently candidates are travelling to Barcelona and even the UK to be trained in Basic Fire Prevention and Fighting.
At the same time the training centre received approval for engineering training. The MCA ‘Approved Engine Course’ can now be run there and in future career engineers will be able to take the MCA ‘Craft Skills Test’ once the new workshop facilities have been finished.
Using modified cargo containers, a ship simulator has been created which is filled with furniture and obstacles. Artificial smoke is pumped into to unit and students, wearing full firemen’s suits and breathing apparatus, have to search inside to find and rescue dummy casualties. The course is designed to promote teamwork and an awareness of the dangers of fire in the marine environment.
Recently some yacht casualties have highlighted the need for better and more convenient yacht crew training. The accident reports into to the loss of Lady Candida and Lands End both mentioned a lack of he most basic safety procedures and significant shortcomings in the safety management systems. One of the most roles of STCW Crew Basic Training is to help generate a ‘culture of safety’ amongst yacht crew.
The approval of new engineering facilities on Mallorca will hopefully help towards overcoming the chronic shortage of yacht engineers. Although these are for running the lowest qualification, the ‘Approved Engine Course’ , (sometimes also referred to as the ‘Assistant Engineer Course’ since it qualifies candidates for that role), Blue Water also run all of the advanced engineering courses on the Island, right the way up to Chief Engineer 9000 kW. In order for there to be enough candidates in the future it is essential that more training be carried out for the lower certificates. This is why the new approval is so important
These approvals mark another milestone in Blue Water’s drive to bring crew training to the places where it is needed. With facilities already on the Cote d’Azur, Viareggio and Fort Lauderdale, in addition to those in Mallorca; Blue Water has plans to develop other sites in areas where yacht crew are based. Since the company also provides yacht management, crew placement, Charter and Brokerage services, these too will be extended as the company expands.
Yacht Management, in particular, has made significant advances over recent months and has a number of new contracts pending. Because of the depth of knowledge required to run a yacht crew training facility it is a natural step to employ this expertise in the field of management. It is one of the key attributes that separates Blue Water form all other yacht companies, none of whom are capable of running crew training, let alone in the range and depth achieved at Blue water.
The innovative and ground-breaking online crew placement database further enhances the position of Blue water as the market leader. For the cost of a couple of regular crew placement yacht captains may search up to 30 000 records to find the CV matches their requirements. They also benefit from the fact that there is quite a good chance that we trained the candidate and therefore have good knowledge of who might be best suited for which job.

For more information contact Lizzie Irving.
Sales and Marketing manager lizzie@bluewateryachting.com

Superyacht Market in Limbo?

“ IS THE SUPERYACHT MARKET IN LIMBO?”

I believe the market has settled into a perpetual state of limbo. Buyers, Sellers, and Yacht brokers are watching the mess the ‘credit crunch’ is causing to the Financial Markets, and waiting to see what this effect has on the second hand yacht market, and shipyard orders. The Sellers that have been actively marketing their yachts over this winter with their brokers have generally speaking found a buyer. The 50m + market has been very active and most of the brokerage stock has been sold to date. The 35 – 50m sales have been slower but when yachts have been priced to sell, generally they have found a willing buyer. The under 35m market has been generally speaking slow, and stock is starting to build up.

My reported general state of uncertainty aligned with the general volatility of the world currency markets is causing a few nervous stirrings in the market. In the last few months the dollar has moved to record lows against the euro, and this for sure is dissuading the dollar based client from buying in euroland, and as I write the same is happening to the Pound, and will for sure put off the pound strong Brit buying euro yachts. This however, may just be a minor blip, currencies may realign, and the good times might roll again sooner rather than later; but as I write this article I am left with a feeling of a cold wind just starting to blow through the business.

Enough `doom, gloom and general anxiety`: The shipyards are full with orders, and it is very difficult to find builders with any spare slots before 2011. Full shipyards, mean full employment for yacht designers, project managers, yacht managers, crew, Interior specialists, and all the ancillary businesses that are associated with building super yachts. 2011 is a long way off, and the orders will I believe continue to be made by discerning buyers who know what they are looking to own. To own a new yacht has a caveat that will not be quashed whatever is happening in the financial markets.

Blue Water Yachting specialized in Sales and Charter, has a traditional business base in crew recruitment and yacht crew training. The demand for qualified crew from the Super Yacht market remains unabated from Captains and Owners alike, and the lack of qualified crew is driving the salaries of the specialized crew ( i.e. engineers, chefs etc ) upwards at an incredible rate. Yachts just can afford to lose their best people with so few qualified replacements available. The Training division of Blue Water Yachting has increased its capacity in its attempt to qualify crew at the necessary rate to satisfy market demand.

Finally, and back to my opening gambit regarding the` state of limbo` in the second hand sales market!

I honestly believe sellers will have to cut prices to sell their yachts, this will have a stimulating effect through the sizes, with owners of smaller yachts cutting their prices with the knowledge that prices are being reduced further up the `ladder`. With deals in the shipyards being few and far between for bargain hunting buyers, the brokerage market will be studied for opportunities, and as these possibilities arise more doors will open for buyers and sellers alike.

My final thought concerns the `China factor`. When will the expected surge of Chinese buyers arrive in the traditional heartlands of the Super yacht Market – Monaco, Antibes, and Ft Lauderdale?
Will they just buy new? Will they start small and work upwards? Will they charter before they buy?
Watch this space and read Market Intelligence over the months and years to come!

Peter Bennett, Managing Director, Blue Water Yachting www.bluewateryachting.com

Luxury yacht charter holiday

Blue Water Yachting offers a great range of Mediterranean yacht charter and this includes luxury yacht charter, and Super yacht charter.

The Mediterranean yacht charter season generally runs from April to the end of October. July and August are the hottest and tends to have lighter winds; it is also the most expensive time to charter a yacht. April-May and September-October have a lot of plus points, the temperatures are more comfortable, those sailing are likely to getter better winds, it is not as expensive and while ashore you will avoid crowds of July and August.

Corsica is a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. After Sicily, Sardinia and Cyprus, Corsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean It is located southwest of Italy, southeast of France and to north of the island of Sardinia. Corsica is an exceptional place for a luxury yacht charter holiday. Known for its rugged mountains and towering cliffs, Corsica contains many fishing villages and unspoiled places that make for ideal yacht anchorages.

With six hundred miles of coastline to discover, there is a lot to explore on a yacht charter in Corsica. A popular alternative is to combine Corsica and Sardinia in their charter. The southern part of Corsica is separated form Sardinia by a short strait, only few miles long.

The climate of Corsica is typically Mediterranean and provides sunny warm and dry summers. In the height of summer, the coast of Corsica sees average temperature of 25C but it can rise to 35C. As a general rule the north is hotter than the south. The sun shines for an average of 280 days per year, concentrated from April to October, making the Mediterranean summer, the perfect time for a luxury yacht charter in Corsica.

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean being only slightly smaller the Sicily, the largest. It lies in the western Mediterranean off the western coast of the Italian peninsula and just to the south of the French island of Corsica, separated by the narrow Strait of Bonifacio. Mountains dominate much Sardinia's interior; the highest point is Monti del Gennargentu at 1,834 meters. The coast boasts some of the most wonderful beaches in the Mediterranean.

The Super yacht charter season in Sardinia generally runs from April to the end of October. High season is July and August, when the temperatures (around 35C) and prices are at their highest. May and June, September and October are well worth considering.

Croatia's beautiful coastline with more than one thousand stunning islands only a short distance from the mainland offers safe easy navigation in clear blue waters. The mainland coast consists of Istria, the Croatian Riviera and Dalmatia and in addition there are an incredible 1,187 islands of which only 67 are inhabited.

Croatia is situated on the Adriatic Sea, opposite Italy, in the Northern Mediterranean Sea. With a history going back over a thousand years, it first appeared on the political map of Europe in 1992, following the break up of Yugoslavia after a bloody civil war.

The climate is typical of the Mediterranean and provides for pleasant holidays throughout the year. The best season for sailing in Croatia is early summer with good winds in May and June mainly from the S/SE. Mornings tend to be calm with the wind increasing later in the afternoon to around 15 - 20 knots. The months of July and August see calmer conditions which is perfect for luxury yacht Charter. Summer temperatures average between 26C to 30C and the sea temperature in summer is about 25C.
Blue Water Yachting are experts in all aspects of charter sales and purchase of luxury yachts.