Yachts Prep for South Pacific Season
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The prime season for South Pacific yacht charter is about to begin, and my in-box is thus filling quickly with news about yachts that are preparing to welcome guests everywhere from Tahiti to Fiji.
Broker Jeni Tidmarsh, who runs the longtime agency Sail Connections as well as the newly formed Luxury Charter Group, sends word from Australia that three yachts she favors are now becoming available for charters in Tahiti.
First is the 92-foot powercatamaran Ultimate Lady, which positioned in Tahiti this month and will be available for charters through October. She takes eight guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $55,000.
Second is the 121-foot sailing yacht Bliss, a 2009 build that is scheduled to arrive in French Polynesia in May and stay through October. She will take 10 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $98,000.
Third on Tidmarsh's list is the 90-foot motoryacht Cosmos, which is shown in the glittering photograph above. Cosmos is due to arrive in Tahiti in June and stay through October, welcoming six guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $55,000.
Note that for charters in Tahiti, the local government imposes a 12-percent tax in addition to typical guest expenses such as food and fuel.
Meanwhile, I also received word this week from Capt. Andy Grocott aboard the 112-foot Alloy motoryacht VvS1, which will be in position for charters in Fiji within the next couple of weeks. VvS1 will stay in Fiji through October, he tells me--and is expecting more company than usual because the Fijian government appears to be in the final stages of establishing a charter license system for foreign-flagged yachts.
Once that system is in place, it would make it legal for yachts without Fijian registration to offer charters in Fijian waters. Thus, the top-quality yachts that regularly offer charters during the summer in places like the Western Mediterranean would have the option of positioning in Fiji instead.
Grocott sent me the following local news report about Fiji's expectations for its yachting market. It includes an interview with a manager at Port Denerau Marina, which was purpose-built near the international airport at Nadi to entice megayacht traffic. According to the manager, Fiji is expecting a surge in megayachts within the next five years:
VvS1 is managed for charter by Auckland, New Zealand-based 37 South. Any reputable charter broker can help you book the yacht for a charter in Fiji, as well as any of the yachts that Tidmarsh is promoting in Tahiti.
