Executive Jet Management (EJM) added three aircraft to its charter fleet in December 2005. Executive Jet Management now manages 100 aircraft in over 60 locations throughout the country to meet the growing demand for retail charter. A Challenger 604 is based at Boeing Field (BFI) in Seattle, WA. This aircraft features seating for up to nine passengers, and it is equipped with such amenities as a full galley, DVD and VCR players, four data ports, and a sofa that can be converted for sleeping. The Challenger 604 has the capability to fly cross-continental itineraries, and popular international itineraries such as Seattle to Hong Kong or San Francisco to Hawaii.

The American Sailing Association, the venerable 20-year-old leader in U.S. sailing education, knows a thing or two about sail instruction - it's the largest network of sailing schools in the U.S. In a recently conducted poll of students who received ASA certification, Sunsail's BVI Sailing School in Tortola is recognized for a 2005 Outstanding School Award, ranking it within the top 20 out of 300 professionally accredited ASA sailing schools in the U.S. and Caribbean.

Antigua Sun reported this morning: 'Noted historian and founder of the St. John's and Dockyard Museums Desmond Nicholson, 81, died yesterday morning at the Adelin Medical Centre after a prolonged illness. Nicholson is survived by his wife Lisa. Archeologist Dr. Reginald Murphy described Nicholson as a historian, a sailor and a heritage person. He said Nicholson's father came to the country in 1949 after the war, liked the Caribbean, bought a boat and settled in Dockyard.'

On day two of racing at the Swan 45 Gold Cup 2006, Goombay Smash (William Douglass, USA) is emerging as the Swan 45 to beat. After taking first and second place respectively in the day?s two windward-leeward races, Douglass stands at the top of the leaderboard, with DSK Comifin (Danilo Salsi, ITA) in second and Bellicosa (Massimo Ferragamo, USA) in third place. After just four of the nine races that comprise this World Championship, Douglass is already being hotly tipped to take the Gold Cup from Stefano Polti?s Mintaka.

YV&C News Desk recently received a press release from the British yacht management firm Nigel Burgess. As the global competition grows in the superyacht management and brokerage business and pretty much all superyacht brokers around the world calling the same yacht owners, this management firm looks like trying a different marketing angle by turning into - yet another - 'Superyacht Magazine' publisher.

Yacht STARFIRE is 178' in length (54M). She has a beam of 31.5' and a draft of 11.5'. She was built in Italy by the Benetti boatyard. STARFIRE is 757 tons and has a fuel capacity of 35,000 gallons (140,000 liters). Her maximum speed is 15 knots and she cruises at 12 knots. She has a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. Launched in 1998, STARFIRE has been through two refits, one in 2002 and the other in 2004. Included in her 2004 refit was the addition of at anchor stabilization, which is a true advancement in the yacht's performance.

A host of well known sailors, amateurs and legends including Francesco Bruni, Chris Law and GBR America's Cup sailor Andy Beadsworth will all be racing on board the Swan 45s for the nine race series. America's Cup veteran Tony Rey will be calling tactics onboard Yasha (Japan) and Gabriele Benussi, who came second in the recent Corum Melges 24 World Championships in Key West in December 2005, will be using his extensive knowledge of the area's azure waters to Jeroboam's advantage. Two Swan 601's, the Swan 45's one design 'big sister', will also be on the water, competing in the IRC handicap racing class.

We had some crazy email communication this week with a charter boat owner, through his broker, which we copied below and promised this crackpot boat owner (as per his request) that we would actually feature him and his boat in YV&C. What you are reading here is this feature story. Would you charter a boat from this man? We certainly would not recommend to any of our readers. Now, this story is something for his lawyer should read and we can't wait to hear from him.

After a long and distinguished career up the corporate ladder, Richard Wesson found retirement not to his liking. Specifically, it was boring and lacked the challenges of the everyday corporate world. To overcome the boredom factor, Richard and his wife, Marlene, decided they needed a hobby that would be both entertaining as well as challenging.

Nautor's Swan, the 40-year-old Finnish builder of the world's finest sailboats, has announced the opening of a new Charter Office within the company's U.S. headquarters in Newport, R.I. The office will represent a portfolio of Swans from across the U.S. and Caribbean, as well as manage a fleet of new, company-owned Swans based in Guadalupe, but available to sail throughout the Caribbean basin.

The much heralded International Superyacht Society Awards for Design and Leadership remains the only awards program of its kind in the large yacht industry. A panel of judges each a leader in his respective area of expertise?selects winning yachts from those nominated by the Society's membership. The annual black-tie International Superyacht Society Awards Gala draws more than 400 of the superyacht industry's most notable personalities, business leaders and owners.

In the Moet & Chandon Concours des Chefs Competition at the St. Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition held December 5 - 8, 2005 motoryachts HARMONY, 115 Crescent and TOUCH, 120 Custom both with The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals, took top honors, first and second respectively. Captain Jack McKay looked like a 'Proud Papa' as he greeted HARMONY's Chef Cameron Feldman of Australia with a bear hug as it was announced that HARMONY was awarded First Place in the Division I (125 and below) culinary event. 'I am ecstatic' he deserves it', stated Captain Jack, 'Last year he came in Third Place in this competition and he just keeps getting better!'

Pioneering yacht management and consultancy company YCO has had a busy summer with two new sales, and will soon be moving to new and larger premises overlooking Monaco harbor. YCO announced the sale of 47m Royal Huisman sailing yacht Hyperion. Following lengthy negotiations conducted by YCO on the owner's behalf, the sale was concluded and the new owner has now taken delivery. 'Client representation for sale and purchase of large yachts is part of the unique YCO philosophy,' says Gary Wright, YCO managing partner. 'We provide our clients with expert advice, support and guidance throughout the entire process with the back up of our highly professional team.'

Merrill-Stevens Dry Dock Co. announced its intent to acquire the international yacht brokerage firm Koch, Newton & Partners (KN&P). The two companies have reached an agreement and expect to complete the acquisition in late December 2005 or early January 2006. Merrill-Stevens? acquisition of Koch Newton & Partners is in line with the company?s strategic plans and owners? vision, and will add great depth to the Merrill-Stevens brokerage and charter divisions.

Monocle Yachts message is simple. 'Continue to enjoy the ease of chartering while receiving the benefits of ownership. By removing the unpleasant responsibilities and the high cost of individual yacht ownership, you have it all. Pride of Ownership, building equity, salaried crew (no tipping), tax benefits, guaranteed availability of your own yacht, always maintained in pristine condition, are just some of the added reasons that ownership is far superior to renting.

M/S PANAGIOTA, a family-owned yacht built in Greece entered into charter markets for charter to sail 3/7/10/14 day cruise itineraries to Ionian Isles, Cyclades Isles, Dodecanese Isles, Sporades Isles, Crete, Euboea-Sporades, Argosaronic Gulf - Peloponeses, Turkish port and all other Greek destinations.

The year closes for Perini Navi with the launching of its new 56m SY Rosehearty, the third 56m-aluminium ketch created by Perini Navi, a leading builder in the design and construction of luxury sailing yachts. Sister ship to SY Burrasca and SY Santa Maria, Rosehearty represents the ultimate evolution of the successful 56m-series whose architecture was optimised by Perini Navi in consultation with Ron Holland Design for high performance under sail. It's not yet known if the yacht will be available in charter fleets.

Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting 2005 Photo Album is updated daily during the show. YV&C - International Yacht Vacations & Charters Magazine'sCarmen Gonzalez (left) and Robyn Forma (right) with YachtCharter sMagazine.TV's Andrea Boden attending the show (below).

The 44th Annual Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting opened with 111 yachts attending. This year was the show's most popular year ever since its inception 44 years ago. Several European yacht management companies which did not participate at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show due to hurricane Wilma were all present in Antigua. The first day of the Antigua show was also the last day of St. Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition. Due to overlapping dates this year, many brokers left St. Maarten before that show officially closed. 'The second day in St. Maarten was pretty slow,' said one broker YV&C news desk spoke with. Many brokers and industry participants opted to visit both islands.

I placed two show directories on my table to review them as the brokers started walking into the docks. My unofficial poll shows 30 out of 30 brokers this morning said the Antigua Charter Yacht Show Directory was hands down much better than the St. Maarten Show Directory and the St. Maarten Show Bags were better than the Antigua show bags.

The second annual St. Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibiton - SCYE opened with a welcome reception. This year the following charter agents and management firms participated at this annual event. YV&C International Yacht Vacations & Charters Magazine is a media sponsor of the show. The following is a group of photos from the show's opening party.

St. Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition 2005 Photo Album is updated daily during the show. Enjoy YV&C's live photo coverage and stay tuned for exclusive interviews from St. Maarten broadcast live on YachtChartersMagazine.TV

The largest motoryacht at the St. Maarten charter yacht exhibit was RM Elegant. The 237-ft (72m) yacht entered the charter fleets in June 2005, with already more than six charters under her belt. RM Elegant, a Greek charter yacht, is owned and operated by WEM Lines. The ship has 15 luxury cabins to accomodate 30 passengers with a crew of 31 on board. While talking to the YV&C news desk, Captain Fotios Lessis said that RM Eelegant proved herself to be the top charter yacht in the world since the day she entered into charter market this summer, and generated the most interest among high-end charter customers by already delivering six trips at 455,000 Euros per week charter rate.

American Airlines representatives behind the counter have been talking about us in Spanish for the past 30 minutes, I finally could not stand any longer and told them what they were doing was not only rude but also no professional, in my fluent Puerto Rican Spanish accent. We don't know as of right now, when we will arrive to our first destination, St. Maarten yet. I will report more live from my blackberry as soon as I find out any information.

The new yachts in the Sacks Group Fleet inlcude M/Y Independence 2, a 106' Broward which accommodates 8 Guests in 4 Staterooms. Her charter rate is $36,000 per week, plus expenses. Captain Matt Braisted and his crew of 3 will be chartering in New England for the Summer, 2005 and in Florida/Bahamas for the 2006 Winter season; and M/Y Katina is a 100' Hargrave that was launched in the Spring of 2005. She sleeps 8 Guests in 4 Staterooms and has a charter rate of $34,000 per week, plus expenses. You will find Captain John Drugach, and crew of 3 in New England this Summer and in the Caribbean or Bahamas for the Winter, 2005-2006 season. The 95' PR Marine M/Y Nicole Marie sleeps 8 Guests in 4 Staterooms. She charters for $30,000 a week, plus expenses. Captain Barry Spieler and Tamara, plus a crew of 2 will be available for charter in the Pacific Northwest from May to October, 2005.

'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.

Starting today the last regatta of the season for Saint Tropez on the French Riviera kicks off in style. Les Voiles d'Automne is a highly demanding, high level competition, which requires a skilled crew to manoeuvre its banana-shaped course. The club, Société Nautique, that organises this event created the regatta ten years ago and it draws the elite sailing crowd every year; fifty boats participated in 2004.

We had a large international trade show planned in New York Hilton, where we were expecting more than 3,000 delegates to participate from around the world. The conference was going to take place on September 23-26, 2001. Ten days before our New York City event, we woke up with the news of terror attacks.

Camper & Nicholsons announced charter yacht availability in the Caribbean for the Winter 2005/2006 season. The following is a list of charter yachts and their availability for the season. Updated information on these and other charter yachts can be obtained through Camper & Nicholsons.

Local Government, Marine Industry, Event Producers Pull Together To Bring Broward County Convention Center Into The Fold For Rescheduled Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show, Nov. 3 - 6, 2005. Marine Industry Association Grateful for Collaboration To Make The Convention Center Available For New Dates; Show To Be Held At 5 Sites.

As of October 28th, show organizers have already confirmed more than 850 boats for in-water and on-land displays. 'The timing of the rescheduling of the show was driven by availability of show sites, and we are heartened by the industry's response in working with us to make it happen so quickly,' said Kaye Pearson, president of Yachting Promotions, Inc., producers of the show.

Further, in consideration of our industry and due to the reports by both news media and individual ISS members local to Fort Lauderdale regarding the impact of Hurricane Wilma, the ISS has decided to cancel its other events scheduled for this week's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

SeaDream Yacht Club has repeated its outstanding ratings in the Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships guidebook, widely recognized as the most authoritative and reliable of the passenger shipping evaluations.

Two main hotels of the show Sheraton Yankee Clipper and Radisson Bahia Mar Hotel suffered worse damage than anticipated, windows blown away, and no power as of noon on Monday. 'If they can't get the power back on and repair the damage by Wednesday, I can't see how they will continue with the show this year,' said Billy Smith of Trinity Yachts. Smith was in the West Palm Beach area on Monday morning. Trinity Yachts, the largest American superyacht builder, has a number of superyachts in the region to participate at this year's show and they have always presented one of the biggest superyacht exhibits at this show.

Based on the two-day delayed opening of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the International Superyacht Society today announced its revised schedule with regard to its host of activities held annually during the event.

Trinity Yachts announced that they will Christen their two recent deliveries of M/Y ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM with the exterior design by Geoff van Aller and M/Y LADY FLORENCE at the exclusive Showboats International Rendezvous located on Fisher Island, FL. this November.

(September 21, 2005, Monaco) - Andreas Liveras of Liveras Yachts, Nicholas Edmiston of Edmiston and Company, Alex Braden of Yachting Partners International, Peter Croke of Merle Wood and Associates, Michael White of Cavendish White were all on the docks the first day of 15th Annual Monaco Yacht Show. Andreas Liveras of Liveras Yachts with Carmen Gonzalez and Robyn Forma of International Yacht Vacations & Charters Magazine, the first day of 15th Annual Monaco Yacht Show. Liveras is holding the current issue of YV&C, which has an exclusive article on P/Y Annaliesse.

Today we are seeing yachts well over 300 feet. We are seeing the market expand enormously. Yes, we'll see some very, very big yachts. There are some under construction at the moment. But I think there will still be a huge market for yachts between 150 to 180 feet. You can get into harbors like St. Tropez and Porto Fino. You can enjoy being part of yachting. I think when you get very, very big; there is a danger that you become a little more remote from the world of the sea.

Much time of SMMTA has gone into the exploration of the best way to best make use of the funds to expose the youth of St. Maarten to careers in the marine trades. One of the first requirements is to develop a relationship with the sea and that has led to the St. Maarten Sea Scouts which is open to anyone from the age of 11-20 years. The Sea Scout program has world wide membership and support, a system of marine related project modules and achievement objectives and an established local base.

John Dane III, President and CEO stated, 'With the purchase of this second facility, our capacity has more than doubled and will enable us to meet the demands of our customers to reduce the delivery time as well as increase capacity. Our New Orleans yard will be the center of an expanded Repair & Refit focus while still remaining very much a part of the new build process and enabling us to provide an all round better service for our clients.'