Latest news with #yachting
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Midday Sports News for 30 May 2025
There's more posturing between syndicates ahead of the next America's Cup. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
On board a Ritz-Carlton yacht, I learned how the other half cruises
After a night sailing the Caribbean, I wake up to still waters: We've reached colourful Soufrière in St. Lucia. It's a February morning and snowstorms pummel our home in Toronto. I wipe the image from my mind. Home, for now, is a floating grand suite aboard Evrima, a sleek superyacht that sets the Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel brand to sea. After abluting in a cavernous marble bathroom, I pull a robe from one of two walk-in closets. I open the curtains to a wall of green. We've anchored by the Pitons, St. Lucia's iconic volcanic spires rising from the ocean. I can see a beach with sand the colour of brown sugar, a tangle of rainforest beyond. In one of the mountainous valleys, a small rainbow appears. It's our last day aboard Evrima and reality is painfully setting in. For a week, we've been sailing this jewel through the Windward Islands: Dominica, Grenada, Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines – the journey beginning and ending in Barbados. The crew has navigated unseasonably high winds and waves, keeping guests contented like royalty with top-shelf service and a steady stream of Moët. Since launching The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection in October, 2022, Evrima has served as a model of the anti-cruise. In every way, it's the reverse of a megaship experience, where water slides and sea coasters lure 8,000-plus tourists who are then disgorged on port towns. With capacity for just 298 passengers, Evrima treads more lightly. More than half the guests – median age 54 – have never been on a cruise. They might walk the plank before ever setting foot on a 'cruisezilla.' Evrima feels like a five-star hotel, with excesses to match. Sit back for a two-hour barber treatment at the spa, or splurge on a red Bordeaux tasting from the celebrated 2000 vintage (US$2,300). Visit the boutique for an Hermes showcase, or get your bling polished at a 'diamond revitalizing service.' 'Sometimes we lose track of reality,' hotel manager Jose Fernandez laughs as we tour the yacht's decks. Evrima's 149 suites are spacious, each with a private balcony. There are lofts spanning two floors, view suites with bathtubs peeking out over the ocean, and at the top tier, 1,091-square-foot owner's suites with wraparound terraces and private whirlpools. Our grand suite feels like a luxury apartment – as it should for US$15,400 per guest over seven nights, for our itinerary. With approximately 250 crew, the staff-to-guest ratio is high. Fresh-faced and eager to talk, the ship's onboard staff (or 'ladies and gentlemen' as they're called) make sure guests are comfortable, tropical cocktail in hand. As we settle into our room on Day 1, the doorbell rings. It's William, our 'suite ambassador,' offering us the unpacking service. The notion of someone else emptying my luggage feels alien to me. We come back from lunch to find our toiletries lined up on the double vanity, clothes hung and folded with care. That includes my partner's favourite pyjama, a tattered Mark's Work Wearhouse sweatshirt that William tucks away on a high shelf, as if to say, 'Please don't wear this outside.' The dress code is 'yacht casual'– lots of linen on men, floral caftans on women. For evenings, we move into 'yacht sophisticated': ixnay on the shorts, ball caps and flip flops. People-watching is part of the pleasure aboard a superyacht. Several Americans talk incessantly about money: hedge funds and wealth portfolios and inheritances. A small contingent of Germans is elegant and athletic; a warm Iranian family celebrates a wedding on the upper deck. Hidden Canada 2025: Ten travel destinations across the country to explore this summer On a European cruise with my teen, I watched her grow into a traveller The Brits are the most lively. One mischievous group spends the week playing celebrity look-alike, pairing passengers with their Hollywood doppelgangers (my partner gets Liam Neeson, I Sigourney Weaver). We share a toast at The Living Room, a gathering spot on Deck 4, and meet again for a late night dance-off at the Observatory Lounge on Deck 10. But cuisine is the real focal point, with five distinct à-la-carte restaurants on-board. We embark on a 'culinary journey' at S.E.A., from chef Sven Everland of Aqua, a three Michelin-starred restaurant at Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg in Germany. The menu is a series of intricately plated delicacies. Scallops with mango and paspierre algae. A sliver of Japanese Wagyu beef with pine-shoot glaze. Sorbet spooned from the hollow of a Ruinart Rosé champagne bottle. For US$285, including paired wines, the execution is flawless. It's only a shame that the room feels so funereal – windowless and adorned with calla lilies. We're sailing the tropics, not attending a wake. The trip's most sublime dish comes from a more casual onboard restaurant, The Pool House. It's a morsel of torched miso king salmon, bathed in a citrus pop of yuzu marinade. Second place: crispy Vietnamese-style spring rolls at Talaat Nam, the ship's popular Southeast Asian spot. Here we meet Dadan, our favourite gentleman of the ship. 'Can you do me a favour?' Dadan asks, intensely. 'Enjoy,' he says, his smile widening. Staff talk often about Evrima's unique feel: less cruise ship, more luxe resort on land. The ocean begs to differ. Winds howl and waves swell three to four metres high some nights. I lie flat on the bed, listening to the roar outside – a humbling experience. All week, rough conditions shutter the ship's marina, which normally gives passengers entry into the ocean to swim, kayak and paddleboard while at anchor. Captain Chris Pugh and a crew of navigators and lookouts have been working to smooth out the voyage, sheltering between islands. Some well-heeled guests don't come on the ship for it to feel like a ship, the captain explains. Thanks to Evrima's compact size (190 metres end to end), we've been anchoring in secluded spots not easily accessible to ginormous cruise liners. On Day 3, we take the ship's bright yellow tenders into Bequia, a yachting town in the Grenadines. Leathery, tussle-haired couples stroll Princess Margaret Beach. The strip's lined with huts hawking rum punch and wisdom: 'Slow down today,' reads the chalkboard sign at Shelley's Bar. We sail on to Canouan, a chichi Grenadines island with its own airstrip and marinas fit for oligarchs. Here, the Ritz-Carlton takes over a beach club for a barbecue. Looking out at turquoise waters, we feast on lobster tails, sip rum-filled coconuts and bounce to a soundtrack of Whitney and Mariah. After departing Canouan, our captain reveals that Amazon czar Jeff Bezos snapped up his favourite parking spot in the bay. Indeed, Koru, Bezo's US$500-million superyacht was anchored nearby, its figurehead bearing a striking resemblance to his fiancée Lauren Sánchez. The next day brings our first port stop, St. George's, Grenada. A small group heads inland for a trek through Grand Étang National Park, a rainforest framing a crater lake. Danny, our seasoned guide, is spry along slick jungle paths in his jelly shoes – red, green and yellow like his country's flag. Grenada is also known as Spice Island, and our hike winds through verdant plantations. Well-versed in herbal medicine, Danny rattles off various treatments: clove leaves for impotence, nutmeg for menstrual cramps. After two exciting river crossings, the trek ends at a waterfall shrouded in misty rain forest. A few swimmers clamber in. As water beats down our shoulders, we all lock eyes, awestruck. By the time we reach St. Lucia, my partner and I have morphed into serene yachting people, nothing like our harried-troll versions in Toronto. The finale is a private catamaran voyage along St. Lucia's western coast. We snorkel, spotting octopus, moray eels and schools of iridescent blue chromis. The onboard chef calls us out for lunch, curried mahi mahi. It's the kind of curated experience that passengers expect on this voyage. There seems to be less appetite for the real world. Several guests voice displeasure with some of the port stops, including St. George's, where feral cats roam laneways and young men gun their cars at high speed the afternoon we tour around. A few guests chafe at the grittiness, saying they'd prefer more anchored time at luxe tourist hideaways like St. Barts and Mustique. The complaints get more precious from there. One woman wonders why tokens of chocolate were left in her suite some days but not every day. And why are the breakfast jam jars so hard to open, another queries her husband. The Ritz-Carlton could bend over backward, but really, the rich like to complain. Happily, our British shipmates maintain their high spirits. It's the last night and instead of packing their suitcases, they hold court around the sushi bar at Talaat Nam. The waves swell and everyone's bobbing and laughing, drawing out the moment before it's time to set foot back on land. The writer was a guest of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. It did not review or approve the story before publication.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Not a latte room for error! £150million superyacht owned by ex-Starbucks CEO squeezes through Dutch canal with inches to spare
A luxury £150 million superyacht owned by the former Starbucks CEO has been spotted squeezing through a narrow Dutch canal with just inches to spare. Jaw-dropping images show billionaire Howard Schultz's 254-foot vessel nearly scraping the land as it sailed through Woubrugge in the Netherlands this morning. The huge ship, named Pi, boasts a range of over 4,500 nautical miles and onboard spa facilities, including a glass-bottomed swimming pool. It also features its own helicopter landing pad as well as a beach club, jacuzzi, and spacious custom interiors. Pi ranks as the 183rd biggest yacht in the world and can accommodate up to 12 guests in six cabins and a crew of 18 people. Built by Dutch boat builder Feadship, the boat was delivered to Schultz at the 2019 Monaco Yacht Show, where it won Best Yacht in Its Class and Motor Yacht of the Year. It is the 21st largest vessel the company has ever made and is 254 feet long and 37 feet wide. Crew members dressed in blue uniform stood on the canal edge to guide the ship smoothly through and prevent it from bumping the side The vessel is powered by MTU engines, which make it capable of speeds up to 18 knots. The Woubrugsebrug, the bridge which spans over the canal in Woubrugge, was open for around 40 minutes to let Pi pass through on Wednesday morning, according to Studio Alphen. It was reportedly heading for Alphen aan den Rijn, a city in the western Netherlands. Pi could be seen towering over the local homes as it cruised along the water accompanied by two support vessels located at either end of the yacht. Crew members dressed in blue uniform stood on the canal edge to guide the ship smoothly through and prevent it from bumping the side. Schultz, 71, made most of his billion-dollar fortune thanks to Starbucks. He is ranked by Forbes as the 209th richest person in the world, with a net worth of £3.68bn. The businessman bought the coffee chain in the 1980s. He is credited as Starbucks' founder despite the company being started in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Seattle's Pike Place Market. Back then, Starbucks was merely a coffee bean store but it became a full-fledged cafe after Schultz became involved. Later he transformed it into the international coffee shop brand. He served as the chief executive officer from 1986 to 2000 and returned during the financial crisis of 2007-08. It comes after Pi was spotted entering Cornwall's Falmouth harbour before moving to Pendennis Shipyard under go work in 2022. Pendennis Shipyard is one of the world's leading superyacht refit and custom build facilities. The site employs over 450 skilled tradespeople and has completed more than 300 refit projects and 30 custom-made build projects on some of the most iconic yachts in the world.
Globe and Mail
19-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Monaco: Spring Pop-Up at the Yacht Club, United Towards Sustainable Transition
MONACO, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sustainable transition, energy-efficient refits, and environmental classification of recreational vessels were the key themes of the 2025 Spring Pop-Up organized by the Cluster 'Yachting Monaco' on May 15th at the Yacht Club de Monaco. The event brought together the entire Monegasque yachting ecosystem – shipyards, yacht owners, designers, suppliers, and port authorities – around a common goal: to act proactively in guiding the sector toward sustainable growth, already aligned with evolving European regulations. Three roundtables animated the discussion. The first, chaired by Vincent Huens de Brouwer, examined the contributions of related sectors. Vianney Vautier, Chief Operating Officer of Orient Express (Accor Group), presented the 'Orient Express Corinthian' project, the largest sailing yacht in the world (220m): 'The best fuel is the one that doesn't combust'. Equipped with 6,000 sensors and a digital twin, the vessel allows them to 'simulate each itinerary to identify gaps in consumption and correct them'. Victor Gibon, Project Manager at JIFMAR GROUP Canopée, shared the experience of the first hybrid cargo ship powered by rigid sails: 'We recorded an average 20% reduction in fuel consumption across the Atlantic. Under optimal conditions, this can reach 50%, or even 100% in sail-only mode'. Victor Collazos, Decarbonisation Program Manager at offered a regulatory overview: 'Yachting today accounts for 0.3% of global maritime emissions. It may seem small, but regulation is inevitable', he said, referring to the new requirement for ships operating in Europe to have an energy label from A to E. The second roundtable, moderated by naval architect Espen Øino, gave a voice to yacht owners. Laurent Reiss (M/Y Asteria) shared his family's experience navigating remote areas, highlighting the importance of 'autonomy, robustness, and onboard equipment'. Frank Binder, owner of M/Y XEIA, criticized the 'uniformity of design', while Heigo Paartalu, Managing Director and co-founder of YachtWay – M/Y 'Vanquish VQ55 & VQ58', emphasized that 'every square meter must be multifunctional—for example, a sun deck should be able to turn into an outdoor kitchen for entertaining'. All participants pointed out challenges in managing crews. Reiss stated: 'The rotation system sounds like a good idea, but in practice it's more convenient for the crew member than for the owner'. The third and final session, moderated by David Seal, focused on sustainable refitting. Robin Savigny, Energy Efficiency Project Manager at SMEG / SMART+, showed that a 24% saving in electricity consumption on a 60-meter yacht, equivalent to €48,000 per year, is achievable. Arthur Bohr, Monaco Site Director and Key Account Director at Monaco Marine, noted that '70% of the global fleet is over ten years old', and that by simply replacing 520 halogen bulbs with LEDs on a 50-meter yacht, 'up to 57,000 liters of fuel per year can be saved'. Natalie Quévert, General Secretary and SEA Index Project Manager, stressed the importance of measurement: 'Our certification allows owners to position their yacht on an energy intensity scale'. She added: 'Some older boats, if well-designed and well-balanced, achieve excellent scores. Conversely, some recent or hybrid yachts can be surprisingly impactful'. With 100 member companies and €567 million generated in 2022 (equal to 3% of the Principality's GDP), the Cluster 'Yachting Monaco' confirms its role as a key player in guiding the sector toward real and measurable sustainability. Real and measurable.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Royal NZ Yacht Squadron confident Kiwi fans will engage with offshore America's Cup
Members watch the America`s Cup match race between Team New Zealand and Oracle at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, in 2017. Photo: photosport The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron insists it wanted the America's Cup to be hosted at home and is confident New Zealand fans will be engaged with the event despite it being offshore. Holders Team New Zealand announced Naples will host the 2027 America's Cup , with the regatta to be staged in Italy for the first time. After defending the Auld Mug in the waters off Barcelona last October, the RNZYS said it pushed to return the event to Auckland. However, it was announced in March they would no longer seek to host the next edition due to a lack of economic support from the government. Team New Zealand and Ineos Britannia during the 37th America's Cup Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America's Cup Squadron Commodore David Blakey told Morning Report Naples became the best option once Auckland was off the cards. "We actually worked very hard to try and make the event happen in Auckland. As we know, we weren't able to pull that together so then we had to look offshore," Blakey said. "Naples was one of the candidates to put their hand up and were very keen right from the outset to get involved if they could. "They put in a strong bid and they've been successful. "They have the money. They have the strong desire and the passion to have it and they have a large number of supporters there who are ready to host us." Photo: Emirates Team New Zealand Blakey was questioned over whether the average New Zealander was become less engaged in the America's Cup because it was no longer being sailed on their doorstep. He said their first choice was to sail the event in Auckland but said there was positives to taking the racing overseas. "The silver lining here is that it actually provides a fantastic platform for New Zealand to showcase itself in one of the largest markets and I'd love to see the country take advantage again," he said. "We had hundreds of members come with us to Barcelona and there were thousands of Kiwi supporters lining the waterfront in Barcelona. "The team does a fantastic job sailing, they showcase and present on behalf of New Zealand really well." Italians are expected to support the event, with the country's long-standing syndicate Luna Rossa again forecast to be among the strongest challengers. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli crew celebrate during America's Cup challenger series off Barcelona, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Blakey won't rule out Auckland hosting the next regatta if Team NZ are successful in Naples, saying "no doubt we'll have the opportunity to explore that again and maybe next time the timing's right for New Zealand to have it back here". Meanwhile, he said the "stunning" race headquarters on the Gulf of Naples waterfront would need to undergo infrastructure development, with work to begin soon. "They've got a little bit of work to do around their waterfront, to do some redevelopment, to set up a facility where the teams can base themselves," he said. "They'll have that ready to go by early next year. "The teams can start practising by the next European summer, ready for the event in the summer of 2027." He said they were keen to get the announcement underway to they can get on with building infrastructure. Naples waterfront Photo: photosport "The bay actually curves around so spectators will be able to line up along the waterfront, similar to what we were able to do in Barcelona, and watch from the land," he said. "There'll be a number of vantage points so it should be a spectacular setting for such an event." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
