Saturday, March 24, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Palm Bch Boat Show, March 22-25
Below is information about the upcoming 27th Annual PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW (March 22-25) and the yachts to be displayed by Allied Marine / Ferretti Group.
Hope to see you there!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
YACHT OF THE WEEK: RIVA 56' SPORTRIVA. 2012.
"The sporty character is defined by extended, aggressive and gritty lines that give the boat a strongly dynamic appearance. This, together with a number of highly innovative solutions, makes the SportRiva a true jewel of modern design. Style, luxury, quality hand-finishing, sophisticated and excellent materials, and painstaking care given to detail balance out the inimitable Riva style that shines through every detail."
Thursday, March 15, 2012
U.S. BROKERAGE SALES RISE AGAIN IN FEBRUARY
Brokerage sales in the U.S. increased again last month, with 1,908 boats sold for an aggregate of $231 million. According to member brokerages reporting in Soldboats.com, the volume of sales rose 13% compared to February 2011, and the total value of the boats was up 25%.
For the year to date, 3,452 boats were sold for an aggregate price of $425 million. Those represent 8% and 17% increases, respectively, over sales volume and valuation in January and February of 2011.
While the sale of big boats and super yachts has hogged the headlines for much of the last year, boats under 26' sold well in February, with 639 boats changing hands, a 16% lift from 2011. The sale of boats 36' to 45' increased 11% to 370 boats. Even the 26' to 35' category, which lagged in January, saw improved year-over-year sales in February with a 10% increase in sales to 714 boats. Collectively, 1,723 boats under 45' changed hands, a 12% lift, and they sold for $102 million, an 11% gain.
Not to be outdone, brokers selling boats over 55' closed 147 deals in February, a 32% increase over the same month in 2011. The boats involved sold for 43% more, with $177 million in sales. The sale of 16 super yachts (boats over 80') accounted for $56 million of the total, which was more than double the total price paid for the 9 super yachts sold a year earlier.
John Burnham is Editorial Director of Dominion Marine Media.
Monday, March 12, 2012
HAPPY ENDING FOR SEYMOUR BUT GOOD REMINDER TO RECYCLE
Reprinted from FloridaGulfVacation.com, March 10, 2012.
A bottlenose dolphin named Seymour is swimming without restraint this morning in the waters near Marco Island. After members of the Ten Thousand Islands Dolphin Project reported seeing Seymour with fishing line wrapped around his tail since late last year, a team of experts and biologists mapped out a plan to untangle him. This is no small feat. It took a crew of wildlife experts from SeaWorld Orlando, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, NOAA Fisheries Service and Harbor Branch, Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the University of Florida to accomplish the task – in all close to 30 people were involved.
Seymour is a regular in these waters so they knew where to begin looking for him. The Dolphin Explorer, a sightseeing boat out of Marco River Marina has spotted him hundreds of times. After spotting him Friday morning, rescuers put out a huge net and once he swam in, the rescuers jumped into the water, carefully cut away the fishing line, and even used a mobile x-ray machine to determine if there was further injury. Lucky for Seymour, he was deemed ok to be released back into the wild, after a satellite tag was placed on his dorsal fin.
If the story sounds familiar, it’s similar to what happened to Winter the Dolphin who lives at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Her tail had to be amputated when she became entangled and received the first-ever marine mammal prosthetic tail. The movie, Dolphin Tale, is based on her story.
“Discarded fishing line poses a very serious threat to all marine life, including manatees, sea turtles, and dolphins like Seymour,” said Steve Lehr of SeaWorld’s rescue team. “The easiest way to help is to always recycle fishing line properly in bins found at most docks.” That goes for plastic bags, too.
The crowd of onlookers who had gathered at the boat ramp, cheered as Seymour was released. What a great way to start the weekend.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
CARIBBEAN BEACHES JOIN OTHER DESTINATIONS TO BRING BLISSFUL SILENCE TO VACATIONS
Reprinted from a Yahoo! OMG! article posted Thursday, March 8, 2012.
What do you think? Favorable or frustrating?
* * * * * * * * * * *
If being constantly interrupted by the shrill sound of a cellphone is your idea of a holiday from hell, one Caribbean hotel group might have the answer.
Elite Island Resorts, which runs resorts across Antigua, Grenada, the Grenadines, St Lucia and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, announced this week that it will ban mobile phones from beaches at nine of its resorts.
The scheme will ensure that one beach at each of the destinations will follow a strict cellphone-free policy, with signs reminding guests that the gadgets which have come to dominate modern life aren't welcome.
A spokesperson for the group said that the decision followed a two-year trial of the scheme at Palm Island in the Grenadines which has proved very popular and has subsequently led to events such as the 'digital de-tech week'.
"Over the last few years we've seen a big rise in people bringing laptops and smartphones away with them," Elite Island Resorts' Paula Whitehead told Relaxnews.
"People are using them on the beach and at the poolside -- we are all getting used to being contacted around the clock. We saw the success of the mobile free beach zone at Palm Island and felt rolling it out to our other resorts would be welcomed by guests."
For those that desperately need to log on, all of the resorts provide wifi areas, Ms. Whitehead said.
As the pervasiveness of modern technology in our lives grows, it seems it's increasingly fashionable to seek out destinations where electronic communications are sternly frowned upon.
Cruise ships, once a vacation blissfully undisturbed by cellphone coverage, are now normally connected by satellite, leading some lines such as Crystal Cruises to actively block cellphone signals in certain areas.
Even hotels are getting in on the action, with a host of American properties asking guests to surrender their gadgets upon check-in as part of zen or traquillity packages designed to reconnect travelers with what's really important in life, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The town of Green Bank in Virginia has even built a tourism industry out of radio silence -- part of the US National Radio Quiet Zone, its proximity to sensitive radio telescopes means that most gadgets that rely on radio signals (think cellphones, pagers, anything using WiFi and even television) are prohibited in the area, or in many cases, just won't work.
That freedom from both electromagnetic waves and the ring of a cellphone has earned the town something of a reputation in America -- it reportedly attracts thousands of tourists every year, all desperate to escape the constant interference of modern-day life.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
BAHAMAS BILLFISH TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION IN FULL SWING!
Registration for the Bahamas Billfish Championship's 39th season is well underway with a number of teams taking advantage of the BBC's Early Bird discount. By all indications participation in all five tournaments will be above this past year. There will be many of the 'regulars' back rying to capture the BBC title and there will be some well-known teams returning that have been absent for a few years. Of course you can look for a new crop of anglers and teams ready for the challenges that can only come from the world's oldest billfishtournament series.
For the 2012 season, the BBC's Steering Committee has instituted some changes to the BBC rules, to the tournament venue and tournament format. These changes reflect the wishes of the participating anglers and are designed to improve the tournament experience and stimulate greater participation.
Although the first tournament is not until April, remember that tournament participation is limited to 50 teams and all tournament Entry Fees are due and payable 30-days prior to the start of each 2012 BBC tournament. The BBCMembership Fee is non-refundable and Tournament Entry Fees become non-refundable 30-days prior to the tournament start date.
Whether you want to fish one tournament or the whole Series, there is no better time to register. Registration is easy and can beaccomplished online, by FAX or by mail.
To Register & Enter online click here.
To download the 2012 BBC Tournament Entry package, click here.
You Can't Win If You Don't Enter!
TOURNAMENT FORMAT CHANGE for 2012
Captain's Choice Lay Day - All teams will fish any three (3) out of the available four (4) fishing days (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday). Ribbons must be picked-up each fishing day between 6:00 am and 8:00 am from the Committee Boat.
ANGLING RULE CHANGES (Changes in bold)
Lines in the water at 8:00 am - Lines out of the water at 4:00 on all fishing days.
To qualify as a "released fish" the leader must be brought within the grasp of the mate or the end of the leader must be wound to the rod tip. A 'Billfish Release Affidavit' must be completed for each billfish released and presented to the Committee Boat between the hours of 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm on the same day the fish is caught. These hours can be extended if a team was fighting a fish and reported to the Committee Boat prior to "lines out of the water."
NEW ANGLING RULES
• Teams fishing the Bahamas Billfish Championship may not include any individual who has been paid to be a captain or crew, fish a rod, feed fish and/or bring a fish to the boat in the last three (3) years.
• All boats participating in the Bahamas Billfish Championship tournaments must have a valid Bahamas Fishing Permit with a Bahamas Fisheries sticker affixed thereto.
To view a complete set of the 2012 rules, click here.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
YACHT OF THE WEEK: 108' MONTE FINO. 1996 COMPLETELY REDONE!
BEAUTIFUL YACHT!
Unique, completely redone, and just reduced,
this is one to be seen for sure!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
WATERWAYS NEWSLETTER: MARCH 2012
The March newsletter is complete! Please be sure to read the exciting report of the Miami Yacht and Brokerage Show on page one. This month, I've included some new and outstanding brokerage yachts, in addition to many that have seen recent reductions.
As explained in my opening letter, we are quite low on stock due to the overwhelming response of buyers in Miami, but on pages 3 and 4, you'll find new boats in stock as well as those arriving soon.
Of note are the two 51' Bertrams, a 2010 on page 2 and a 2012 on page 3. Both are being offered at great prices and are well worth a look!
I hope you enjoy this month's edition of "Waterways". Just give me a call if you have any questions!
Below is just an image of page one.
Friday, March 2, 2012
YACHT OF THE WEEK: NEW 51' BERTRAM CNV, DISCOUNTED FOR QUICK SALE!
This is a great deal! The newly-designed 51' Bertram 2012 model has been discounted $300k to make room for new inventory. Actually, it now can be purchased for less than the Show Special offered last month in Miami. If you have any interest at all in a new sport fishing yacht, please take a look. I'm pretty sure that at this price, it won't be around for long!
For link to original document, please click here.
For direct link to information and video about the 51', please click here.
But do keep the "deal" price in mind as you do!
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