Archive for February, 2012
Luxury on a Private Yacht
Posted on 26. Feb, 2012 by admin.
For the person who has never been on a luxury private yacht, stepping onto one for a fantastic yachting vacation is quite an eye-opening experience. It really is like entering a different world filled with new sights, sounds and experiences. Through yacht charter, you don’t have to purchase a yacht of your own, you can simply relax on board and let the crew handle everything.
One of the first things quite noticeable when you opt for private yacht luxury charter is how meticulous and clean everything is. From the wood inlay in the decks, to the shimmering glass and shiny white surfaces, nothing is out of place or a speck of dirt allowed. And since any yacht will yield to the whims of sea waves, everything is more compartmentalized, built-in and secured. Part of this is also due to space limitations as everything needed must fit into a smaller-than-usual space.
But regardless of the overall size, the one thing that stands out on the mega yacht is luxury and leisure. From the living room quarters to the galley kitchen to the bedrooms, comfort and style will surround you. In fact it’s easy to forget you’re even on a boat sometimes in the lower-deck bedrooms. During calm seas, once you lie down in bed at night the soft sounds of water lapping will help you drift off into a satisfying sleep. Even getting ready in the morning is a breeze as these types of luxury yachts offer bathrooms with beautiful shower stalls and soft thick towels: no expense is spared.
The other great thing about luxury yacht holidays and private charter is just giving in to the constant pampering. A full staff is also on board to cater to your every whim from a personalized breakfast order to fetching suntan lotion before laying on one of the decks to catch some rays. It might not be a lifestyle everyone’s used to, but for a few days on a luxury yacht, it’s one that should be enjoyed to the max.
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Yachting Technology: Radar Varieties
Posted on 26. Feb, 2012 by admin.
While marine radar was once a must for recreational boaters, the advancement of electronic maritime charts and accuracy of new GPS has made the installation of radar sometimes secondary. With regard to essential equipment for boating safety, the importance of radar is still high, especially for yachts since it is still the only above-water active navigational tool available.
Variations in marine safety equipment are typical and radars can be divided into different categories according to wavelength. Two being discussed here are s-band radar and x-band. S-Band radars operate on a wavelength of 8-15 cm and frequency of 2-4 GHz and are useful for near and far range weather observation.
X-Band radars operate on a wavelength of 2.5-4 cm and a frequency of 8-12 GHz. Due to the smaller wavelength the x-band radar is more sensitive and can detect smaller particles. These radars attenuate very easily and therefore are used for only short-range weather observation. Because of their small size x-band radars can be portable.
Debates often come up over which is the better radar to equip yachts with and which is the most useful. However, many are equipped with both types of radars as one is more useful on the open sea while the other is better for ships in coastal waters. Multiple superyacht owner, John Rosatti opted to include both on his mega yacht Remember When.
For those in the market for the best radar for any yacht, the best advice is to check with the experts, ship pilots and other yacht owners. Nothing compares to firsthand experience when it comes to navigational and detection systems for any sea vessel and these marine electronics are crucial to safety. Talk to professionals and fellow boat owners to determine which variation will best suit your boating needs.
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Interesting Maritime Facts
Posted on 04. Feb, 2012 by admin.
Water covers two-thirds of the Earth’s surface area but for most of us, the seas and oceans are little more than a place to paddle in. For others though – for sailors in the shipping trade or in the world’s navy’s – the vast bodies of water are just as familiar as the roads and pavements are to the rest of us. Here are a few interesting facts about the sea, ships and sailing:
Databases and Boats
Nearly every large seafaring vessel in the world is listed on a ship database. These systems contain detailed information on all of the world’s cargo-carrying and passenger ships worthy of note, from their current location to their weight capacity, dimensions, their state of repair and even who owns them and who crews them. This isn’t a sinister, shadowy surveillance database though – it’s a commercial tool for international business and insurance underwriters that has been around in some form or another since the 18th century in the history of yacht transportation. Companies around the world pay a subscription fee for access to these databases, either to see which vessels for hire can get their cargo to the destination on time or to see which ocean vessels could be added to their own maritime fleet.
Ships or Boats
Possibly one of the most argued and controversial topics of maritime terminology is the difference between a “ship” and a “boat”. To the layman, the distinction is probably trivial or confusing at worst. Among the boating enthusiasts and maritime professionals though it’s rather important. At one point the definition depended on how many masts the vessel in question had – obviously a little outdated now. The most definitive answer available is that according to the National Maritime Museum, any vessel below 40 tons and 40 feet in length is a boat and anything bigger is a ship. That said, all submarines and all fishing vessels (even the huge ones) are known as boats.
Flotsam or Jetsam
Well, to most of us it’s just floating litter but there are specific nautical terms for the bits of shipping material that can be found bobbing up and down in the ocean. According to the letter of nautical law, Flotsam is the debris that floats off of shipwrecks – bits and pieces of hull, shipping containers, etc. Jetsam is the same sort of material – but when it’s been thrown off deliberately, rather than unavoidably. Lesser known terms for maritime wreckage are Lagan – cargo left at the bottom of the sea that can be retrieved by divers, and derelict – the cargo/wreckage that can’t be retrieved.
