travel

A t 29 years old, Shay Van der Kraan, head chef aboard the 178-foot (54.4-meter) Townsend-Downey Shenandoah of Sark, has a resume that touts award-winning restaurants from New Zealand and Australia to the United Kingdom and France.

It was the last week of September and the time of the southwest monsoon in the Indian Ocean. By leaving then, we planned to encounter southeasterlies south of the Maldives and the equator, but the Indian Ocean threw itself against us in heaps. Barbara, the ship’s cook, found flying fish on the flybridge, more than 20 feet up.

In the port of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, one marina has been rebuilding and redesigning its facilities with yachting in mind. Now, Marina Oceania has become the country’s first true fully equipped marina.

A charter vacation aboard Penny Mae in Croatia will teach you a little something about the country’s history and its terroir.

A hint of pine in the air, cool temperatures at night, nary another yacht in sight. Maine provides a different experience from most charter trips you will ever take. Lady J’s captain lives in Maine and has mastered the art of sharing its many charms with charter guests.

Over Yonder Cay is the ultimate luxury retreat with renewable resources

A hint of pine in the air, cool temperatures at night, nary another yacht in sight. Maine provides a different experience from most charter trips you will ever take. Lady J’s captain lives in Maine and has mastered the art of sharing its many charms with charter guests.

David Marlow was certain he had the right idea when he launched his first Voyager. Wanting to demonstrate that his alternative to the conventional explorer genre—a light and low-profile composite boat designed to “dance with the waves”—was indeed a valid contender, he invited other builders to an endurance trial. There were no takers. No takers, that is, until a couple of experienced sailors from Australia decided to put his Marlow Voyager 76LR to the ultimate test.

Island Global Yachting (IGY) recently added three new destinations to its global roster of exclusive luxury resorts and marinas, in Panama, Mexico and Turks and Caicos.

Beautiful but remote, the Mexican peninsula of Baja was often overlooked as a cruising destination, attracting mostly adventurous travelers and sportfishermen. But a recent trip has shown us that the region has become increasingly well suited to cruising yachts and luxury travelers, without losing any of its natural charm or its wilder side.

French Polynesia exercises a powerful attraction. The islands, which cover an area about the size of Western Europe, have plenty of appeal despite their geographic isolation. Of late, they seem to attract more private and charter yachts, many based in the Society Islands.

Writer Herman Melville once called it “an elbow of sand” and the native Wampanoag Indians named it “the Faraway land” (or Nantucket). Both names fit this 14-mile-long and 3.5-mile-wide island 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast. A recent addition to the island’s genteel way of life is the family-friendly Westmoor Club and its flagship Belle.

What is the secret formula that makes one charter yacht more successful than another? The 157-foot Christensen Lady Joy seems to have all the right ingredients.

A few projects stand out in memory even years after their completion. For the renowned custom shipyard Delta Marine, Laurel is one of those builds.

After years navigating the world’s oceans and keeping a low profile despite her legitimate claim to fame, the 240-foot Delta Laurel has come home. Last fall she made her first appearance at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and it was a coming-out of sorts for one of the most notable (and notoriously private) superyachts launched in recent years.

A couple of months ago, I had the privilege of spending a few days aboard the 198' Feadship Blue Moon, discovering both the yacht’s amenities and the leeward and windward sides of Martinique.