St Barth Observer

Monaco…Cote D’Azur…Ft. Lauderdale. These three locations are quite possibly the worlds most prominent yachting destinations in the world. This is where the players play and it is never a shock to come to port and see twenty 150 footers nestled neatly together, all of which adorn beautiful womens names or clever hints to which captain of industry is aboard. It seems that St. Barths is picking up some steam in the battle to become the worlds premier yachting destination.

Princess Mariana
Ever wondered how the world’s elite travel the islands? Well, its not by car, helicopter or even jet. One of the greatest appeals of the islands is the fact that they are so closely located and the amazing beauty of the water that surrounds them. Can you guess now how they travel? Well, they cruise. This cruising isn’t done by Carnival, Celebrity or even Norwegian. This type of travel is private and is dramatically expanding as the worlds greatest yacht designers advance their skills and some of the worlds finest interior designers get their paws on the design of these great vessels cabins. (more…)

La Course ‘07
Over the years, more and more yacht clubs and sailing clubs have popped up around the islands. Boating has become much more popular and many of the worlds elite have chosen to bring their yachts to the islands for a vacation or simply keep one docked in Barths to compliment their vacation home. But as more and more boats are sailing the waters, the regattas are becoming more and more popular, with massively large fields in several classes. (more…)

BUCKET 2006 ST-BARTH

If you simply can not wait for the Golden Rock, the holiday race or the mecca…Antigua Sail Week, we have dug up some media to keep you busy. Here is a video taken on the Altair and on the Endeavour from ‘06. We also uncovered a handful of great photos that are nicely sorted by the name of the vessel located here at photoaction.com, if you require a closer look at the previous field. By the way, keep an eye on the Golden Rock registrants. It is filling up and the Eastern US appears to have the strength in numbers.

Monaco Eye

Although its the low season here, a few visitors are continuing to pull their yachts into the harbors of St. Barth. Most notably was the 93 ft. Brazilian-built aft house explorer, Impetus. Built by Inace, the giant beauty was hard to miss in the port of Gustavia yesterday.

Golden Rock Regatta

With just two months to go, sailing enthusiasts are already gearing up for this years Golden Rock Regatta. This November 12th, the 3rd annual regatta will kick off five days of sailing races from Great Bay, St. Maarten with sights set on the first stop: St. Barth. The brainchild of Juul Hermsen, this Caribbean regatta is more than your typical sailing event. The five races are much longer than average, and each race concludes on a different island before departing again the next morning. These overnight stops on St. Maartin, St. Barth, Statia and St. Kitts allow sailors to experience the culture and nightlife on a different island each evening of the event. Additionally, participants are allowed to register for races on a day-by-day basis, so that it is possible to join in at during any day of the regatta, and there is a trophy for each day’s race. (more…)

Altamer Expansion

Island Global Yachting recently announced that it will be building a luxury five-star 101-slip marina with 30% of it allocated to accomodate mega-yachts. The Altamer Marina, which is due to open by fall of 2009 will also include a 740,000 square feet, 164-unit resort with duty free shopping and restaurants.

According to Island Global Yachting this marina will rival most of the others in the area that used to draw luxury and mega-yachts in the region.

get jealous

The St. Barths Bucket, a three day invitational sailing race took place this past weekend. This years regatta was the 12th annual, and the race brought together the largest fleet of the largest racing yachts ever to meet. The Bucket Regattas began in August 1986 in Nantucket, MA, as a casual race to prove bragging rights. Now, these races have grown to become one of the most prestigious sailing events in the world for yachts over 100 ft in length.
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exhibite

Last week the largest private Yacht, a 453 foot beauty by the name of Rising Sun was joined by a few friends to pass the year in St. Barths. As the boats arrived the port staff had to find space for some of the estimated 350 boats in the harbor. 30 of the sailboats participated in the New Year’s Eve Regatta, including the J-Class Endeavor and the Ranger. Some of the other notable mega yachts in the harbor were the Grand Blue – 354 feet and the Maltese Falcon – 289 feet.