Part 3: One of the unique charter features aboard Capri is her recording studio.

By Kim Kavin

11. Floridian  More of this Feature • Part 1: Most Expensive Charters • Part 2: Most Expensive Charters continued • Part 3: Most Expensive Charters continued
Related Resources • Cruising/Chartering Index • Megayacht Feature Index

9. Capri
Just like the other Lürssen a couple of numbers up on our list, the 192-foot Capri takes a dozen guests. She’s got 14 crew (two fewer than her sibling) but spent the summer cruising the same Mediterranean waters, with charters in Sardinia and Palma de Mallorca. She’ll be in the Caribbean this winter at $350,000.

One of the unique charter features aboard Capri is her recording studio, with state-of-the-art equipment for making music. If you’d prefer to listen to the sounds of the sea, she also carries 20 sets of dive gear.

Moran Yacht & Ship Phone: (954) 768-0707. www.moranyachts.com.

10. Excellence III
Power & Motoryacht was last aboard this 187-footer in New England, where her owner, Herb Chambers, made his fortune selling cars. We can tell you that her interior style is much more Porsche than Prius, with dark mahogany practically seeping through its glossy topcoat.

At $345,000 per week for 12 guests, Excellence III offers a crew of 14 and a generous amount of deck space, perfect for lounging in the Caribbean sun this winter. “She has a big pedigree, coming out of Abeking & Rasmussen,” says charter broker Agnes Howard of Camper & Nicholsons International’s Fort Lauderdale office. “She’s steel construction, definitely a true miniship. The way she handles any type of weather, there’s no compromising comfort.”

Camper & Nicholsons International Phone: (954) 524- 4250. www.cnconnect.com.

11. Floridian
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you; this rendering looks an awful lot like Aussie Rules, the 228-foot Oceanfast made famous by golfer Greg Norman. That’s because Norman sold the expedition yacht this year to Blockbuster Video magnate Wayne Huizenga, who is adding a helicopter pad, extending a boat deck, and incorporating an additional cabin for two more crew before relaunching her this winter as Floridian.
Post-refit, Floridian’s charter rate will rise to $320,000 per week in the Caribbean for up to 12 guests and 17 crew.

International Yacht Collection Phone: (954) 255-2323. www.yachtcollection.com.

12. Pegasus
Stepping into the owner’s bathroom aboard this 194-foot Oceanco is like dipping a toe into warm Caribbean waters—the marble is a mesmerizing aquamarine, and it’s heated, to boot.

Pegasus carries 13 crew and 12 guests. She was on charter this summer in Sicily and Barcelona at a rate of $315,000 per week. Though she has been available in the Caribbean during previous seasons, her plans for early 2005 were undecided at presstime.

Denison & Daves Phone: (954) 612-1000. www.yachtpegasus.com.

13. Talitha G
Talitha G is a classic beauty that was built in 1929, rebuilt in 1993 under the watchful eye of the late Jon Bannenberg, and refitted in 2000. Original details such as open fireplaces were retained, while new-style luxuries including a Jacuzzi were added. The twin funnels on her top deck were also retained, except they don’t function as smoke stacks, they cleverly hide her modern communication domes. Her crew of 18 continues to provide the level of service that the world’s wealthiest clients have demanded for decades—both on the big boat and on the 1930’s-style launch that comes with her. Among some of her famous guests in years past: actor Tom Cruise and the British Royal Family.

At $315,000 per week for 12 guests, Talitha G will be available this winter in the Caribbean.

Edmiston & Co. Phone: (310) 777-6535. www.edmistoncompany.com.

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