Yachting tips

Uber is getting into the yachting game, expanding its boat options across Europe and tapping into a beloved mode of transportation.

Move over, Jeff Bezos. Mark Zuckerberg is looking like this summer's Poseiden.

It's been only a few weeks since The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection shared images of Ilma, the second ship in its fleet. Now, the luxury sailing arm of Marriott Bonvoy is back with news on the collection's third ship: the Luminara.

As Croatians tell the story, the Greek hero Odysseus was shipwrecked and held captive on the Croatian island of Mljet. Visiting in May, I and six other sailors embraced the myth when the motor on our 54-foot yacht failed.

Summer has officially begun, and billionaires have already dispersed to their favorite vacation spots to enjoy the spoils of their labors.

A version of this article originally appeared in Architectural Digest.

MSC Cruises has announced that they will bring their beloved MSC Yacht Club experience to cruisers in North America in 2025. Their new megaship, MSC World America, will have seven distinct districts so guests can easily customize their vacation and prioritize what they most want to experience on board the ship. MSC Yacht Club will be one of those districts.

Jeremy Tutt joins Dream Yacht Sales as the Global Yacht Sales Director, bringing over two decades of marine industry expertise and leadership to propel the company’s global sales initiatives.

Over the last several years, major luxury hotel brands like Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton have been making waves (literally) in the cruise space by introducing a series of luxury yachts to deliver the brands' high-end service out on the seas.

Summer is on the way, meaning that the orcas are out to play near the Strait of Gibraltar — which is bad news for sailors.

Financial advisors are quick to warn prospective owners that a boat is nothing more than a hole in the water in which to throw money. When it comes to superyachts, you'd better have bags and bags of cash.

Last year, Eric Schmidt made waves in the yachting community when news came out that he was the soon-to-be owner of the Alfa Nero, an 81-meter megayacht that belonged to a sanctioned Russian oligarch.

The average Joe celebrating a personal renaissance after, say, the end of a long-term relationship or when approaching a fresh decade might commemorate it with an ankle tattoo or a sportscar. But if you're a billionaire, you may instead spend hundreds of millions on a yacht.

The arrival of enormous ships, like the 7,000 passenger/3000 crew member Icon of the Seas, is an effective way to promote the cruise industry. But cruise companies are also launching smaller vessels designed to give passengers more individual attention, like the new Explora I from Explora Journeys.

Over the last few years, the mass-market cruise industry's larger-than-life mega-ships — outfitted with loud waterparks and more dining options than you could eat in a week — have dominated the spotlight.

With 71% of the earth’s surface covered by water, yachting enthusiasts have plenty of options to enjoy their passion. They can chose from five oceans, over 175 million lakes or 75 rivers that are more than 1,000 miles long. Companies such as Worth Avenue Yachts,a world-class yacht brokerage firm specializing in luxury yachts for sale, yacht charter, charter management and new yacht construction, can make the process of owning or chartering a yacht seamless.

Earlier this week, Jefferies CEO Rich Handler sold $65 million worth of stock in the investment bank — enough to warrant a press release — partly to buy a yacht from his friend and client, hospitality billionaire and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.

Welcome back to another episode of the TravelPulse Podcast!

Having expanded the hotel brand to include residences and private jets, the Four Seasons is now looking to conquer the seas with its new yacht collection. Last week, Four Seasons Yachts unveiled renderings of its first vessel—built in collaboration with Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd and the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri—which is set to launch in 2026. The first voyages will take passengers throughout the Caribbean and will soon expand to destinations along the Mediterranean. The 14-deck vessel (inspired by Aristotle Onassis’ Christina O) will feature 95 suites, a saltwater pool and al fresco dining.

There's a scene in Succession, that near-Shakespearean takedown of the superrich, where eldest son Connor complains that he had to fly back “scheduled.” Family patriarch Logan Roy oozes sarcasm: “Oh, I'm sorry, son. That's really tough.” In fairness, to misquote Kate Moss, nothing tastes as good as private feels right now—especially when you're at 41,000 feet being served a menu concocted by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The private airplane has been the poster child of elite travel ever since the original jet-setters started flying down to Acapulco, with Sinatra on the airwaves (or on board), in the 1950s. There's an eternal allure to taking off at a whim, unscheduled. Put simply: to freedom.

To date, Elegance of Cannes has only been used privately as a day boat in the South of France.