by shipyour | Dec 18, 2012 | Captains Blog
Hatteras Yachts is about to debut a new luxury yacht in the fall of 2013, the new 100 Raised Pilothouse! With Hatteras having some of the most luxurious yachts on the market, this is exciting news for yacht enthusiasts. This yacht is being envisioned as Hatters brand ambassador for the expansions being made to the yachting market.
Luxury Yachting
With four luxury staterooms and room for eight, this makes for a perfect vacation on the water. Each stateroom features its own premium A/V package that includes AM/FM radio with an iPod® dock, flat-screen LED TV, Bose® speakers, and a Blue-ray® disc player. Then you get to include a stocked wine cooler and the linens and bathrobes that come standard with the ship.
With the anticipated LOA of 100 feet and a beam of 22.5 feet, the 100 Raised Pilothouse will not be lacking in volume. The enormous flying bridge comes equipped with a large wet bar, as well as specially designed modular furniture that is easily arrangeable to the owners needs.
Down Below
Besides the staterooms there is also a full-beam master suite, which is well appointed and truly opulent with its his-and-hers head and ample storage space. Then there’s the VIP suite, which offers a private bathroom, full-sized queen bed, and a large closet.
The Pilothouse
Located above-deck you’ll see the pilothouse which includes a voluminous salon and a formal dining room. The salon has very large and open windows that give a sweeping view of both the port and starboard of this yacht, leaving you with a breathtaking view. Once leaving the salon you walk into a large galley with full-sized appliances to give an at home feel, and the large bar with ample seating. Looking up in the galley you notice a large integrated skylight, which is one of the most noticeable features in the 100 Raised Pilothouse.
The pilothouse is also home to the luxury yachts helm, which is a series of computers and touch-screens that oversee all of the ship’s systems. From the helm chair the captain has full reign over the ship.
The Crew
Even the crew has nice accommodations on this luxury yacht. The captain gets his own stateroom, and the crew has a spacious bunkroom, with each room getting its own head. Attached to the crew areas is the crew galley that comes equipped with a sink, refrigerator, and microwave/convection oven. This makes a nice private area for the crew to kick back and relax away from the hustle and bustle above.
The Foundation
As with all other Hatteras models, the 100 Raised Pilothouse is built on a solid fiberglass hull bottom that comes with a ten-year warranty. The high performance propellers, deep tunnel pockets, and efficient gear reductions all give the 100 Raised Pilothouse a competitive cruising performance.
by shipyour | Dec 14, 2012 | Captains Blog
For Presidents’ Day in Florida, the city prepares for the Miami International Boat Show and the Coconut Grove Arts Festival, but for 2016 the NFL is requiring cities to agree to a possible Presidents’ Day Super Bowl. This conflict could mean trouble for the Super Bowl if Miami doesn’t agree to the terms.
Super Bowl Weekend
In the past when the NFL proposed a Super Bowl weekend in Miami on Presidents’ Day weekend the tourism officials declined to pursue a Super Bowl. This time may prove more difficult though, with the NFL now requiring potential host cities to agree to a Super Bowl on these days if they want to pursue the game at all.
The NFL has invited Miami and San Francisco to bid on the 2016 Super Bowl, with the losing party being able to bid against Houston for the 2017 game. With an event as large as the Super Bowl tourism would skyrocket for the weekend of, and this may be a problem for Miami. This problem is a huge attraction called the International Boat Show.
The Boat Show
The boat show is a huge 5 day tourist attraction in Miami and has been around since the 1940s. Tourism officials are warning that there may not be enough hotel accommodations for the amount of people who would come if both events were held on Presidents’ Day.
After looking over inventory and accommodations, tourist officials have said that it is not physically possible to host all three events at the same time, and that the two events (without the Super Bowl) are already pushing the limits of what can be accommodated.
According to tourism officials, Miami has never responded to an invitation to bid on the Super Bowl if it fell on Presidents’ Day weekend. This means that the NFL already knows that there would be conflicts with that day, and that the NFL doesn’t care about that conflict. Officials also say that trying to host the Super Bowl, International Boat Show, and the Art Festival over the same week would be a terrible idea.
This situation is currently only a hypothetical problem, as the Super Bowl is scheduled for two weeks before Presidents’ Day in 2016, but that bid requires a 3 week agreement for possibilities in scheduling changes or issues. President’s Day weekend falls on the last weekend of the 3 week mark.
Tax Dollars at Work
Last year there was a proposal that Broward and Miami-Dade counties finance a $225 million reconstruction at Sun Life Stadium, to keep the region competitive for large events like the Super Bowl. The renovation would include a partial roof to prevent an issue like the large rainstorm that struck at the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami Gardens, soaking all.
by shipyour | Dec 10, 2012 | Captains Blog
A week-long harbor strike at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, that nearly caused total port closures, ended this Wednesday. Even with the harbor strike being ended there may still be future issues for major U.S. ports. The shipping world is changing, and the ports need to keep up or be left out.
The Changes
Expansions of the Panama Canal are being done to accommodate the new ships being made, that are much more massive that previous models. This, along with better coordination between shipping trucks and trains that make overland journeys cheaper could mean bad news for ports in the upcoming years. As early as 2015, the way that goods are shipped in to the world’s largest consumer market could be completely altered.
The biggest part of the changes is the Panama Canal being widened. Once this expansion is completed, in 2015, bigger ships will be able to cut their travel time down from the ports in Asia to the east coast of the U.S. and also for ships going to Western Europe by using the canal.
The Need to Adapt
Adaptation is key for the ports that plan on competing in this environment. There must be changes made to allow the bigger ships to dock, improving communications between trains and transporters, and port efficiency.
Dredging is done to deepen harbors and waterways, which would make it possible for these massive ships to dock in port and to load and unload merchandise. Without dredging the ports they wouldn’t be able to accept these ships and would be unable to adapt to the changes coming to the shipping industry.
The ports of Miami, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Charleston, Savannah, Baltimore, New York, and New Jersey have been working to adjust to the changes needed, and are working to deepen the harbors to allow for these new ships.
Many ports are working on improved communication and coordination with trains and transporters to improve efficiency. Currently North American ports handle 24% fewer containers per hour than Northeast Asian ports, 18% less than Middle Eastern ports, and 11% less than European ports.
Overland Improvements
Increased coordination between trains and trucking companies has caused cross-country overland shipping to become faster. Even with this better coordination the west coast will feel pressure to keep up once the canal expansion is completed. Moving cargo by ship is much less expensive, and with the time it takes cut down will make it more difficult to make overland transport worth the expense. The west coast will have to rely heavily on shipping by train, which can save about a week of time on the transport, to compete with the canal.
Canada and Mexico are taking advantage of overland shipping by steering ships into their own ports and shipping the cargo into the U.S. by train, bypassing U.S. port taxes that support the harbors, which is only more competition for the U.S. harbors.
by shipyour | Dec 7, 2012 | Captains Blog
If you Google “Roughest Stretch of Water in the World”, 90% of the results will mention the Drake Passage. The Drake Passage is a 600 mile wide waterway that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans between the South Shetland Islands and Cape Horn, and considered one of the worlds roughest waters. The Drake Passage was known for its stormy seas and icy conditions, which made getting through Cape Horn a real test for the ships and crews that were pushing through it. Cyclones that form in the Pacific Ocean cut from west to east across the southernmost part of the passage and add to the rough waters. Another test for this passage is the low temperature winds that range from 41 ˚F in the north and 27 ˚F in the south.
The Drakes Danger
The location of the Drake Passage contributes greatly to its treacherously rough waters and its reputation. The Drake is located on a narrow gap that is between landmasses, in an area with naturally high wind speeds, and a massive global current. These factors make the passage one of the roughest waters in many regions, even ones that have extremely rough seas. The current running through the Drake forms part of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which is the most voluminous current in the world and pushes between 3,400 and 5,300 million cubic feet through per second.
Touring the Drake
Historical accounts of early Antarctic exploration have brought an increase in Antarctic tourism, which the majority of crosses the Drake. With tourists crossing regularly, the Drakes reputation for rough waters has become better known. Many early explorations mention the rough condition of the Drake and the waters around it. This is also a good area for whale, dolphin, and seabird watching. Blue and fin whales, crabeater seals, petrels, albatross and penguins are all common sightings during tours on the Drake Passage.
Other Rough Waters
There are many other seas around the world that are as rough, or even some that are rougher, than the Drake Passage. One example of another of the worlds roughest waters is the North Atlantic shores near Gloucester, MA. This area is frequented by hurricanes, and has been quoted as “the roughest stretch of water in the world”. The movie ‘The Perfect Storm’ was even written about a storm in this area. The Southern Ocean is known for having huge swells and rough seas, with the rough water being comparable to the Drake Passage. Most of the Antarctic cruise ships avoid these waters and push through the Antarctic Peninsula from South America, which means that the danger of the South Ocean is less well known.
by shipyour | Dec 4, 2012 | Captains Blog
The occupancy levels at the Palm Beach docks are down this year with occupancy levels at only 89%, compared to last year’s 94%. The low occupancy is believed to be a mixture of the bad economy and hurricane Sandy’s timing.
Though there are many yachts for sale Captain Hipple doubts that the docks will have trouble filling spots.
The dock master, Kenny Kooyenga, believes that the occupancy will increase and that one of the reasons for there not being as many boats for this time of year is because of hurricane Sandy. He expects another half dozen to be arriving over the next few weeks that were held up due to the storm.
Yacht Bargains
The suffering economy is causing many yacht owners to sell their vessels, especially those new to the yachting world, and some are selling for a ridiculously low price. Captain Bill Hipple, captain of the Lady Kath, has personally seen yacht bargains where a yacht valued at $28 million is selling for just under $15 million.
A lot of long-established yachtsmen are buying brokered boats because of other yacht bargains like this, with many other sellers letting go of their yachts for prices much lower than what they’re valued at. You can even find some online yacht bargains pretty easily too!
Docking Your Yacht
An annual contract for a 50-foot slip at the Palm Beach docks is currently $18,270.08 after state sales tax, with the seasonal contract (Nov. 1 to April 30) going at $14,665.05.
These rates, according to the Director of Recreation, have increased 2% from last year. The rate increase came about after doing a market analysis that compared prices to other Palm Beach County Mega-Yacht marinas, which showed that they were below what the other marinas were charging.
Upgrades
The rate increase has been put towards several projects at the dock for upgrades and repairs. The Australian dock is currently upgrading the power supplies at 7 large slips, which should be concluded by June.
Repair work is currently being done on the Brazilian and Australian dock house foundations and is on schedule for the expected completion date. New shrubbery and sod are also being installed in the marina.
Another upgrade to look forward to is marina-wide Wi-Fi that will be free to clients and patrons of the marina.
Restrictions
Due to being located in Palm Beach there are only so many upgrades that can be done. Palm Beach’s strict codes and regulations make it difficult to make parking changes, cable and internet upgrades, and even wider docks.
Even with these restrictions boaters like Captain Hipple will stay in Palm Beach because of the community and lifestyle. “These people are going to stay here as long as their lifestyle stays the same.”
Hatteras Yachts is about to debut a new luxury yacht in the fall of 2013, the new 100 Raised Pilothouse! With Hatteras having some of the most luxurious yachts on the market, this is exciting news for yacht enthusiasts. This yacht is being envisioned as Hatters brand ambassador for the expansions being made to the yachting market.
