YAPLUKA - BLUBAY

It is about time to write a post about Yapluka and Blubay Yachts. Those two brands have been gathered under the Yacht Industries Shipyard ideally located downtown CAEN in France along a river where it is easy to launch large yachts. By gathering Yapluka and Blubay, Jean François Bourdin, Yacht industries president, can offer a large choice of luxury catamarans to his clients. Yapluka Catamarans in aluminium are famous for their confort and quality of construction, and Blubay Catamarans are famous for their performance and design. A new composite production site will soon be built and Yacht Industrie will be able to work on projects up ot 200 feet. Five Yaplukas have been launched IMAGINE, WONDERFULL, NAHEMA, BELLA DONA, SETE MARES, and one Blubay 102 feet ALLURES (look on my blog). One Yapluka 85 is under construction and two Blubay 92. The website has a lot of information and pictures, but I have to say that the videos are really great (almost one for every boat launched), including the one introducing the shipyard. Yapluka is offering the Double Deck option on the 85, 100, 115 and 130 feet. The double deck enables the owner to benefit from a very spacious cabin located on the main deck with an ocean view and direct access to a private bathroom with hydro-jets and a jacuzzi. A double deck 85 is currently under construction at the yard.

GONE FOR A WEEK

I will be gone for a week next week. I am flying to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday for business. So check the site in two weeks. Thanks for all of those who have suscribed to my blog through FeedBlizz. For the others it is not to late to do it.

SIG 45 - NOT BIG BUT FAST, DESIGNED AND LUXURIOUS

Hugo Le Breton, founder of Le Breton Yachts contacted me and sent me some information about his creation the SIG 45. I thought with such a name the guy was French from Brittany where I leave. The SIG 45 being designed by VPLP with Bruno Peyron as a consultant I had no doubt this was a "Britanish project". I was wrong. Hugo Le Breton is English/Dutch but he does speak French. Let me write about his amazing catamaran. First the SIG 45 is already a success, the first unit is sold, and deposits have been paid to reserve production slots for number 2,3 and 4. This is not a big suprise given the experts gathered around the project.

Architects :VPLP, the most famous and experienced multihulls designers in the world, if you read my blog you already know about them for their cruising catamarans but they have also designed many successfull racing multhulls.

Bruno Peyron is the technical consultant. Bruno has a very long experience of racing multihulls, he holds with the maxi-catamaran ORANGE 2 both the around the world record and the 24 hours record.

Bjorn Johanson has designed the award winning MIRAGE. He has drawn a very confortable yet minimalist interior. One hull welcomes the owner suite with a bathroom, a salon to seat six people and a generous galley. The other hull welcomes the guests or family, and the watch station. The inside living space eguals one of the 45 feet cruising monohulls. The deck of course is huge, double that a 45 feet monohull. As Hugo Le Breton says "This is not only a fast boat". I can imagine a family or friends sailing between the Greek islands or in the BVI and why not in the Cheseapeake Bay. Often with sailing boats speed means shorter distances from one place to another but also safety to avoid bad weather forecasts. I don't consider speed as dangerous. I am not a fan of competition but of fast sailboats yes, just for the fun of it.

The SIG 45 will be built all in carbon at the Indian Yachting shipyard in Italia. This shipyard is very famous for its work with carbon fiber. They recently launched a NAUTA 72 and has built three PRADA boats for the America's Cup. They are also very good at teck work with few Wally Yachts on their list.

Well this is a long post, there is so much to say about the SIG 45 I recommend you to take a look at Le Breton Yachts Website : http://www.lebreton-yachts.com/.

No doubt that with such a team if I was looking for a fast catamaran to buy I would go for the SIG 45 without any hesitation and with a lot of confidence.

Mr Le Breton when SIG 80 or a SIG 100 ?

LINK EXCHANGE - CONSULTING PRACTICE - BUSINESS

If you wish to exchange links with my blog please send me your url and I will add it to my links if matches with Luxury Catamaran subjects and philosophy.

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My consulting practice deals mainly with Yachting but I am also interested in Design, Architecture, Fine Art, Hotels and Cuisine. I am located in France and can move through Europe and the US.

If you want to know more click on the linkedin icon or http://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastienbarthez.

I am also interesting in getting in touch with PR consultants specialized in Design, Art, Hotels, Cuisine, Architecture.

Finally, I will be in Fort Lauderdale for Business next week, if anybody knows of a luxury catamaran docked there, let me know so I can have a look at it.

LAGO 92 - CILIAM

Another stunning VPLP catamaran, the Lago 92 CILIAM was seen in Valencia attending the Americas Cup. This LAGO 92 offers an amazing exterior design. I found the picture above of CILIAM docked at the Port America's Cup on the great website Shipspotting. This picture was taken by Manuel Hernandez. CILIAM belongs to a European business man found of sailing and was launched in 1999. She was built in full epoxy at the Salthouse Boatbuilders Shipyard in Auckland. CILIAM is not only fast, (weight has been strictly kept under control and the huge 35 m rotating mast is in carbon fiber) but also very confortable with a lot of space inside (140 m²/ 1000 sq ft). The salon is amazingly large. The interior design, by the French/Italian Anne-Monique Bonadei who also designed DOUCE FRANCE, is very clear and pure. Personnaly I really like it. Each guest cabin has a double bed which can convert to two single. I didn't find CILIAM available for charter on the web. If any body has more information about this catamaran, please let me know.

SUNREEF 92

I have just received some news from SUNREEF. SUNREEF is increasing its range of luxury catamarans, they are actually drawing a 170 and a 200 feet. You will find all the SUNREEF projects on their web page Catamarans.

Among the big SUNREEFs, the 92 is not a new project but it is the most innovative. The design team has modified this unit to maximize the confort on board and the performance . They have created a very elegant and harmonious catamaran with a dining table where 12 people can seat around. The owner wanted such a huge table so dining together would became a real event on board, I don't blame him. The dining room and the owner's cabin will have a panoramic view on the outside, a first time for the shipyard. You can find more 3Ds and drawings on the SUNREEF 92 web page.

ZINGARA - MATRIX 76

ZINGARA is a matrix 76 catamaran launched in December 2005. She is one the two silhouette sailing catamarans built in South Africa by the Matrix shipyard. ZINGARA (AKASHA's sister ship) is quite a fast catamaran with her Carbon mast and boom, and Arimid standing riging. Thanks to her innovative design she was the 2006 Miami Show Boat. She is available for charter in the British Virgin Island. She was nammed after a maid (in a gipsy tale) who became the glamourous Countessa of Zingara. She features one owner cabin and four double bed guests cabins. The owner cabin located on the plaform is huge. ZINGARA has a lot of living space to offer inside 165 sq meters (1780 sq feet) and on the flybridge 23 sq meters (250 sq feet) where you will find a Jacuzzi. An interesting features also is a ladder at the mast foot to access the water and climb back up easily. ZINGARA can take you around the Virgin Island in a week itinerary. If you read the guest comments on the website you wan't have any doubts about the profesionnalism of the crew made up of John and Rachelle Yoxall. They both hold a Yachtmasters licence and a Paddi diver certificate. ZINGARA is available for charter with Sunreef Yacht Charter, first class yacht charter, Ed Hemilton, Luxury Yacht Charter amongst others...

Charter Zingara with Windward Islands.