The yacht epitomises “beauty, history and class”, Ion Varouxakis, a member of a historic Greek shipping family, tells Lisa Grainger in The Times Luxx magazine. His wooden schooner, Aello, is a case in point. She was built in 1921 by the renowned yacht-maker Max Oertz and boasts seven sails spread over two masts. “With three little double cabins and crew quarters for seven, she is the floating equivalent of a classic car, adorned with butterfly windows through which light floods into Varouxakis’s cabin-cum-library, and handsome brass fittings and dials that would have been lifesavers before the owner added such 21st-century devices as a 235hp engine, generators and radar”, says Grainger.
Aello is the perfect classic yacht on which to potter around the Greek islands, sipping fine wines and “being rocked to sleep in cosy berths”. True, there are more modern yachts out there, but that doesn’t matter, says Varouxakis. “She’s a classic beauty, and that will never go out of fashion.”
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From €25,000 a week; €3,800 for a day trip. See aello.gr
A luxury cruise to the Arctic
Actress Helen Mirren christened the Scenic Eclipse, a 551-foot megayacht, in New York last week, says Bryan Hood in the Robb Report. It will travel to 68 ports around the world, spending half the year in Antarctica and the Arctic, the two main cruise destinations. The yacht has its own helicopters, a fleet of Zodiac boats, a submarine and “a near-endless list of high-end amenities”. There are 114 suite-cabins, each with a living room, veranda and butler. “The $10,000-per-night, two-bedroom Owner’s Penthouse Suite reportedly measures a staggering 2,659 square feet.”
From $6,395 per person based on two sharing, “though polar expeditions can cost much more… helicopter and submarine rides, of course, are extra”. See scenic.co.uk
Throw a party in Thailand
Don’t let the stately Old World interiors fool you, says Travis Levius in the Evening Standard. “Underneath the sophisticated grand piano-adorned main saloon” of the newly refurbished charter yacht Titania “is a modern stern area that can be converted into a mini-nightclub” – perfect for throwing a party off the coast of Phuket in Thailand. Stewards in thematic outfits serve cocktails and deckhands are ready to aid you in “every watersport imaginable” – jet-skis, SeaBobs, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and more. Titania has seven cabins, including two master suites, and “opulent” bathrooms. “After an adrenaline-filled day splashing around Thailand’s pristine seas and bays, massages and beauty treatments in Titania’s dedicated spa room will restore your sense of calm.”
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