Farewell to a super SuperYacht

Our beautiful last night sunset over Corfu

By the time you read this the 56 metre sailing yacht Montigne will be hard at work on another charter, this time in Croatia. Having spent time aboard her, being spoiled by her wonderfully attentive crew, we know that the lucky guests who have chosen to charter this magnificent SuperYacht through YPI will have a great time and will, like us by hard pushed to drag themselves away when it comes to the time when they have to leave.

But that is the way of SuperYacht business. We have returned to our desks, reality has returned and we are hard at work writing the article that will appear in a future edition of SuperYacht World magazine.

We had a wonderful time and want to thank the owners, managers, crew and charter brokers Ocean Independence for making the trip such a success

Montigne carries up to 12 guests and is available to charter through Ocean Independence this summer in the Mediterrean at a rate of 140,000 euros per week.

Our Cruising Area aboard Montigne

Montigne at anchor off Corfu

Corfu is one of seven islands in the Ionian Sea and lies just 70 miles across the Straits of Corfu from the heel of Italy

The Ionian derives it's name from Io, a one time mistress of Zeus who, to protect her from his wife Hera, turned her into a beautiful white cow. Jealous of the relationship Hera sent a gadfly to torment the cow who in a bid to rid herself from it jumped into what is now the Ionian Sea.

The islands of the Ionian do not fit the Greek stereotype of sunburned rocks dotted with whitewashed houses and multi-sailed windmills.

Instead it is a melting pot of French and Italian style mixed with a healthy dose of British interference. Believe it or not, locals on Corfu play cricket, sell current buns and drink Ginger beer.

The best time to visit are between May and October, but in July and August the area can be blighted with strong afternoon winds that do not die down until after dinner. This fact can make an evening anchorage a little uncomfortable unless chosen with care based on experience and local knowledge. Fortunately for us sailing aboard Montigne, Captain Richard Felton has both of these attributes by the hatful.

Montigne carries up to 12 guests and is available to charter through Ocean Independence this summer in the Mediterranean at a rate of 140,000 euros per week .

The Syvota Islands aboard Montigne

The three islands are in fact some distance from the town of Syvota on the Greek mainland and because of their position in the Bay of Mourtu they are often given the name of the Mourtu Islands. They are popular because they offer a plethora of sheltered anchorages.

Ashore the area has grown as a tourist hotspots with all the good things that brings mixed in with all the bad. It pays to study the charts, read the sailing directions and learn what you can from the tourist information brochures.

The town of Mourtu has a newly built harbour used mostly by local craft. The town and Harbour front has been developed in a sympathetic fashion but ares of what must have been pretty beaches have become over developed. Sand Bar Bay being just one such example.

Montigne anchored in End Bay an anchorage separated from others by a golden but somewhat over crowded sand spit.

Montigne carries up to 12 guests and is available to charter through Ocean Independence this summer in the Mediterranean at a rate of 140,000 euros per week .

Playing with super yacht Montigne's toys

We left our anchorage after a splendid breakfast of fresh fruits and freshly baked breads and sailed south down the western side of Corfu. Discreet pockets of tourist development splatter this coast where the terrain permits but otherwise from the sea the island looks as it must have done for centuries, lush green slopes falling down to the shore and ending with forbidding grey rocky cliffs. The Colour of this cliffs changes from grey to white the further south we steam.

Our destination is one of the two off lying islands immediately south of Corfu. They are called Paxoi and the smaller of the two carries the diminutive name Antipaxoi. We sail the full length of Paxoi and turn to port to pass north of Antipaxoi and then to port again as we head up to the islands main town of Gaios on the islands east coast.

We anchor in Limin Paxon, a pretty cove in front of the town. The cove is divided into two by Nikolaos an island and the narrow shallow channel that connects is just crying out to be explored using kayaks carried abroad Montigne.

The island of Paxoi is five miles long by just two wide lies seven miles south of Corfu. It is famous as the island that supplied olive oil to the London store Harrods for exclusive sale under their own lable. More recently day trip boats have delivered tourists and the small Harbour has expanded to cater for an increasing fleet of island hopping cruising folk.

One mile further south is Antipaxoi whose main attraction lies in the fact that it is hard to reach except by private yacht and therefore the islands small beaches and tiny Tavernas attract an attractive crowd especially at the weekend.

Montigne carries up to 12 guests and is available to charter through Ocean Independence this summer in the Mediterranean at a rate of 140,000 euros per week .

Eating aboard SuperYacht Montigne

Did we mention the food? Christophe the Chef on this wonderful superyacht is from France what more needs to be said?

Seriously, he is so good that we have decided to feature him in a story we are writing for publication in The Financial Times that will appear in that newspaper to coincide with the Monaco Yacht Show.

It is no secret that the owner of Montigne is from Asia and in a bid to brush up on his Asian cooking skills Christophe recently flew to Hong Kong to learn the finer points from masters of the art out there.

For dinner last evening he served a tatar of fresh crab with preserved Ginger. He followed this with a main course of lobster in a champagne sauce with citrus fruit, truffle oil and aged Balsamic vinegar, served with jasmine rice scented with saffron.

Dessert was too wonderful and part of the reason for that was there were two of them. One was a plate of warm fresh red fruits in minted syrup, the second delight was spring rolls stuffed with a warm chocolate truffle with a rich caramel dipping sauce. This man can COOK

Montigne carries up to 12 guests and is available to charter through Ocean Independence this summer in the Mediterranean at a rate of 140,000 euros per week

Our First Day aboard Montigne off Corfu

Montigne sailed from the Gouvia Marina, north of Corfu town early this morning, heading North for the narrow gap that divides the island from the mysterious country of Albania still a tricky place to charter.

The Albanian coast is shrouded in mist, giving it an almost sinister feel that merely adds to secrecy that has surrounded the country for so very long.

The wind is sadly missing and the three tall and elegant masts of this 57 metre yacht stand tall and barren as we make our way round the top of Corfu and pass the off lying islands of Erikoussa, Mathraki and Othoni. Then leaving Matraki to port we moved south eastwards down the western coast of Corfu.

The breeze picks up, the sails are unfurled, the fully batterned Mizzen first, then the two furling mainsails, followed by three headsails. With all six sails set, the engines are shut down. Suddenly, we are at one with nature. The skies are blue, the Ionian, a deep azure topped with creamy crest lets and the wind is in our sails. This is luxury yachting at it was intended to be.

After a stop for lunch we went in the tender to take pictures of the yacht under way. Once they were captured we returned to the yacht and she made her way to Apila on the west coast of Corfu which is to be our over night anchorage.

Montigne carries up to 12 guests and is available to charter through Ocean Independence this summer in the Mediterranean from 140,000 euros per week

Stylish Travel to Corfu for Superyacht Trip

We have arrived safely in Greece transferring smoothly through Athens and flying on to Corfu with Olympic Air.

Collected at the airport in superyacht fashion, we travelled to the yacht in style and were welcomed on board.

First impressions of Montigne are wonderful and even though we saw this yacht at the Genoa Charter Yacht show last May her new Captain Richard Felton has pulled out all the stops and made us most welcome.

We were installed in the most wonderful of staterooms quite easily the size of these found on motor yachts and we tumbled into bed exhausted after our flight.

Tomorrow our adventure begins.

Ocean Independence have this yacht and many more for charter

SuperYacht Montigne in Corfu

The Assignment

Fly to the Greek Islands, board a three masted superyacht rigged as a schooner and cruise the area as the yacht and the crew are put through their paces, then write about the experiences in SuperYacht World magazine.

The SuperYacht

At 57 metres (187 feet) the three masted staysail schooner Montigne has been built for an experienced superyacht owner who is planning to use her both for private use and as a commercial charter vessel. Built to the MCA LY2 code and the owner's demanding levels of comfort, she is one of the largest sailing yachts available for charter through Ocean Independence.

The Location

Fly to Corfu, via Athens with Olympic Air the Greek national airline. Corfu, Kerkyra, Corcyra or as it is known locally Kerkyra is the northernmost Island in the Ionian sea and the westernmost part of Greece.

This most enchanting of islands, is densely covered in Olive groves and cypresses trees. It is fringed by secluded anchorages and sandy beaches with shingle coves, the perfect spot in which to drop anchor. We hope to visit marinas fishing harbours, tavernas, restaurants, hotels and all of the other tourist facilities and will report on this blog when the Internet permits us to do so. Stay Tuned!

Postcard App for Superyacht Use

Superyacht guests lazing on the sundeck, jumping into the water or crews working on deck can now say ‘wish you were here’ with a brand new picture postcard service provided as a free download by eCards Media.

Whether cruising of the Cote d’Azur or passing through the Suez Canal, the Postcards app captures your image on iPhone and Android smart phones, sending it to the folks back home by conventional post.

Already one of the Apple website’s top 30 apps in their ‘free stuff’ travel section, the free ‘Postcards’ download lets users take a photo or upload from their library and input text to family and friends. It costs 99p to send second class and £1.49 to send first class postcards anywhere in the world, processed via PayPal.

The worldwide postcards are sent to a printing firm in deepest, darkest Dorset via file transfer protocol (FTP) at 4pm every day. They are then run off using state-of-the-art Xerox printers and collected for dispatch by Royal Mail at 5.15pm the same day.

eCards Media Managing Director Sam Heaton said: ‘Best of all, with next day delivery, the Postcard gets home before you do – no more waiting round for weeks for friends to read about what you got up to on holiday.

To download the Postcard application for your iPhone, head to the iTunes Store and search for ‘Postcards’ or click onto this.