Interesting Options in the Baltic Sea
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It's not often that I hear about proper crewed yachts becoming available for charter in Norway, Sweden, and the Baltic Sea region. The season there is far shorter than the one in the more southern Mediterranean, so most yacht owners choose the latter destination with the hope of extending their cruising time and charter bookings from May until October.
I was thus greatly interested at last week's charter yacht show in Genoa, Italy, when I came across not one but two motoryachts that are likely to become available for Baltic charters.
The first is the brand-new, 124-foot Moonen Northlander, which has plans to cruise this summer in all of Northern Europe, from Norway straight across to Russia. I especially liked this yacht for that particular cruising ground because of the sky lounge design. As you can see in the photograph above, the sky lounge is divided into sections. Part is indoors, where you can see carpeting, and is separated by a glass wall from the "outdoor" sky lounge section that contains the white sofa and teak decking. This "outdoor" section can be left open or be completely enclosed by removable isinglass panels, which, during my time aboard, kept the space cozy and warm despite the cold wind and rain outside. My guess is the design will be just as effective on cool nights in the Baltic as it was during my chilly spring days in Genoa.
The second motoryacht I toured in Genoa last week that is considering offering Baltic charters is the 111-foot Criss C, a 1993 Christensen build that formerly was on the charter market as Exuma C. Stewardess Linda Vijge told me that the yacht will spend this summer in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, but that for summer 2011, the owners want to see the Baltic Sea and Norway in particular.
"That's where the owners want to go," she said, "but of course it's subject to change. They're hoping to get charters where they want to go."
Which, of course, is your cue to contact a reputable charter broker and express interest now. Northlander is part of the charter fleet at Camper and Nicholsons International, while Criss C is part of the fleet at Castlemain Yachts.
