Luxury Superyachts Impress at Antigua Charter Show

The 55th annual Antigua Charter Yacht Show kicked off last week, running for six days among three of Antigua’s top marinas: the Antigua Yacht Club Marina, Nelson’s Dockyard Marina, and the Falmouth Harbour Marina.

This trade-only show brought the yachting industry’s top brokers and vendors to the beautiful island of Antigua to inspect over 90 of the world’s finest charter yachts.

The 2016 Antigua Charter Yacht Show saw the much-anticipated debut of award-winning motoryacht ELYSIAN, recently made available for charter with Denison Yachting. This impeccable 197-foot yacht from industry leading shipyard Abeking and Rasmussen was all the buzz on the docks during the show.  

In addition to the many incredible yachts on display, top charter yacht crews were also on hand to show off their talents. Working diligently throughout the entire week, crew members gave yacht tours, served breakfasts, lunches, and dinners onboard, hosted nightly “yacht hop” theme parties, and competed in a number of contests organized by the show’s host committee.

Contests were segmented by yacht size, and included the Concours de Chef competition, steward/ess’ Tablescaping Competition, and Designer Water Competition. Crew members produced some incredible cuisine, beverages, and tabletops, with top honors being awarded to the industry’s finest charter chefs and stews. 

Chefs Tyrone Powers and Karl Elliott wowed attendees and judges alike, serving up delectable canapés, a private broker’s lunch, and a second place finish from Chef Elliott in the Concours de Chef competition.  The yacht’s crew dressed to impress in the evening, hosting an “Elysian Swing” event complete with swing music, dance lessons, and a diamond earring giveaway.

One focus that remains front of mind while touring the Antigua Charter Yacht Show is event charters.  Each yacht has its own personality and specialty, and some in particular were made for entertaining.  Events such as the Monaco Grand Prix and the Cannes Film Festival require large deck spaces, comfortable and varied seating areas, plus an experienced and knowledgeable crew to pull it all off. 

With the America’s Cup Races just around the corner in 2017 and many yachts flocking to secure up-close and personal viewing areas in Bermuda’s Great Sound, identifying and securing the industry’s top event charter yachts is more crucial than ever.

Another hot topic during the show was the growing segment of exploration yachts and itineraries.  As more and more charterers look for remote locations and adventurous getaways, expedition-style yachts are answering the call. 

Whether it’s cruising the glaciers of Alaska, passing through the locks of the Panama Canal, observing fur seals and penguins in the Galapagos Islands, or island-hopping your way through Tahiti and French Polynesia, what better way to enjoy it than on your own private yacht? The Antigua Charter Yacht Show displayed a number of expedition-style yachts, including PLAN B, MOKA, RH3, and PIONEER.

The next charter yacht show, the MYBA Charter Show, runs April 24-27, 2017, and will be hosted at OneOcean Port Vell in Barcelona, Spain.

To learn more about chartering Elysian, contact Susan Harris, and to learn more event and other luxury yacht charters, contact Jackie Guenther.