Sanlorenzo 104 Indigo

Saint-Tropez to Monaco

From picturesque Saint-Tropez to Cannes, Port Pierre Canto at Golfe-Juan to Port Vauban in Antibes, followed by cosmopolitan Nice and more coastal calls from lovely Villefranche around to Monaco, owners and charterers can experience some of the best boating that Europe has to offer.

It doesn’t have to be outrageously expensive either. Large motor yachts and small superyachts often have better chances of finding berths during the prime period from spring to the onset of winter, and rates for such vessels are more modest than for the “floating palaces” that also abound.

Simpson Marine Superyacht Charters, which has Asia-wide offices, shares the central agency for the 32m Sanlorenzo SL104 motor yacht Indigo, for example. This twin-MTU powered vessel charters for €80,000 a week plus expenses, and sleeps eight guests in four cabins, plus crew.

Genteel passages from port to port on the South of France in season is a pleasure that is hard to surpass

So if €10,000 per person for a week cruising the South of France sounds reasonable, readers merely need to contact this agency online in Singapore or Hong Kong or in other cities to start talks on availability and a custom itinerary.

Indigo was built by Sanlorenzo in 2012, and her sophisticated exterior design and engineering are the work of Francesco Paszkowski. Interior styling is by the renowned Sanlorenzo team, which scours Italian cities for the latest furniture, fixtures and fittings.

Indigo has full facilities yet being relatively small, can fit into places that bigger boats are unable to visit

The eight-guest accommodation is made up of a master suite, 1 VIP stateroom and two twin cabins. Simpson Marine calls it “the ideal charter yacht for socialising and entertaining with family and friends”, and describes the atmosphere aboard as “elegant and comfortable”.

Usual entertainment and watersports gear are offered, but in the South of France, guests tend to focus on wining and dining and exploring ashore. It is all about seeing, and being seen.

Charter Focus: Caribbean

Crewed Lagoon Charters are offered in a variety of locations. For a sailing option in the South of France, the flagship Lagoon Seventy 7 Joy purchased by a Singapore owner is available in the Med in August-September this year, and then she continues to the Caribbean, later crossing the Pacific to Asia.

Rates are €40,000 to €52,000 per week depending on the season, and like Indigo, Joy can accommodate eight guests in four cabins, with four heads to match. She carries a 205 sqm mainsail, 130 sqm genoa jib, and 458 sqm spinnaker, and power is by twin Volvo Pentas. Ewa Stachurska, Group Marketing Manager of Simpson Marine and Simpson Marine Charters, points out that since its recent debut, the Lagoon Seventy 7 catamaran has proved an exceptionally popular yacht that has been in record-breaking demand.

“Built in France by CNB and designed by a superstar team of VPLP, Patrick le Quément and Nauta Design, the Seventy 7 has gentle and precise lines producing a refined and harmonious look overall.

Singapore owner is sailing his new Lagoon Seventy 7 home via the Med, Caribbean and South Pacific, offering her for charters along the way

“Joy is one of the first Lagoon Seventy 7s available for charter anywhere in the world. As an unbeatable choice for a bespoke yacht charter holiday, she combines pedigree design with luxurious styling, a spacious onboard layout, and exceptional performance to create a yacht ideal for every kind on adventure on the water. “Lagoon designed the Seventy 7 to cater for a wide range of uses, including coastal cruising, global exploration and chartering, and the yacht does not disappoint”.

For those interested in a Caribbean charter later this year, she says that with 7,000 islands, every visit offers something different or somewhere new to explore.

“From popular charter spots like Nassau in the Bahamas and St Barths to quiet, unspoilt beaches, from pink sand to swimming pigs, the Caribbean is a sun-filled paradise that is also a particularly popular winter destination.

This is the flagship of the fleet, and facilities are simply the best that Lagoon has to offer

“Swim in crystal clear blue waters on beaches with impossibly white sand, before reclining in the shade of palm trees with a rum mojito. Explore one of the stunning islands of the Bahamas archipelago. Enjoy your own private beach picnic on one of the Exumas many cays. “See in the new year anchored off the chic island of St Barths, where you can watch the fireworks before going ashore for festivities like no other.

“Dive into the Caribbean’s underwater paradise, which include some of the best spots in the world, such as The Blue Hole in Belize, and The Cathedral at Eagle’s Shoals in the British Virgin Islands”. Some of these venues are a little far apart, of course, but she promises that custom itineraries can be worked out to suit both Joy and her charter clients.

For more details, please visit www.simpsonyachtcharter.com.