The world’s two largest archipelagos, Indonesia with 14,000 islands and another stunning 7,000 in the Philippines, have had chequered charter histories. Bali and the Nusa Tenggara to its East, plus Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku and the Spice Islands, have gradually opened up, with more charter yachts available. The Philippines, however, has remained as remote as before and, apart from a few passing superyachts, charter vessels are few and far between.

Now the Dutch owner of a well-kept 32 metre Azimut Grande, Antonia II, hopes to offer a series of itineraries that will surely attract more charter guests. Based between Subic Bay and sometimes Manila Yacht Club, he plans to highlight the Hundred Islands and Lingayan Gulf north of Manila, Manila Bay to Puerto Galera in Mindoro, striking El Nido and Palawan, and various parts of the lovely Visayas, including Boracay, the latter basing from Philippines second city Cebu.

Helping to bring this venture to reality from last month are highly experienced charter agents Sytske Kimman in Hong Kong and Lies Sol in Phuket, both now part of the fast-growing Northrop and Johnson Asia sales and charter network.

Lies advises that Antonia II had one prior American owner from her launch in 2007. He took extremely good care of the vessel,and sailed her mostly in Florida and the Caribbean. The present owner shipped her to Hong Kong, then with a new captain and crew motored across the South China Sea to Subic Bay.

Antonia II has a four-stateroom layout, with the master suite on the principal deck, plus two more doubles and a twin cabin. For an attractive US$75,000-US$85,000 a week plus all expenses, this set-up seems perfect for a family with children, or three or four couples looking for an out-of-the-ordinary boating vacation.

Recent upgrades include a complete respray of the hull and superstructure, and the addition of cleaner and quieter underwater exhausts. Mechanical, electrical and electronic systems have been similarly treated, and the interior has been updated. Other “small things”, says the owner, include new furniture, best quality bed linen and Versace chinaware.