"It's time to set sail on the Mediterranean in the chartered yacht of
your own. Magnificent boats are in ample supply, the exchange rate is
the best it has been in years and owners are cutting deals. How to pick
a crew, where to tie up along the Italian Riviera.


.... Expect a sailing yacht with crew and three staterooms to run
anywhere from a base price of $22,000 to $122,000 a week. ... "Boat
owners are more open to wheeling and dealing, and a lot of people are
doing last-minute deals."

.... Some yachts are in such demand that discounting isn't an option.
Consider the wildly popular technological marvel that is the 289-foot
Maltese Falcon, the largest sailing yacht in the world. Originally built
for venture-capital titan Tom Perkins, it combines the excitement of a
sailboat with the comfort of a motor yacht, and it commands a base
charter rate of 378,000 euros a week (about $515,000) in the high season
and €350,000 (about $480,000) a week in the low. As is typical, delivery
charges, food, beverage, dockage and gratuities are extra.

.... A revival of interest in Turkish gulets, very wide wooden sailing
ships with plenty of deck space, has led to a boom in the number
available. "They are spacious, with lots of amenities, and they are much
more reasonable -- at €40,000 to €60,000 [about $55,000 to $80,000],"
says Dawson of Camper & Nicholsons. "That's a steal." Sailing yachts
that accommodate eight to 10 people and require a larger crew typically
command $120,000 to $160,000 (€90,000 to €120,000) a week."




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