News & Events
Aquila, whose stern was extended to lend it an overall length of 82 feet, has a swim platform that unfolds from the transom. When perpendicular to the water, the platform sits approximately a foot above the water and has a very sturdy boarding ladder that comes off the after edge of the platform.
The yacht offers a high level of service and superb sailing. She’s available in the Caribbean in winter. Non-holiday weekly rate is $25,000 plus all expenses. For details contact Nicholson Yachts (newport@nicholsonyachts.com). Read More
Comfort, speed, class — that’s what you’re in for aboard ANAHITA, a 62-foot Dynamiq designed by Philippe Briand that accommodates six guests and two crew.
Owners — Captain Bijan Kalantari and chef/mate Roseanne Morin – have overseen refits in 2005, 2011, and in 2019.
Improvements to ANAHITA in 2019 include:
-keel re-bedded with new bolts
-overhaul of standing rigging
-relaid the deck with a hundred square feet of original factory acrylic
-new Ocean Air shades installed in overhead hatches
-water maker enhancements
-new Raymarine hydraulic autopilot installed
-additional electric Harken winch installed
-new high-powered air-conditioning pump for three guest cabins
-new soft goods
-interior varnish redone
-sails overhauled with UV shade replacements
-satellite phone and e-mail
ANAHITA is open for charter from the first of November 2019 anywhere in the Caribbean island chain, including for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s 2020. November through April 2020 weekly rate for six is $17,500, under Caribbean terms.
After the 2019-2020 Caribbean charter season, ANAHITA will depart for the Med mid-May 2020. The yacht seeks two paying crew for the delivery from St. Thomas to Gibraltar via the Azores. Rate is $6,500 per person, all inclusive. Contact Nicholson Yachts for details. newport@nicholsonyachts.com; 401-849-0344.
Read MoreExplore Greece aboard AMANDA
The beauty, mythology and traditional ways of Greece have bewitched sailors for ages. So why not make a plan to explore there via the emerald seas for yourself?
AMANDA will make it happen for you.
She’s a classic wooden motor yacht homeported in Piraeus, southwest of the center of Athens, Greece. Built in 1956 in the U.K., she was refitted in 2017 to her original layout. Further refit work was performed in 2018. AMANDA is a shining example of a lovingly restored traditional craft.
A 24-meter (78 foot) cruiser powered by two diesel Rolls Royce engines capable of 10-12miles/hour, she accommodates up to 12 people in five cabins. The yacht runs with captain and crew of three marine professionals who are devoted to AMANDA, speak English, and are eager to share the experience with guests.
AMANDA, with excellent displacement and a narrow beam, performs smoothly even in large seas. The interior design is comfortable yet not overly formal; there’s a small lounge off the guest cabins and the overall area below the main deck is private and beautifully maintained. The cabins and heads are attractive and comfortable. The aft deck space is roomy and leaves plenty of area for guests to move around. A special feature is the forward dining area with bar and lounge. This special accommodation – the lounge area — is where AMANDA’s guests love to congregate. There’s plenty of room for large groups.
Everybody knows the beauty of sailing on a classic wooden yacht. Beyond the beauty of the classic yacht, there is another beauty named classic Greece, full of islands and crystal blue waters under a thousand shades of the Aegean Sea. AMANDA and crew are pleased to offer seven and 10-day itineraries to Greece’s most beloved island groups, the Cyclades, Ionian, Saronics and Sporades among them. Partial week and custom itineraries are also available.
Enjoy morning swims and panoramic backdrop views while dining al fresco. Ashore, walk village streets, visit ancient monuments, local museums, open air theaters. Take in the night life of the islands with a drink after dinner before you return to the yacht for a tranquil night of rest.
AMANDA charters for 22,000 euros weekly. Rates are inclusive of food and non-alcoholic beverages; exclusive of alcohol; 12% Greek VAT; delivery (if applicable); communications; dockage; fuel. For charters less than 3 days, VAT is 24%.
For details contact Nicholson Yachts (newport@nicholsonyachts.com).
Win a Three-Day Charter starting in Antigua
A Love Story that Launched a Dynasty
She was a beautiful, stately Radcliffe graduate. He was a dapper yet scrappy British skipper whose family washed ashore in Antigua a few years earlier.
When Lisa Dodd of Connecticut met Desmond Nicholson on charter with the Nicholson family’s fledgling fleet, it was the start of something beautiful. And successful.
“There I was, a young girl, splashing around in the waves,” Lisa recalls. “Little did I know what was happening.”
She wasn’t alone. No one – not Commander V.E.B. Nicholson, son Rodney or his wife, Julie, nor son Desmond or Lisa realized at the time that they were singlehandedly creating a new industry, one of historic and economic proportions for Antigua and far beyond.
The Caribbean island nation’s success story — its self-sustaining economy, its prominence as an international yachting hub, its status as host to a UNESCO World Heritage site, Nelson’s Dockyard — reaches back to the landfall of the Nicholson family and their 70-foot schooner Mollihawk.
Through it all, romance ignited the passion for yachting, and yachting set the stage for romantic love.
Tell us how sailing and yachting set the stage for your own love story. To the best story Nicholson Yachts will grant its author and a guest a free three-day charter departing from – where else but – Antigua.*
Email your submission to newport@nicholsonyachts.com Submission deadline is November 1, 2019. We’ll post and share the best stories we receive, too, so include photos!
Read the full story — with historic photos and new images by Billy Black — about how the Nicholson family transformed Antigua while it launched the crewed charter yacht dynasty. Send us an email and we’ll supply you the links and pdfs. Email us at Newport@nicholsonyachts.com
*restrictions apply; excludes flights, hotels, land transfers, alcoholic beverages
Nicholson: Sailing Experts since 1949
Read MoreVacation sailors often ask about the suitability of Greece in August, a time when the dry north winds — meltemi — can blow in hard.
Colleagues at Mirya Yachting deconstruct summer season yachting in Greece with some excellent tips. Mirya’s advice is the guide to smart chartering there. Keep expectations reasonable and remain flexible. Remember — humans can’t control the weather, and the livelihood of professional captains depends on guest and yacht safety. And the captain’s decision is final.
Read “What To Know About The Meltemi Winds During Yacht Charter Season“
for details. weather sources include Meteo, Windy, and the Hellenic National Meteorological Service.
ANAHITA available in Caribbean and through holidays 2019 – 2020
Guyana, Trinidad, Tobago, and Grenada — if these destinations are on your bucket list during hurricane season through the end of October 2019, then book ANAHITA, the 62 foot Dynamiq just off an extensive refit.
A member of the Nicholson fleet, the sloop and its charming crew, Captain Bijan Kalantari and chef/mate Roseanne Morin, welcome six guests for a weekly rate of $15,500 plus all expenses through the end of October.
ANAHITA is open for charter from the first of November 2019 anywhere in the Caribbean island chain, including for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s 2020.
After the 2019-2020 Caribbean charter season, ANAHITA will depart for the Med mid-May 2020. The yacht seeks two paying crew for the delivery from St. Thomas to Gibraltar via the Azores. Rate is $6,500 per person, all inclusive. Contact Nicholson Yachts for details. newport@nicholsonyachts.com; 401-849-0344.
Read MoreTeamwork! Teamwork! Teamwork!
People are always looking for ways to connect with each other. Have you ever considered the advantages of connecting with friends and co workers while racing aboard a sailboat in a regatta?
It’s a hands-on experience that’s memorable for all the right reasons: sun, fun, focus, and a dose of sweat.
Any great racing trophy, plus the celebrating that goes with it, isn’t achieved without teamwork.
Here’s how writer and racer Martha Blanchfield recorded her experience aboard Nicholson fleet member EROS, the 115-foot schooner that’s a regular stunner on the racing circuit in the Caribbean and New England:
Racing Eros
“Classic yacht racing aboard a vessel of EROS’s size is a magnificent experience. In the New England area, there are lots of classic yacht events, but very few classic yachts with the capacity to welcome aboard large groups of charter guests craving hands-on regatta action. EROS, courtesy of her sheer size and design, easily accommodates and fascinates a full complement of zealots, from shellbacks to novice sailors. Take it from me, you don’t want to miss this experience.”
If you want to experience the magnificence of racing aboard EROS in 2019, opportunities abound in the Caribbean and in New England.
2019 Classic Regatta Schedule
St. Barth’s Bucket
March – March 21 – 24, 2019 https://www.bucketregatta.com
Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
Antigua April 17 – 23, 2019. http://www.antiguaclassics.com
New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta
Newport, RI. June 14 – 16, 2019 www.nyyc.org
Vineyard Cup
Vineyard Haven, MA., July 12 – 15, 2019 www.sailmv.org
New York Yacht Club 175th Anniversary Regatta, Newport, RI, July 14 – 20, 2019 www.nyyc.org
Camden Classic Cup
Camden, ME., July 25 – 27, 2019 www.camdenclassicscup.com
Castine to Camden Feeder Race
Castine, ME., August 1, 2019 www.camdenyachtclub.org
Camden to Brooklin Feeder Race
Camden, ME., August 2, 2019 www.camdenyachtclub.org
Eggemoggin Reach Regatta
Brooklin, ME., August 3, 2019 www.erregatta.com
Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta
Marblehead, MA., August 10 – 11, 2019 www.corinthianclassic.org
Nantucket Race Week (Sail Nantucket)
Nantucket, MA., August 16 – 17, 2019 www.nantucketraceweek.org
Opera House Cup
Nantucket, MA., August 18, 2019 www.operahousecup.org
Herreshoff Classic Yacht Regatta
Bristol, RI., August 24 – 25, 2019 www.herreshoff.org
Newport Classic Yacht Regatta Presented by IYRS
Newport, RI., August 31 – Sept. 1, 2019 www.iyrs.edu
Greenport Classic Yacht Regatta & Maritime Festival
Greenport, NY., Sept. 20-22, 2019 www.sailgreenport.org
Heritage Cup Regatta & Rendezvous
Glen Cove, NY. . www.hempsteadharbourclub.com
Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race
Baltimore, MD. www.gcbsr.org
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Owning a new yacht is a marvelous experience that shouldn’t be diminished by the difficulty of paying for it. For years, yacht buyers have structured their ownership in a legitimate manner that allows them to write-off the purchase price of the yacht and deduct most ownership expenses against their employment income.
The key to understanding why yachts placed in charter can generate significant tax benefits is that these are the same tax benefits available to businesses for the purchase of business equipment. When you place your yacht in a charter management program, you are converting it from a personal asset to a business asset. As a charter management business, Nicholson Yachts has witnessed yacht owners reduce the costs of purchasing and owning their yacht by over 50% through a combination of charter income and tax deductions. Savings vary depending on the size of the yacht and the location in which it is placed in charter.
Here is a summary of the tax and income benefits available to the owners of new yachts purchased and placed in charter:
- Under Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code, you can take a one-time expense deduction in the year of purchase equal to the purchase price of your yacht up to a maximum deduction of $500,000.
- You may also take a bonus depreciation deduction in the year of purchase of 50% of the amount of the purchase price over $500,000.
- You can depreciate the adjusted cost basis of your yacht (the balance of the purchase price after deducting the Section 179 expense deduction and 50% bonus depreciation deduction) over 10 years.
- You can deduct against your charter income and other employment income all ordinary and necessary charter related expenses including slip fees, insurance, repairs, loan interest, property tax, etc.
- You will receive income from the charter of your yacht, the amount which varies depending on the size of your yacht and the charter company you use.
For more information about owning a yacht or placing a yacht under charter management, please contact Nicholson Yachts at info@nicholsonyachts.com or 401-849-0344
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Read MoreWhile everyone is carving pumpkins and decorating for Halloween, you should be deciding on your next (or first) boat. Here are a few great reasons to buy a boat in the fall…
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- Spring/summer delivery guaranteed– Don’t waste the beautiful spring and summer days searching for the perfect boat. Instead, find your dream boat now and you will be able to get out on the water during prime boating season!
- Rise in brokerage market/inventory in the fall– Brokerage inventory is larger than it has ever been. New boaters gain experience and move to larger boats while experienced boaters tend to want something new.
- The luxury of taking your time to find the perfect boat – Fall time is less hectic than spring and summer months because everyone is rushing around to find a boat as they countdown to summer.
- Promotions! There are many companies that run specials with BIG savings in the fall!
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Read MoreElaine Lembo’s charter briefing
As communications director for Nicholson Yachts and editor at large for Cruising World magazine, I always pay attention to what my colleagues advise. Theirs is the voice of authority.
Perfect case in point: Lynda Childress, who preceded me as the chartering editor at the magazine, weighs in on the dos and don’ts when one is a guest aboard a crewed charter in the annual chartering issue just published.
It’s smart reading as you plan your next luxury crewed charter with Nicholson Yachts! Our fleet members are in some of the most alluring destinations around the world. We will find you the best yacht charter vacation of a lifetime, but contact us soon as winter 2020 travel plans are being secured now, in the dog days of summer!
Contact Nicholson Yachts
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