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Leisure Marine

Eleven tourists dead as tour boat sinks in rough weather

Rescuers have found the body of an 11th victim as the search continues for the 26 people onboard Kazu I which sank off far north-eastern Japan on Saturday. The tour boat, which reportedly sailed in rough weather to a hazardous location, sent a distress signal at 1.13pm on Saturday saying it was sinking in the […]

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Leisure Marine

Floating real estate gains new player

It has become even more valuable to build on water than by the water, says newly formed joint venture Meyer Floating Solutions (MFS). This new entity, created by Meyer Group (a shipbuilding consortium) and Asmares Marine, is focused on developing and manufacturing floating real estate. MFS says the industry of building real estate on water […]

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Leisure Marine

Revealing statistics about yacht charter industry

The past two seasons have been challenging for the whole industry. Between shipyards’ production lines being slowed down, raw material crisis across all sectors, and travel restrictions and regulations, every charter professional had to draw on its resources that were already significantly reduced. The operational issues that shipbuilders have been facing in 2021 (and continue […]

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Leisure Marine

JST launches ‘Big Weekends’

JST, the Southampton-based sailing charity, is offering ‘Big Weekends’ onboard its flagship, Tenacious. Jubilee Sailing Trust has announced five weekends in February and March where participants will spend the weekend aboard in Weymouth Bay. There will be speakers and team challenges, a chance to learn all about the JST and an opportunity to climb the […]

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Superyacht

Aman reveals 183m ‘superyacht’ hotel with Japanese garden

Swiss hotel chain Aman Resorts is building a 183-metre luxury floating hotel, which will be completed by 2025. The vessel, currently known as ‘Project Sama’, will have 50 balcony suites and aims to offer guests a “superyacht experience” aboard a “timeless yet contemporary vessel,” according to Aman.  Project Sama has been designed in partnership with […]

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Leisure Marine Video

Stunning bird’s-eye video guides to Scottish marinas and sailing grounds

Sail Scotland has launched a new series of aerial video guides showcasing Scottish marinas, anchorages, and adventures, encouraging people to explore by boat and stay in unique new destinations. The video guides offer a bird’s-eye view of the approach to each destination, with drone footage showcasing sweeping backdrops of Scotland’s sailing grounds, dramatic coastal landscapes, and […]

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Leisure Marine

‘The Beach’ reopens in Thailand

Officials in Thailand have announced a reopening date for one of the country’s most famous tourist attractions, according to CNN Travel. Maya Bay, the beautiful, secluded cove made famous by ‘The Beach’, a 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will reopen to tourists on 1st January 2022. However, unlike many tourist destinations in Thailand and around the world, […]

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Leisure Marine

Boating holidays on the rise across the UK

Boat hire firms say that bookings across the country’s 4,700 miles of canals and rivers have increased due to Covid-19. ABC Leisure Group hires out narrow boats from 15 inland marinas. Its managing director Carl Onens says that sales this year (and last) are 40% higher than in 2019 – despite losing the 15-20% of […]

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Leisure Marine

Golden Horizon sails into UK

Tradewind Voyages’ Golden Horizon has arrived in the UK ahead of a revised schedule of coastal voyages. The original 2021 UK schedule was forced to change several times in order to comply with the government’s latest restrictions, says Tradewind Voyages. The 272-passenger vessel arrived in Portland last week but is sailing with a limited capacity […]

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Leisure Marine

Success for CA in EU visa campaign

The Cruising Association’s (CA) Regulations and Technical Services group (RATS) has been in discussion with the EU over the interaction between the Schengen rules allowing UK citizens entry to the Schengen zone for 90 days in any period of 180 days (the 90/180 days rule) and visas/residence permits granted by individual Schengen countries. The CA […]

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Leisure Marine

Freedom Boat Club buys into Portsmouth to start UK expansion plans

Freedom Boat Club, a division of Brunswick Corporation, is opening its first company-owned location in Portsmouth, near Port Solent. It says it has chosen the area as it’s one of the most desirable boating destinations in the UK. Locating here is part of Freedom Boat Club’s strategy for continued expansion in Europe (it already utilises […]