yachts yachtsinternational.cominternational68

On a recent day, Capt. Gavin Bladen took the owner of 145-foot (44.2-meter) Pendennis Hemisphere to New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park for a helicop-ter tour. It included landing on glaciers and descending 1,904-foot (580-meter)

Sutherland Falls, one of the most scenic sites in this part of the world. Then it was lunch at a luxury alpine lodge before the owner and guests returned to Hemisphere for scuba div-ing in Doubtful Sound. They saw not one, but two shark species they’d yet to encounter elsewhere: a broadnose sevengill and a carpet shark.

It may sound like a once-in-a-lifetime day, but it is a typical schedule aboard the world’s largest sailing catamaran. She was built and outfitted for adventure, and she is living up to the dreams of her owner and charter guests alike. Her next stop? Australia, where she has charter availability through October in Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, from the Whitsunday Islands north through the Ribbon Reefs and Cape Tribulation.

Australia will be a homecoming of sorts for Bladen, who started out as a deckhand at the Cairns Dive Centre in 1992 and worked for a Whitsunday Islands scuba company before joining the luxury yacht community. “Twenty-three years later,” he says, “it will be nice to return to the place where it all started!”

By KIm KavIn

Double Down on Adventure

Thrill-seeking supercat Hemisphere is offering charter itineraries in australia.

Private Yacht

vacaTIons

have questions about charter? emaIl: yachTsmaIl@aImmedIa.com

hemisphere

pho

Tos

co

urT

esy

of

Burg

ess

yac

hTs

/jef

f Br

ow

ntoP: Hemisphere has already done extensive adventure cruising everywhere from the Galapagos Islands to Tonga. above: The owner built the yacht with spacious areas for family and friends to relax and enjoy the sunshine on deck.

june 2015

69

Bladen’s enthusiasm permeates every itinerary the yacht sets. Since she was launched in 2011, Hemisphere has taken guests searching for whale sharks in Honduras, diving around Bonaire, cruising through the Panama Canal, exploring in the Galapagos Islands, meandering through multiple South Pacific archipelagos including the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands and Fiji, swimming with humpback whales in Tonga and diving with great white sharks in New Zealand.

Sure, there has been relaxation in between, such as wine tasting in New Zealand’s Marlborough region, but Hemisphere is outfitted for fun, and Bladen plans to make the most of her equipment in Australia, too.

While there, he hopes to take guests snorkeling with dwarf minke whales, hiking through the Daintree Rainforest, diving at the wreck of 350-foot (107-meter) SS Yongala, gamefishing for black marlin aboard Hemisphere’s 54-foot (16.5-meter) tender and for helicopter flyovers and diving at the Great Barrier Reef.

“Hemisphere takes scuba diving seriously and is probably one of the best options within the superyacht fleet to cater to clients who wish to dive,” he says. “She is a certified PADI dive boat/training facility, and we always maintain two PADI instructors on board at all times, and all crew on board are certified divers ranging from open water to rescue divers.”

The world’s largest coral reef system is obviously a great place for Hemisphere’s scuba program, and Bladen is working to ensure private moments within the popular diving region.

“The whole area falls under the control and watchful eye of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority,” he says. “Hemisphere ph

oTo

s c

ou

rTes

y o

f Bu

rges

s ya

ch

Ts/j

eff

Bro

wn

above: Hemisphere’s interior décor has an interesting mix of fabrics and materials. left: The sailing cat’s draft lets her anchor close to beaches.

yachts yachtsinternational.cominternational70

Private Yacht vacaTIons

will be working closely with the park to create itineraries for Hemisphere’s guests to cruise through rarely visited and unspoiled reefs—and away from the crowded day-tripper locations.”

And then, the adventures will continue. After spending six months in Australia, Hemisphere is expected to visit Raja Ampat, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

That is, Bladen says, “before we push further afield again.”Hemisphere accommodates 10 to 12 guests at a lowest weekly

base rate of $260,000.

For more information: Burgess Yachts, 310 424 5112, burgessyachts.com

Top

pho

To c

ou

rTes

y o

f Bu

rges

s ya

ch

Ts/j

eff

Bro

wn

The owner of Hemisphere specified wide staircases to make water access easy for guests enjoying multiple watersports at the same time.

neo Yachting Is offerIng 70-fooT (21.3-meTer) azImuT Emmy ThroughouT panama.

neoyachting.com

Yachting Partners international has 108-

fooT (32.9-meTer) yachTwerf Klaasen Shamoun In

IndonesIa, wITh plans To charTer nexT In new zealand

and ausTralIa.ypigroup.com

ocean indePendence has avaIlaBIlITy ThIs summer

aBoard 139-fooT (42.3-meTer) chrIsTensen DayDrEam In The

norwegIan fjords.oceanindependence.com

camPer & nicholsons international Is accepTIng

anTarcTIca InquIrIes for ThIs wInTer aBoard The recenTly refIT, 253-fooT (77.1-meTer) verKerK yachTIng projecTs

LEgEnD.camperandnicholsons.com

also for advenTure-seeKIng charter clients:

subscribe to our e-newsletter Making Waves Today and get more tips on charter and popular cruising destinations sent straight to your inbox. scan the Qr code or go to yachtsinternational.com

month 2014

71