The rules changed this year - the Cannes Port Authority opened the application window the 17th of March - literally at the end of the 2008 show.  Once the first 60 complete applications are in, they will sit and assign places on the Quai Albert Edouard.  After this, they will accept 30 more applications, and when these are received, they will assign the berths on the Quai du Large (across the harbour, not alongside the Palais.

As we write this, over 60 applications have been received. So if you are interested in getting a berth for next year, if you hurry you may still be able to get a berth on the Quai du Large, but all paperwork must be in soon!  For complete information, see MIPIM Yacht Charter.

Two years after its triumphal launch, Tom Perkins has put the Maltese Falcon up for sale. The cost of the boat was $100 million to build.

We get nearly 2 requests per day for a boat for MIPIM in the old port, right next to the Palais des Festivals. While we’d be thrilled to fulfill every request, there are only 60 possible places on the Jetee Albert Edouard, and applications from 250 companies who want a boat.

There is a very specific process for getting a boat into MIPIM. Basically it’s first come, first served - with a very extensive file required (contract, license, proof of payment, references, etc). We can process this application for you, but strongly recommend booking a boat for next year right now, so you’ll be first in line. The submission date is in September, but the port of Cannes time stamps all applications and they’re looked at in order of time stamp.

Here is information about chartering a yacht at MIPIM 2009 - we’d be happy to help!

This year the European Grand Prix will be in Valencia for the first time. It will be run on 23 - 24 August, 2008. Similar to the Monaco Grand Prix, the race circuit will wind through the Marina area - right on the water.

Because it is in a port designed for yachting events (it’s the America’s Cup port), yachting will be a major event in and of itself at the Valencia Grand Prix. Click here for full information on chartering a yacht for the European Grand Prix in Valencia.

If you own or charter a yacht, and are curious about what CO2 emissions are created by your use, you can use this handy Carbon Emissions calculator to quickly calculate them. And if you’d like to purchase yacht CO2 offsets, feel free to do it here.

In order to add a little boat fun for Facebook users, Boatbookings.com now has two quiz applications on Facebook. “Yacht Sleuth” shows the user images of boats and if the user guesses the right one, they gain points. “Port Finder” shows the user one of the world’s famous ports, and asks you to guess which one it is. Both apps give you hints if they are too difficult.

Try them out!

Thailand has it all - fabulous destinations, excellent weather, world-class cuisine, diving, snorkelling, and increasingly, excellent charter boats.  We belive it’s the world’s fastest growing major charter destination, and our enquiries are rising dramatically every year. 

You can sail from Phuket to see Krabi, Phi Phi, the James Bond island (right) and the extraordinary sights of the Andaman sea including unspoiled Myanmar/Burma. 

Or sail on the East Coast of Thailand to equally famous destinations such as Koh Samui and Pattaya in the Gulf of Thailand. Regardless, you’ll have a fantastic charter!

Click here for the complete story about chartering in Thailand.

Just back from the Paris Boat Show - we’re happy to say that we’ll be adding 100’s of great new charter yachts to our site, many in exotic locations such as Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives and the Caribbean.  One of the hottest boats at the show was, of course, the Lagoon 420 Hybrid, which we’ve written about previously as part of our “Green Chartering” initiative.

The Paris Boat show was very well attended and represented well by companies that ordinarily cater to the French market. We attend to find new yachts that we may not have run into otherwise!

Boatbookings.com has just released an affiliate program, where sites linking to boatbookings.com can earn a % of commissions by simply putting a link on their site.  All the program deals are here on the Charter Yacht Affiliate Program page. Sign up is easy and quick.

Here’s a handy calendar of yacht and boat related events over the next few months:

November

MAPIC - Cannes
14 - 16 November

St Petersburg Boat Show
29 November - 2 December

December

Salon Nautique de Paris
1 - 9 December

International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) - Cannes
3 - 6 December

Antigua Charter Show
5 - 10 December

Phuket International Marine Expo
6 - 9 December

Art Basel Miami
6 - 9 December

The Superyacht Cup Antigua
12 - 15 December 2008

103rd New York National Boat Show
29 December 6 January 2008

January

MIDEM - World Music Market - Cannes
26 - 31 January 2008

March

MIPIM -World Property Market - Cannes
11- 14 March 2008

April

MIP TV - Cannes
7- 11 April 2008

May

Cannes Film Festival
14 - 25 May 2008

Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix
22 to 25 May 2008