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Somali Pirates to World: You Brought This On Yourselves

If you're like me, you can't wait for the winter yachting season to begin, but before you don your monocle and climb aboard your megayacht, you'd better plot your sun-seeking itinerary carefully. Just last week, pirates kidnapped a British couple from their yacht, the Lynn Rival, as they sailed off the coast of Somalia. As the AP points out, Paul and Rachel Chandler had been sailing to Tanzania when they activated their yacht's emergency beacon on November 23, 2009, and the British navy found their empty yacht on Thursday.

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Boating / Boats / Active Travel / Prospect Park / Pedal Boats / Megayachts / → All Tags

The Simple Pleasures of Life: Pedal Boating in Prospect Park

So it looks like this won't be the year I buy a superyacht, but the recession can't keep me off the water entirely. In fact, we took our first boat excursion of the season last weekend - a lovely cruise on Brooklyn's Prospect Park Lake - and it only cost us $16.25, plus two bucks for ice cream. It had been years since I rented a pedal-boat, but the weather was beautiful and we were looking for a cheap way to float, so we took the Q train to the Prospect Park station and made our way to Wollman Rink, where we climbed into a yellow plastic pedal boat and hit the water.

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What to Do if the Wine Cellar on your Superyacht Does Not Suffice

I recently got my hands on the new 2009 issue of Burgess Superyacht Living & Style Magazine, and I'm more convinced than ever that superyachting is for me. There's simply no more potent symbol of wealth, success, and conspicuous consumption than one of these 40-meter-plus luxe boats. A private jet is nice, but who's going to see it beyond a few people at the airport? An opulent mansion is a little more visible, but you can't force people to drive by your house to envy you (yet). With a superyacht, however, you can seek out the poor people (i.e. owners of "regular" yachts) whether they're in Monaco or Wildwood and slowly cruise by with a margarita in your hand, guaranteeing the admiration and jealousy of all who witness the spectacle.

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kayaking / megayachts / active travel / outdoor travel / rich travel / → All Tags

Superyachts Lose; Kayaks, Sail-Yaks Gain in Topsy-Turvy Financial World

Times are tough out there financially, with stock market losses, high energy prices, and creeping unemployment taking a toll on people around the world. But while regular folks like you and me might be hurting from the recent gyrations, nobody suffers like the rich. After all, we might have lost a couple grand in our 401(k) accounts, but they've lost millions in all kinds of accounts.

It's worth paying attention to, of course, because rich people's losses stanch the trickle-down effect that normally keeps the poor world alive and happy. Case in point: the Wall Street Journal reports that businesses that cater to the rich, like yacht builders, are "seeing clients tighten their belts." In fact, the director of BVI-based Northrop & Johnson Yacht and Ship said that one New York investor was trying to put off the planned purchase of a $25 million megayacht, and might walk away from the deal altogether.

For this anonymous suffering rich person, we have one word of advice: kayaks.

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