Dream Boats

Your ship just come in? Here are four of the world's finest yachts for charter or purchase

Take a good look at this yacht, the 123-foot Caprice, and imagine yourself aboard, cruising the Bahamas. At sunset, you recline with your beautifully bronzed companion in the Jacuzzi on the teak-lined fly deck. Afterward, you head to the salon and lean on the bar, staring out at the glittering turrets of the Paradise Island mega-resort Atlantis (pictured). Sure, the hotel is jammed with tourists and screaming kids, but from the comfort of the Caprice and the lulling sea, it looks enchanting. Hungry? The chef is laying out a spread of prawns and lobsters on the dining room table, which is carved from rare tiger's-eye maple. Up for a movie? All four cabins (the boat sleeps eight, plus a crew of six) have TVs and VCRs. Yesterday you were buzzing along the pink-sand beaches of Eleuthera on a WaveRunner. Tomorrow Captain Chuck Limroth is taking you shark diving off Andros.

Get the picture? The sea is the greatest playground on earth. No one has learned this more than today's celebrities, who have discovered they can turn a giant yacht into the world's most exclusive club. These penthouses with propellers have enticed such notoriously big spenders as Sean Combs, who rented the Southern Cross III off the Cote d'Azur for 10 days for $400,000. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison recently cashed in his 244-foot Katana for $68 million and is awaiting delivery of a 460-foot behemoth. No wonder yacht brokers are in a frenzy, trying to outdo each other with one amazing ship after another. The four boats profiled here are up for charter--or for purchase if you have the cash. (For the Caprice, contact Camper & Nicholsons at cnconnect.com.) Prepare to set sail.

Of all the yachts out there, the Slipstream is the one most likely to be owned by a villain in a 007 film. The unique black hull and silver superstructure whisper of sex, speed and danger. And among the world's new It spots, the Adriatic coastline of Croatia is the ideal backdrop for villainous escapades. The Dalmatian riviera is a string of 1,200 mostly unblemished islands that were off-limits 10 years ago because of the war. Today the region's future is as clear as its azure waters, and the 143-foot Slipstream is your ticket to traveling first-class. The ship's British captain, Phil Stevens, describes the area as a closely guarded secret, but of course he's got the inside edge.

On boarding this vessel, you notice that the most striking element is the interior--the very definition of modern nautical luxury, with unfussy furnishings of lacquered metal, rich neutral fabrics and sharp, clean lines. Amenities include the de rigueur Jacuzzi, a gym, two water-jet craft (18 and 15 feet), three double and two twin cabins (which sleep 10, not including the nine-member crew), TVs and DVD players in each cabin, a cinema with a projection screen, and three dining areas (one formal indoor room and two alfresco setups). And speaking of food, the yacht's French chef, Gilles Camilleri, has overseen Michelin-rated restaurants, naturally. He specializes in the cuisine of Provence.

There you are, anchored off Hvar, a small island known for its limber beauties and white pebble beaches. Imagine Ibiza before the lager louts or St. Barts before the attitude. You're sitting in a restaurant with an eye toward the Slipstream bobbing off the port as you eat the local specialty of squid-ink risotto in the company of a beautiful, bizarrely named henchwoman, your partner in crime. Could life get any better? Sure--keep reading. As for the Slipstream, the British yacht company Nigel Burgess handles charters. Info at nigelburgess.com.

If he who dies with the most toys wins, the 150-foot yacht Seahawk puts you on Saint Peter's VIP list. Cruising the Caribbean around pristine tropical islands--Petite Bateau and Petite Rameau in the Tobago Cays, for example--the Seahawk has the 37-foot motorboat Intrepid in tow for day expeditions. The big ship's toy chest also includes a speedy 17-foot Zodiac, two three-man AquaTrax, scuba and fishing equipment, kayaks, wakeboards, water skis, bicycles and two hot tubs. Not to mention the gadgetry strewn throughout the boat's five cabins (they sleep 10 guests), dining room, sky lounge and study: high-end sound systems, TVs and DVD players, satellite phones, a fax machine and anything else you could possibly need or want. Combine all that with luxe interiors that resemble something out of an English manor and you have the makings of a perfect experience on the high seas.

As for food, chef Troy Davidson used to head the kitchen at a five-star resort in New Zealand. Now his job is to focus on just the 10 of you. You can eat in the formal dining room (pictured top left) or outside on the aft main deck, a great sunset spot. While you savor fresh tuna with a bottle of chilled Burgundy, Captain Dean Maggio, a veteran seaman with a nose for dive spots and finding fun, makes an appearance. Tomorrow, he suggests, would be a good day to explore the awesome coral reefs off the island of Canouan. You've never heard of it. You can't wait. Ready to go? Contact Fraser Yachts at fraseryachts.com for all the info.

St.-Tropez is full of big rollers. But when you dominate the storied Mediterranean port in the four-deck, 205-foot Apogee, the glitterati will be put on notice: There's a new player in town. Forget having to party onshore with the hoi polloi who try to push past the imperious doormen at Les Caves du Roy nightclub. You're floating on the most decadent club in Europe. With three full bars, the Apogee might have been more Rick James than Sean Connery if it weren't for the bright polished wood, stately columns and elegant circular staircase. The Apogee is also the most powerful of the boats we're featuring, with 5,000 horsepower in the engine room. This boat is made for rocking.

You can start the day by taking your 24-foot tender to Bouillabaisse Beach, where you'll comb the topless Brigitte Bardots to prepare the evening's guest list. Spend the afternoon in the Jacuzzi on the Apogee's top deck, which, like the ship itself, accommodates 12. Later you'll hit the aft bridge deck for a sunset dinner (pictured below) prepared by the chef. But once the guests start arriving by dinghy, you'll head for the sky lounge. With a 26-foot onyx-topped bar inspired by one at Miami's Delano hotel, and mirrors behind the bar that slide open to give you a sea view, this room sets a new standard. Once the drinks start flowing and the dance floor fills, who knows who'll end up swinging around the 15-foot stripper's pole? It just might be you.

When you wake in the morning, you'll slip from the embrace of your 700-count cotton sheets, and the elevator will usher you to the sun deck's air-conditioned gym. Nary a drop of sweat will hit the floor, however, as the crew won't allow it. Wimbledon's ball boys don't move this quickly. As Sara Montefiore of the charter company Camper & Nicholsons (cnconnect.com) puts it, "We believe our service should be far superior to a five-star hotel's. In the Apogee's case, the crew-to-guest ratio is 17 to 12. The crew is for you, and for that week you own that yacht."