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It has been reported that Saddam Hussein’s yacht Basra Breeze (Ocean Breeze) has been put on the market by the Iraqi government, which was awarded the yacht earlier this year. The Iraqi government is seeking offers in the range of $30 million.

Basra Breeze is a 269-ft. motor yacht, but its interior is outdated, according to the London Times. This means the buyer will have to invest millions more to get the 1981 yacht fully back in shape. Still, the interior is pure luxury:

The French island of Corsica, 110 miles south of the Riviera and just north of Sardinia is an exceptional choice for a luxury yacht charter vacation. With a mountainous, dramatic landscape featuring rivers, gorges, waterfalls, lush valleys, rocky cliffs, vineyards, picturesque towns, 16 ports, and 620 miles of coastline surrounded by clear water in all shades of blue, the surprisingly uncrowded Corsica has it all. The rugged coastline, with more than 200 beaches, is especially alluring to those of us traveling by boat - there are many areas you can’t get to any other way and you may find a beach you can have all to yourself. Because of its geography, rising from sea level to almost 9,000 feet, Corsica’s climate is quite varied. The island is divided into three major ecological zones: the coastline and valleys enjoy a maritime Mediterranean climate (hot summers and mild winters); in the lower mountains, at 2,000 - 6,000 feet, you will find the cooler and wetter mountain Mediterranean climate; and at 6,000 feet and above, the climate is alpine, with snowcapped mountains and even small glaciers at the highest altitudes.

Corsica’s average of 250-300 days of sunshine per year (April - October being the sunniest) is the highest in France, and as a general rule, the northern part of the island is warmer than the south. You can find all types of yachts to charter on Corsica - bareboat, skippered, crewed, catamaran, sailboat, motoryacht and luxury yachts. The island is easy to get to. There are 4 airports - the Campo dell Oro Airport in Ajaccio, Poretta Airport in Bastia, Calvi (in Calvi), and Figari (in Figari) - as well as ferry service from France (Marseille, Toulon and Nice) and Italy (Genoa and Livomo). Of course, if you charter a yacht in France or Italy, you’ll be arriving on your own boat. Corsica is about a day’s sail, or 3-4 hours by motor yacht, from the French Riviera.

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Super Yachts, generally defined as luxury yachts over 80 feet in length, are the equivalent of floating private five star hotels, with no expense spared. Today’s Super Yachts offer high speed Internet connections, Plasma Screen TVs with satellite video on demand, superb chefs that cook to your exact specifications, all the water “toys” such as jet skis, water skiing, scuba gear and wind surfers. Their interiors are often created by name designers, and offer rooms for every need - offices, kids rooms (with Nanny’s quarters, of course), glorious master suites, separate decks for sunning, hot tubbing, and dining, and lavishly appointed salons and dining rooms. Crew members often outnumber guests and offer unending hospitality. Some Super Yachts even have their own beauticians, masseuses and SCUBA diving instructors.

All this luxury usually floats in one of the world’s paradises, be it the Caribbean Islands, the French or Italian Riviera, Sardinia, Greece, Spain or lesser known but equally enchanting areas of Asia, Australia, South America or Africa. It is common for a Super Yacht to spend the summer in Mediterranean hot spots and then cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean for the winter, to hop between St Barts, St Lucia, St Martin, Martinique and/or the Grenadines.

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The Mad Summer superyacht started sea trials in the Baltic Sea a few weeks ago in August 2008. Mad Summer is a 79m yacht built by Lürssen. It will be delivered to its owners late this year, and it will also be available for charter. Charter prices are not known as of today.

Lürssen is going to deliver a total of 5 superyachts in 2008. Inter alia: Martha Ann (70m), Bounty Hunter (60m), Bermuda (77m) and, of course, Mad Summer (79m). Lürssen is also planning to deliver a 150m yacht this year.

The Starfire luxury charter yacht, which is currently owned by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, has been put up for sale. The 178-ft. yacht, which was originally built by Benetti in 1998, has undergone two refits in 2002 and 2004. Today, the high-end motor yacht has an extravagant Art Deco interior with a bar, dining room, 6 cabins and bathrooms with a jacuzzi bath tub.

The Starfire yacht chartered for $196,000 to $250,000 per week. Now it can be yours forever: Yacht broker Northrop & Johnson is selling it for $37.5 million.

More photos after the fold.

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Catamarans, both sail and power typically have the same layouts, and these layouts are much different to the more traditional monohull yachts. Catamarans are constructed with two hulls connected by a rectangular deck area. The hulls, or pontoons, are large enough to hold full size cabins and bathrooms. The deck area in between is big enough to house a large master cabin, saloon and galley. The catamaran will be as well built and tastefully finishedas any monohull yacht.

A catamaran has many benefits and is a good choice for your first yacht charter. A catamaran has more space available than a similar length monohull, is more stable and steady when at sea and needs less water to sail in. Because of the two hulls each with cabins and the large deck area with the master cabin a catamaran can carry more people or have more space available for the same amount of people as a monohull. The space between the hulls in front of the deck area normally has a net stretch across it which alows you to lay or sit on offering even more space. You may have seen pictures or film clips of high performance racing catamarans with only one pontoon in the water and heeled over but that won’t happen on the catamaran you will charter. They are very stable with both pontoons remaining in the water, this makes it easier to move around and relax.

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Boat covers play a very significant role in the protection of your boat. Purchasing a boat is a heavy investment, and it is also a very valuable asset if you like to spend a lot of time on the water. Therefore, your boat requires complete safety from dust, grime, dirt and airborne particles.

A boat cover is an essential accessory for all boats, and it has many uses. It keeps your boat clean and dirt free, and also keeps away dampness and mold. A boat cover saves your boat from the ultra-violet rays from the sun. These rays can be very destructive and harmful for color of your boat. Ultra-violet rays from the sun can be the biggest cause of cracking and weakness of rubber on many parts of your boat.

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Sailing in Greece offers visitors the chance to discover the hidden splendor of Greece & the Greek Islands. Experience the luxury of sailing in the warm turquoise waters of Greece and explore hidden coves on remote Greek islands.

Drop anchor in a secluded bay and sunbath on untouched sandy beaches that can only be reached by boat. Picture yourself diving off your yacht into crystal clear waters of the Aegean or enjoying your afternoon meal on deck, then relax and have a cool drink in the midday heat listening to the waves gently splashing against the keel.

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BMW Group’s DesignWorks will be launching its new Zeydon Z60 luxury sailing yacht at the Geneva Boat Show this week. The boat, which has been designed with Belgian boat maker Zeydon, is an elegant sailing yacht that shall not only have a sporty design inspired by some of BMW’s vehicles but also offer a minimalist luxurious interior amongst a bunch of other high-end features.

The Zeydon Z60 is a 60-ft. offshore yacht that combines the effectiveness of sports cruisers with some of the comfort of bigger luxury yachts.

BMW and Zeydon plan to build up to 10 Z60 yachts per year. Production is set to begin this fall.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has lost a staggering $20 billion due to the tumbling stock market in Russia. That leaves him with a “meager” net worth of $3 billion. All in all, Russian oligarchs have lost a total of more than $230 billion in six months!

Therefore, Abramovich might decide to sell his soon-to-be completed $355 million Eclipse megayacht if the stock market doesn’t recover in the foreseeable future. The impressive yacht is 555 ft. in length and it has been designed to be the largest yacht in the world - it will be 25 feet longer than Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s 530-ft. Platinum. Rumor even has it that the Eclipse will be equipped with a missile defense system!

Abramovich’s new superyacht is still being built at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, where OceanYachts.info happens to be located. So, if we’re lucky, we might be able to get more details for you soon.