SAILS OF THE CENTURY

The feel of smooth teak decks beneath your bare feet, a well-made cocktail in your hand and the sun setting over an unspoiled beach – CAMERON DUECK offers five ways to realise the sailing man’s dream

WALK THROUGH ANY of Asia’s big marinas and you’ll see plenty of luxury yachts that can get you there. But why do it like everyone else? A growing yachting scene throughout Asia has attracted its fair share of classic and unique yachts that offer a serious alternative to the “plastic fantastic” boats so prevalent today.

Whether you want to spend your days on an impeccably restored motor yacht with a royal pedigree or listen to the creak of wooden masts straining against the wind, there’s a boat to fit your taste. The classic luxury yachts available for charter often offer just as many toys and modern conveniences as the newest vessels out of the factory, but they carry themselves with a style and grace that’s long been forgotten in the yachting world.

Many of the restored luxury yachts in Asian waters have been owned and sailed by barons and starlets in the past. Some were working boats before they were restored and outfitted with no expense spared to become opulent pleasure vessels. They can take you back into history, down the old trading routes and into waters made famous by war. Then, not only will you have the pleasure of sea and sun with five-star service, but the satisfaction of living a small slice of seafaring history.

Here we present some of our favourite classic yachts available for charter in Asia. So don your sailing whites and enjoy the timeless lure of the sea.

Kalizma
For a taste of the movie-star lifestyle, you can’t do any better than Kalizma. This 50-metre luxury yacht was built in 1906, and served in both world wars before she got her first shot at Hollywood fame. Richard Burton bought the Edwardian motor yacht for Elizabeth Taylor in 1967 and the ship was renamed for Burton’s children: Kate, Liza and Maria.
She has since been lovingly restored to provide dream cruises for 10 guests and a crew of eight. Kalizma has plenty of fine-living touches, such as a dining room decorated with antiques and a four-poster bed in the owner’s cabin. Her bulkheads are adorned with a variety of fine art, including paintings by van Gogh, Monet and Picasso.

Kalizma cruises the Windward and Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and also throughout South and Southeast Asian waters. Sail the coasts of Malaysia and Thailand, or take a one-way trip from Phuket to Hong Kong via Borneo and the South China Sea.
mykalizma.com

Montigne
If you want that classic superyacht look without giving up any of your modern seagoing luxuries, book a berth aboard the Montigne. This 57-metre motor-sailor has the amenities you’d expect from a new yacht – she was launched last year – but her three-masted rig and classic lines can fool you into believing you’re sailing through history.

Up to 12 guests can rest easy, whether they’re in the enormous master stateroom or in one of the other well-appointed guest cabins. En suites are heavy with marble and gleaming glass, matching the top standards one has come to expect from luxury yachts in the Mediterranean.

Montigne has expansive decks, offering plenty of room for open-air dining or parties in the Jacuzzi. And if you get bored with gazing at the stars and twinkling lights ashore, sit down at the grand piano or head to the Teppanyaki Bar.
After spending the summer in the Mediterranean, Montigne sails east to ply the waters of Thailand and Malaysia this winter.
ocyachts.com

Lili Marleen
Lie back in your lounger and watch the masts of this stunning barquentine sway and creak as you’re carried across the sea. With three VIP cabins and 22 deluxe cabins, Lili Marleen keeps the thrill of tall-ship ocean sailing alive for you to enjoy.

Barquentines became popular in the 19th century because they required only small crews. That leaves more hands on deck to take care of you. Equipped with standard toys such as jet skis, kayaks and diving equipment for daytime fun, the Lili Marleen will pamper you once the sun sets with fusion cuisine combining European classics with local favourites.

She covers an expanse of Southeast Asian waters, from Bali to Burma and beyond, with a variety of eight-day cruising itineraries, her billowing white sails carrying you to some of the region’s most exotic locations. This ship can take you back in history by retracing trading routes of the Dutch East Indian Company, or deliver you to the white-sand beaches of Bali.
lilimarleencruises.com

Calisto
Calisto carries a rich pedigree of marine history, from mines to mimosas. Built in 1944 as a YMS-1 Class minesweeper for the Royal Navy, she served in the latter part of the Second World War before being converted into a private luxury yacht. She’s also a sister ship to Jacques Cousteau’s La Calypso, aboard which he explored the oceans for many years. With 41 metres of burnished old-world charm and crew of nine, Calisto can take up to 12 well-heeled guests on their very own sea adventure.

The interior of this historic vessel has been recently refitted to add a further layer of luxury on your cruise through Thai waters or any other destinations in the Indian Ocean. Indeed, mahogany trim, plush carpets and Molton Brown toiletries in every cabin have brought the stately Calisto a long way from her warring past.

While life on board follows a relaxing and stately rhythm, she comes with all the extras to let you get wild in the water, including two motor boats with towing toys, two jet skis and a dive propulsion vehicle.
fraseryachts.com

Silolona
A week aboard this 50-metre vessel will take you back to the early days of the Southeast Asian spice trade. Silolona is a phinisi, a traditional wooden sailing boat of the kind that has been sailed by the Bugis people for centuries. These gaff-rigged ships were originally used for cargo, ferrying everything from cinnamon to silk between China and India.

Silolona combines that rich history with luxurious modern conveniences to create a memorable and elegant sailing adventure for up to 12 people. This charter regularly visits some of Indonesia’s most spectacular diving in settings such as the Raja Ampat and Komodo Islands. Besides the famous dragon lizards of Komodo, this area also boasts an awe-inspiring biodiversity of sea life in pristine surroundings. A fully licensed and equipped PADI dive centre, complete with three full-size tenders and a certified dive master, means you’ll get the best Indonesian diving has to offer, from mandarin fish to walking sharks.

If you prefer to stay above the surface, Silolona also comes equipped for wake boarding, sports fishing and windsurfing. And once you’re all played out, relax with the yacht’s complete spa programme. Yoga, massages and a range of traditional spa treatments will soon have you ready for more adventure.
silolona.com