The good folks at KeyBank brought me down to Ft. Lauderdale a few weeks ago to attend the International Boat Show. Over one hundred thousand attendees attend this event each year, bringing in more revenue for Ft. Lauderdale than even the Super Bowl.
From KeyBank’s perch in “Mega-Yacht Row,” we had an up-close view of personal luxury yachts that ranged in cost from $6 million to more than $25 million and up and ran upwards of 160 feet. The term mega-yacht isn’t really sufficient though when describing the new up-and-coming yachts that are well past two hundred feet and can run higher than 400 feet. For these vessels, the industry has introduced the term “Giga-Yacht.”
While at the show, I also learned about “shadow yachts.” These are second boats that follow the first boat and contain all the toys the yacht owner could want, from cars and motorcycles to helicopters and speedboats. Shadow yachts also contain beauty parlors, additional storage space and room for additional staff, including security teams.
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