- Necker Belle
-
Career Name: Necker Belle Owner: Virgin Limited Edition Operator: Virgin Limited Edition Builder: CMN General characteristics Length: 32.00m (105ft) Beam: 14.00m (46ft) Draft: 1.80m (6ft) Propulsion: Sail Speed: 22knots Capacity: 13 Crew: 5 The Necker Belle is a 105-foot[1] (32 m)[2] private charter catamaran yacht,[3] offered through Virgin Limited Edition and based at the resort Necker Island.[4] The Belle superyacht is one of the few luxury sailing catamarans in the world.[5]
Prior to being purchased by Richard Branson's Virgin, the yacht was called Lady Barbaretta, and cost £5300000 for Branson to obtain.[1] It required a two year refit to emerge as the Belle,[6] and operates with a crew of seven.[2] The refit won the 2010 best new refit at the World Superyacht Awards.[5] The yacht has a top speed in excess of 20 knots,[6] being rare in the world as being able to do so.[5]
The Necker Nymph excursion submersible also operates from the yacht.[7] It is reputedly the first-of-its-kind "aero submarine", buoyant when not under power.[8]
References
- ^ a b eTravel Blackboard, "Virgin Limited Edition welcomes Necker Belle into fleet", Thursday 10 September 2009 (accessed 1 August 2010)
- ^ a b BTN, "Sir Richard Branson says ‘Ahoy’ to Necker Belle…", 30 September 2009 (accessed 1 August 2010)
- ^ New York Times, "Ahoy, Matey - Let's Get Nautical", Michael Cannell, 28 March 2010 (accessed 1 August 2010)
- ^ CNN Money, "Charter Richard Branson's yacht", Hibah Yousuf, 7 January 2010 (accessed 1 August 2010)
- ^ a b c CharterWorld.com, "NECKER BELLE - Luxury Catamaran" (accessed 2 August 2010)
- ^ a b Daily Record, "The £5.3 million Catamaran", Jon Kaila, 4 January 2010
- ^ SuperYachts, "Necker Nymph ‘Underwater Aircraft’ announced by Virgin Limited Edition", M. Tempest, 31 January 2010 (accessed 1 August 2010)
- ^ ABC News, "Richard Branson's 'Underwater Plane' Is 1st of Its Kind", Ki Mae Heussner, 4 February 2010 (accessed 1 August 2010)
External links
- Virgin, Necker Belle (official website)
Categories:- Virgin Limited Edition
- Catamarans
- Individual sailing vessels
- Tourism stubs
- Individual ship or boat stubs
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