Sailing across Hemispheres

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Welcome to Yacht Charter Market, the weekly newsletter dedicated to the world of yacht charter.

In today’s newsletter:

• Top story: Sailing across hemispheres: A look at the birth, build and charter of Hemisphere

• Zairos: FX & Cross-Currency Solutions for Charter & Asset Payments

• Charter Updates: New to the C&N fleet: QU2 | Cruise the Greek Islands onboard Bestia | Ocean Independence welcomes new Charter Consultant | 86m Chakra available for the Monaco GP | New to the Fraser fleet: Planet Nine 

• Superyacht Spotlight: 85m Bold spotted cruising through the Kiel Canal 🇩🇪

TOP STORY

Sailing across Hemispheres

Born not from market demand but from a visionary’s insistence that nothing afloat quite matched an owner’s ambition of circumnavigating the globe, is Hemisphere, a 44-metre sailing catamaran. Her captain, Gavin Bladen, who has been with the superyacht since her birth, shares the story of how a search turned into a choice to build, eventually allowing the captain, the yacht’s owner as well as charter guests to circumnavigate the globe and experience some of the world’s most spectacular sights along the way.

From searching to building

Following a three-month pursuit of finding the right naval architect, the search led to VPLP in Paris and architects Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prévost. For a year and a half, Gavin relocated from the Caribbean to sit shoulder to shoulder with the design team in Paris, refining a yacht that would be a purpose-built platform for tropical cruising and global exploration.

The initial project began in 2004, yet Hemisphere, built by Pendennis, wasn’t launched until 2011, when she made her debut at the Monaco Yacht Show. She entered the market as the largest sailing catamaran in the world by length, a title she held for over a decade. Measuring 44.2 metres with a beam of 16.6 metres and a gross tonnage of 499 GT, she remains one of the most voluminous sailing catamarans afloat. 

Hemisphere is designed to accommodate up to 12 guests across five staterooms, two of which are luxurious VIPs which can be joined. A crew of 10, including the captain, ensures smooth sailing across the seven seas while guests can enjoy uninterrupted 360-degree views from the main saloon. Her expansive aft deck and generous flybridge challenge long-held misconceptions about catamaran proportions, and across the entire yacht there is the feeling of spaciousness.

The interior, realised by MLD, is textured, contemporary and, perhaps most importantly, enduring. 14 years on, the original flooring remains in place, having been selected for both aesthetic depth and durability. High-wear materials were specified throughout, with indoor-outdoor fabrics chosen for their high-rub characteristics to be able to endure heavy charter use without compromise. The approach reflects an understanding that true longevity lies not in ornament but in thoughtful selection.

Globe trotter

Hemisphere was built for circumnavigation, and has done so three separate times, visiting over 75 countries along the way. From Columbia to the Mediterranean and from India all the way to the Caribbean, there isn’t an ocean Hemisphere hasn’t crossed.

For Captain Gavin, who has had the joy of navigating the sailing catamaran and her crew of 10 along on all these adventures, French Polynesia remains the ultimate cruising ground. “If I could only charter in one country for the rest of my life, it would be French Polynesia.”

With over four years of experience cruising French Polynesia, Captain Gavin and his crew know the archipelago like the back of their hand. “It’s stunning, the water wildlife is amazing and the diving is phenomenal.” It’s the type of place that leaves a lasting impression on charter guests and crew alike. “There are spots where we can put our guests in the water with 500 to 700 grey reef sharks during a single dive in South Fakarava in the Tuamotus.”

Such immersion into wildlife is central to the yacht’s ethos. In Papua New Guinea, guests have ventured into rainforest villages to witness fire dancers, while in Australia, Hemisphere supported filming ‘Welcome to Earth’ for National Geographic. The episode featuring Hemisphere, titled ‘Power of Scent’, highlights the relationship of tiger sharks and the critical nesting site for green turtles at Raine Island on the Great Barrier Reef. She became the first foreign-flagged superyacht to legally charter in Australia under the relevant regulations, a milestone that underscores her operational ambition.

Captain Gavin has navigated the sailing catamaran to the Norwegian fjords, where guests outfitted with crampons traversed ice and dined next to waterfalls. In New Zealand, charter itineraries combined time cruising through Milford Sound and diving expeditions off Stewart Island with time ashore in varying wine regions. No matter where Hemisphere sails to, the agenda is set to highlight each location’s unique qualities.

Hemisphere for charter

What makes chartering Hemisphere so special isn’t just that she’s one of the most iconic sailing catamarans to ever be built, nor her incredible chartering route, but also her crew, who feel closer to family than colleagues. Half of Gavin’s current crew has been with him and Hemisphere for over eight years, and one crew member has been onboard for 12 years. 

In today’s industry, the retention of crew is much rarer than when Gavin joined: “When I started in the industry, it was about travelling, about adventure and getting the experience.” Considering the remote destinations the superyacht travels, Hemisphere’s crew remains eager not only to adventure, but to share the experience with both the owner and charter guests too.

Hemisphere usually sees about 10 to 11 weeks of charter per year, with guests that are as adventurous as her crew, often returning for new voyages across varying regions. Plans for the coming day are discussed between dinner courses, and largely centre around diving and fishing excursions. However, she is also a phenomenal platform for more conventional trips around the Mediterranean; and is outfitted with comprehensive equipment”. The yacht has comprehensive equipment and expertise onboard with the entire crew being well-versed in various water activities. The captain himself comes from a diving background, “I used to be on the great on the Great Barrier Reef”; a place Gavin still loves to take travellers to.

Sailing towards new horizons

Captain Gavin and Hemisphere are inseparable, having been part of her every bolt placed and kilometre travelled, yet the iconic superyacht is now looking for a new owner, and is for sale with Burgess. Ideally the new owner would be someone who is aligned with the yacht’s original vision, someone who is willing to maintain her properly, invest in her crew and continue chartering her across the globe. 

The captain highlights that it’s about “finding the right person. There's no rush.” The current owner is looking to tidy up certain elements of his life, yet he is still actively travelling with the yacht and has always been active onboard, diving and fishing  around the world alongside his friends and family.

The bond that exists between the captain, the owner and the yacht is the result of 22 years of working together and seeing some of the most beautiful places in the world; something the captain hopes to share with whomever will come to own Hemisphere next.

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CHARTER UPDATES

SUPERYACHT SPOTLIGHT

@superyachttimes

85.3-metre SilverYachts Bold has recently been spotted cruising through the Kiel Canal in Germany. 🇩🇪

Delivered in 2019, Bold was designed with long-range capability and flexible spaces, with minimal crew intrusion in mind. This makes her particularly well suited to private charters in remote waters. Her naval architecture and military-inspired exterior design were created by Espen Øino International, while her interior design was developed in-house by the shipyard.

One of her defining features is a dedicated landing area for an AW109S Grand helicopter. This reflects a broader design evolution in the early 2010s, when heightened concerns over piracy prompted designers to incorporate more utilitarian, military-inspired elements into both yacht exteriors and interiors.

Bold is currently offered for sale for €89,000,000 by her Australian builder and was among the longest superyachts on the market in SuperYacht Times records for 2025. Head over to our website to find out more about her! 💫

Video by Captain Paul Verry MY Bold