Special Features & Items of Interest

 

Europe is a HOT destination for cruisers
Cruise tourism has been growing in Europe over recent years. Over 3.6 million passengers started their cruise from a European port in 2007, of which over 80 percent were European nationals. Some 15.2 million port calls were made in Europe in 2006. Italy, led by Naples, Civitavecchia and Livorno, welcomed 3.4 million visits, followed by Spain and the Canary Islands with 2.8 million and Greece with 2.5 million. Other major ports for cruise tourism include St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Stockholm, all attracting around 300,000 visits. Non-EU Mediterranean ports were also of vital importance for example Dubrovnik and Tunis, each with over 600,000 visits, and Kusadasi in Turkey with over 300,000. In 2007 there was direct expenditure of 10.6 billion euros by cruise lines and their passengers, a 27 percent increase over 2005, whilst total economic output including indirect and induced impacts amounted to 23.9 billion euros. The total number of European jobs dependent on the cruise industry is estimated at 225,000.

Cruise tourism is the biggest expanding tourism sector in Europe. A record 4 million Europeans enjoyed cruise holidays in 2007, according to statistics from the European Cruise Council, or ECC. Just five years ago only 2.6 million Europeans took a cruise holiday. By 2006 it had leaped to 3.4 million and 17 per cent growth in 2007 has taken the figure to a record high of 4 million. Sixty percent of Europeans chose to travel in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Islands, 24 percent cruised in the Caribbean and other parts of the world and 16 percent cruised in Northern Europe.

Hopes Raised For FALLS OF CLYDE Rescue
Falls of Clyde is the only surviving iron-hulled, four-masted full rigged ship, and the only surviving sail-driven oil tanker in the world. She is presently a museum ship in Honolulu, Hawaii. Image:Fallsofclydehonolulu.jpgIn 1973 she was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. In 1989 the Secretary of the Interior designated the Falls of Clyde a National Historic Landmark—one of only thirty-three in the state of Hawaii.

Honolulu's Bishop Museum announced in June that it could not afford the US$32 million in estimated costs to repair and restore the FALLS OF CLYDE, the only fully rigged four-masted ship of its kind in the world. In August, the Museum revealed plans for scuttling the deteriorating 1878-built FALLS OF CLYDE in shallow waters off the Waianae Coast, thereby turning the historic ship into a divers' reef. The state Aquatics Resources Division and Clean Water Branch inspected the 130-year-old vessel to ensure the necessary 40 feet between the surface and the wreck and the museum announced that without a plan from an outside organization, the ship would be scuttled in mid-September. FALLS OF CLYDE was closed to the public in January 2007 due to unsafe conditions and the uninsured ship continued to deteriorate at Pier 7.

On September 29, the news came that the historic sailing ship had been rescued by a local group, the Friends of the Falls of Clyde, who have taken over ownership of the vessel. Under the agreement, the ship will remain at its current location at the Hawaii Maritime Center next to Aloha Tower Marketplace for 90 days and then proceed to dry dock. Make a donation Friends of the Falls of Clyde or read her full history.

The FALLS OF CLYDE was built in 1878 in Scotland and was launched as the first of eight iron-hulled, four-masted ships built for Wright and Breakenridge's Falls line. Her maiden voyage took her to Karachi, (now in Pakistan), and she spent six years engaged in the India trade. She then became a tramp, ferrying cargos such as lumber, jute, cement, and wheat from ports in Australia, California, India, New Zealand, and the British Isles.

She was bought in 1899 by Captain William Matson of the Matson Navigation Company for US $25,000 and then brought to Honolulu. FALLS OF CLYDE was registered under the Hawaiian flag, so when the Republic of Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1900, it took a special act of the US Congress to secure the foreign-built ship the right to fly the Stars and Stripes. From 1898 to 1907, she was used as a trans-Pacific passenger and freight-carrying vessel between Hilo and San Francisco. Later, she was sold and converted to a bulk tanker and then to a fuel-oil barge and floating gasoline depot. Her masts were cut down and she served in Alaska until 1959 before being decommissioned. FALLS OF CLYDE was given to the Bishop Museum in 1968 and then transferred to its affiliated Hawaii Maritime Center in 1988.

Sail around the Galapagos on Grace Kelly's honeymoon yacht
Later this month the “M/Y Grace”, Grace Kelly’s actual honeymoon yacht, sets sail on her maiden voyage around the Galapagos Islands.
Motor Yacht M.Y. GraceA wedding gift from Aristotle Onassis, Princess Grace of Monaco’s honeymoon yacht, re-named “M/Y Grace” after her late owner, reflects Grace Kelly’s own elegance and beauty. The indulgent onboard service, coupled with a remarkable nature and wildlife experience, is unlike anything currently offered in the Galapagos. This cruise is the ideal holiday option for couples, families and private charters.

As well as an awe inspiring array of wildlife ranging from blue-footed boobies to marine iguanas and giant tortoises, these extraordinary islands boast ever-changing environments from barren lava fields and twisted mangroves to white sand beaches, lagoons and giant ferns.

Being 145 feet and smaller than most yachts in the area, “M/Y Grace” will visit sites along the Galapagos archipelago normally out of bounds to larger ships. Highlights include the Tower of Genovesa, a giant collapsed crater, Floreana Island, Punta Espinosa, Fernandina and North Seymour Island.

After a day’s hiking, snorkeling and sea kayaking in and around the 100 islands that make up the Galapagos, guests return to five-star service, luxurious accommodation and fine dining.

The yacht offers nine spacious staterooms with private bathrooms accommodating up to 18 guests. Other facilities include inside and alfresco dining areas, a sun deck, library, bar and Jacuzzi. One naturalist guide for every nine guests (on a full capacity ship) will bring to life the natural legacy of the islands.

The yacht’s fascinating history began in 1928 when it was originally commissioned, serving for the British navy during World War II and playing an important role at Dunkirk. Since then owners have included millionaire tycoons whose guest lists have boasted the likes of Sir Winston Churchill. M/Y Grace departs weekly and can be booked all year round.