Read the interview of the Captain Cook on CNN here

I am considering the purchase of a fairly expensive yacht that happens to be owned by a Delaware LLC. 

My yacht broker has advised that I can avoid paying sales tax on the purchase if I buy the LLC itself rather than the yacht. He also indicated that this could be done without spending the time outside of California that would otherwise be required to avoid sales tax.
Is this true?
If so, what are the issues that I should look out for when purchasing an LLC?

Read the answer on http://www.thelog.com

The Examiner.com
A business group says a four-deck, 100-foot yacht is ruining the view of the St. Croix River in downtown Stillwater.
The Main Street Stillwater Alliance Business Association wants the Majestic Star to dock somewhere else.

read the post here

According to the charter company "MY Majestic Star is perfect for a wedding, birthday party, corporate event, or other function..."

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Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

©BestFrenchMortgage

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

©BestFrenchMortgage

Best French Mortgage are the leading online French mortgage broker:

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

©BestFrenchMortgage

This brand new Leopard 34m was spotted today in Golfe Juan: she is one of the rare Leopard 34m to boast such custom metallic hull.

MY Montkaj - click to enlarge

MY Virginian and MY Montkaj

The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, on 2 February, is called la Chandeleur in France . Candlemas comes 40 days after Christmas, so while Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) moves around with the date of Easter, Candlemas always falls on 2 February. Traditionally the French celebrate  la Chandeleur with pancakes.  And there are traditions within traditions. 

Everyone in the family has a go at tossing the pancakes, which might sound simple enough. However, traditionally in France you must hold a coin in your writing hand and the pancake pan in the other hand. The reward for a successful toss of the pancake is prosperity for the year ahead. La Chandeleur pancake tossing starts after 8pm, traditionally by candlelight of course.

In the days when France was largely an agricultural economy, people believed that if they ate pancakes at Candlemas, they would be ensured a good harvest in the upcoming year.

Best French Mortgage are the leading online French mortgage broker: Click here to apply for your French mortgage.

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"Super Yacht Auction, the new auction platform for super yachts (> 24 metres), presents its first global auction: a new Schooner of 100 ft (32,80 metres).

The auction, held at www.superyachtauction.com will be open for bids until 1 March next, 14:00 h. (UTC+1).  The owner of the ship has chosen Super Yacht Auction in order to conclude a fast sale."

Fractional ownership, fix brokerage fee, optimized yacht management program and now super yacht auction...2010 will be a challenging year for super yacht service companies.

Have a look at the yacht here

>> read the official press release in English (PDF file)

Year:  2007
Model: Mangusta 80 Hard Top
Engines: twin 2,350hp MTU M93 diesel engines - less than 250 hours - full service and history 
High glossy varnish mahogany interior, 4 cabins: 2 double, 1 twin and 1 captain cabin.
Arneson drive, tender, Sat TV, Sat Telephone, Plasma TV, 48 knots top speed, single owner since new, commercial yacht
PRISTINE CONDITION

Price: 4,300,000 euros with berth
No broker please
Contact: yachtspec@yahoo.fr

The massive superyacht boasts a superb sun deck and an enormous volume for her length. 

Sunseeker 52m project

Robert Braithwaite set to step aside as UK boatbuilder undergoes restructuring.Did Sunseeker bit off more than it could chew with the Zeus project ?

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As one of the largest and best established specialists in the French mortgage market we have a comprehensive overview of real purchasing trends in the French property market going back many years and what we see happening now is this:

• Buyers are minimising arrival travel. With the cost of travel, and especially vehicle fuel, increasing the property hotspots are moving towards the points of entry to France and to the big towns serviced by major international airports. Gone are the days when buyers were prepared to accept a 10 hour car journey through France to get to their French property – that’s now too expensive and going to get more so in the foreseeable future. In the new world the hotspots are around the ferry ports (Calais, Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo), the motorway border crossings and the major airports (Paris, Lyon, Nice) where regular scheduled flights will be guaranteed.
• Buyers are minimising local travel. For many of today’s buyers that oh so desirable rural retreat an hour from the nearest shops and 6 or more hours into central France is beginning to look like an unaffordable travel expense. In the new world French properties close to, or even within, major French towns are attracting ever more interest as the balance swings towards locations with “infrastructure” (supermarkets, shops, restaurants and increasingly medical services) on the doorstep.
• Buyers are minimising energy costs. Air-conditioned and poorly insulated French properties are finding it much harder to attract buyers compared with well insulated properties in areas where air-conditioning is not needed. In the new world recently built houses with good insulation and a pleasant rather than extreme climate will win out as the best investment for the long term.

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• The majority of banks will lend up to 80% of valuation, although a few still have a maximum of 70% of valuation.

• We have a panel of selected first rate French banks with whom we can negotiate up to 85% of valuation where this is essential for our clients and where the client has good financial status.

• Variable rate French mortgages are exceptionally cheap, in the range 2.5% to 3% “all-in”. Variable rate loans can often be repaid early without penalty, so if you envisage settling your mortgage well before the full term a variable rate mortgage may be the ideal choice.

• Fixed rate French mortgages are available at rates in the range 4.20% and 5.20%, depending on the term of the loan, for periods up to 30 years. Fixed rate French mortgages almost always carry an early repayment penalty so are the ideal choice for those not intending to repay the loan early and who, like us, expect to see much higher interest rates from about 5-10 years out.

• The French non-resident mortgage market is generally less sophisticated than the UK, US and Australian domestic markets, therefore there is less emphasis on structured mortgage products. Nevertheless, some banks will offer “capped” mortgages, although they may only offer loans up to 70% of valuation.

• Despite the credit crunch French mortgage lending overall is no tighter than in previous years, but there is a tendency among banks credit committees to stick closely to established policies and allow much less discretionary lending. This means that lending ratios, policies and recommended pricing being more strictly followed so the best French mortgage deals will come from the French mortgage brokers, such as Best French Mortgage, with longstanding lender relationships and a track record of success.

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

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