Even though Feadship’s Royal De Vries yard received the “royal” designation just three years ago, the stamp of excellence that comes along with the title dates back far longer. It’s among the reasons why so many launches have been christened Gallant Lady, modern marvels like Predator have been built, and why its relatively new semicustom series is selling.

If you’re a fan of the work of Espen Øino, then you can wear it, literally.

Abeking & Rasmussen is a yard where things tend to happen quietly. Not to say that the management team isn’t proud of its accomplishments; rather, just that press releases are issued with little fanfare.

Here’s something that doesn’t occur often: a yacht delivered early.

For the better part of this month, I've been poring over the second edition of The (Super)Yachting Index, the annual analysis of what's going on in the megayacht business, as compiled by Camper & Nicholsons and The Luxury Institute, a research organization focused on high-net-worth individuals.

Last year's edition, the first of its kind, contained some pretty eye-opening information regarding the number of superyachts in existence (3,800), the size range most fall into (100 to 130 feet), and how much the market had grown over the prior two years (1,000 new launches).

The current edition provides some equally interesting information, notably that despite the economic collapse in the fall and early winter of 2008, last year saw an "unparalleled level" of megayacht sales and charter, as Camper & Nicholsons CEO Jillian Montgomery and Marketing Director Laurent Perignon wrote in the foreword. In fact, they theorize that if global conditions had remained stable, 2008 likely would have eclipsed 2007 regarding the business value that was generated.

Yacht building in China took another step forward with the launch of the Argos G92 earlier this month at Tricon Marine.