ART OF TRAVEL
Life is calling how far will you go
how you get there, what you can do
With Raffles fully wi-fi and Blue Tooth enabled with and the absolute latest in onboard navigation and communications electronics, Raffles will actively avoid bad weather but is designed (and certified) to operate safely anywhere, even into some of the harshest areas of the world, Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean. Thanks to its double hull and other measures Raffles is also uniquely environmentally friendly for operation in ice and areas such as the Great Barrier Reef.
Wherever in the world it is life onboard Raffles is always totally relaxed and casual just as on a luxurious private yacht. Apartment owners will, however, very probably spend most of their time ashore exploring in ports and places not congested (and rarely even visited) by most tourists. Because there is no hurry to move on, you can fully immerse yourselves in the daily life, culture, history, cuisine, sports and recreation of the country. Or simply relax on your own veranda with a spectacular new view.
Unlike mass cruise ships, Raffles has no night clubs or karaoke, and no casino. Only small, refined, tastefully furnished, comfortable restaurants and bars. Uniquely it has a large (350m2) gourmet supermarket, butcher, baker, greengrocer and wine cellar, plus all the usual retail outlets and services of an ideal village. The apartments’ all electric kitchens are superbly equipped so that experimentation with fresh produce purchased in local markets will be a cooks dream, and sampling local foods in restaurants ashore, a gourmets continuing heaven.
The unique opportunity to play all the world’s golf courses from your own home is augmented by the onboard state of art golf simulator.
A truly unique feature of Raffles is that it has its own massive drive in “marina” wet dock in the stern large enough to carry 60ft/20m boats (afloat), a wide range of from serious to play water toys, its own air diving centre, etc. The marina allows something very few yachts offer and no conventional large cruise ship can, direct access to the sea, even for wheel chair bound passengers.
Raffles 38ft Stompcraft carbon fibre sailing yacht and its two 15m steel hulled exploration / dive boats from Vripack Design also let you sail away on your own for extended, even thousands of miles, exploration. You could even use the Stompcraft to sail across the Atlantic (in company with Raffles).
Because Raffles is totally self contained, highly manoeuvrable and virtually independent of shore assistance, it can visit interesting and unusual small villages and port towns rather than being confined to large ports. Secluded islands and bays will provide restful interludes. The world’s rivers will allow it to penetrate far inland on many continents and with no fixed schedule owners can decide when to move on, when to linger. A major port, usually with an international airport near by, will normally be visited each 3 or 6 months to refuel, store and allow owners and their guests easy access.
Raffles pace is blissfully slow and relaxed, geared to the owners’ desires and infinitely variable, with port calls of 5 days to 5 weeks or longer. If an interesting island or bay is sighted, Raffles can simply stop and explore it. All owners participate together with the Captain in planning the initial 5 years ship's program and visits, and later in modifying it, daily if desired, as Raffles moves around the world.
With on average 1 week at sea, 3 weeks in port, this will allow Raffles, for example, to cross the Atlantic twice in one year spending 3 months in the Caribbean, 3 months in Scandinavia, 3 months in the NE USA / Canada, and 3 months in the Mediterranean. Its visits will, so far as possible, be timed to coincide with the best weather, or special attractions such as the grape harvest in the Loire and fresh truffles, the king crab season on Russia’s Northern coast, the America’s cup in Valencia and/or the London Olympics.