Cruising for palazzi

Venice is beginning to make an impression on the super yacht fraternity.

Bored of the usual marina stopovers? New services around the Venice lagoon are making it a destination mooring

The view of Venice from the water has bewitched travellers for centuries. But today the pull of the world’s ultimate distressed-chic destination has attracted the attention of maritime cognoscenti bored with the same cocktails in the same company flexing year-round tans in the Caribbean.

On the face of it, this most enigmatic of cities is not the natural destination for the super yacht swashbucklers. For a start there is as yet no dedicated marina. Maritime visitors must enter through the mouth of the Lido and make their way into the lagoon in search of a mooring.

And the moorings in question are far from conventional.

There’s something heart-stopping and rather magnificent about encountering the sweeping lines of a 50 metre Benetti so thoroughly out of context. It’s not everyday you come upon a super yacht nonchalantly moored along the canal side or tethered to the briccole that have graced so many postcards.

It’s a sight that never fails to turn the heads of tourists and even tempts a flicker of interest from normally insouciant Venetians.

Nonetheless, it’s only recently the city has started to make an impression on the super yacht fraternity. Just six years ago Edward Pagan launched the JLT Yacht Agency in Venice. His company also has operations in Croatia and Montenegro. In that first year Snr Pagan served approximately 20 to 30 yachts in Venice and maybe 10 to 15 in Croatia. Reasonable business, but pretty much what might be expected.

But times have changed and now business is booming. Over the past 12 months JLT has worked with close to 200 super yachts in Venice alone and between 300 and 400 in Croatia and Montenegro.

Anyone still doubt the super yacht market is cooking?

As you might have guessed, the key to Venice’s new found cool lies partly in the Croatia connection. In the past, there was little to tempt a discerning sailor looking to spend money along Italy’s Adriatic coast. Sometimes wild, sometimes pretty but nothing sufficiently spectacular to waste fuel on.

But the increasing popularity of Croatian destinations has made Venice an extremely attractive port of call and an Adriatic sojourn considerably more tempting.

Croatia itself is now, of course, a magnet for any wealth-respecting MarQ reader. Quite apart from the fact that Princess Caroline of Monaco now has a hideaway there, the region offers rich delights for any yachtsman with 50 metres-plus and a few weeks to spare. From the hip but laidback club life of Hvar to the rugged natural beauty of Mljet’s fabulous salt lakes, this is a region that throws up fresh delights with every visit.

But it should go without saying that Venice should be regarded as considerably more than a prettily crumbling stopover. This is, after all, a city that has a centuries old tradition of looking after the super rich. From the old-style glamour of Harry’s Bar to the genteel hedonism of the Cipriani, this is a place where celebrities can still spend their fortunes in relative peace.

Snr Pegan’s agency will take care of all the messy details like berth reservations, clearances and customs. But more importantly he’ll also sort out helicopter and jet rental, organise exclusive dining and do everything required to ensure a timely provision and turnaround.

Remember, the upside of Venice for super yacht travellers is that it’s still an uncommon enough stopover for local services to be satisfyingly exclusive. The downside is that the absence of a conventional marina means it’s unwise to take even the most basic facilities for granted.

It's heartstopping to see some of the world's great yachts in this stunning context.

Our advice is for super yacht aficionados to relish the exclusivity of a Venice stopover while it’s still possible. The city may not be up there with Monaco, Antibes, Sardinia and Capri just yet, but it’s getting there.

Benetti, Cantieri di Pisa and Lurssen – all my favourite marque have been spotted skirting the lagoon in recent months. Snr Pegan tells me that last year some of the world’s wealthiest art dealers and patrons brought no less than 15 super yachts to the Venice Biennial and that bookings are already flooding in for 2006.

It’s clear that with an increasing number of luxury boats in the water, super yacht owners are looking beyond the traditional ports of call for fresh havens and berths.

With Venice’s still casting its spell across the centuries, why look any further?

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