Water babies

Dubai is hot on the heels of Monte Carlo to become the yachting haven of choice. Holly Sands finds out what's powering the trend.

Owning a yacht was once the exclusive preserve of the rich and famous, leaving the rest of us no choice but to gaze on enviously. And more often than not, we wondered why a vessel so deliriously attractive had been named something as odious as "Doodle-B-Dinkle".

However. recent statistics suggest that there's a change in the wind. Dubai Maritime City has forecast a 15% rise in Dubai's boat ownership over the next 12 months, citing the increase in berthing space and better equipped maritime facilities as the main cause.

It comes as no surprise, then, to spot a healthy portion of Dubai's resident population armed with platinum credit cards and ploughing their way through 800 exhibitors at the Dubai International Boat Show.

It's reported that some 25,000 visitors put in an appearance, enabling exhibitors to process a record number of sales worth tens of millions of dollars.

A sum like this suggests that there's nothing to stop the city becoming the next great yacht-spotting destination on the map, alongside St Tropez and Monte Carlo - both of which have an international reputation for their rows of extravagant yachts.

St Tropez has reigned supreme in Europe since the 50s, when Hollywood stars first began to infiltrate this charming port on the French Riviera. And today, as ever, keeping-up-with-the-Jones competition is fierce.

Gleaming vessels are lined up side by side, while their owners parade along the jetty, taking pains to ensure that they boast the largest Jacuzzi, the best-kept façade and, of course, the most humungous yacht.

Meanwhile, Monte Carlo is viewed as the unofficial capital of Monaco, a country bursting at the seams with unimaginable personal wealth and flamboyant personalities. All of this, reflected in the luxury yachts on show, leaves many yearning for a vessel of their own, in the hope that they too may adopt this fantasy lifestyle.

Should you find yourself in a position to buy a luxury yacht and live the dream, there are a few names you should look out for. Unless you know boats, you are unlikely to know the name of a good boat builder, as they are predominantly based in the U.S. and Western Europe alongside yacht charter companies.

But following the increased demand for luxury and super yachts, these can now be found more frequently in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australasia.

Still, European boat builders continue to dominate the market for high-end, luxury yachts, including Lürssen Werft, Ferretti Group, Azimut-Benetti, Neorion and Feadship.

And while the famous Maltese Falcon is currently the most expensive luxury sailing yacht on the market, it is boat builder Neorion that lays claim to the world's most expensive super yacht, Alysia, worth a whopping US$116.7million.