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French yachts boost Sunsail fleet

PORTSMOUTH, England -- Sunsail, the world's largest yacht charter company, has ordered 180 yachts from France.

The order, worth more than $19.5 million, has been placed exclusively with French boat builders by the British-based company.

About 40 percent will be built by Jeanneau, 40 percent by Beneteau , and 10 percent each by Foutaine Pajot and Lagoon.

Sunsail said that no other country could offer the specification or quality for the price.

"The French build the boats that we want," said Sunsail spokesman Chris Clode.

The yachts range from the 11m Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 35, to be used for bareboat chartering, to the 20m Beneteau-built CNB 77 which will join the crewed charter fleet in the Caribbean.

Twenty percent of the order is for catamarans in recognition of the growing popularity of twin-hulled craft with clients. Catamarans are faster than monohulls, keel less, and have more useable deck space.

The first yachts will be delivered to the Caribbean this autumn with the remainder by spring.

Sunsail are a division of First Choice Holidays and are by far the largest bareboat charter company in the world with a fleet of over 1200 and a turnover in 2001 of $112 million.