The stunning Necker Belle catamaran — property of the British investor and business tycoon Sir Richard Branson— is moored in the Leverick Bay Resort & Marina in the north of the island Virgin Gorda in the Caribbean British Virgin Islands.
This 104-foot-long luxury vessel, with a range of 1,500 nautical miles at cruising speed and weight of 171 tons, is available for lease at a cost of $110,000 per week.
The Necker Belle offers comfortable accommodation for 10 guests in four cabins: a master suite, double cabin and two-twin cabins, all with private bathrooms, flat screen TVs and air conditioning. Moreover, the main living area can be transformed at night into an extra room where two additional people can sleep comfortably, with a dividing panel and a separate bathroom. The spacious and contemporary interior is decorated with great care, including fine woods such as maple and bamboo, which generate a friendly, quiet and relaxing atmosphere.
The Necker Belle was built by the French shipyard CMN and acquired by Branson in 2007. The billionaire ordered an extensive reconstruction that lasted two years at Azzura Yachts in Australia, to transform a simple and mundane catamaran into a luxury mega-catamaran.
Since then, the Necker Belle is used by the owner and his family while vacationing in the Caribbean islands, and can be rented when not in use. According to Branson, the yacht was designed to be an accurate reflection of his private island. “As its name implies, the onboard experience is not unlike a mobile version of Necker Island, my home and favorite hideaway,” he says. Latest tendencies in Luxury Yachts.
One of the most extraordinary features of the catamaran is the Necker Nymph, the latest marine exploration toy, designed especially for Virgin Limited Edition. It is an electrical submersible ship, in which two passengers seated next to an experienced pilot can dive to depths of 90 feet for up to two hours with a speed of 6 knots to explore the radiant underwater beauty of the British Virgin Islands.
A friendly and expert crew of six will ensure that your vacation aboard the Necker Belle is a unique opportunity for fun and pleasure with luxury in an idyllic corner of the Caribbean. But if you want to rent it you must hurry, because recently Sir Richard Branson has put the ship up for sale. The price? Around 11.6 million. ■
