The Mirabella V, the world’s largest sloop, was spotted in Charleston Harbor earlier this month (the photo above shows her anchored off the coast of Monaco and gives some idea of her immense size). Completed in 2004 at a reported cost of $50 million, the single-mast yacht is owned by Joseph Vittoria, former CEO of car rental company Avis. The 247-foot yacht boasts a 292-foot mast and 6 cabins. According to a 2005 post on the official Mirabella V website, the super yacht and its crew of 14 are available for charter at a cost of $250,000 per week.

Visit the Post and Courier website for more information about the Mirabella V’s visit to Charleston, South Carolina.

Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor is located 2 miles from the historic district of St. Augustine, Florida. The harbor features a fully-protected marina less than a mile from the St. Augustine Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Augustine Yacht Club is located in Camachee Cove as well as the headquarters of the Northeast Florida Marlin Association.

Established in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest permanent European settlement in the continental U.S. It’s an area well worth exploring. Camachee Cove is a great destination or stop over for boaters cruising the Florida coast. Find out more at the official Camachee Island website.

Venice, Italy will host the America’s Cup World Series in May of 2012 and April of 2013. Venice’s location is ideal for spectators watching racers compete offshore. The Arsenale di Venezia, which dates back to the 12th century, will be the location for the bases for the racing teams. Describing the suitability of Venice for sail racing, mayor Giorgio Orsoni called his city “a cradle of sailing… inseparable from the sea.”

Teams will sail AC45 wing-sailed catamarans as they have in other America’s Cup World Series races in Portugal and the U.K. this year. The main event for the 34th America’s Cup will take place in Summer/Fall 2013 in San Francisco Bay. Read more about all the America’s Cup events on the Americas Cup website.

You can also see a replay of Race Day 7 in Cascais in this YouTube video.

Located in one of the most beautiful East Coast seaside locations, the Newport Museum of Yachting (MoY) preserves the tradition of New England yachting through informative exhibits and educational programs. Founded in 1979, MoY is associated with vessel and artifact exhibits as well as its sponsorship of local events and regattas (including the annual MoY Classic Yacht Regatta).

The Newport Museum of Yachting is part of Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. It is open to the public from June through October and can be reached by car or water taxi. For more information, visit the Museum of Yachting website.

Boston Harbor Auctions has announced an upcoming auction of important historical artifacts related to the history of the sport of yachting and the America’s Cup race. Items to be auction included a replica of the America’s Cup that was presented to Chandler Hovey, a long-time participant and winner of the race.

Other items of special interest include an assortment of museum-quality model boats representing participants in the America’s Cup. The auction includes a selection of original press photos from Americas Cup races dating back to the 1930s as well as marine paintings, globes, compasses and binoculars. There are also original photographs of JFK sailing with friends.

The auction will be held on October 16, 2011. Find out more about this fascinating auction by visiting the Boston Harbor Auctions website.

The Museum of Yachting (MoY) held the 32nd annual Classic Yacht Regatta on September 3-4 in Newport, Rhode Island, marking the final segment of the North American Panerai Classic Yacht Challenge. Narragansett Bay was the setting for the event, which features a fleet of classic and vintage 55 yachts. The overall winner of the regatta was Valiant, while the yawl Black Watch won the trophy for overall winner of the Classic Yacht Challenge.

On Sunday, the participating yachts took part in the regatta’s traditional Classic Yacht Parade, circling Newport’s inner harbor with yacht club pennants hoisted.

Read more about the Classic Yacht Challenge on the official Panerai website.

This month saw the launch of the 54.9m superyacht Harbour Island, constructed by Newcastle Shipyards of Palm Coast, Florida.  This is the largest yacht built by the shipyard and is the first hull of the Newcastle 5500 series. 

Harbour Island will debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October.  The six-stateroom yacht includes two master suites and a king VIP guest suite.   Amenities include an infinity pool on the sundeck and a raised veranda on the main aft deck.  The yacht will be available for sale and charter; the current asking price is $54.9 million.

Read more about Harbour Island at Superyachts.com and on the Newcastle Shipyards website.

This week the supermaxi yacht Ramber 100 lost her keel and capsized during the Fastnet Race off the South Coast of Cork, Ireland. The race, which is organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, took off from the Isle of Wight on August 14 with 314 participating yachts. The race course runs 608 miles along the southern coast of the UK then across to Fastnet Rock of the Irish coast, with the finish in Plymouth.

All 21 members of the Rambler crew, including owner George David, were separated from the yacht and later rescued. The Irish Coast Guard reported that the seas were not very rough when the yacht capsized but the conditions were foggy.

Rambler100, the fastest supermaxi yacht in the world, recently won the Transatlantic Race 2011. Prior to capsizing, the yacht was expected to take the monohull record for the Fastnet race.

You can see images of the capsized yacht in this YouTube video.

Sunreef Yachts in a world leader in the design and construction of luxury catamarans. At the 2011 Cannes International Boat Show, which takes place September 6-11, three new charter catamarans will make their debut. The new catamarans include the Sunreef 58 In the Wind, the superyacht Sunreef 114 CHE and the 70 Sunreef Power DAMRAK II (which features solar power).

Sunreef is also known for luxury power catamarans. Read about the 70 Sunreef catamaran at the Danmar Powercats website.

The Patio - Phil Marino for the New York Times

Picture yourself at a waterfront table on a balmy summer evening, enjoying a glass of fine wine and a sophisticated seafood meal as you survey the view of glistening white yachts at anchor.  These are the pleasures of marina dining.  Summer is definitely the season for dining outdoors and if you have a taste for seafood and yachts, it’s hard to surpass the experience of dining at a yacht club or marina restaurant.

The Patio at the Freeport Inn and Marina in Freeport, Long Island, is a good example of a marina restaurant that provides gourmet cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere.  If Long Island is too far from your home but you’re lucky enough to live near water, explore your local marinas for unique dining experiences.  You may just find a restaurant that embodies the essence of summertime.