Positano has attracted artists, writers and discerning travellers since the 1950s, and there is no more fitting way to arrive than aboard a classic yacht. The painted facades, the church of Santa Maria Assunta and the stepped streets read differently from the water: more complete, more themselves, unobstructed by the crowds that fill the beach. Classic yachts in the Mediterranean charter market include both traditional wooden vessels, some with racing histories stretching back before the war, and more recent designs built in the classic idiom with modern safety equipment and more comfortable accommodation. What they share is proportion: the long bow, the balanced stern, the mast positioned to actually sail rather than simply to carry canvas. On the Amalfi Coast, a classic yacht anchored in the Positano roadstead draws attention in the best possible way. Crew tend to be highly experienced, often with ocean passage-making backgrounds. The charter week is typically structured around the yacht and the sea rather than a schedule of tourist sites: early morning departures before the day-tripper boats appear, long anchorages in quiet bays, evening arrivals in Capri or Amalfi for dinner ashore. Rates for classic yachts in this area run from about 20,000 euros per week for a smaller vessel to over 100,000 euros for a large schooner or ketch in exceptional condition. Add 30 percent for the APA.
