The World, launched in 2002, is a home on the sea. Residents live on board and circumnavigate the globe every two to three years, visiting off the beaten track destinations as well as popular tourist ones. The unique lifestyle allows for exploration of a myriad different locations, peoples and experiences, all from the comfort of one’s own home. SuperYacht World spent 48 hours on board travelling from Rimini to Venice, here’s what we experienced...


Day 1: 15.00 We arrive at the modern seaside town of Rimini at a sleepy post


-lunch hour. The ferris wheel at the entrance to the harbour is going round silently, and even the sea is too sluggish to muster anything other than a vague slop. Our first point of contact with The World shatters the lethargy. Smart, uniformed crew await us in the pop-up gazebo and check-in desk, and we gladly accept the cold bottles of water on offer. As our bags are loaded onto the boat that will take us to the ship, we breeze through security and passport checks and board the boat for the ten minute journey to The World. We share this ride with only two other people, tanned and clad in cycling lycra, who have their bikes stowed with our luggage.


15.15 We board the ship, and swap our now-empty water bottles for a


glass of cold champagne and some fresh fruit as we check in. We are each given a personal key card, which gives us access to our rooms and also acts as our electronic ID when boarding and disembarking. I am whisked up to my apartment on the 6th floor, which is cosy and well-appointed, with a good bathroom and private balcony. There are 165 homes on board, ranging from studio to three-bedroom residences, with their own kitchens and living rooms.


16.00 A tour of the ship is in order to get our bearings. Roz Colthart,


the residential director, walks us round and explains the unique atmosphere on board. It becomes clear that everyone knows each other, and after one resident ends his description of his excursion into Rimini he exclaims that he’s now off ‘home’, a word we will hear a lot of over the next few days.


19.00 We join Arjan Scheepers, the general manager, in the Regatta


Bar for cocktails, and he admits that this is a very busy weekend as the AGM is the next day. This is not a place for corporate suits, as the residents form the majority of the board members, including the chairman. There is no financial incentive to being on any of the numerous committees (such as the itinerary committee), and is a sign of how strongly the residents feel about democracy on board.


19.30 We sit down for dinner with Arjan in East, one of the ship’s six


restaurants. Located on the pool deck, it has both indoor and


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