Yachts and megayachts tired of the typical Caribbean scene are heading south, to Grenada. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is anything but overrun with crowds, and its people are warm and friendly.

PHOTO: Claus Schäfe/TheYachtPhoto.com Today, the fifth-largest megayacht in the world launched at Lürssen . She’s Topaz, and she’s taking yacht spotters and the industry alike by storm.

While other designers are researching hybrid technology for more fuel-efficient megayacht designs, Rene van der Velden is confident economy-minded owners can remain that way with traditional diesel power. That’s one of the features of the 110-foot cruiser concept seen here. In fact, the Rene van der Velden 110 Cruiser includes a variety of basic systems and machinery, eschewing the trend to go high-tech.

Patrick Knowles of Patrick Knowles Designs has been a top name in megayacht interiors for more than two decades. The list of megayacht builders he’s worked with are equally notable: Trinity Yachts, Burger Boat Company, Palmer Johnson, ISA, Feadship, and more. In mid-2011, Patrick Knowles Designs was tapped for the interior of a 197-foot (60-meter) motoryacht that a small family planned to use for extended personal cruising

A few weeks ago, we told you about the launch of Hampshire II, a Feadship focused on fun . The 257’7” (78.5-meter) megayacht was commissioned by a repeat customer of the yard who loves sports as much as he loves yachts. Hampshire II has a teak-laid helipad that doubles as a ball court, ringed with netting, to let guests play basketball, badminton, and more

What’s your lucky number? For the owners of the latest Sanlorenzo 40 Alloy, it seems to be 111, since that’s the name they’ve given their new megayacht.

Benetti marked two significant firsts on Friday. That was the day the first Benetti Classic Supreme 132 hit the water, and the megayacht was the first model built in its new Lucca Dockyard facility.

Bearing a Bugatti blue hull, Better Place, the world’s largest carbon-fiber-constructed sloop, has hit the water at Wally . Equally notable, the megayacht meets RINA’s Green Star classification standards. This makes her the first sailing yacht to receive the notation

Wynyard district in 2007, pre-development Government officials in Auckland, New Zealand want to see more services for more superyachts in their city. They’re focused on a hauling facility being developed and are therefore courting private investors, but they also want residents to help foot the bill, to the tune of NZ$16.8 million (about US$13.37 million).

Wynyard district in 2007, pre-development Government officials in Auckland, New Zealand want to see more services for more superyachts in their city.