The 151-foot Delta motorayacht Katya launched in 2009 and made her world debut about this time last year, at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. (That’s Katya‘s sundeck in the photograph at right.) I got onboard at that time for a tour and a lengthy discussion with Capt. Alec Cunningham, who impressed me with his charter experience. You may recall that I wrote about Cunningham’s willingness to compile and give daily fuel burn information to charter guests, thus helping them manage their expenses more efficiently. It was the first time in a decade of covering the industry that I’d heard a captain make such an offer. Katya‘s lowest weekly base rate this winter through Burgess is $161,000 for 10 to 12 guests. That’s the same rate the yacht charged during her introductory winter season a year ago through Ocean Independence.

Also new to the Burgess fleet is the 205-foot Icon motoryacht Baton Rouge, which launched this past summer and made her world debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September. The exterior is by Tim Heywood with an interior that design firm Redman Whitely Dixon calls eclectic contemporary. Like the 205-foot sistership Icon that launched last fall, Baton Rouge has a beach club at sea level. However, the company says, Baton Rouge is otherwise a “fully customized vessel.” Her charter debut will be during summer 2011 in the Mediterranean, at a lowest weekly base rate of €420,000 for 12 guests.

The third new charter yacht in the Burgess fleet is the 197-foot Proteksan Turquoise motoryacht Yogi, which is scheduled to launch from the shipyard in Turkey in time for the summer 2011 Mediterranean season. Amenities are expected to include a teppanyaki bar on the sundeck, a multimedia play lounge, a massage room, a beach club at the stern in addition to a beach club on the yacht’s starboard side, and a temperature-regulated swimming pool (I haven’t seen that before on a charter yacht). Yogi‘s lowest weekly base rate will be €357,000 for 12 guests.

The 151-footer is making her world premiere here at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and I was fortunate to snag a personal tour with Capt. Alec Cunningham. He told me that Katya‘s owner–whom I also met and liked quite a bit–is keen to keep track of the yacht’s fuel expenses. So keen, in fact, that Cunningham sends the owner a daily report about how much fuel was burned in the most recent 24-hour period. The photograph above shows the data as Cunningham reports it in Katya‘s log book, in a space custom-printed for the very purpose.

Now, fuel is one of the biggest expenses on any charter yacht. And on many occasions, I hear stories about how surprised charter guests can be at how quickly they run up a high fuel tab in addition to any given yacht’s base rate.

Not so aboard Katya. Cunningham told me that he aims for “total transparency” in terms of keeping clients informed day-to-day, just as if he were reporting to the owner.

“I don’t go 15 knots to get somewhere at 3 a.m. when I can go 12 knots and get there at 7 a.m.,” he explained. “The guests aren’t even awake yet, so why spend their money burning extra fuel? It’s the guests’ money, and we’ll of course do what they want, but I think there should be transparency in the process. They should be able to see, day-to-day, how their cruising decisions are affecting their overall charter expenses.”

What a fantastic idea aboard a new yacht that has all the makings of a great new addition to the global charter fleet.

Katya is part of the Ocean Independence charter fleet. Any reputable charter broker can provide you with more information.