The Maltese Falcon, a clipper luxury yacht owned by U.S. venture capitalist Tom Perkins, sails out of Valletta’s Grand Harbour July 5, 2009.

The 88-metre yacht evokes the nostalgia of the old sailing clippers, but it is packed with technology, including sophisticated radar, navigation and steering equipment .

Following on from the success of the Asia’s leading luxury yachting lifestyle magazine, New Delhi based Exposure Media Marketing now launches under license the India Edition of Asia-Pacific Boating.

Asia-Pacific Boating India Edition prides itself on delivering the highest standards in luxury boating news from India and across the region.

International editorial content effectively encompasses the latest in global boating trends and developments in the fledgling Indian boating industry, not to mention the last word in luxurious lifestyles.

Two luxury yachts, which were about to be shipped to China for the eventual use of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, have been impounded by Italian police in Viareggio.

The yachts are valued at €13m, Ibinews (International Boat Industry) reports.

Italy’s financial police, along with help from Austrian authorities, traced the yachts under a sting called Operation Flybridge.

Asia-Pacific Boating celebrates 33 years of being on the water in Asia with a special edition for September-October.

In the coming issue, the editors and staff will offer a retrospective of some of their favourite destination photos in Asia.

Regular columnists will also be writing in with their views on how luxury yachting and yacht racing have evolved over the last three-and-a-third decades.

Ferretti Yachts will introduce at the Festival de la Plaisance of Cannes 2009 the new Ferretti 560, which represents the “yachts (r)evolution” conceived to experience a new feeling of life on board.

Through this new model the shipyard aims to consolidate and continue the evolution process of flying bridge range under 63 feet.

This renewal in the last two years involved the launch of new yachts that became “icons” of innovation in design, like Ferretti 470, Ferretti 510 and Ferretti 592.

Plans for the world’s largest luxury yacht hotel, which was due to open in London in time for the 2012 Olympics, have been put on hold as a result of the global economic crisis.

According to the original plans, the 170 metre super-yacht would have been permanently moored at London’s Docklands, with 158 rooms and suites.