The inaugural tour schedule of the seaboard art house Grand Luxe, accommodating 28 international art and antique dealers, kicks off with four weeks on Long Island Sound with four dockings at selected ports.
From June 5-10 SeaFair visits Greenwich, from June 13-17 Port Washington and Oyster Bay, from June 20-24 South Nortwalk and Westport and from June 27 to July 1 The Hamptons.
For four weeks in July SeaFair tours the New England Islands visiting Newport, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cape Cod.
The vessel then spends some months visiting 36 other ports along the Eastern seaboard, all carefully researched by Mr Lester to ensure that the right kind of multi-millionaire customer will be on hand to indulge in the most luxurious possible, invitation-only art shopping spree.
Surely among the most innovative and ambitious ever art market projects, there were doubts early on as to whether the larger-than-life Lester, who founded the international fair in Palm Beach, Florida now owned by dmg world media, could actually pull this one off.
However, the project is now set to go and, as well as garnering worldwide publicity in the luxury press, SeaFair has gained substantial support from the top end of the international trade.
But Lester says Grand Luxe is the start. In 2008 he plans to launch SeaStyle, full of designer shops offering the most exclusive fashion and jewellery brands.
Luxury floating exhibition venue prepares for a June launch
ALMOST five years after the idea was first conceived by Florida entrepreneur David Lester, his luxury floating exhibition palace SeaFair is preparing for its maiden voyage in the summer.
