The mega-rich and their superyachts have already started to descend on London's docklands for the Olympics, starting on July 27.
London, England (CNN) -- Forty years ago London's docklands were an industrial wasteland. The shipping companies had moved to deeper waters, factories were left abandoned and poverty was rife.
It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks the very same East End docks will be transformed into a St Tropez-style luxury marina worthy of the world's A-list celebrities.
The mega-rich and their superyachts are set to descend on the regenerated Docklands for front row seats to the 2012 London Olympics.
And high-end companies are keen to ensure no expense is spared when catering to their every whim.
The exclusive experience will include helicopter transfers, speedboat taxis, a specially-constructed beach and even pontoons with private jacuzzis.
Watch: The exclusive world of superyachts
"Tall ship" is the common term used for large sailing vessels with multiple tall masts, vast sails and long narrow hulls.
The magic of tall ships
Brest is located in the region of Brittany -- home to some of the most stunning vistas in France -- taking in more than 1000 kilometers of dramatic rocky coastline.
Sailing ahead: Why Brest is best
Imagine is 65.5 meters in length and costs €530,000 ($707,000) to charter for one week.
Charter a billionaire's superyacht
Bonnie Muddle has been working on superyachts for the past six years.
Confessions of a superyacht worker
"It will be a mini Monaco," Benjamin Sutton from concierge service MGMT told CNN.
"In terms of location you can't get any better. We're opposite the Excel Center which will be hosting the gymnastics, basketball, wrestling. We're 5 minutes walk from the Thames Cable Car to the O2 Arena in Greenwich. And the Olympic Stadium is a 10 minute drive away.
"We have preferential tickets to first class events like track and field. We tailor the package around the individual qualms of the client. Pretty much whatever they'd expect we can offer."
The high-end service comes with a price tag to match. Berths are roughly £60 ($90) a meter per day, with a 70-meter superyacht setting you back a whopping £58,000 ($90,000) for two weeks of the Games.
Celebs set sail
Among the wealthy expected at Wood Wharf, Canary Wharf, St Katharine Docks and Royal Victoria Dock in east London are Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich.
The oligarch's superyacht Eclipse - believed to boast two helicopter pads, 20 jet skis, two swimming pools, hot tubs, a dance floor and a cinema - was previously chartered by music star couple Beyoncé, 30, and Jay-Z, 42.
"There is a rumor that George Clooney will also be arriving," Benjamin revealed. Though he was quick to add: "But we can't reveal for sure who is going to be there. Privacy is very important."
Watch: Designing superyachts
And when the superyacht owners come out to play, nearby restaurant and club Waterside House will be offering them the exclusive, high-end entertainment they've come to expect.
A £1,000 membership will get you into the club's Black Card lounge for the duration of the Games. It includes access to a specially built 60 meter beach and nightclub where DJ Fatboy Slim is expected to perform.
"It means by definition that the rest of the marquee is also extremely exclusive." Waterside House founder and director Ali Warburton told CNN.
"These are very, very high-end clientele. We've got Olympic contestants, oligarchs, ambassadors, celebrities and CEOs of some of the largest companies in the world.
"Superyacht owners are all over it. They're all billionaires and there's only a certain amount of time they can spend on their boat."
London's docklands: From wasteland to luxury
It's a dramatic transformation for an area which in the 1970s had become a deserted wasteland. In fact, the grim image of a ruined city was the perfect setting for Stanley Kubrick's 1987 Vietnam war film Full Metal Jacket.
The docklands had originally secured London's reputation as a great trading city and by the 1930s was the busiest port in the world. But with the emergence of bigger cargo ships in the 1960s, the shipping industry was forced to move to deep-water ports just outside London in Essex.
By 1980 most of London's docks were obsolete. And it wasn't until the London Docklands Development Corporation redeveloped the site in the late 1980s -- including the financial hub of Canary Wharf -- that the docklands was reborn.
Watch: The new home of sailing?
The Olympic makeover is the latest development for this historic East End heartland -- one which Benjamin predicts could give it a lasting reputation.
"This is an Olympic-themed platform to launch London as a future destination for superyachts," he said.
"All these boats that used to go to the Med will now see London as a great place to stop off; a new launching pad for Europe."
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The high-end service comes with a price tag to match. Berths are roughly £60 ($90) a meter per day, with the cost of docking a 70 meter superyacht setting you back a whopping £58,000 ($90,000) for two weeks of the Games.
A superyacht dwarfs a London double-decker bus. The luxury boats, usually over 25 meters long, have earned a reputation as the toy of choice for the rich and famous.
Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich is one of the superyacht owners rumored to be staying in the Docklands. The oligarch's giant vessel Eclipse (pictured) is believed to boast two helicopter pads, 20 jet skis, two swimming pools, hot tubs, a dance floor and a cinema.
The docklands had originally secured London's reputation as a great trading city and by the 1930s (pictured here in 1932) was the busiest port in the world. But with the emergence of bigger cargo ships in the 1960s, the shipping industry was forced to move to deep-water ports just outside London in Essex.
The financial hub of Canary Wharf looms behind the Prince of Wales ahead of the Diamond Jubilee pageant. By 1980 most of London's docks were obsolete. It wasn't until the London Docklands Development Corporation redeveloped the site in the late 1980s that the struggling area was reborn.
The term reputedly stems from "Sea-Fever", a poem written in 1902 by English Poet Laureate John Masefield. It reads: "I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky. And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by."
Many of these ships have been beautifully restored and are still in use today. This is the Dutch three-masted schooner "Osterschelde" that was built in 1918 and restored in the 1990s. She still does annual around-the-world trips. Here she is sailing in Norway's Arctic archipelago Svalbard.
The first major tall ship event of the year was "Fleet Week" in New York City. The event saw an international fleet of tall ships invade Manhattan's harbor, including the beautiful "ARC Gloria" from Colombia.
Sailors aboard the Indonesian tall ship "Dewaruci" sail past the Statue of Liberty during Fleet Week in May 2012.
The 25th annual Fleet Week celebrated the 200th anniversary of the "War of 1812" -- the three-year conflict between the burgeoning American nation and the British Empire.
Rather than cargo trading or piracy, most tall ships in the world today are used for long, hands-on sailing holidays.
As such, a new tall ship travel industry has grown to satisfy the adventure-hungry sailing enthusiast with a potent sense of nostalgia.
But not all tall ships are old, some are newly-built, like "Tenacious" -- a 65-meter barque (sail ship with at least three masts) that was launched in 2000. According to its owners, she is the largest wooden tall ship to be built in the UK for over 100 years and does regular around-the-world trips.
Every four years, fans of traditional sailing boats from all over the world gather in the French city of Brest for the maritime festival "Les Tonnerres de Brest".
This summer will be the 20th anniversary of the festival, which always features tall ship races and regattas along the Brittany coast line.
More than 2000 boats from over 25 countries, including Mexico, Russia, Norway and Indonesia, are expected to take part during the 2012 festival in July.
More than 2,000 traditional boats sail from as far afield as Madagascar and Mexico to take part in the festival, which is attended by nearly 700,000 people.
With 8.5 kilometers of wharf, Brest is well equipped to host a large number of yachts and boats. Every Thursday during the summer months the wharf is transformed into a vibrant arts space packed with live street theater, concerts, comedy and markets.
Located in a stunning bay, the water surrounding Brest is always protected and makes for perfect sailing. There are also plenty of sandy beaches and picturesque fishing villages to explore in the area.
All across the city there are open-air markets selling fruit, vegetables and flowers. For those who like bargain-hunting there are also regular flea markets.
Brest was more or less destroyed in the "Battle of Brest" during World War II, but it has since been completely rebuilt. One of the few Medieval monuments still standing is "Tanguy Tower." Constructed on an enormous block of granite, it now houses the Brest Museum, guiding visitors through the city's origins and development.
For those who want to find out more about what species may be hiding under their boat, a trip to one of Europe's biggest marine pavilions is a must. Oceanopolis is much more than your average city aquarium; it is an ocean discovery park with 50 individual aquariums housing more than 1,000 animal species.
The aquariums at Oceanopolis are divided into different zones; tropical, polar, temperate, biodiversity and "the abyss". In each zone visitors can learn about the ecosystems of different marine climates.
The ocean discovery park covers nearly 10,000 square meters and is a vital part of Brest's thriving oceanography scene.
The grandiose interior of Imagine features extensive dining room and lounge space.
The second most expensive vessel on Fraser Yachts charter portfolio, Laurel is available for €479,000 ($639,000) a week.
Below deck, Laurel is designed to exude a calssic aesthetic.
Sherakhan is a former commercial vessel that has been transformed into a luxury yacht.
Sherakhan has a reputation as the quintessential party yacht, says Neil Cheston of Y.CO.
A sleek and modern yacht on the outside, Oasis exudes a decadent 1930s chic on the inside.
Shooting Star is a nippy speedster that can travel at speeds of up to 48 knots (55 mph), more than twice as fast as most other superyachts.
The cool upper deck of Shooting Star.
At a cost of $385,000 a week, Turquoise is Fraser Yacht's third most expensive charter vessel.
Turquoise is extremely sleek and modern in both its inward and outward appearance, says Pierrik Devic of Fraser Yachts.
Bonnie says workers are expected to be on-call 24/7 while guests are on board.
Visiting exotic locations is one of the perks of the job.
Porthole tourism: Bonnie says in reality sometimes all superyacht workers see of the ports they visit is through their porthole.
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