I snagged an exclusive interview yesterday afternoon with Mark Elliott, a 20-year veteran charter captain who is now a yacht sales and charter broker for International Yacht Collection. He recently helped to orchestrate the sale of the 183-foot Benetti motoryacht Allegro to a new owner, who rechristened her Four Aces and put her into the IYC charter fleet.
The sales deal just might be the biggest ever in terms of large-yacht trades, and one result is that the Benetti is now entering the charter market for the first time under command of a seasoned charter captain and crew.
“She never chartered as Allegro, and she will debut as Four Aces in December at the Sint Maarten charter show, so she truly is new to the market,” Elliott told me. “We are very excited that Capt. Will Keiser, formerly of the 156-foot CRN motoryacht Azzurra II, is now in command of 13 crew aboard Four Aces. He is well seasoned as a charter captain, and several of his experienced crew from Azzurra II came with him to the new boat. With 14 total crew and 12 guests, the service level will be awesome.”
Elliott told me that Four Aces has an “amazing layout,” including a main-deck master suite that is bi-level. Up about a half-dozen steps from the main sleeping area is a private viewing room with doors that open onto the foredeck.
“The new owners are in the gaming industry, so the boat will play a bit off of that,” Elliott said. “You see the name Four Aces on the boat itself. The staterooms will have similar names, like Royal Flush.”
Keiser and crew are currently filling the yacht’s garage with water toys in preparation for a debut season of charter in the Caribbean, followed by summer 2010 in the Mediterranean. The lowest weekly base rate this winter is $380,000, and the base rate for next summer is $420,000. (Note that the Mediterranean rate is in U.S. dollars, which currently are a better bargain than the euro that are the base currency for most charter yachts in the Med.)
Also worth noting is that Four Aces will tow a 33-foot Intrepid tender for fishing and water sports.
Elliott is available this time of year through either the Fort Lauderdale or Sint Maarten offices of International Yacht Collection.
Also heading to Costa Rica this winter is Perseus, the 163-foot Perini Navi sailing yacht that I have written about before. I’m especially happy to hear that this yacht is following its plan to cruise around the world after the tragic death of Capt. Drew Gollan in January. Apparently, the new crew are onboard and ready to move forward with the owner’s charter program (which will include the South Pacific later on) at a weekly base rate of $175,000 for 10 guests with nine crew.