Six little words. That’s all it took for me to nearly drool into my telephone after receiving a call from sales broker Ann Avery at Northrop and Johnson in Fort Lauderdale.
“Ranger,” she said, “is becoming available for charter.”
If you don’t know your sailboat racing history, the original Ranger was launched in 1937 and went on to win many a race. In late 2003, her replica by the same name launched from a Danish shipyard. This new Ranger has all the spectacular lines and sophisticated looks of her namesake, but is a J Class yacht built around 136 feet of modern construction standards and amenities.
Avery really had my attention. And then she said eight more words that nearly had me dropping the phone: “The owner is also making his Trinity available.”
As it turns out, the owner of the modern Ranger sailing yacht also owns a 150-foot Trinity motoryacht called Vita. While Ranger has four guest cabins and three bathrooms for as many as 10 guests, Vita has five en suite cabins that can sleep a total of 12 guests. The owner likes to take his friends and family out racing by day aboard Ranger, and then have everyone return to Vita for an evening of ultimate onboard comfort.
“The owner wants charter guests to enjoy these yachts the same way that he does,” Avery told me. “These crews are accustomed to running in tandem. For anyone seeking that type of charter, it’s a great package.”
This is the first time Ranger has been offered for charter by her original owner, ever. Vita, which was known as Cakewalk until the current owner bought and renamed her in January 2007, has done some charters in the past. None, to my knowledge, were in tandem with a J Class sailing yacht, and especially not one with the same owner who is willing to offer a two-yacht discount.
“We are hoping some charter clients will want to try and buy,” Avery added. “The owner has a new project in mind, but he will not move forward on it unless these yachts sell. So the charter, in addition to being a good vacation opportunity, is also good exposure for the yachts.”
Vita’s lowest weekly base rate in the Caribbean this winter is $170,000 for 10 to 12 guests, while Ranger’s lowest weekly base rate $90,000 for eight to 10 guests. If you book a tandem charter with both yachts, the total weekly base rate is $210,000–a $50,000 price break overall for a possible total of 22 guests.
I’ve been invited for lunch aboard Vita and a sail aboard Ranger next month in Antigua, and of course will post all the juicy details for you here. I’m looking forward to seeing both yachts before they move next summer to the Mediterranean, where they will continue to charter until they sell.