Power, Speed and Money
Our “10 Best” feature for this week on CharterWave is the 10 Best Charter Yachts for Speed Demons. It includes motoryachts such as the 134-foot Dragon, shown in the photo above, which can cruise at a top speed of 25 knots.
Compiling the list of go-fast charter yachts suggested by reputable charter brokers from all over the world reminded me about a conversation I once had while cruising onboard the 120-foot Joanne, which has jet-style propulsion and a top speed of 42 knots (the king of Spain originally built her to be able to outrun patrol boats). I was aboard Joanne, zipping from one island to another in the Exumas section of the Bahamas, when I asked one of the brokers onboard whether the average charter guest understands just how much money the ability to go so fast can add to their charter’s expenses.
The power to generate such speeds, you see, requires an awful lot of fuel. And fuel is one of those “extra expenses” that is tacked onto your yacht’s weekly rate, based on usage during your charter. If you’re burning 100 gallons an hour aboard a fast yacht instead of 50 gallons an hour aboard a slower one, your fuel bill is going to be much higher, especially given today’s prices at the pump.
Interestingly, the broker aboard Joanne told me that most charter clients do not understand this fact, and that if they are working with a broker who is less than forthright, they likely will not realize just how much they’re adding to their expenses until the fuel bill comes due at the end of the charter.
A good question to ask your reputable charter broker, then, when selecting among motoryachts in particular, is how many gallons of fuel each of your possible charter yachts burns per hour. One yacht’s base rate may be lower than another’s, but when you add in the expected fuel costs, you might see a different overall financial picture.
Of course, if money is no object and you simply want to be the fastest yacht in the islands, look for top speed instead of fuel burn in the yacht’s specifications. As our “10 Best” feature for this week shows, there are plenty of charter yachts ready to satisfy your inner speed demon.