First Impression: Lazy Z

Date toured: December 2007

I spent a lot of time onboard the 168-foot motoryacht Lazy Z during the industry-only Antigua charter yacht show. An unusual amount of time, actually, since I try to hustle from yacht to yacht to evaluate as many as I can. But Lazy Z kept pulling me back. She kept pulling a lot of people back, including more than a few reputable charter brokers who called her one of their favorite boats in the show.

This yacht made an excellent impression during an evening yacht hop, which is basically a roving cocktail party where brokers move from boat to boat, seeing what each chef and crew are serving, and how. The idea is to see each yacht’s crew in action, as opposed to simply touring the boats and trying to intuit the crew’s skills. At most yacht hops, everybody ends up onboard just one of the participating half-dozen yachts. That “finale yacht,” typically, has a great layout for parties, a good chef, and a crew who set a really fun vibe.

Lazy Z was that yacht during this boat show event, which was the first time I lingered onboard. The second time I returned for an extended visit was at the end of the boat show, when I interviewed chef Emma Rye following her first-place victory in the boat show’s chef competition.

Those are two pretty great reasons to give this yacht a look as your charter choice.

Built in 1997, Lazy Z has had the same owner for the past eight years. She has been available for charter that whole time, and she went through a refit in early 2007 that included all new interior soft goods, exterior paint, and water toys (including eight underwater scooters, an unusual find on charter yachts). When I walked around Lazy Z, I felt like I was onboard a boat in virtually new condition. The refit team had done its job well.

The yacht has an impressive master cabin that is forward on the main deck, comprising two levels. There’s the sleeping area as well as a separate observation lounge, a nice little nook where the primary charter guests can enjoy morning coffee or a private dinner. (I took the photo at the top of this page while standing in the lounge, looking down toward the sleeping area.)

All the other guest cabins are on the bottom deck. Three of them have king-size beds, one has twin-size beds, and one has upper-lower bunk-style berths. So technically, Lazy Z takes 12 guests, but the crew told me that the bunk room is known as “the nanny or kids’ cabin.” So if you’re chartering with all adults, assume that 10 is a more comfortable number to sleep onboard.

In the main guest areas, including the saloon (see photo above) and sky lounge, there is an airier, roomier feeling aboard Lazy Z than on many other yachts her size. That’s thanks to an open staircase that lets tons of natural light shine into both rooms. Sitting on the sofas in each space, I felt almost as if I were inside someone’s summer porch instead of onboard an enclosed yacht.

Lazy Z charters in the Caribbean during the winters and the Mediterranean during the summers. He lowest weekly base rate is $238,000, or about $24,800 per person with all 12 beds filled and typical 25-percent expenses factored in.

She is part of the fleet at Camper & Nicholsons International. Contact any reputable charter broker to learn more.—Kim Kavin