The High Five: Askari

Yacht
Askari was built 1971 and completely gutted during a two-and-a-half-year refit that ended in May 2001. The time, money and effort were well worth it: When Askari made her industry debut at a boat show in December 2001, a broker selected her for a round-the-world charter vacation that would last from July 2002 until August 2003.

The word Askari means “guard” or “protector’ in Swahili, and the yacht is well-suited for doing just that. Not only did she hold up beautifully in all kinds of climates and conditions during that round-the-world charter, but she was still in great shape when we met her immediately afterward.

The interior décor is not for everyone—they call it “a touch of the wild”—but we rather liked the cheetah-pattern placemats, water glasses etched with hippos and elephants, and zebra-print curtains onboard. The decorations had more of a fun feel than a tacky one, and in a place as exotic as New Zealand, they fit right in.

Crew
We found Capt. Lon Munsey and deckhand Dean Parsonage to be the standouts on this crew.

Lon is a native of Maine who has worked for Askari’s owners for more than a decade, including managing the yacht’s overhaul after it was purchased in 1998. His worldwide cruising experience makes him more than an able captain, and he pairs his sensibilities with a charming personality that’s full of fun. We felt comfortable with him whether we were asking about celestial navigation or inquiring about the best bars on shore. He’s truly a delight to have at the helm.

Dean was a new addition to Askari’s crew when we were onboard, brought out to serve as a combination deckhand and scuba program coordinator. Askari is one of the few yachts that offers diving right from the boat, and Dean’s status as a PADI dive instructor makes him not just a great buddy, but also a great teacher for anyone looking to complete their open-water certification dives during charter. Dean is Australian—with all that implies about charm, rugged good looks, and a fun-loving sense of humor—but he takes his job seriously, having taught more than 3,000 people how to dive during the course of his career.

Chef
Darryl Leathart joined the Askari crew in March 2003 following a wide range of experiences as a chef. The New Zealand native did his apprenticeship with Air New Zealand, then went on to manage his own restaurant, work as a banquet chef for a five-star South African hotel, and cook onboard a 120-passenger riverboat in Germany and Hungary. Some of the more famous mouths he’s fed include New Zealand’s prime minister and U.S. Senator Trent Lott.

We particularly enjoyed his desserts—“I should’ve been a baker,” he says, “but I don’t fancy getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning”—which is ironic, because he takes his greatest pleasure in cooking healthy foods. He likes to try new things with an eye toward pleasing any palates that come his way, though he does have a particular fondness for cooking in Thai style.

A typical buffet dinner includes:

• Gravlax
• Venison medallions
• Chicken galantine (stuffed and sliced)
• Pasta Salad
• Potato and celery salad
• Kumara (local sweet potato salad)
• Beets
• Salad greens
• Mini hamburgers
• Barbecued prawns and chicken
• Garlic bread
• Chocolate mousse
• Fresh fruits and cheeses

If you have a few extra minutes in between meals to get to know Darryl, be sure to ask him to share his photo collection with you. He’s a scuba diver with terrific underwater equipment and has photos to share from dives all over the world.

Accommodations
All ten of Askari’s guests sleep in five cabins on the bottom deck. The master cabin is forward, spanning the entire width of the yacht with a king-size bed. It’s quite roomy. One of the guest cabins has a queen-size bed, two other cabins have twin beds, and the fifth cabin has a bunk-bed style arrangement with a double-size mattress on the bottom and a single-size mattress above. All the cabins have private, en suite bathrooms. 

The layout is ideal for two couples with children, though the unrelated adults who stayed in the twin-bed staterooms during our cruise all reported being perfectly comfortable. 
 
Destination
The Bay of Islands, on New Zealand’s North Island, is a tough place to find charter yachts. Few, if any, are positioned here year-round, and you usually have to catch one coming through with an owner on a world tour who wants to offer a few charters in between his own use of the boat.

It’s a shame, really, because it’s a beautiful cruising ground. The scenery looks a lot like the Pacific Northwest United States and Canada with a touch of tropical flair. The Maori culture is still alive and well, and you can learn all about it during private land tours. There are exceptional golf and spa resorts, plus top-notch restaurants to sample, and though the water is colder than in the South Pacific islands, water-sports lovers will be right at home.