Date toured: December 2006

Arietta is one of several 112-foot motoryachts that were built by the Westport shipyard and are now available for charter. They all have pretty much the same layout, with three guest cabins on the lowest level and a fourth up in the bow, accessed from a private staircase on the main deck level.
     On the lowest level, one cabin is a spacious master suite, while the others are typically a double-bed cabin and a twin-bed cabin, each with their own en suite bathrooms. The cabin in the bow is the VIP suite, and while it’s smaller than the master, it definitely offers more privacy.
     Because of this layout, it’s generally true that Westport 112s are excellent boats for couples looking to split the bill on a charter.  One couple will have a bigger stateroom, but the other couple will have more privacy—so nobody feels like they’re getting the short end of the stateroom stick. And the two smaller cabins on the bottom level are perfect for each couple’s kids, or for friends who are guests of the couples splitting the weekly rate.
     I happened to step onboard Arietta right after I disembarked from another Westport 112 called Primadonna, a sistership of Arietta’s in the Merrill-Stevens fleet. What struck me was how different Arietta’s interior décor made her feel from Primadonna, with a color scheme that, to me, felt more luscious even though the boats' layouts were basically the same. There is a richness of ambience onboard Arietta that hit me the moment I stepped onboard. 
     The crew were unavailable during my tour, so I asked the Merrill-Stevens representative what she thought made Arietta stand out among competing crewed yachts in the same price range.
     “This owner is one of the few who are willing to make investments to please charter guests,” she replied. “For instance, we just had a charter where they wanted a yacht with an elliptical machine onboard. So Arietta’s owner went out and bought a good one. A Precor.”
     That’s a good sign as far as I’m concerned, though as always, I suggest that you check with a reputable charter broker about the crew before booking Arietta or any other yacht.
     Arietta’s weekly base rate is $49,000, or about $7,600 per person with typical 25-percent expenses included.—Kim Kavin