First Impression: Breanker

Date toured: November 2007

The 55-foot sailing catamaran Breanker is an impressive study in the difference a good owner-operator can make for a yacht with a checkered past.
     Breanker was launched back in 1991 and has been in charter ever since, at first making a good impression and then falling into a period of disrepair. In mid-2005, the Danish couple Marianne Rasmussen and Kristian Sondergaard bought her (along with the 57-foot Quest) and began the enormous job of stripping her down and rebuilding her back to her previous glory.
     They were the right people for the job, having offered charters in the Bahamas and Virgin Islands since 1992 onboard the 68-foot sailing yacht Casador, which they built themselves using both their previous sailing knowledge as well as their training as International Yacht Masters (Marianne’s license is 3rd degree, and Kristian’s is 1st degree). They sold Casador specifically to buy Breanker and Quest, since demand for charters onboard catamarans had long outstripped demand for monohulls like theirs in the Virgin Islands.
     “Breanker was really run down,” Marianne says. “She had been a really busy charter boat. Today, everything you see is new. Plus there are things you don’t see, like our two new main engines, inverters, batteries, all that stuff. We’ve spent about $200,000 in two and a half years, plus all of our own labor.”
     It shows. My tour of Breanker left me enthusiastic about recommending her for charter, especially at the inclusive rate of $16,500 per week that Marianne and Kristian are offering this year to get brokers and clients interested in the yacht following her years of being down. She can take as many as nine guests, though the ninth should be a child because of the size of the fifth cabin. The four main guest cabins each have queen-size beds and are virtually identical for couples who want to split the bill.
    “We now feel that we can put the rate up,” Marianne explained. “This year we are coming back, and starting in October of 2008, the rate will be $17,500.”
     I say get in while the getting is good. About 70 percent of the business onboard Marianne and Kristian’s last boat was repeat clients, which tells me they’re doing more than a few things right in terms of service. And now that Breanker is back in shape herself, they have a good boat to go alongside their good reputation. (See our full interview with Kristian for more on that—as well as for the six months on, six months off schedule that he and Marianne plan to keep as a rotation with a second crew.)
     Breanker is part of the fleet at CharterPort BVI. She’s based in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, all year round except for September and October, when she goes to Puerto Rico for annual maintenance.
     Contact any reputable charter broker for more information.—Kim Kavin