First Impression: Fredrikstad

Date toured: December 2006

It can be hard to separate a boat with a good story from a boat that will be good for charter. That is to say, when a boat has an interesting history, it’s easy to get caught up in it and forget that having a good history doesn’t necessarily equate to a future of offering good boating vacations.
     Fredrikstad is the kind of boat that makes it easy to get caught up in history—but I’m happy to say that I also think it’s a boat with a good future in a certain kind of chartering, too.
      Let me start with this boat’s history, though, because I just think it’s so darn fascinating. Back in the middle of the 1900s, a group of people got together and called themselves the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue. Their goal was to collect money to build 60-foot-long rescue ships to keep watch over the 20-foot-long Norwegian fishing boats that kept getting stuck in the cold Scandinavian seas while out fishing for salted cod. They collected enough money to build Rescue Ship 1, and they went on to build more and more boats as the years turned into decades. Today, I’m told, they’re up to R.S. 138.
     Fredrikstad was R.S. 77, named in honor of the city of Fredrikstad, which is south of Oslo. The city raised enough money to build this particular rescue ship, and so had the boat named in honor of its citizens. During Fredrikstad’s time in service—20 years, all told—it helped to save 11 lives and performed more than 600 rescues.
     The boat was decommissioned in 1988 and sold to a man from Oslo, who used it for salvage and exploration. In 1990, he sold it to a man from Fredrikstad who used it to take drug- and alcohol-addicted kids out to sea, to dry them out.
     Finally, in 1996, the boat was sold to Peter de Savary of America’s Cup fame, who gutted it and turned it into a proper gentleman’s yacht. “He transformed it in Penzance, on the south tip of England,” Capt. Andrew Naylor told me during the couple of hours I spent onboard. “He’s done a lot of boats like this, old tugs and such. He finds them and converts them into gentlemen’s clubs, and then he sells them.”
     He sold Fredrikstad in late June 2000 to an American couple—who bought the boat in New York Harbor after spending just 45 minutes onboard. “They’d never owned a boat in their lives,” Andrew told me in late 2006, “and they’ve kept it private until now. This is the first time it’s available for charter, ever.”
     All of which leads me to the question of whether this adorable little motoryacht with the fascinating history will be as good at chartering as it has been in all its other capacities over the years.
     My gut answer is yes—if you’re looking for a casual, family-oriented boat to take on vacation, preferably in New England and Canada, where Fredrikstad will be based during the summer months. In the Caribbean, in its price range, Fredrikstad is going to have a hard time offering all the water toys and, well, easy water access that you’ll probably want at your disposal. But up in New England and Canada, boy, Freddie (as the crew call the yacht) is going to be the talk of every port you pull into. You’ll get a lot of mileage out of telling envious onlookers about Freddie’s history, no matter which lobster joint you pull into for dinner.
     You’ll also enjoy the hospitality of Andrew, who is a Brit, and his Swedish fiancée, Belle Rothfjell, who goes by the nickname “Bee” and serves as chef/stewardess onboard. He’s been working on charter boats for the past 20 years, and she’s been onboard with him for the past seven, serving the yacht’s owners. They were joined in September 2006 by British mate Ollie Yates, who is new to chartering but not new to boating, having worked previously in shipyards. 
     I didn’t get to meet Ollie, but Andrew and Bee are what I would call an attentive, friendly crew. Not silver service trained or taught to cook at Le Cordon Bleu, but certainly able to run their ship safely, eager to make you feel comfortable onboard, and looking forward to making new memories onboard a yacht that they truly love.
     They definitely have an idea of what kind of service is expected in the marketplace, too. Fredrikstad can sleep eight guests comfortably, but the galley is only big enough to prepare proper dinners for six—which is why they limit the number of charter clients to six. That’s probably partly because of their own knowledge, and partly because they are working with advice from the very knowledgeable captain-turned-broker Tom Rowe of Newport Yacht Management.
     Fredrikstad’s rate is $18,500 per week, or about $3,850 per person for six guests with typical 25-percent expenses included.
     To me, it’s worth contacting a reputable charter broker just to be able to say you played even a small role the history of a boat with such an interesting past. The beautiful interior renovation, comfortable family accommodations, and friendly charter service are just a bonus.—Kim Kavin