First Impression: High Chaparral

Date toured: December 2007

I happened to step onboard the 164-foot Feadship motoryacht High Chaparral just as a group of reputable charter brokers was finishing a lunch sponsored by management company Camper & Nicholsons International. I ran smack into Leann Morris Pliske of The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals, one of the brokers whose opinion I have learned to trust over the years.
     I asked her what she thought of the yacht before I took my tour, and without hesitation she responded that Capt. Emile Coetzee is one of the people in the worldwide charter industry whom she most trusts. “I send Emile one of my most challenging, demanding clients,” she said, “and he keeps coming back. Emile is fantastic.”
     That’s something I’ve heard from other reputable charter brokers, as well, concerning demanding clients including celebrities who know what top-notch service is and expect to get it when paying High Chaparral’s weekly base rate of at least $242,000 for 12 guests. High Chaparral is a charter yacht that not only is beautiful in and of itself, but whose crew have earned a reputation for offering exceptional service and cuisine.
      “My brief on the boat is to make it excellent all the time,” Coetzee told me. “There are no excuses. I have the budget for it.”
     If you’re a fan of horse-racing, then you’ll recognize the yacht’s name—along with that of its sistership, Thunder Gulch, both christened in honor of the owner’s prize-winning racehorses. His penchant for watching races live, from anywhere in the world, is why High Chaparral is outfitted with not one, but two satellite domes. One is at the front of the yacht and the other is toward the back, so that no matter where the yacht is or which way it turns, guests can watch ESPN without any glitches in the satellite signal.
     Inside, the décor is comfortably elegant, with honey and sand tones as well as warm woods that most people will find inviting. While children are welcome on charter, the boat has a decidedly adult ambience—which is reinforced by the crew.
     “We like families, but more so mature groups that appreciate excellent service and dining,” Coetzee says. “I hate to say we’re not fun, because we always have smiling faces, but we’re about service.”
     High Chaparral’s owner uses the yacht quite often, which Coetzee says allows for just six to seven weeks of charter in the Caribbean each winter, primarily between December and March. Owner use is even more extensive in the Mediterranean each summer, he says, but sometimes charter dates are available in September.
     “We appreciate down time,” Coetzee says of the crew, several of whom have been part of the team for years. “We don’t have to flog ourselves, so we can stay fresh. If we plan ahead and have the right budget, we can do anything.”—Kim Kavin