First Impression: Lady Susan

Date reviewed: October 2006

I’m not going to lie to you: My first impression of Lady Susan was no great shakes. She’s a 17-year-old Broward motoryacht, one that I have been onboard several times before when she had different owners and different names, including Destiny. I know full well that this has been one of the hardest-driven, most-chartered (and most tramped-through) crewed yachts in the worldwide industry, and I didn’t think much about her prospects for a CharterWave review, especially after I stepped onboard to find a sopping wet (and temporarily stinky) guest cabin area that was being cleaned up following an overnight washer/dryer leak.

The captain of Lady Susan convinced me that this yacht deserved a second look—and perhaps your charter business.

Lady Susan looked at first glance about as good as you can expect of such a yacht, thanks in great part to the owner who bought the yacht in 2004 and began the renovations that were recently completed. “The previous captain chartered the heck out of it and didn’t put anything back into it,” longtime Capt. Joaquin Freire told me while sitting in the owner’s suite office. “He ran this boat in to the ground. When my boss got it in 2004, I went straight into the yard. We painted the hull dark blue. We didn’t want it to be associated with [the name] Destiny at all, but we knew the potential, and my boss wanted to get it back into charter.”

Capt. Joaquin spent his time getting the 124-footer’s machinery back up to spec, including new props, shafts and bearings. Meanwhile, the owner’s wife undertook a complete refit of the interior décor.

What they kept—and what caught my attention during my chat with Capt. Joaquin—was the hull design and general layout that made this boat so popular for charter in the first place. “It runs very, very efficiently,” he told me. “I can run 14 knots and I burn about 60 gallons per hour. That’s very, very efficient. If you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere, say 10 knots, I can burn about 30 gallons per hour. I think it has something to do with the way [naval architect-turned-charter broker] Ted Rowe designed it, how he put the engine room a little farther forward than on other Browards.”

That’s good news for you, the charter guest, because better fuel efficiency means lower expenses during your week onboard. Also great news is that the yacht, including its two Pullman [bunk-style] beds, can sleep 12 guests instead of the typical ten in this size and price range.

The best news, though, and what made me want to share my First Impression of Lady Susan with CharterWave subscribers, is that Capt. Joaquin, based only on my initial conversation, most likely runs a very good charter. He’s the kind of guy who considers himself the chief bottle washer, who wants crew that aren’t above any task that needs doing in order to make the guests’ experience better.

“I wash this boat myself,” he said with refreshing nonchalance. “I find out more about this boat by washing it down… I see every inch of it. I know what needs to be dealt with.”

Capt. Joaquin also had nothing but praise for Lady Susan’s owner, a self-made millionaire who understands that he needs to invest in his yacht and crew if they are going to be able to compete and stand out on the charter market.

“I can’t tell you enough how well the boss has adapted to this [charter industry] and worked on it,” the captain said. “You can have a boat that’s set up for charter and a crew that’s set up for charter, but if the owner isn’t set up for charter, you can forget it. The boss knows human nature. I have never worked for anybody who treated me better. He worked hard. He’s been there.”

Perhaps you should be, too. To learn more about Lady Susan, go to the website of The Sacks Group, www.sacksyachts.com. The boat’s weekly base rate is $55,000.