First Impression: Stenella

Date toured: November 2006

The oldest charter guest to cruise onboard Stenella so far was 84. The youngest was 3.
     That says a lot about the cross-platform allure of this 63-foot monohull sailing yacht, which owner/operators Andy and K.C. Clements have worked hard to maintain for the past 10 years. “Everything we’ve ever earned, we’ve put back into her,” Andy told me during my tour in Tortola. “It’s all very adaptable to the weather or guest preference.”
     Such a comment makes clear that the 84-year-old guest was probably just as well taken care of as the 3-year-old onboard Stenella, because adaptability is what it’s all about when trying to build the broadest possible base of charter clients. Ideally onboard Stenella, those clients would be three couples looking to split the weekly bill, as the yacht has three equal cabins with double beds and en suite facilities. Each cabin has its own DVD player and flat-screen television, plus independent air-conditioning controls (an unusually nice touch on a sailboat this size).
     Stenella also has an interesting triple-cockpit design, which means that when the sailboat is under way, there are a couple of separate seating areas where you and your friends can spread out. That’s a terrific feature onboard a monohull sailboat, most of which are designed with just one cockpit where everyone ends up sitting on top of each other.
      I thought the yacht looked to be in very nice condition given its age, and I liked the fact that Andy and K.C. were continuing to add new features (including a Sony PlayStation in the main saloon). Their enthusiasm and attitude tells me that while Stenella will no longer be able to claim the title of newest charter yacht in the Virgin Islands, she may yet again claim the title of best monohull in show—as she did last year at the Tortola event.
     Stenella is part of the CharterPortBVI fleet. Her weekly all-inclusive rate for two guests is $9,995; for four guests, $11,995; and for six guests, $13,995 (about $2,300 per person with a full boat).—Kim Kavin