First Impression: Tabasco

Date toured: December 2007

I was excited about the 76-foot sailing yacht Tabasco after I got a chance to have lunch onboard and take a tour during the annual charter show on Antigua. I really liked Capt. Toby Felix and his partner, chef Amanda Berner. They had done a good job of maintaining the yacht, and the service and food they offered at lunch left me impressed.
     A few days before writing this review in early March, though, I learned that Felix and Berner have left the yacht. Capt. Paul Preston, whom I have yet to meet, is now onboard, according to management company Nicholson Yacht Charters. He has been in command of charter yachts before during his 25-year career in the boating and hospitality industries. The new chef will be a longtime colleague of his who comes aboard on a freelance basis.
     Given those recent changes in crew, I can’t speak to the level of service you’ll receive during a charter onboard Tabasco. However, I can tell you about the yacht itself, since it’s still the same boat I was onboard in December.
     Built in 1986, Tabasco got a new owner in June 2007. The yacht had been kept mostly private until that point, and its first charters were yet to be booked as of December 2007. I found the yacht to be in nice condition, though the new captain reportedly is re-varnishing all the wood, getting some new sails, and upgrading the air-conditioning system.
    Tabasco takes six guests in three cabins, though two of the cabins share a bathroom. The portside cabin is a bit smaller than the others and is the cabin that lacks a bathroom—because the space has been turned into a sauna (see photo at right). That’s an unusual feature on a yacht this size, one you’ll have a hard time finding anywhere else.
     During my tour, the yacht was scheduled to be in the Caribbean this winter and in New England this summer at weekly base rates of $20,000 to $24,000 for two to six guests, including some expenses. Contact any reputable charter broker to learn more about the new crew and any other pending changes to the yacht’s program.—Kim Kavin