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Nicole Caulfield is licensed, bonded, and a longtime member of FYBA and AYCA. She brings a unique perspective as a broker, having worked aboard yachts for nearly 10 years. Email Nicole

 

 

 

 

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Red Dragon PDF Print E-mail

charter yacht Red DragonFirst Impression: Red Dragon

 

Date toured: December 2012


Red Dragon is a 170-foot Alloy sailing yacht that launched at the end of 2008. She is a sistership to the Alloy Mondango, which has been highly successful in the charter industry. I got aboard Red Dragon in Antigua at the end of 2012, when she was beginning her first-ever charter season in the Caribbean following several years of cruising in Asia and Greece.

Bosun Ivan Bonmariage, who has been onboard Red Dragon since 2009, told me that much of the crew has been with the yacht’s owner since before Red Dragon launched. That type of crew stability is uncommon in the charter industry and should translate into outstanding onboard service for all types of charter guests.

“We welcome all kinds of charters, but we are really a family boat,” he told me. “We have a netting system for the safety of children onboard, we have a bunch of small Topaz sailing dinghies for kids—they love being here.”

Scuba is offered from Red Dragon with a PADI dive instructor who is a member of the crew. The owner dives several times a day, so the crew are well trained for charter guests who wish to enjoy the sport.

Two additional members of the crew are qualified nurses should any medical emergencies arise. A third member of the crew helps with the owner’s love of fishing and designed a custom fighting chair for Red Dragon’s 23-foot Castoldi jet tender.

Red Dragon has always been available for charter, Bonmariage said, but the owner recently made several improvements ahead of the 2012-13 winter charter season. The yacht got new exterior paint, servicing on her rig, and a five-year survey at the shipyard to ensure that all systems are functioning up to par.

Bonmariage says that Red Dragon cruises at 14 to 15 knots with a top speed of 19 knots. “If there’s so much as a whip of wind, we’re sailing,” he adds. Guests can enjoy the ride from the comfort of the cockpit, which can be enclosed and air conditioned, or from sundeck or aft seating and sunpads.

Indoors, Red Dragon has a full-beam master suite (shown in the photograph at right), two cabins with queen-size beds, and two cabins with twin beds plus a bunk-style Pullman berth apiece. The gymnasium also as a Pullman berth for a charter guest, but no full bathroom.

Red Dragon is expected to be available this summer in Venice, Italy, as well as throughout the East and West Mediterranean. Her lowest weekly base rate is €200,000 for as many as eight guests. McMaster Yachts is the management company, and any reputable charter broker can help you book a week onboard.—Kim Kavin