Luxury on the high seas

Move over cars. penthouses and watches – the must-have status symbol for the elite is fast becoming the luxury yacht. Considered the playground of the wealthy in Europe and the west, Indians are slowly awakening to the many pleasures of the sea and with more than half the subcontinent boasting of a shoreline, it is inevitable that the yacht culture should hit India.

In a country with 61 billionaires, which is four per cent of all the billionaires in the world – according to Forbes, there will always be those looking for new ways to spend it, and luxury yachts are right on the spot.

An average 2-tier luxury mini yacht would start at Rs 1 crore and depending on the size and additional features the cost can go up or down.

For those used to living in luxury, heading out on a boat no longer involves having to rough it out at nature’s mercy. From air conditioned cabins with pull-out tables and barbeques, built-in refrigerators and wine coolers, to three-deck boats that come with a Jacuzzi, the sky’s the limit when it comes to sailing in style.

Slice of the sea

If you can’t fit buying a luxury yacht into your budget, you can easily charter one for a fraction of the cost. In an increasingly popular service offered by many Indian companies that sell these luxurious sea faring vessels, customers can rent out the yachts that have been commissioned by the owners for anywhere from a few hours, for a cocktail party, or for a few days – enough to go to nearby destinations like Dubai or Sri Lanka.

While chartering hardly offsets the cost of the boat, which is usually in eight figures or more, it does chip in to the maintenance cost. There are many Indian companies who now import boats of all sizes and retail them locally. One such company, Navnit Marines, sells what could be considered the Bugatti Veyron of luxury boats. One of the really high-end luxury yachts is the Princess Flybridge 42.

If you’ve ever looked at luxury yachts and felt like you’ve ‘been there, seen that’ then this is a yacht that will have you ogling enviously. This 40-foot cruiser sports cherry wood lined interiors that are lacquered to perfection and a cream and brown décor theme that spells class.

Chartering a boat that comes with captain, crew and a service team ensures that the experience remains as luxurious as renting a hotel. However, the experience is limited to port cities like Mumbai, Goa and Chennai. Two cities that are slowly waking up to the opportunities afforded by luxury boats are Cochin and Vizag, which will soon become prime locations.

Setting sail

“Let’s take her for a spin” – these words acquire a whole new meaning when the ‘her’ refers to a mini luxury yacht. There is a unique thrill that comes from going out to sea and when it’s on your own private boat – the thrill is definitely higher. We got a change to take the Viksund 850 Ocean Cruiser out for a spin at Chennai port and we came back resolving to save up for a boat instead of a car.

The mini yacht has all the creature comforts of a bigger cruiser in a smaller, more compact package. Whether you’re looking for air-conditioned interiors or utilities like a fridge and a wine cooler, this has it all. For the adventurous, there’s even a barbeque grill that can be flipped over and used. Imagine going fishing on the calm blue sea, grilling your catch and making a meal of it right on your very own boat – this is definitely the good life. And we were told that Mackerel, Barracuda and even Tuna are quite common catch along much of the eastern coast of India.

Steering a boat at sea is like driving a car – but infinitely better because there’s no traffic. The 850 Ocean Cruiser has two sets of controls – one outside on the deck and one inside the cabin – and can be driven either way – with the other set of controls becoming a dummy. With a maximum speed of 50 knots, the 850 is great for heading out for a spin or to make short trips. We tried our hand at steering the boat from the outside controls and it was the smoothest drive, despite the slightly choppy waters. Chennai weather seemed to be giving us a break as the cool wind made up for the hot sunny day and deep sea green seemed to stretch on endlessly. We would have kept heading for the horizon, if it wasn’t for the gentle reminder that, well, it wasn’t our boat. Yet.

Built to handle up to eight or 10 people, the 850 has a sleek, compact look and the shiny white and blue fibreglass body with a powerful Mercury outboard engine definitely makes it a good looking boat. The fuel tank has a capacity of 200 litres which gives it a range of about 8 hours of peak operation.

Aim high

Presently, the most luxurious yacht in the world is the Eclipse, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Estimates put the cost of the boat at a whopping $800 million – which is totally justified since the yacht boasts of features like twin heli-pads, two swimming pools, a movie theatre, a library, several hot tubs and a private garden. Don’t worry if you can’t afford to buy it – the generous billionaire also charters the boat out for simply $2 million a week. At 558 feet in length, it is also the longest yacht in the world.

The most expensive yacht in the world, however, is the History Supreme, built at a cost of $5 billion – that’s more than five times the cost of Abramovich’s luxury liner. The extreme cost of the boat is because most of this 100-foot long yacht is adorned with about 1,00,000 kgs of pure gold. From the base to the railings and the deck, every inch of the surface of this boat is lined with gold or platinum.

Created by famed luxury designer Stuar Hughes for an undisclosed multi-billionaire, the boat took three years to be completed and even comes with an anti-missile defence system.

Buyer’s guide

Shiva Swamynath is the co-founder and managing director of Aquatainment, a Chennai-based aquatic leisure and lifestyle distributor. Here are a few useful suggestions he made for aspiring sailors and yatch-owners to consider before buying a boat.

• Consider what size you can manage before buying a boat – bigger isn’t always better. Boats above 44-feet in length will require much more registration and paperwork than a smaller one. So before you decide to splurge on the biggest yacht around, consider your options.

• Always check the maintenance requirements and fuel efficiency of the boat and ensure that fuel economy is considered. In addition to cost of running, this also determines the range of the vessel.

• The design of the hull of the boat is very important since it impacts the safety and stability of the boat. While there are many options like a flat bottomed hull or a hybrid one, make sure the basic design and the boat’s water cutting properties are the best.

• Before ordering special additions and decking the yatch with options like wood all around, consider the weather conditions in your city and the quality of the berthing space you will get at the marina.

elizabeth. mathew@thehindu.co.in