which I found in Miami, then had
to hire a private plane to get them to the
Caribbean, then a seaplane to land next to the
yacht. Then, of course, I had to get them on
board and have them ready by dinner. I did
it and she loved it, but as soon as dinner was
over, she said: ‘Get rid of them. You can throw
them overboard if you want.’ I couldn’t bear
to do it! So I took them down below and the
crew mess and cabins were full of white roses
for a week! I couldn’t believe how much it cost,
probably close to $100,000 between flights and
hundreds of white roses.”
Model misbehaviour “There was a
Russian model who had been invited on board
by the principal charterer, and she was acting
totally crazy, so they asked the captain to kick
her off at the next port. She was so enraged
that she was being expelled that she trashed
the yacht before they could remove her. She
blocked the toilets, ripped the wallpaper and
threw anything she could get her hands on.”
The party yacht “One client had a fleet
of yachts but would always charter an extra
yacht as the after-party venue. As part of
his crew, I had to go clubbing with him and
give all the ‘hottest’ girls a stamp to go to the
party on the yacht. (I was allowed to stamp
some guys – about a 4:1 ratio.) By the end of
the week everyone knew me as the gatekeeper
to get on the party yacht. The parties were
really intense. I was pretty much nocturnal
working for him.”
That’s not kosher “I had a client who
wanted to charter a certain yacht but he
was kosher and the kitchen was not. So
he brought in all new cutlery and plates and
redid the galley to make it kosher. He even
brought in his own chef, all because he
wanted that specific yacht.”The un-VIP list “Kicking women of ill
repute off the boat is standard issue. I think
you haven’t earned your stripes as crew
unless you’ve done this at least once on
a yacht charter.”Dom delivery “A common occurrence
on a charter is getting Champagne flown in
by seaplane when the guests are partying too
much and we’ve run out of Dom Pérignon.”Not the ideal family yacht “I worked
for owners once who had sex toys and
pornography books all over the boat, which we
were instructed to keep out as part of the
décor. Funnily enough, it was a really popular
charter yacht, so every time we had a charter
we had to make sure it was all put away. One
time we thought we had removed everything
but forgot to put a book away, and the charter
clients found it. Thank God they weren’t
offended and thought it was hilarious!”St Barths: NYE charter hotspot
The largest and most socially charged yacht
hop is undoubtedly St Barths on New Year’s Eve.
A-listers and celebs flock to the elite Caribbeanisland to ring in the New Year at the most
glamorous floating cocktail parties. Yachts
are booked expressly for the occasion, with
New Year being one of the busiest weeks for
chartering. For NYE 2015, Leonardo DiCaprio
and Tobey Maguire relaxed on board the
65 metre Benetti charter yacht Seanna, which
goes for $504,000 a week in the winter high
season. With a FunAir slide deployed, the yacht
was hard to miss. Ellen DeGeneres and wife
Portia de Rossi were also spotted on a charter
in St Barths, reportedly hosting Kendall Jenner
and Harry Styles on board for lunch. Also seen
during this festive occasion was a varied mix
including George Lucas, Robin Thicke,
Paris Hilton, Marc Jacobs, Justin Bieber,
Hailey Baldwin, Paul McCartney and Prince.Ouch: getting an earful Chart-topping
British musician Ed Sheeran burst an eardrum
while diving from a yacht in Spain. It hasn’t put
him off, he says. Despite the pain, he will be
back on a yacht again soon.The ultimate #girlsquad Taylor Swift,
Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid were seen
zipping down the Thames on the wildly
painted chartered tender Thames Limo, with
musician Joe Jonas and DJ Calvin Harris along
for the ride. Kendall Jenner, the Kardashian
clan member and burgeoning supermodel,
and fellow model Gigi Hadid were
photographed jumping from superyacht
Axioma while relaxing with FI racer Lewis
Hamilton post-Monaco Grand Prix.CHARTER STARS: YACHTS LOVED BY CELEBRITIES
Ecstasea
The models’ choice: This yacht must be
an ideal backdrop for a close up, because
models are always on the 86m Feadship.
Celeb guests: Chanel Iman, Cara
Delevingne and Nina Dobrev.
Why celebs love this boat: Maybe it’s
the fully equipped gym, massage room
and spa that entices models. And, with
two helidecks, it’s easy to get away to
a last-minute photoshoot.Galaxy
The hip-hop hotspot: Is there a recording
studio hidden on this 56m Benetti? Some
musical megastars seem to love it.
Celeb guests: Rihanna, Jay Z and Beyoncé
have all sailed on her. Models love it, too;
Naomi Campbell was also on board.
Why celebs love it: The stylish and artistic
interior – with original Andy Warhols
in the owner’s study and sketches by
Jean-Michel Basquiat.Rising Sun
The actors’ yacht: As large as a movie set
but with no one yelling “action”, actors
should be right at home.
Celeb guests: Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette
Lewis and Orlando Bloom are a few of the
actors who’ve enjoyed the 138m Lürssen.
Why celebs love this boat: With a crew-
to-guest ratio of 45 to 16, the impeccable
service is just what these Hollywood types
are used to – and then some.Never Say Never
The yacht celebs wish was theirs: Justin
Bieber tried to fool fans that he owned the
37m Oceanfast.
Celebs guests: Andy Samberg used it
to shoot the I’m on a Boat video while
Pharrell Williams and Helen Lasichanh
held their wedding reception on it in 2013.
Why celebs love this boat: Its unique
exterior styling and big, round portlights
make it perfect for the attention-seeker.Other yachts loved by the stars... Leonardo DiCaprio borrows Topaz, Lindsay Lohan parties on Oasis, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson set sail on Phocea, Elle Macpherson
brings the kids on Madsummer, Simon Cowell relaxes on Slipstream, Magic Johnson spends time with his family on Amadeus and Bill Gates unplugs on Serene.the stories / Charter special