LAP OF LUXURY
There’s no more relaxing way to enjoy a boating holiday around Mallorca than a crewed charter on board a Princess 72 Motor Yacht
What’s it really like to charter a crewed Princess 72 Motor Yacht in the boating playground of Mallorca?
Iknow everyone thinks I spend my working life swanning around from one boat launch to the next but the reality isn’t quite as glamorous. Obviously, it’s still way better than an actual job but in reality I spend 90% of my time sat in front of a computer screen and the remaining 10% running around like a blue-arsed fly desperately trying to fill the next issue of MBY. The only time I get to enjoy boating as a social experience is when I turn on the out-of-office email, head down to Poole with my family and friends, fire up the engine on my own 22ft Karnic and head out for a day on the water. It’s not flash, it’s not luxurious and the water’s freezing but I love every minute of it.
So when an email dropped into my inbox at the end of last summer asking if I’d like to experience a few days on board a crewed Princess 72 Motor Yacht in Mallorca, I was actually rather wary of accepting it. I’ve been around long enough to know that there’s rarely such a thing as a free lunch and I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with the idea of someone else looking after us. Call me a control freak but that’s usually my job.
I was talked into it for two reasons. Firstly, the boat belongs to Boats.co.uk and the Barke brothers who run the business are as straight talking as anyone I know. So when they said they expected nothing more than the usual honest, independent MBY review of their newly launched charter service, I believed them. And secondly my wife threatened to break my arm if I even thought about turning it down. So I did the decent thing and offered to take one for the team.
We all feasted so well that half the afternoon was lost to a food coma, dozing or reading books on the flybridge
ROLE PLAY
Having never experienced a skippered charter, let alone one with a hostess taking care of crewing and catering duties too, I genuinely didn’t know what to expect. However big the boat, sharing your holiday with a couple of strangers paid to look after you still sounded like a rather awkward concept to me. I remember having a similar conversation with Theo Paphitis at the Southampton boat show a few years back. The Dragon’s Den star had just bought a new Sunseeker that was too big for him and his wife to handle on their own so they’d reluctantly agreed to employ a couple of crew. Despite this, his wife insisted that she must have a washing machine installed in the owner’s suite so she could launder her own underwear. I know what she means, it’s not that I don’t like being looked after by someone else, I just wasn’t sure how comfortable I would be with it.
My unease lasted all of a minute. Paul and his partner Victoria welcomed us on board B4 on its home berth in Cala d’or Marina with Champagne all round, a massive bouquet of flowers and smiles as broad and genuine as Paul’s Northern accent. They read the situation perfectly, realised we weren’t the type of guests who wanted a strict client/ crew relationship and adapted their roles accordingly.
Victoria became the hostess with the mostess showing the children excitedly around their cabins while Paul ran through the safety briefing and suggested itinerary. We had originally planned a circumnavigation of Mallorca but with 35 knots of wind forecast for that night, finding shelter and a good spot to play with the boat’s arsenal of toys seemed a much better bet than trying to bash round the island regardless. However experienced a boater you are, having a local expert on board who not only knows where to find shelter in any wind direction but how to get there quickly and comfortably, takes a huge weight off your shoulders. Suddenly I was able to relax and enjoy the ride free from the responsibility of looking after the boat as well as my family and friends. This was boating as I’d never experienced it before, and I was starting to like it. A lot. With the wind behind us and the stabilisers doing a fine job of flattening out the waves, we motored NE around the island at a steady 12 knots to the Bay of Alcudia, tucking in behind a headland to find some flatter water. At the very beginning of
May the water is still pretty cold in Mallorca but our four teenage boys couldn’t get into their wetsuits fast enough once Paul offered to launch B4’s pair of Seabobs. The joy of these electric water scooters is that after just a few seconds, briefing anyone from the age of 8 to 88 can have a blast being dragged along the surface or diving under water at quite a surprising speed.
TOY STORY
With Paul keeping an eye on them from the Williams Sportjet and Victoria busy making hot chocolate to warm them up on their return, we were free to relax or join in the fun as we wished. In fact once the boys were back on board, I couldn’t resist asking Paul to take me for a quick ski behind the Williams. The boat comes equipped with everything from skis and kneeboards to paddle boards and snorkeling equipment, although Paul was very apologetic that he had left the better of the two mono skis and tow handles back on shore, giving me the perfect excuse for my rather rusty but still very enjoyable efforts.
With the sun dipping low on the horizon we packed the toys away and motored on round the next headland to Pollenca, dropping anchor in the shadow of Sa Fortaleza, the spectacular private villa where BBC drama The Night Manager was filmed.
Within minutes of the anchor being set, Victoria was plying us with chilled rosé and long, ice-filled G&TS on the flybridge while keeping the teenage gannets fed with a seemingly endless supply of crisps and snacks. In between all this she somehow found time to create a beautiful table setting in the saloon and prepare a spectacular dinner of fresh gazpacho soup followed by tender pork medallions pan fried with cream and mushroom sauce, baby new potatoes and steaming broccoli spears. I have rarely eaten so well in a restaurant let alone on a boat. Did I mention that I could get used to this?
The other revelation was just how comfortable a night on board can be. The boats I’m used to sleeping on tend to be more like camping than luxury living. This was like a five-star hotel right down to the turn-down service and chocolates on the pillow, not to mention the piping-hot shower and his and hers sinks in the ensuite bathroom. I know I’ve seen this a hundred times before at boat shows but until you’ve actually experienced snuggling down into a warm, soft kingsize bed in the owner’s suite of 72ft motoryacht with moonlight filtering in through the leather blinds on the oversized hull windows, it’s hard to comprehend just how special it can be. The one drawback is how noisy it gets when the wind kicks up. Admittedly, it was gusting up to 40 knots at times but I was still surprised that even in the mid cabin the wavelets slapping on the wide lateral chines sounded quite so boomy. I suspect you soon get used to it or opt to hole up in a quiet marina when wind is forecast.
GLORIOUS FOOD
By morning the wind had died down and we awoke to the smell of freshly baked croissants wafting through the boat. I’ve no idea when Paul and Victoria get the chance to sleep because they seem to be on the go from dawn until way past midnight!
By the time we emerged from the comfort of our suite, the dining table was already groaning with yoghurt, fresh fruit, local honey, pots of freshly brewed tea and coffee, and baskets of warm, doughy croissants. This was my idea of heaven and as nobody was in any rush to get going and the wind was still from the north we decided to stay put and make the most of our glorious location.
Once again the toys came out and this time the adults got stuck in too, splashing around on the paddleboard and trying (but failing) to get going on the kneeboard. Before we knew it, lunch was served – succulent garlic and chilli prawns followed by a local dish of cod baked in rich tomato, olive and chorizo sauce. We all feasted so well that half the afternoon was lost to a food coma, dozing or reading books on the flybridge. I wanted to feel guilty but isn’t that what holidays are all about?
When we finally mustered up enough energy to peel ourselves off the sunbeds, I asked Paul to launch the Williams and took the boys off for an adrenaline ride to kick start their energy levels and refresh some of the helming skills they’d learnt on their RYA Powerboat Level 2 course nine months earlier. With all of them taking turns at the helm and the added bonus of sneaking in for a closer look at the 96m superyacht anchored in the bay next door, we returned to B4 revitalised and ready for a trip into town and another unexpected surprise.
Now, I know I keep banging on about this but there is something very special about being dropped off at the jetty of a quayside bar by a uniformed skipper without having to worry about where to leave the tender, whether the yacht’s anchor will hold or how much you’ve had to drink. And when you can also enjoy the sight of ‘your’ yacht at anchor in the bay while sipping an ice-cold beer, well, life doesn’t get much better than that.
It’s only the thought of finding a suitable tapas restaurant that eventually persuaded us to wander into town and after a bit of searching we settled on an authentic looking family-run restaurant tucked down a quiet side street. We were just being shown to our table when a familiar voice piped up from the bar, “Hugo, what on earth are you doing here?”
I turned round to see Russell Currie from Fairline North Mallorca cradling a drink at the bar while waiting for his weekly takeaway. A couple of beers later and with Russell’s tapas getting colder by the minute he wished us well and trotted off home. We hadn’t even got as far as asking for a menu before food started to emerge at our table. Lightly battered calamari, chargrilled padron peppers, sizzling chorizo balls and delicately seasoned prawns followed by a platter of barbecued lamb cutlets as pink and tender as you could wish for.
It turns out Russell has ordered for us, asking for his usual selection of the best local in-season produce. I’ve got to give it to him, the man has excellent taste. Bellies heaving, we staggered back to the quay, summoned Paul on the phone and watched with barely disguised admiration as the underwater lights of the tender streaked across the bay to pick us up. If there is a better sight than the warm glow of the master cabin’s lights shining out from the two big hull windows welcoming you back on board, I’ve yet to see it.
When you can enjoy the sight of ‘your ‘ yacht at anchor while sipping a cold beer in a quayside bar, well, life doesn’t get much better than that
YOU’RE WORTH IT
For our final full day on the water Paul suggested we mosey slowly back round the coast, stopping off at the small resort of Playa Son Moll for a bit more playtime on the toys. It was an inspired call, if the water looked blue and inviting in Alcudia, it was almost iridescent turquoise in Moll. It wasn’t quite as warm as it looked, but with a full sun and blue sky to offset the fresh breeze, we threw ourselves into it, quite literally in the case of the boys who took turns jumping off B4’s surprisingly tall sidedecks. With no let up in the action until the Seabob’s batteries gave out, we made our way up to the flybridge for one last feast of cold meats, cheese and fresh salads washed down with yet more rosé. Then we were off again, stopping off briefly to admire the pretty little harbour of Porto Cristo before pressing onto Porto Colom, where we’d booked a mooring buoy for the night. Determined to complete the culinary full house, we went in search of a paella restaurant, recommended to us by Paul and once again ate until we dropped. Chatting with Paul and Victoria in B4’s cosy saloon later that night, it’s clear that no two charter experiences are quite the same. It sounds like we were a little unlucky with the uncharacteristically chilly wind and water, missing out on the usual balmy calm days and bath-warm seas that are the norm in this corner of the world. However, by going with
Paul’s sensible recommendations and making the most of the boat’s facilities and Victoria’s remarkable ability to conjure up heavenly meals from a relatively small galley we felt utterly spoilt from start to finish.
Sometimes boating is as much about the challenge and sense of achievement as it is about actual enjoyment but on a crewed charter it’s all about fun, relaxation and indulgence. Paul and Victoria’s genius is in working out what the guests want and adapting the experience to suit their preferences. I loved every minute of it but much more importantly, my wife and guests were blown away by it.
If you ever want to convince someone just how luxurious, effortless and enjoyable boating can be, there is no better way than a week or two on B4. It’s not a cheap option, especially once you’ve factored in the extra costs of fuel, berthing, supplies and crew tips, but boating rarely is and when divided between eight of you, the numbers don’t look quite so scary. More importantly it will be an experience of a lifetime that you and your guests will never forget. The only question now is whether I can ever again convince our friends to come on board our own little Karnic. Somehow I don’t think it will feel quite the same after our time on B4.