Sole Owner, Private Use. The most ideal situation for those individuals and/or corporations with the financial resources to afford it. Hopefully this owner will be able to allocate the time to fully utilize one of these expedition yachts to its fullest capabilities.

     Sole Owner, Charter. On some occasions a private owner may wish to place his vessel into charter for any number of reasons; i.e., seek a profit, supplement its upkeep, maintain its readiness, personal or business associate's entertainment, etc. Likewise there would be quite a few charter operators who would be pleased to have such a vessel on their roster. RunningTideYachts, Ltd would be glad to brokerage a deal between a private owner and a charter broker.

     Sole Owner, Foundation Placement. There exist an alternative to the private use or charter scenarios mentioned above. It would require an owner/investor(s) who could take advantage of certain tax deductions presented under such a plan. One scenario would have the owner donate his/her/their vessel to a nonprofit, scholastic foundation whose purpose would be to make the vessel available to a consortium of colleges involved in ocean research projects. I'm sure the patriarchal donor would always be welcomed back aboard in between scholastic projects. For longer excursions I'm sure the foundation could arrange very favorable charter rates.
     Having always had a keen interest in oceanography myself, I can't think of a better scenario for one of our gamefishing cats to alternatively be involved in fisheries research. I would personally make all efforts to see this project happen.

     Shared Ownership. You don't have to be a multi-millionaire to own and enjoy one of these larger vessels. While there are many partnership scenarios, we just want to touch on one general idea here. A really nice size group of partners would be 4 to 6 persons total. One's individual share might then be as little as 200K in acquisition and another ~50K yearly operating expenses. And with this operating expense comes a professional captain, one crew, and maintenance. That means you can be a partner in this adventure without having need of prior knowledge, experience, etc. of operating and/or maintaining such a vessel.
     For this relatively small amount, you can be a proud owner of a very fine yacht of distinction, capable of greatly extending your exploration of the world. In the next couple of years you could be visiting Bora Bora, Hong Kong, the King's Cup in Thailand, fishing the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, attending the America's Cup races in New Zealand, then back to France for the start of the next RACE around the world. Now, there's an adventure!

     A substantial portion of those partnership fees could be recoverable were the vessel chartered out during periods that the partners were not using the vessel. The captain is already aboard and paid for, so lets keep him busy. The charter fees we seek are on the premium scale as described briefly in the 3 examples that follow. This vessel could return a profit! And this boat with its 4 double staterooms is charterable in any of these great locations.
     We might suggest that this group of partners be made up of several groups of 2 good friends. Why? The catamaran configuration, with its large and separate staterooms in two hulls, can readily accommodate two couples and/or families on any singular adventure. This fosters deeper friendships between the partners and frees up even more time for the vessel to be chartered for profit.

     CEO Retreat. The basis of the idea is that numerous surveys have shown that many CEO types are either involved with yachting, or would like to be so involved. Whether or not they have their own vessel, most would be thrilled with an invitation to spend a brief, adventure filled, 6 day jaunt onboard a private yacht in some special locale. Many would pay to charter such a vessel for that special meeting and/or enhance the camaraderie among a select group of clients.
     The vessel proposed for this service is an expedition style 65' catamaran originally designed for gamefishing the world. Its a highly efficient sailing and motoring vessel with just the right size accommodation (not too large or small), reasonably private arrangement, and with enough toys and versatility to keep the guest aboard fully entertained for a condensed week. A sample itinerary might be:

     Its surprising the amount of communication that will occur, interspersed with these activities out under the sun and stars, away from the distractions of TV, phones, computers, traffic, family, etc. There is also a much-needed element of physical exercise;i.e., rigging and deploying the fishing lines, cranking the winches, launching the tenders, and snorkeling with fins and gear.
     The CEO retreat boat is really geared toward providing those individuals with a brief de-pressurization time from the everyday burdens of business and family, and to hopefully foster some free-thinking, brain-storming time in the company of one's peers. Three to six individuals is thought to be the correct formula. Company incentive programs for executives with their families could also be accommodated.
     Unlike the global gamefisherman it's not necessary that this vessel locate itself in really far away and/or exotic locations. The CEO should be able to access the vessel in a max half-day flight. We are blessed on the East coast with the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Central America, Cuba, all meeting this access requirement, and offering plenty to experience in our condensed charter package. The vessel could even locate in the mid-Atlantic area or New England/Maine in the summer months.
One thing I'm sure of, your clients, potential clients, executive staff, business associates, etc. would never forget the experience.

     Global Gamefisherman. Fishing in all of its forms is the singular largest participation sport in the US. Many anglers have taken the next significant step and entered the world of offshore fishing, and then tournaments, etc. These gentlemen spend lots of money to go fishing. There's a lure to making a world record catch, or to finding that special fishing spot that's particularly prolific and/or maybe undiscovered by other anglers.
     Many sportsmen might find it hard to resist at least one charter on our gamefishing boat in some remote and/or exotic location of the world, unreachable by conventional craft. Our expeditionary type vessel is designed to have that unlimited range, free from the fuel requirements that preclude most vessels from visiting those remote unexplored new fishing areas of the world. And our catamaran's shallow draft permits us to fish the deeper ocean upwellings, as well as the shallow lagoons and banks, concurrently. Then again, they may not just visit us seeking an exotic location, but rather simply another worldly location that they know they will never visit in their own boat.
     In today's digital world, a camera on board linked to a satellite provides daily updates to the vessel's website. Reports on the local fishing conditions, rumored new hot spots, possible relocations of the vessel itself, connecting sea ports and air flights, can all be instantly transmitted to the potential charter client. This versatility was all but impossible in the days of print media advertising only. And with the use of a digital camera and scaling, its no longer necessary to keep the catch, but rather tag-and-release for another sportsman, another day.

     Orient Express. The idea of a charter vessel based on an Asian theme has long intrigued me, and particularly so after having spent some time visiting and working throughout SE Asia. Could we capture some of the romance, intrigue, mystery, and luxury, as was embellished in Europe's famed Orient Express.
     One embodiment might combine the cultures of Thailand and Japan. Their foods are particular favorites of mine. They emulate the French in their inventiveness and presentation, while maintaining a simplicity and healthy (non-fat) quality. Both cultures make much use of seafood. Fresh sushi on a gamefishing boat, what a natural. And what if it was served up by a wonderfully gracious, geisha, sushi chef. Or an afternoon ceviche snack from fish, lobster, conch gathered by the guest on a dive guided by several Asian hostesses. We went snorkeling everyday for our ceviche ingredients while visiting Cuba. Great exercise, beautiful underwater vistas, and that hunter/gatherer feeling of accomplishment. How about an authentic Thai massage following this workout.
     Our orient lady (the vessel) could make use of some decorative themes of the orient. Many of their decorations are quite lightly weighted physically, in keeping with our lightweight vessel preferences. There are many beautiful nature and sea design themes from Japan, Thailand, Bali, just to name a few.
     An alternative embodiment might be more South Seas oriented. The vessel might assume the role of a mobile, floating Swiss Family Robinson tree house, wandering around the islands of the world. Her crow's nest (the watch tower), her expansive deck and trampoline areas (the beach), and any number of places to hang hammocks, certainly help qualify her.
     The Asian charter client will more likely be attracted to the oriental theme'd vessel, while the American or European could be equally attracted to either. I think all the clients would be willing to pay a premium for this specialized service.
     Let your imagination wander, then contact us directly for individual requirements, or questions.

     First Hand Experience. Intrigued by any of those discussions above? What you really should do is take a sample trip, a first hand experience. We would recommend this particularly for those sportfishing gentleman who question a sailing craft's capability to big-game fish, and/or those who want to sort out their individual desires for such a custom boat design.

RunningTideYachts, Ltd
runningtideyachts@gmail.com