A First Class Holiday Surprise

By Captain Bill Jennings

This could possibly be the best kept secret in the world of vacation boat charters. What active boater hasn’t thought about the lifestyle of the rich and famous, cruising their fully equipped yacht in a world class holiday location? Dreaming about this lifestyle and actually living it, are two different things – or are they? Thanks to the popularity of yacht rental programs in Europe, there has been a North American effort to make available a number of capable cruising yachts with all the bells and whistles, but at an affordable cost.

I took one such 42 foot charter yacht made by ‘Le Boat’, for a cruise on the Trent Canal in Ontario and was blown away by the value that it provided. Surprisingly, for less than the cost of an all inclusive tropical vacation, you can take your entire family, or another couple for a full holiday on the water, driving this boat. If you have never tried to rent a yacht for a holiday, you may wonder how this is even possible, let alone affordable. Let me explain. It begins with the design and construction of a yacht that will not be expensive to operate and maintain. A small but reliable diesel engine. One motor, not two or more. Cabinets and interior fixtures that are durable and practical. An electrical power selection that works just like what you have at home, so you don’t have to memorize a 500 page manual to operate it. While the boat may not be designed for a storm in the North Sea, it is built to easily handle most water applications. For added protection, a large rubber fender runs around the entire exterior of the hull.

Now you may be thinking that these charter boats must come “bare bones”, and you will need to bring a truckload of personal amenities. Not so! All of the Horizon ‘Le Boats’ include a fully equipped kitchen, with full sized fridge, back up fridge, large sink with hot water, microwave, barbecue, first aid kit, plus a gas stove with oven. It even comes with all the utensils needed to use these appliances to prepare hearty meals. While this was a nice surprise, it was the inclusion of further amenities that really surprised me. These included drip free air vents on the hatches, double seat helm, air conditioning and heat, full width windshield, transom bike rack, heavy sliding glass doors and a battery pack so large you may think the boat to be electric. The full fly bridge and sun lounge completed the comparison to a high end yacht.

The important question that I hear most often when it comes to hiring any luxury yacht for a vacation is, “Will I be able to drive it safely?” The company providing Le Boat yachts to persons planning a special holiday have systems in place that make the answer to this question, “Yes”. I have already mentioned that these charter yachts are simple in design and operation. Driving procedures are the same. For example, docking is a breeze with bow thrusters both bow and stern. If you are not familiar with bow thrusters, they allow you to easily move the boat sideways in or out of a dock and even turn the boat 360 degrees in it’s own length. All persons taking a Le Boat trip are given a very reassuring familiarization ride before departing. On this ‘check ride’, any questions are answered and you take the controls, learning first hand the operation of the boat. When you are comfortable driving, you go.

Available sizes for Le Boat charter yachts are 37, 42 and 49 foot lengths. Our 42’ had three staterooms and three heads complete with showers. From our departing point outside Peterborough, Ontario, we motored westbound on the Trent Canal. The Le Boat hull is a full displacement hull and therefore does not plane. Forget about racing the guy beside you. I logged 12 mph as my top speed. One upside of this small, diesel motor, is that it is sturdy and easy on fuel. Also, everyone has the opportunity to view the wonders of the Trent. Take for example, the Peterborough lift locks. They were built in 1904 and are still the highest hydraulic lift locks in the world. Four large yachts can enter either of two giant water “tubs”. When one is in the high water position, the other sits at the lower water level. Then the giant seven and one half foot rams that support them go into action and move the boats a total of 65 feet to the opposite water level. There is no shortage of interesting stuff like this while riding along an historical canal in a LeBoat yacht. I believe that people who experience this holiday will want to immediately charter a Le Boat out of a second location in Smith Falls and do the famous Rideau Canal.

I have stated that Le Boat cruises can be an affordable vacation. It is difficult to be specific because there are numerous plans, but prices range from short term rentals to plans where you can actually own a boat on a contract that pays you back every single month. But for the 42’ that I drove, it was a ‘rent and drive’. A seven day high season rate is $6,249 and the shoulder season rate is $3,939. Now, divide that by six people to see how inexpensive per person, a Le Boat holiday can be.

A new agreement between Le Boat and Groupe Beneteau will see Europe’s largest boat rental company invest over £100 million into its international fleet over the next 10 years. Le Boat says that they will place an appropriate selection of these boats in exciting locations so that adventurous people can enjoy them. The 42’ that we drove on the Trent Canal, provided a top notch experience, and is priced to please almost everyone on their next vacation.