AN NJ-BASED LUXURY YACHT SETS SAIL FOR THE BAHAMAS

BY ERIK SCHONING • PHOTOS BY ROBERT NUZZIE

The first thing Charlie Cary will tell you about yacht ownership is that it takes a lot of work. Maintaining and staffing a yacht is no small task, but for the owner of Spirit, a 36-foot wide, 115-foot long Wave piercer, the work is always worth it once you step foot on deck. Today, Cary is prepping Spirit for a winter stint in the Bahamas, where he will offer day trips to vacationers looking for a taste of luxury on the high seas.

The son of an avid fisherman, Cary was practically raised on boats. A few years ago, he sold his PVC compounding company and pursued his lifelong dream of owning a yacht. After a year of substantial upgrades, overhauls, and day trips around the yacht’s home dock in Atlantic Highlands, Spirit is finally ready for a Caribbean adventure.
“I very much call it a 2005/2023 Wave piercer, because I’ve replaced nearly everything,” Cary said. “The motors have been rebuilt. The generators have been rebuilt. There’s a new power management system on the boat. Rugs, upholsteries, mattresses: you name it. This is essentially its maiden voyage. I’m very excited.”

From November through July, Spirit will be available for day trips as a charter boat in the Bahamas. According to Cary, most yachts of its size exclusively offer longer trips, so he sees Spirit as a uniquely luxurious and spacious experience for families, couples, and larger groups looking to spend a day out on the water. The yacht can accommodate up to 12 people on the water, with an additional 10 guests able to follow on the tender (the small service boat) and climb aboard after the yacht is anchored.

Spirit is a power catamaran boasting five staterooms in an open, breezy layout, a welcome departure from the often cramped and claustrophobic layout of narrower yachts. The flybridge has a stereo system and a full bar. There is a hot tub in the bow, and the rear of the yacht drops down into the water, offering a beach cabana club right on deck. Spirit is also loaded with what is, for many, the most important component of any day on a yacht: the toys.
“For a boat this size, you usually get one jet ski, maybe two,” Cary said. “We’ve got two jet skis, four Seabobs, two water scooters, and five paddle boards, and guests can go tubing or skiing off the back of the tender. There’s so much stuff to do. I’m also going to incorporate a driving range with biodegradable golf balls right off the back of the yacht.”

Working with his captain, Cary has come up with a dream itinerary for guests taking day trips on the yacht: a 10 a.m. departure followed by a four mile cruise out to Rose Island, a day on the water, and an evening return at 6 p.m. Because food is an integral part of the experience, he recruits talented chefs to design gourmet full day menus, featuring a continental breakfast and lunches of filet mignon and lobster tails, plus, of course, complimentary spirits.
The charter business is rooted in familiarity: people learn what they like and stick with it. As Spirit spends its first season in the Bahamas, Cary is looking to grow his customer base through referrals and spread the word about his seafaring gem. He’s hosted several summer events throughout New Jersey, and he is confident that anyone who spends time on board will be hooked.

“I think anyone who’s spent time on Spirit will say, ‘I don’t have to look around. I want Spirit. That’s the boat to be on.’ I think it will get a lot of traction from people who have been on the boat throughout the summer. Even people who have never seen it will surely become repeat clients after they’ve been on it once.”
Eventually, Cary is hoping to expand his fleet of yachts and potentially offer three-day trips from Tampa down to the Florida Keys. But for now, he knows he’s got a good thing going. For vacationers and resort devotees in the Bahamas, there is no shortage of ways to spend your days, but Cary is certain that a day aboard Spirit is bound to be one to remember

Spirit Yacht
spiritluxurycharters.com