Luxury yacht pays visit

The sailing yacht Perseus, which has been anchored outside the reef at various locations around Rarotonga for the past several days, is awaiting its Irish owner to jet in and join the vessel’s nine crewmembers before it sails on, first to Aitutaki and then to Mangaia for the July 11 solar eclipse.
The 50-metre ketch, which is registered in the Isle of Man, arrived off our shores last week but could only spend a limited time at Avatiu wharf because its mast is too tall, according to current Cook Islands aviation regulations.
The American captain, Aaron Abramowitz, said the vessel’s current world tour, which began late last year and will end early in early 2011 in Japan. The Perseus arrived from Tahiti, where it spent several months experiencing the lifestyle of French Polynesia. After the Cook Islands, other ports of call will include New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam and China.
Abramowitz said that there are very few jobs in the world that allow you to experience what he and his crew have seen while still being paid.
“It’s a great job, but it’s very much a lifestyle,” he said. “You either love doing this or you don’t There really isn’t much of a middle ground with what we do.”
He says that it helps that the yacht’s owner is a good boss who treats his employees well. The owner, who flies his own planes, joins the vessel from time to time in different locales but, for the most part, the crew is on its own while moving the Perseus to its next destination.
That’s why it’s so nice to meet up with family members on a regular basis.
“I was just home in the States not too long ago,” said Abramowitz. “And then my family was with me in Tahiti for a couple weeks. But we do have times where the trips are a little bit longer and we don’t get to see our families as often.”
Abramowitz said it was early days yet to comment on Rarotonga but he’d enjoyed Tahiti, and was very impressed with two Tahitian men who were employed to help with maintenance duties.
The yacht is in immaculate shape, as you’d expect when there’s a boatswain in charge of polishing the decks and chrome work from Monday to Friday whenever the owner or guests are expected. The three female crewmembers, known in ship parlance as stewardesses, clean the interior while also providing laundry services for everyone onboard. The routine differs when the Perseus is at sea.
“The only thing we’re worried about at sea is going from Point A to Point B,” said Abramowitz. “And getting there safely. On long trips, it’s a much different lifestyle.”
The yacht’s crew includes Joe Costa, a classically-trained chef who serves up five-star meals to guests and crew alike. That’s crucial because, according to Abramowitz, good food is key to keeping a crew happy. The vessel’s owner understands this concept and doesn’t scrimp on the food budget.
“We eat very well,” said Abramowitz.
The captain says the yacht was registered in the Isle of Man because this self-governing British Crown dependency offers favourable terms and reasonable fees. This is especially important given that the yacht’s price tag falls between US$25 million and $50 million. The current owner is the vessel’s second since it was launched in 2001 by the Italian company Perini Navi. Each owner has embarked on a world tour.
The yacht is at times available for charter, with costs starting at US$170,000 per week. It is completely automated and has all the mod-cons and such leisure equipment as water skis, scuba gear and surfboards, all of which the crew knows how to use.
When asked whether they had experienced much in the way of bad weather during the tour, Abramowitz said they do their best to avoid the worst Mother Nature has too offer because the vessel is too costly to risk any storm damage.
Every 10 years, maritime safety regulations require a superyacht like the Perseus to be dry-docked and stripped to its nuts and bolts and refitted and refurbished, a process that takes about eight months.
But that work is still months away. In the meantime, the crew is working hard at enjoying Rarotonga. When they’re not cleaning and polishing, that is.

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