Boats are a billionaire pursuit, but rigs can also be leased for parties, the weekend or quick jaunts.
Finance News : Any mention of yachts evokes images of the luxury boats owned by the wealthiest men in the world – the size of their ships directly proportional to the amount of money that’s spent on them. In that world, bigger is better; and around the globe, yachts have been a billionaire pursuit – from Aristotle Onassis’s 99-metre superyacht ‘Christina O’ to absconding billionaire Vijay Mallya’s 95-metre ‘Indian Empress’.
But what most may not know is that it’s possible to sail like a billionaire even if for a day or two because most owners lease their boats out when they aren’t using them. Case in point – can you rent ‘Ashena’ – a 45-metre superyacht with five cabins owned by Raymond’s boss Gautam Singhania? It’s possible if you cough up Rs 800,000 a day, and if that’s too steep for the wallet, there are other options that cater to every budget.
In the island metropolis of Mumbai, the business of boats is a less flashy affair with most owners being avid sailors as opposed to grandstanding tycoons who throw champagne parties for hundreds of people after an F1 race when docked in Monte Carlo or Barcelona. Which also means that ‘Ashena’ is an exception, and most of the boats range between 10 metres and 20 metres. A 20-metre boat can host a party for two dozen people with ease.
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These boats can be leased for an evening or a weekend from any one of the couple dozen companies such as Gateway Charters, Sailing Stuff and Yacht Charters India in Mumbai. The upside: it’s cheaper than shelling out a few lakhs for a ballroom at a five-star hotel in the city.
Aashim Mongia, managing director of West Coast Marine Yacht Services in Mumbai says that there are at least fifty professionals who own boats and many do lease them out. The average cost of renting a yacht hinges on size and ranges from between Rs 20,000 for a few hours to a million rupees, depending primarily on size and amenities. He points to two broad sets of clients – those who throw corporate events such as TCS or Axis Bank, or then as a celebration for their clients or themselves.
“We’ve had finance companies bring 25 top-end clients, and they use the boat and for around Rs 300,000 for 25 people in an ambience that is far more unique than anything on land. The only catch is that the gateway of India shuts at 11 pm, so you have to return by then,” Mongia says.
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