Luxury yachts driving new market

Photo courtesy of Holly Anderson/VillageSoup.com

The Floridian, a 228-foot luxury yacht, is anchored just outside Camden Harbor earlier this month. The Floridian, one of the world's largest private yachts, includes a helicopter pad and a decompression chamber for divers.

Browne Trading Co. specializes in selling fresh seafood and caviar to restaurants all over the country through mail-order catalogs and a small retail store on Commercial Street in Portland.

Recently, though, the company has discovered a market for its high-end goods that's willing to come here to get them. Browne has ventured into supplying the megayachts that dock in Portland Harbor, according to marketing director Nick Branchina.

"It's explosively new, but it's a really great market," he said, adding that megayacht chefs often order larger quantities of more expensive items than typical boats.

Marina officials report anecdotally that megayachts, private boats over 85 feet long, have become an increasingly common sight in harbors up and down Maine's coast. The larger boats often demand more expensive and specialized services and supplies from local retailers, a trend that is boosting revenue, local business owners said.

While the overall number of yachts has stayed fairly stagnant, dock officials report seeing the same small population of yacht owners buy larger and larger boats.

"Ten years ago when I started at the marina, the largest size boats were around 110 to 120 feet long," said Chris DiMillo, who oversees DiMillo's Marina. "Boats are now easily upward of 180 to 200 feet."

The number of smaller yachts docked at Camden Harbor has fallen due to skyrocketing gas prices this year, but that hasn't stopped the wealthiest boaters from continuing to visit, said Camden Harbor Master Steve Pixley.

"They're thinking 'bigger and better,' " he said. "Unlike the rest of us, they've been getting richer every year."

Megayachts require extensive amenities such as large power generators and oil tanks dockside for refueling, so DiMillo's in Portland is one of the few marinas equipped to host them, said Capt. Kirk Thieme, head of the crew of the 100-foot yacht "Been There Done That."

"As the boats get bigger, it becomes harder and harder to find places that can accommodate them," Thieme said. "As nice as the area surrounding the port can be, if it's a hassle to stay there, it really discourages the owner from stopping there."

DiMillo's had its largest visitor ever over the past week, according to Sarah Foshay, marina manager. The 228-foot Floridian, considered to be one of the top 10 largest yachts in the world by Power and Motoryacht Magazine, has been spotted sailing up and down the Maine coast for the past two weeks. Complete with a helicopter pad, rooms for 12 guests and a decompression chamber for divers, the boat is owned by H. Wayne Huizenga, founder of Blockbuster Entertainment and owner of the Miami Dolphins football franchise, according to Forbes Magazine's Web site. Calls to Huizenga's press secretary were not returned.

The Floridian had its onboard helicopter taken to Portland International Jetport for maintenance work during its stay at DiMillo's, Foshay said.

Gregory Hughes, the jetport's marketing manager, would not comment on the type of work typically conducted on private aircraft but noted that having a private helicopter transported from a megayacht for work at the jetport is very uncommon.

"We haven't marketed our airport for that kind of thing," Hughes said. "It actually might not be such a bad idea because work like that is incredibly expensive."

However, Browne Trading Co. and other local firms said they've recently restructured their businesses and marketing strategies to appeal to the megayacht population, whose demands for services have become larger and more extravagant.

Megayachts have proven to be a great revenue boost for the White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, said Anita Taggersell, sales manager. Hinckley Yacht Services, a yacht service provider in Southwest Harbor, often refers people to the inn, where visitors can arrive by docking at its marina, she said.

Visitors to the dock are met by a personal concierge decked out in a tuxedo and offering champagne, fruit or anything the visitor requests, she said. People can either stay at the inn or one of three waterfront cottages, where nightly rates range from $540 to $1,290 per night.

"People like the fact that they can just dock on the marina and walk two-tenths of a mile to their suite," Taggersell said. "(Megayacht owners) perhaps just have higher expectations than traditional boaters, so giving the special extras is not out of the ordinary for us."

Because the access to the marina is located within the inn's gated compound, megayacht owners have given the inn repeat business since the inn began megayacht dockage this past winter, said Taggersell.

"There aren't many places along the coast that can offer these types of services or even just have the marina space for a 200-foot-long boat," Taggersell said. "We're one of the few who can, and it's been great for us."

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