Sailing in style

ANN/THE STAR – While most watercraft serve functional roles like transportation, fishing, and military operations, throughout history, a distinct category of pleasure crafts has emerged, designed exclusively for leisure and relaxation.

Tracing its origins to ancient civilisations, the concept of specialised leisure boats has persisted, allowing individuals to embark on serene trips and enjoy leisurely water escapades.

In the 1600s, a pivotal moment in maritime history unfolded with the introduction of the earliest recorded luxury yacht. This illustrious vessel was commissioned by King James I of England for his son, Prince Henry, offering a glimpse into opulent seafaring lifestyles.

Subsequently, as global harmony and economic prosperity flourished, a myriad of luxurious yachts graced the world’s waters, symbolising the synergy between affluence and maritime elegance.

“Few pleasures are more worth it, to be out at sea on a calm day, land many nautical miles away and yet have five-star luxury on board,” said businessman Lai Kong Hooi, who owns a 20-metre (m) x4m yacht, the SeaQueen Stephanie.

In 2019, Lai and a partner decided to indulge in their dream and bought the yacht for USD750,000 (MYR3.43 million).

She was built in the United Kingdom in 2007, equipped with twin engines that churn out about 900 horsepower each, giving the yacht a maximum speed of 30 knots.

The first sign of uncommon luxury might be said to be evident on the foredeck.

This is the place to be when any large boat you are on is cruising placidly on a calm sea, providing you with a pleasant wind as you watch the bow slice through the water.

In the case of the SeaQueen Stephanie, the centre of the foredeck has two thick pieces of cushion that combine to make up the square footage almost equal to a queen-size bed.

If you are in the mood for getting a sun tan, such a foredeck is the place to be.

And if the sun gets too hot for comfort, it’s time to venture onto the yacht’s roofed quarter deck, which has the skipper’s navigational console and several large cushioned couches for passengers to lounge in while enjoying the journey.

The best parts of the SeaQueen Stephanie, though, are inside, beginning with the main cabin, more properly termed the saloon.

These are the interior social quarters. They are air-conditioned, lined with lush carpets, accoutred with plush couches and even a karaoke set with a large LED TV.

A larger and somewhat more ornate version of the skipper’s navigational console is also found in the saloon, to be used during stormy weather.

Off to one side is a stairwell leading down to the lower deck.

The stairs end at the galley – shipping term for the kitchen – which sports a quartz counter top holding built-in induction stove and sink.

There is a conventional oven for baking and roasting, a two-door refrigerator big enough to service a medium-size family, and a line of more than 10 cabinet shelves and drawers to store supplies and all your cooking needs.

On the potable water supply, SeaQueen Stephanie skipper Arizam Osman, who has been a seaman for 15 years, said the yacht carries a 750-litre tank for it.

“From experience, this is enough for a small group of people on two days of open sea travel without returning to shore,” he added.

For visualisation, that breaks down to four large pails of water for each person if there were 10 souls on board.

But Lai said he was content to cruise around Penang with his wife and children and sometimes to Kedah’s Pulau Songsong, a tiny island with a cluster of islets about 40 kilometres (km) north of where the SeaQueen Stephanie is usually berthed at Straits Quay in Tanjung Tokong, Penang.

“Life is all about appreciating different perspectives, and you have to try looking at Penang while out at sea to really fall in love with the place.

“From the sea, Penang island looks like one big hill and only small portions of the island are inhabited.

“And wait till you travel below the two bridges of Penang. You will see just how large they are and realise that they are engineering marvels,” Lai enthused.

Back in the yacht, the lower deck galley leads to four doors.

The smallest door leads to the toilet and shower room and as with all water closets on vessels, this one is cramped but in a cosy sort of way.

Anyone who has never showered or answered the call of nature in a vessel will find operating the water closet of a yacht to be an experience, right down to how the shower doors are closed to stop the water from flowing out onto the deck.

The three doors from the galley lead to two staterooms and a cabin, called bedrooms back on land.

The staterooms sport a luxuriant queen-sized bed each while the cabin provides two bunk beds.

The master stateroom – separate water closet attached – is located in the aft (rear) of the lower deck, where the yacht’s heaving when anchored is least felt, and it has a settee and a writing desk illuminated with large portholes.

When Lai first bought the SeaQueen Stephanie, it was for his own self-actualisation to indulge in a love for boating he had harboured for decades before achieving success in his businesses.

It naturally became the focal point of his social life.

“When good friends wanted to celebrate their birthdays, I invited them to hold the party onM my yacht.

“We all had many happy memories of such celebrations,” he said.

Off the southeast corner of Penang island is a small uninhabited isle called Pulau Rimau.

Lai likes anchoring at a sheltered corner between Pulau Rimau and Penang island and when he visited Pulau Rimau, he was dismayed to realise that the tide had washed up a good deal of rubbish onto the isle’s beach.

“So I gathered up many friends and we went together and did a gotong-royong clean-up. It was so much fun and so satisfying that I did it many times with many friends,” he said.

Gradually, friends began imploring him for the use of his yacht for myriad celebratory events and that eventually led to propositions to hire his yacht and crew.

Not one to ignore an entrepreneurial opportunity, Lai responded to the demand by getting a passenger certificate. “I’ll admit it’s expensive to own a yacht. Maintaining a crew costs about MYR10,000 a month. The marina dock rental and charges are over MYR3,000 a month.

“And there are myriad maintenance costs that I never have the time to sum up,” he said, adding that his crew comprise the skipper, a greaser (onboard mechanic), and a deck hand.

“So now my yacht is business mixed with pleasure,” he laughed. – Arnold Loh