Out of the blue it seems I’ve found a new pastime while hanging out in the gotham den. Over the past few days a particular “boat” captured my attention as it glided up and down the Hudson with an occasional stop or turn. With my binoculars focused, I found my “boat” is a yacht named Utopia II.
So curiosity got the best of me and off to google I went searching for more info. Results: Lives in Miami, a face-lift (3.5 million) over the past few years, for sale (only 6.2 million), but also available for charter. No details on how much it is to charter, but I guess if you have to ask you can’t afford it, right?
Last month we were on a boat for a wedding. It ‘circled’ the lower half of Manhattan. It was called The Romantica. What a lovely ride in the evening it was. He ‘parked’ by the Statue Of Liberty at sunset; gorgeous!!
The UTOPIA II is a 116′ Feadship, launched in Aalsmeer, Holland (as the JARDELL), in 1970. I was a Steward on the boat for three years, from it’s maiden voyage to the Mediterranean and subsequent trip across the Atlantic to it’s new home port in Fort Lauderdale. We spent the winter seasons in the Virgin Islands and summers in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
Most yachts today tend to look like an athletic shoe, bloated to maximize interior space. The UTOPIA II (JARDELL) has more classic lines and was designed to be a family boat, as opposed to one used for corporate entertaining. The interior is quite beautiful, with hand crafted cherry paneling in the main salon, dining salon and the forward den. There are three staterooms below, with the owner’s stateroom being full-width. Each of the staterooms has an ensuite bathroom.
The UTOPIA II left New York today, bound for it’s winter home in Florida. You can track boats online these days and, at 3:30 am, I just located the UTOPIA II off of Cape May, NJ. These passages are usually made without any guests on board and they were my favorite times on the boat. I loved going to the top deck late at night. When the sky is clear, the view of the stars is astonishing, stretching from horizon to horizon. To the extent to which we can have feelings for inanimate objects, I have great affection for that 45 year old hunk of steel. It carried me safely across oceans to many beautiful places.