Yacht
The thing about older yachts is that they have a great deal of charm, but were built for a time when people were a whole lot different.

Practically speaking, this means that onboard a yacht like Lady Elizabeth, you’ll find gorgeous, classic woodworking and décor, but amenities that may seem old-fashioned compared with their cousins onboard newer yachts. For instance, Lady Elizabeth has an actual swim ladder that you climb down the stern to get to the water, as compared with newer yachts whose swim platforms are accessible by wide, easy-to-navigate stairs. If your goal is to sit on the shaded aft deck and watch America’s Cup races, it’s a great design. If you want to go snorkeling, it takes a little getting used to.

Still, water-access issues are of little consequence in a place like New England, where the waters are typically too chilly to swim in anyway. That’s where we chartered, and we found it downright delightful to have everyone in every harbor asking us about our classic motoryacht.

It seems good styling is one thing that will never go out of fashion.

Crew
Mike and Trini Smith are fun-loving boaters who take great pleasure in welcoming guests aboard as if the yacht were their own home. (Well, it is their home, actually, as they live aboard, but you get the point about hospitality.) 

The crew member who’s most memorable, though, has to be their tiny Yorkshire terrier, Desdemona. She weighs in at no more than five pounds, yet makes her way around the boat as if she were a burly, fearless sailor. We loved sitting with her on the pilothouse bench just as much as we enjoyed watching her peek through the yacht’s hawseholes in search of dolphins.

We only wonder what she would’ve done had she actually seen one…

Chef
Nicole Gemereux is one of two freelance chefs that the Nesbitts intend to work with onboard Lady Elizabeth. We found her easy to get along with, as she adapted her style to whatever we desired on any given day. Her meals are made from basic ingredients prepared in fresh, tasty ways.

A typical three-course meal included:

• Cream of asparagus soup
• Filet mignon with roasted parsley potatoes and asparagus
• Chocolate fondue with Grand Marnier sweet bread and skewered fruits for dipping

That chocolate fondue was good, but our favorite sweet treat was a concoction Nicole whipped up after divining the idea in her head. She whisked together 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, a half cup of sour cream, three tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, a half cup of sugar, and three tablespoons of almond extract. Then she threw in some sliced berries and froze the whole mixture for about two hours.

It was like eating an ice cream/gelato mixture, with the crunchy frozen berries for texture. Delightful!

Accommodations
All the guest cabins are on Lady Elizabeth’s bottom deck, with the master all the way aft (with a king-size bed) and the two other guest cabins forward (each with queen-size beds). All have en suite bathrooms, with a tub/shower combination in the master and single showers in the twin staterooms.

Taller adults may be uncomfortable in the twin beds and smallish showers, but shorter adults and children will be just fine.

Destination
New England has long been a favored cruising destination, and though we were on the southern edge of it, we still enjoyed the feeling of classic cruising in yesteryear style.

Our favorite stop was at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, where Lady Elizabeth fit right in among the historic yachts on exhibit in the harbor. It’s a terrific place for families to stay, both because of the exhibits at the sprawling seaport itself and because of the nearby town, which offers boutiques, restaurants, and live music in a couple of the bars.

Especially if you’re cruising with kids, it’s a must-see destination.