First Impression: Titan XIV

Date toured: June 2008

I felt darn lucky to finally get onboard the custom-built, 115-foot sailing yacht Titan XIV. I’ve been hearing about her for years, but her appearance at the annual, industry-only charter show in Newport, Rhode Island, was the first she’s made in quite some time—because when other boat shows have taken place, she’s been out on charter. The yacht typically does 10 to 12 weeks of charter a year, making her one of the busiest large, crewed sailing yachts in the world. All the crew have been working onboard for at least a year, and a good number of the charter clients are repeat customers. A well-oiled program, indeed.
     And a nice yacht, to boot. She was built in 1994 specifically for charter use in the Caribbean, with a large, covered outdoor seating area and open deck with multiple lounging and dining spaces. Her first name was Mayreau, and her second owner called her Helios. She became Titan XIV when the current owner bought her in 2002. That’s when Capt. Peter Pexton (husband of management company Bartram & Brakenhoff’s charter broker Pila Pexton) came aboard and began developing the yacht’s current reputation as a well-respected charter vessel.
     “She’s an excellent family boat,” Capt. Pexton told me, “but she also works well for couples. You can configure the cabins with separate twin beds or push them together as kings. Plus, the boat was built for charter, so we have all the space and toys you could want.”
     That list of toys is extensive for a sailing yacht. It includes a dinghy for water-skiing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding, and tubing; a windsurfer; two ocean kayaks; two Laser sailing dinghies; fishing gear; snorkeling equipment; and a pair of mountain bikes. And when your muscles need some soothing after all that outdoor fun, Titan XIV has a four-person hot tub on her foredeck as well as a projection movie screen with TXH sound in the main saloon.
     There are five cabins for 10 guests. One is a large master, and the other four are virtually identical. One interesting note about the master (see photo at right) is that it has a queen-size bed plus wide bench seating on both sides of the bed that could be used as a sleeping space for a child. (The owner’s wife apparently loves to nap there.) The décor throughout the yacht is traditional, with some gorgeous flame mahogany in the master cabin.
     Titan XIV is going to call Newport home until the end of July, when she will cruise to Maine for her nearly fully booked summer charter season. As of the end of June, she had just one last summer week available, in September.
     This winter, she’s heading back to the Caribbean to cruise everywhere from the Virgin Islands to the Grenadines, without a single base of operations. “I think we went to every island in the entire chain last year,” as Capt. Pexton says.
     The yacht’s weekly base rate is $70,000. Contact any reputable charter broker if you want to get one of those coveted remaining weeks onboard this busy charter yacht.—Kim Kavin