DC4MS

Lady Quintess – Miami Tour

I was very fortunate to be invited aboard the Lady Quintess for a cocktail cruise around Miami during a picture perfect afternoon on Friday, April 4th. The weather, but the way, was a warn 86 degrees and there was a blue sky with a slight breeze form the east.

Lady Quintess, is a 2005 Viking Sport Cruiser 70’ Motor Yacht with four bedrooms and three bathrooms that was recently added to the Quintess, LRW collection of member properties and was docked at the Sunset Harbor Yacht Club in Miami Beach.

When I arrived at the valet parking, I was immediately greeted by Ian Welch, the Quintess southeast membership director, who walked my wife and I down the picturesque walkway to the area where the yacht was docked. We were then greeted by Bob, the boat manager and James, the captain.

My first impression of the yacht was…..”wow!” However, I couldn’t believe how much larger (and nicer) the yacht looked in person than it does in the pictures on the Quintess website. I am not sure if it is the angle of the photos or lack of scale in the pictures, but this is one seriously large vessel and most photographers would have to break out their widest angle lens to capture this yacht in all its beauty. I found some better photos of a similar yacht on the Viking website and even found a wonderful video of the yacht.

We boarded the starboard side of the yacht and proceeded into the air conditioned main deck galley and salon area where we were greeted with a fine selection of drinks from Cheryl, the first mate. The kitchen area had a galley with bar, granite counter tops, teak and holly floors, sub-zero mini-freezer, full size refrigerator, dishwasher, four-burner stove and U-shaped dinette that had two large plates of Joe’s Stone Crab waiting for us. As a side note, Joe’s Stone Crab is World Famous and represents a true South Florida delicacy.

Bob then escorted us on a tour of the four multi-level staterooms and three private bathrooms. The first room I saw was at the bow of the yacht at the bottom of a row of a short staircase and I actually mistook it for the master suite as it was extremely elegant and welcoming. The quality of the teak furnishings and attention to detail were very apparent everywhere and the yacht appeared in mint-condition. I was then informed by Bob that this was actually the forward VIP in-suite stateroom with private head (bathroom/shower). Putting on my best poker face, I nodded and pretended that I knew the difference between a VIP stateroom and master stateroom.

We then walked down another short set of stairs and saw a small bedroom on the port side with two bunkbeds that would easily satisfy two kids and would even be fine for some college-aged guests. This bedroom shared the head with the other guest room across the hall on the starboard side that was significantly larger, but not quite as large as the VIP stateroom. The starboard stateroom would easily accommodate most couples and had what appeared to be a Queen sized bed.

Walking towards the back of the yacht we finally entered the master stateroom and it really knocks your socks off when you enter. Well, actually, we had to take our shoes and socks off before we boarded the yacht, but you get the message. The master bedroom occupies the entire beam (width) of the yacht and would be very comfortable to spend some quite time on just about any length of your voyage. The room had a television, sitting areas, huge walk in head and shower area, multiple closets and plush carpeting. In fact, it even smelled nice and was decorated extremely well. One dramatic feature of the master stateroom was the multiple set of water line windows that offer a unique view of the sea.

All in all, this yacht can easily sleep eight people very comfortably. Bob then escorted us back into the galley and up a spiral set of stairs to the flybridge deck and we were introduced to Ben Addoms, Executive VP and Founder of Quintess. Several other Quintess members were on the deck enjoying cocktails and watching a few porpoises swimming a few hundred yards west of the dock.

Ben spent quite a bit of time talking with us about Quintess, LRW, the club philosophy and some of his favorite locations where Quintess has properties. Ben indicated that Quintess is doing extremely well during these turbulent financial times and his goal is to continue to add new properties and destinations to keep up with member demand. He indicated that Quintess prefers to build their own homes as they can save 25% as compared to buying a new home from a developer and they get exactly the configuration of the homes they want, especially ones with two master suites.

I was amazed to hear Ben tell us about a $9 million dollar unsolicited offer they received for their Aspen house (they are not selling) and how several other of their flagship properties have greatly increased in value since they were purchased. Ben feels safer investing in quality homes in quality locations and wants to avoid buying properties in condominium or shared use buildings with non-Quintess members.

Ben also explained to me their justification for buying a depreciating, high maintenance asset like a yacht. He stated that this was an unusual purchase for Quintess as compared to their investments in high quality real estate and does not make financial sense, but it was something the members were very interested in obtaining. He stated that the $2,000 per day surcharge on top deducting one allocated membership days for each night spent on the yacht was only being used to recoup the losses incurred with operating such a high expense item. Members are also charged for the fuel used during the trips (approximately 80 gallons per hour at full speed), docking fees (up to $200 or more per night depending on the marina) and for provisioning (food/drink) the yacht. He further explained that even with these fees, a Qunitess member will still save about 50% as compared to the total cost of chartering a similar yacht from a yacht broker.

Lady Quintess will be located in three main areas and the schedule will change depending on member requests. The current scheduled ports of call will be spring in Miami, early summer in Annapolis, late summer in Hyannis, fall in Annapolis, and winter in Miami. They are even planning on a few trips to the Bahamas as most islands can be reached within a day or two from their Miami base. Members can reserve the yacht for 3 days, 4 days, or 7 total days of use.

Once everybody on board was introduced, the captain gingerly guided the yacht out of the marina for a incredible tour of Biscayne Bay, Star Island, Fisher Island, South Beach, and the downtown Miami areas. The captain even piloted the yacht towards Hibiscus island to view the Quintess property located on the extreme west end - Villa Patricia, a four bedroom 5,000 square foot mansion with an private dock and unobstructed view of the Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Some of the guests even came out to wave to us on the yacht. Once again, I was struck with an incredible satisfaction of their choice in home locations and the pictures on their web site really doesn’t do this home any justice as the best view would be a photo from the backyard looking out towards a sunset over Biscayne Bay with the Lady Quintess cruising by..….priceless.

For anyone who does not possess a good set of sea legs, I can honestly say that the ride was incredibly smooth and stable and none of the guests exhibited any signs of sea sickness. In fact, several members sat inside the galley and feasted on Joe’s Stone Crabs and drinking margaritas. The captain was extremely skillful in piloting the yacht and had some help with the detailed computer instrumentation, GPS maps, and ship controls that made me feel very safe while cruising at speeds up to 35 knots.

As we headed back to the Sunset Harbor Yacht Club, everyone was duly impressed and I overheard several members trying to determine what weeks they wanted to book their own private trips aboard the yacht. During the tour, I spoke with every Quintess member that attended and each one beamed with pride as they revealed to me all the fantastic vacations they took to various Quintess destinations and how much their vacation lives have improved as a result of joining a Destination Club. All of the members I spoke with felt that Quintess over delivered on their commitment to them since they joined the club. One member even joked, using his imitation Charles Heston voice, that the only way he would ever give up his membership in Quintess was when they pry it from his cold dead hands.

Kagehitokiri

i believe VIP refers to the forward stateroom

thumbs up

very nice

that seems very unlikely to me

DC4MS

Someone PMed me about the typical fuel consumption of Lady Quintess, so I called James Nobel, Director of Marketing for Viking Sport Cruisers, who surprised me by saying he already read this review.

I asked James what typical fuel consumption charges of a 70’ foot Viking Sport Cruiser would be and he said that it is almost impossible to estimate as it is dependent on two major factors – how fast you travel and how long you maintain that speed. Lady Quintess has a Displacement of approximately 92,570 pounds (42,000 kilos) which is equivalent to the combined weight of 21 Mercedes-Benz S550 automobiles.

He pointed me to the MAN Engines web site to look up the performance data for a MAN V12-1360 diesel engine (fancy mechanic speak for a 12 cylinder engine with 1,360 horse power) and reminded me that the yacht was equipped with two engines.

According to the charts, the fuel consumption ranges from 9 gallons per hour (1000 RPM) to 70 gallons per hour (2300 RPM) per engine. Thus, the yacht burns between 18 and 140 gallons per hour.

Diesel fuel costs about $4 per gallon, thus the fuel consumption is between $72-560 per hour depending on how fast you want to travel.

Steamboat Bill

Here is a cool way to transport a yacht from South Florida to the Mediterranean and back to take advantage of the prime seasons.

Transportation is not cheap, but the cost could be pro-rated and absorbed by members that want to visit those European destinations.

Watch the animated video as the process is very creative.

Yacht Delivery, Yacht Transport