Dream Yacht Charter is wrapping up a busy 2019 with forecasts of an equally ambitious year ahead, the results of a $165 million investment, according to company founder and CEO Loïc Bonnet.
In 2019, the company added 228 boats to its worldwide fleet. Of the 59 delivered in the last three months of the year, 44 will be located at bases in the Caribbean and in Nassau, Bahamas. The number includes five of the new Sun Loft 47 monocats, a unique new charter sailboat that includes accommodations for up to 12 guests, and which is a designed by Jeanneau and architect Philippe Briand to introduce a younger audience to affordable sailing vacations.
Already for 2020, the company expects to add another 195 yachts, with 112 of them coming in the first six months of the year. The company says 85 new yachts will hail from bases in the Mediterranean, and the fleet will include five power cats, from 36 to 47 feet, from builders such as Aquila, Bali, Nautitech and Fountaine Pajot.
Bonnet said the Caribbean and Med remain key areas of growth. But, he adds, exotic locations continue to draw vacationers to bases in Asia and the Indian Ocean. All told, Dream has some 1,250 yachts in 64 bases worldwide. Recently added destinations include Newport, Rhode Island and Lake Champlain in Vermont; La Rochelle and Lorient in France; and Stavanger, Norway.
The new Sun Loft being introduced by Dream is one of the more purpose-built sailboats to come along recently. The 46-foot monhull features six cabins—two in the bow; two amidship, essentially replacing the saloon; and two in the stern—and four heads. The idea is you go below to sleep, but living takes place topsides under an expanded dodger and hardtop bimini that has a center section that opens. The cockpit includes two tables and benches that convert into a sunbathing area, aft of the twin wheels. There is, of course, a large fold-down swim platform.
The outdoor galley includes four refrigerators, a gas stove and plancha, and the boats are equipped with a booming 600-watt sound system. Can we agree it’s one heck of a party platform? In addition to the five Sun Lofts destined for the Caribbean, another 25 are on order for the first six months of next year.
