WORLD With reports this month on a new charter option for Exploring FarFlung Destinations, our tips on Special Event Charters, an ER doc's advice on Preparing for Medical Emergencies, and Charter Notes. A Longtime Career of Chartering Out on the Fringes We don't often profile individual charter skippers, but Alain Desmot is in no way typical. He's logged 350,000 sea miles, including three circumnavigations, and has skippered or crewed aboard everything from megayachts to cargo ships — and he speaks four languages. During his visit to the Bay late last summer, we learned that he'd recently completed a stint as fleet manager for a prestigious yacht management firm in Monaco. That sounded like good duty to us, but apparently Alain couldn't wait to get back out on the water again doing what he loves best: working as a charter skipper and introducing a wide range of clients to the joys of vacationing under sail. What sets Alain — and his longtime partner Christine — apart from other career charter operators is that they specialize in far-flung destinations where few, if any, other charter options are offered. For example, with their previous boat, Miz Mae, they spent three years doing 'adventure charters' in Vanuatu half of each year, and during the cyclone season you could find them in New Zealand, their de facto home base. Not only do Alain and Christine enjoy the cultural richness of off-the-beaten-track places like Vanuatu, but they are both avid
COURTESY ROCKET SCIENCE
Blasting across San Francisco Bay on a stiff breeze, 'Rocket Science' struts her stuff. Below decks, she's bright, airy and comfortable.
divers. And, of course, the less-traveled destinations tend to have the most pristine underwater realms. Having recently purchased a sexy new ride named Rocket Science here on the West Coast, they are now headed back to the watery playgrounds of the Pacific where their charter offerings may be more exotic than ever. We say that because Rocket Science, a custom-built Riptide 55, designed by Paul Bieker and built of carbon fiber, is as fast as she is sleek, and goes upwind like a freight train. With her light weight and 54 feet of waterline, she easily surfs at 10 to 14 knots. Through Alain and Christine's longtime West Coast charter brokerage, Ocean Voyages of Sausalito, Rocket Science is being offered for adventure charters virtually anywhere in the South or North Pacific. As Ocean Voyages owner Mary Crowley explains, "I always advise people to take their time during charters. There's no reason to be in paradise and be in a rush to get to the next place. But with the speed of this boat it's possible to see two or three island groups in a single charter." Rocket Science was built as a "very high performance racer/cruiser" with a water ballasting system that, when loaded, is like having 10 husky crewmen riding the rail. So, needless to say, she is very stable even in nasty weather. She can sleep six comfortably, and her airy interior is comfortable and modern throughout. Her aft cockpit design gives her plenty of open deck space, and an ingenious hideaway dinghy 'garage' keeps her decks free of clutter during passages. Alain explained. "I'm excited to get back out to the Pacific again, and I'm completely open to clients' fantasies. We're more than willing to go to new destinations or return to those we know well." Their ideal clients, it seems, would be those interested in taking the helm of a true performance yacht and learning the subtleties of trimming her to her top potential. Also, those who yearn to explore remote, unspoiled regions of the Pacific Basin away from typical tourist meccas. For sailors who would love nothing more than to explore the Pacific in their own boat, but can't handle the time commitment, a few weeks or more aboard
Rocket Science would be a worthwhile compromise. When we chatted with Alain a few months ago, he and Christine were in the process of bringing the boat south from Alaska, where they'd bought her. After a little exploring along the Central American coast, they plan to cross to the Marquesas, Tuamotus, and Society Islands, then head west to the Cook Islands, Tonga and wherever charter requests take them — including the remote islands of Indonesia and Micronesia, and possibly even to Japan and China. With a dive compressor and a full complement of dive gear on board, Rocket Science is ideally suited to sail and dive charters, and we'll bet she'll book a lot of them in famous underwater wonderlands like Palau. It's remarkable to us that after more than 25 years of meeting the needs of charter guests and private yacht owners, Alain and Christine still haven't tired of playing host and hostess. "No, we always enjoy getting to know new people," says Alain. "When guests come on board, they can do whatever they want. We just want them to enjoy themselves and learn some new things about sailing and the oceans, so that when they return home they'll
