Built and sold for over £3 million in 2014, she spectacularly lost her keel and sank off the coast of Spain in 2015. Now she is being offered for charter at £1 million. That is quite something for an Oyster 825 that started sailing as Polina Star III and is now happily sailing the oceans as Champagne Hippy
Currently in the ownership of brothers James and Nick Barke, whose boat sales and charter organisation: Boats.co.uk is headquartered in Essex, the idea of an extreme 1 million pound charter was sparked as they discovered their own love of “real sailing” in December 2019. They took part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, (ARC) racing from Grand Canaria to St Lucia in Champagne Hippy accompanied by World Champion sailor, Alex Alley and five other crew. They completed the transatlantic passage in just 15 days, crossing the finishing line in 13th overall and the first Oyster to finish.
It was during their time on board, crossing the Atlantic, that they came up, with their idea for a holiday of a lifetime with a £1 million price tag!
On what could probably be one of the most extraordinary opportunities for those looking for a charter holiday like no other; the brothers are offering a one year global adventure for the charterer and up to 7 other guests circumnavigating the world in the safety and luxury on this crewed 25 metre sailing yacht.
They have designed a charter opportunity that could match the dreams of those adventurous people who have always wanted to sail around the world. For cruising travellers who have a bucket list of long-desired locations and an ambition to take the trip of a lifetime.
Having spent 12 weeks lying on the sea bed the boat was lifted and her wreck was the subject of an in depth investigation into how and why she sank. During the process the Oyster Yachts the builders went into liquidation.
The wrecked vessel was acquired by the Barke brothers earlier last year and they set to work with their shipwrights and engineers to rebuild and completely refurbish her using a talented team at their extensive Essex boatyard facility.
Category Zero
Importantly, some would say essentially, the yacht has been upgraded to comply with the Marine Coastguard Agency (MCA) Stability Category 0, the highest level of coding provided by the MCA. To achieve this coding the yacht has undergone stringent build and design requirements and its equipment and general fit-out have met the demanding levels needed for this category status. To maintain this compliance code the boat will be surveyed regularly and manned by personnel who hold specific, certified, compliance levels allowing them to operate a Category 0 yacht.
This means Champagne Hippy is ready to take anyone, anywhere in world with the confidence they have a fully compliant vessel and a 2 person crew.
The Oyster 825 a high performance yacht from highly respected British builder and designer. A powerful yacht with a clean, easily driven hull by Humphreys Yacht Design with styling and engineering from the Oyster Design team, the 825 can easily achieve 250 miles per day on long passages.
Guests can choose
Depending on choice of voyage and ports there may be many legs to the cruise – visiting the Monaco Grand Prix, the Grand Canal of Venice, traverse the Panama Canal, exploring the Galapagos, eating lobster at anchor in a quiet bay in New Zealand, even the most experienced yachtsman will be pleased to be in the safe and capable hands of Champagne Hippy and her crew.
Guests can choose to join the crew in sailing this ocean thoroughbred, with electric winches, sail controls, and auto-pilot systems, boat handling is exhilarating fun or if they prefer, they can simply lay back on a sun lounger, take in the sea air and watch the dolphins.
With comfortable accommodation for eight guests, the year can be spent catching up with loved ones, treating friends and family to a series of breaks or meeting like-minded explorers, as you make your way around the world at your own pace.
The charter can accommodate any lifelong passions and interests you may have- from the Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago to exploring the Norwegian Fjords, we are set up to make it happen for our charterer.
Experienced crew
For the new charter offering Champagne Hippy will have a crew of 2; Captain Dudley, a highly experienced and qualified skipper who encourages guests to take the ropes as much, or as little as they wish and his partner, award winning Chef Samantha. Sam loves to use local, fresh produce to serve up a wonderful repertoire of simply delicious dishes and if guests enjoy cooking themselves, Sam can introduce them to artisan food markets and local suppliers.
To provide a taste of what they could experience the company filmed a video of Champagne Hippy which can be found below
Both Dudley and Sam have grown up on the water and have sailed around the world and explored many exotic destinations. They bring a lifetimes experience of sailing the world’s oceans to Champagne Hippy ensuring her guests can enjoy an exceptional journey whether they are experienced yachtsmen or enthusiastic extreme adventurers.
With many years of experience dealing with boats, the brothers have put together a team of sailing experts, crew, seasoned travellers and well connected connoisseurs who will help to build a year long itinerary, completely tailored to our guests requirements.”
While the crew attends to every need on-board, they are supported by a remote concierge team back in the UK who can open doors to some of the world’s most exclusive restaurants and VIP experiences creating the voyage around any event, commitment or celebration.
There is an undeniable spirit of adventure that is endemic aboard Champagne Hippy, where anything is possible. Simply discovering that feeling of complete freedom of the world’s oceans is life changing, Boats.co.uk has created simply the most memorable experience available for world charter and it all starts in 2022.