By Simon Gonzalez
Staff Writer
When the Island Heiress cruised up the Cape Fear River and docked in Wilmington last fall, the stay was supposed to be brief. Yet the 145-foot luxury motor yacht remains on the outside dock at Port City Marina, and the large vessel has become an unofficial tourist attraction in the northern end of downtown.
“She is a magnificent boat,” said John Gaffley, one of Island Heiress’s two captains.
Classified as a mega or super yacht, the tri-deck craft’s onboard features include a 30-foot inflatable water slide, a Jacuzzi tub, and four WaveRunners. There are accommodations for 12 guests in six staterooms, and space for 10 crewmembers.
The Island Heiress was built by Cheoy Lee Yachts in 1996 and refitted in 2014 and 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Replacement value is $25 million, yatco.com estimates.
Owner Robert Hansen originally brought the boat to Wilmington in November 2015, to celebrate the birthday of his daughter, a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Gaffley said he was impressed with the facilities and prices at Port City Marina, and decided to leave her here for updates and repairs.
“It was very well priced and a really nice facility, close to downtown amenities and everything we needed to make repairs and get everything going,” Gaffley said.
The work includes a total overhaul of the air conditioning system. Gaffley said everything should be completed within a month or two.
“At times, some things need to be addressed or freshened up,” said Gaffley, who is overseeing the work while the boat is at the dock. “Because of the type of clientele that we service, we don’t take any chances with things like that. If we spring a couple of leaks then we replace the whole system, to make sure someone’s dream holiday is not spoiled due to A/C.”
When the work is finished, Island Heiress will sail to the Bahamas, where she will be available with prices starting at $115,000 a week.
“The goal is for her to be a charter vessel in the Bahamas,” Gaffley said. “She’s been earmarked for a new career.”
The time — and money — in Wilmington have been well spent, so much so that Gaffley would recommend the city to others.
“If more people were aware of Port City Marina they would go there in a heartbeat,” he said. “For the boater who keeps their vessel going back and forth between New England or the Northeast and Fort Lauderdale, I think Wilmington is a great alternative if all they are going to do is send their boat away from the cold and snow in the winter. We’ve had a lovely winter season here. It’s been temperate for the most part.”
Port City Marina is part of the growth of the northern end of downtown. The area includes Pier 33, a 27,000-square-foot concrete pier that will be the largest concert venue in Wilmington, two restaurants that are under construction and scheduled to open this summer, two hotels, an apartment building and other housing.
Hansen, the owner of the Island Heiress, also was the head of the HMS Bounty Organization LLC, which owned the tall ship Bounty, a replica of the original 18th-century British navy vessel that was built for the 1962 film “Mutiny on the Bounty.” The Bounty sank off the coast of North Carolina on Oct. 29, 2012, when it sailed into the path of Hurricane Sandy. Crewmember Claudene Christian was killed, and ship captain Robin Walbridge is still missing and presumed dead.
