Helium Report recently discovered a yacht company, Skylla Club, which offers a unique brand of round-the-world, expedition yachting. Skylla is a yacht share club aimed at the passionate traveler who enjoys diving, hiking and exploring remote locations.

Club Membership

Skylla Club has a unique membership structure based on a five-year sailing journey. Members pay $180,000 for a five-year period. This entitles the member and one guest to five annual excursions on Skylla’s mega catamaran. There are 18 planned excursions each year and 54 memberships still available for purchase. Skylla’s two co-founders will be planning the itineraries each year and accompanying you on board the yacht.

On-Board Accommodations

The yacht comes equipped with a captain, personal chef, fine linens and bath products, on-deck hot tub, kayaks, dive gear, underwater imaging equipment and a motor boat for shoreline access.

One feature that sets Skylla apart is the yacht choice – a 70 ft. mega catamaran. Skylla claims that the catamaran is a better choice than a single-hull yacht for the following reasons:

1. Comfort: two hulls mean more stability – no heeling back and forth (this means a more comfortable ride and less likelihood of seasickness)
2. Space: the French catamaran, designed by Yacht Industries, has a wider design for more deck and cabin space than a comparable single-hull boat
3. Speed: Skylla’s catamaran is 20% faster than a single-hull boat of the same size
4. Access: the boat’s shallow draft allows it to sail or anchor closer to the coastline

Your Share of a Share

An important point to note is that a share of this yacht only buys you one of the three cabins on board. The yacht sails with a total of six passengers aboard – three members and their guests. So you and your spouse would be sailing the open seas with two other couples. The three master suites share common space such as the sundeck, kitchen and bar. The club seems to promote a group travel environment where you get to know other members during the journey.

While some members may enjoy the social aspect of Skylla’s model, others might prefer a more private vacation. In that case, you can reserve the entire yacht by purchasing three shares or by trading shares with other members.

Cocktail Party Trivia

The name Skylla comes from ancient Greek mythology. As you may recall from high school English class, in Homer’s Odyssey, Skylla was one of two sea monsters who sat on either side of a narrow channel of water. Odysseus successfully navigates his ship between the two but Skylla, with her six long necks, vicious teeth and fish tail, devours six of his men in the process.

If your sailing adventure somehow leads to man-eating sea monsters, we offer this advice: hide below deck while the six-headed monster eats those two other couples.