The Voyage of a Lifetime
Black boater finds out that his family’s pastime is actually his calling
The IAG 127, a prototype for the upcoming Chancellor 133 series of megayachts
By Jeff Hardy
When Denton Douglas came up with the idea to start his own yacht building company, it seemed like a natural fit right from the beginning.
The Jamaica-born, Howard University graduate has been around the water all of his life. Even his high school in St. Elizabeth, an enclave in the southwestern part of the island known for its deserted beaches, picturesque fishing villages and cascading waterfalls, sat on a hill overlooking the Caribbean Sea. All it took was a family trip to the Palm Beach International Boat Show for the stockbroker and wealth manager to find his true career.
“As soon as we got there, I knew that this was what I wanted to do,” he said. “And then I realized that no one looked like me – not one builder or broker at the entire show. To me, this meant that there was an opportunity for me.”
Douglas then embarked on a crash course on the yachting industry. He read every book and magazine that he could find. He studied the different yachts. He talked to manufacturers and spent as much time at shipyards and with brokers as they would allow. And now, a little more than five years later, he is owner and president of Chancellor Yachting Partners, a new build/refit, charter and brokerage firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
As a builder of megayachts, Chancellor is part of a very small community. Douglas is part of an even smaller community. He is one of few, if not the only, black owners of a luxury yacht building company in the country, and possibly the world.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the boatbuilding industry numbers about 1,100 establishments that build vessels of 40 feet or larger. The megayacht building industry is much smaller, with only about 15 firms that build boats of at least 75 feet in length, according to Tim Colton, a yacht industry expert who tracks the nation’s largest builders and operates shipbuildingindustry.com.
No one tracks the number of minority yacht builders, although none of the firms on Colton’s list are owned by minorities. Douglas is structuring his business to change that dynamic over time, not only through expanding access to yacht ownership and charters, but by creating opportunities for more people to become involved in the industry itself.
Increasing Access to Recreational Boating
“One of our goals is to make yachting more of an open sport, to give more people access and expose the myths: you’re going to lose money, the work begins the day you buy and all of that. The fact is, there are a lot of people who have boats and enjoy them every day,” he says. “And a lot of people, especially our young people, could build very rewarding careers in the industry if they were more exposed to it.”
As Douglas was compiling his industry research, he met Doug Hoogs, owner of Yacht Management Services in Fort Lauderdale. The two became fast friends and eventually partners.
Hoogs is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with more than 40 years in the business, including 25 as a licensed boat captain with experience piloting boats of up to 300 feet around the world and 17 years as owner of Yacht Management Services. He had more than four decades worth of contacts and he was willing to share them with Douglas. It was Hoogs who suggested that Chancellor establish a mission and plan to make the industry accessible to more people.
“From the earliest time in our relationship, I was impressed with Denton’s clear understanding of the yachting scene and culture,” Hoogs said. “I could tell that when he combined his business skills with the clientele and their lifestyle choices, something good would happen.”
The two talked about how to implement a “club method” for yachting that would remove many of the hassles of yacht ownership. They created the Chancellor Executive Club, which offers fractional ownership, supported by a fleet of yachts that are designed and built by Chancellor exclusively for club members.
“Denton is presently ready to launch this part of his enterprise and I’m sure we will soon see a new wealthy group of Americans with no former interest in the sea becoming yachting people,” Hoogs says. “And soon we will also see a growing fleet of motor yachts sailing under the Chancellor banner.”
Experience the Lifestyle Without All of the Expenses
Under the Executive Club, several parties share ownership of a yacht. The super yachts are designed and built exclusively for club members, right down to the monogrammed bed linens. Each owner has their own customized furnishings and each yacht is fully maintained and also crewed with multinational crews that are trained to provide Five-Star services to members and guests.
For those who are not quite ready for ownership, the Chancellor Charter division of the firm enables people to experience the lifestyle without the expense of purchasing their own luxury yacht. People can charter a vessel, with captain and crew, with global itineraries for destinations including the Mediterranean, the South Pacific, the Caribbean and the Pacific Northwest.
“The key thing is to make it more affordable. In the past, people who wanted to become a part of this lifestyle had two choices, yacht ownership or charter,” Douglas says. “Membership in our Executive Club introduces a new option in fractional ownership, whether you are new to yachting or simply want to upgrade to a larger vessel.”
The Chancellor-designed IAG 127, the prototype for the Chancellor 133 series of megayachts, was christened recently. The fiberglass tri-deck motor yacht, built by IAG Yachts in Zhuhai, China, is equipped with two Caterpillar C-32 Acert main engines, each rated at 1,800 mph with a maximum speed of 17 knots and a cruise speed of 14 knots. At 10 knots, it has a range of 3,000 nautical miles.
Exterior design features by Italian firm YD&AS include large windows surrounding the yacht, a large swim platform with hydraulic access to a spacious garage alongside wide decks throughout. The sun deck includes a Jacuzzi, sun pads, bar, sofa and a large al-fresco dining table.
The interior, also designed by YD&AS, features a linear scheme with light as the guideline. The state-of-the-art entertainment system includes a movie server, which provides full home entertainment in each cabin.
Over the last three years, Chancellor has also built or refitted more than a dozen yachts, ranging in size from 70 feet to 153 feet. Included in the Chancellor portfolio is the refit of the Argyle, a 153-foot aluminum vessel that is the world’s first wheelchair accessible yacht, Douglas and Hoogs said. The ship, designed and built in Viareggio, Italy, by Roberto Lottini, owner of Genesis Yachts, features a Ralph Lauren interior design with African mahogany throughout.
Currently on the drawing board is the Silver Sword, a 100-foot Quad-Deck motor yacht designed by Italian Luiz de Basto. Plans call for this vessel to be completed and ready for sale by the end of 2011.
The partners pride themselves on being able to build a brand that can walk their clients through the entire process of building or buying their own boat, or hiring a charter. They sit with the client and talk to them about everything from choosing the correct hull to being a good boater and making wise decisions, Douglas said.
“When we deliver a yacht, if it’s what they imagined it would be, we feel that we haven’t fulfilled our mission,” he says. “Everything that we do should go beyond anything our client could have imagined.”
Family Time on the Water
Douglas often thinks about that Sunday afternoon at the Palm Beach Boat Show and how it changed his life. At the time, he was owner of Chancellor Wealth Management and Mortgage Brokers, and was managing the firm’s North Palm Beach branch.
An avid golfer, he would meet his golfing buddies at the course most Sunday mornings, not returning home until mid-afternoon. With a wife and small children, and a busy work schedule, it became clear that he needed to find new hobby that his family could participate in with him.
“So, I started thinking about it. What else is there? There was really nothing else that compared to golf,” he says. “And when the Palm Beach International Boat Show cam around, I said, ‘You know what? Let’s just go.’ And that was it. Everything changed that day.”
Since that day, Douglas has turned his passion into a career that his family can enjoy. He is devising a plan to get more people involved in yachting – and recreational boating in general.
“Whether you’re on a yacht or in an outboard, you can reach some of the most beautiful spots on the earth in either one. There are so many waterways in the United States where you can get away and enjoy your family,” Douglas says. “It’s the absolute best activity for spending quality time with your family.”
