The Lagoon 625 takes me, Ann E, back to “The Day”. It was the 1980’s, and yacht charter in the Virgin Islands was super busy and exciting. I had the good fortune to land a job and a new career in charter yachting, which meant that I was faced with new trials. Learning to sail (!), and better still, learning to cook on a heeling sailboat underway, both a challenge and a sheer delight!
The friendships I developed at that time are still strong. Yacht crew back then had a certain joie de vivre, a passion for adventure. We worked hard, and when in port, took advantage of the rare free time to…well…party!
Ted Irwin was a yacht builder ahead of his time. He designed the Irwin 65 and 68 models especially for charter, with three or four en suite cabins, equal in size and comfort. Good crew quarters. A really decent galley, a bar, and even laundry! The 68’s were really fancy, designed with a Jacuzzi, and a drop-down transom with a storage “garage” to boot! The fleet worked.
Fast forward to 2015. Interestingly, many of the Irwin fleets are still hard at it, with a loyal clientele and very successful owner/operators. Two of my favorites are Drumbeat I and Sublime, with the salt of the earth crew who love what they do with an emphasis on fun in every charter!
But, what will replace the Irwin fleet? They stopped making them 20 years ago! Well, anyone active in the world of yacht charters needs only look around. My decree? The Lagoon 620 is the new Irwin! About three years ago we had maybe three chartering out of the US and the British Virgin Islands. I blinked, and now there are so many.
Some of my favorite 620s: