Captain Ashley Oberholzer gives us a glimpse of sunny days spent chartering the 30 metre superyacht Lady Amanda…
First delivered in 2006, Couach superyacht Lady Amanda has just undergone a 2021 refit and is refreshed and ready to welcome charter guests back on board. She’s currently based in the yachting hotspot of Cannes among the many superyachts chartered by starlets and superstars, and will spend her charter season exploring the western Mediterranean.
Her captain knows the region better than most. British born but raised in France, Captain Oberholzer began his yachting career cruising the French Riviera on board his parent’s 20 metre yacht.
He’s since upgraded in size, captaining yachts measuring up to 60 metres and has now also become an expert water sports instructor when he’s not at the helm.
Designed by Exequiel Cano Lanza with interiors by Franck Reynaud, Lady Amanda can comfortably accommodate up to 10 guests in four spacious ensuite cabins.
The style on board is classic, with richly-coloured, glossy wood finishes and calming neutral soft furnishings interspersed with the occasional pop of marine blue. A standout feature is a large flybridge, with a hot tub and an al fresco dining space.
Where Lady Amanda really excels as a charter yacht though is with her toybox. “What sets her apart from other charter boats is the big water sports selection that we have on board. I don’t think there are many boats that have as many toys as we have,” says Captain Oberholzer.
Lady Amanda’s owner is a particularly keen watersports enthusiast, so this 30 metre superyacht has been stocked with a collection that could rival charter yachts of a much larger size.
Guests on board Lady Amanda can expect to find flyboards, electric surfboards, underwater and electric scooters, drones, an inflatable slide, a golfing green with biodegradable balls to swing off the yacht – and much more packed away in her toybox.
The captain’s personal favourite is the wake skate, a type of wakeboard which “feels like surfing” when taken out to play. As for guests, the SeaBob is a classic crowd-pleaser: “You give that to someone, and they are busy for hours having endless amounts of fun,” says Captain Oberholzer.
When not playing around in the water, guests on board Lady Amanda have the opportunity to explore beautiful destinations. Favourite cruising destinations of the Captain include the Italian island of Sardinia, which he describes as “quite beautiful” with “some incredible places to drop anchor and play.”
“But if I had the choice to take the boat somewhere it would probably be Greece just because I haven’t spent enough time there,” he adds.
The crew will also ensure that whatever guests desire can be accommodated while on board, from wildlife spotting and discovering new hidden bays, to filming fireworks with one of Lady Amanda’s drones. “There are not many requests that surprise me anymore, but we did end up following a pod of dolphins for hours off course off our itinerary which was quite interesting,” says Captain Oberholzer.
Lady Amanda is managed for charter by West Nautical with a weekly charter rate starting from €47,000. To keep up with modern yachting demands, Lady Amanda is now also accepting Bitcoin payment for charter fees.