Some of us see this scene and think of a beauty pointing at a beast and asking: “Are times changing for the worse?” You see here a classic, svelte Luders 16-foot sailboat pointing at a modern, stout 130-foot luxury charter yacht. And the situation is foggy, to say the least.
Curiously, the owners of these vessels named them similarly, revealing vastly different perspectives on the same subject: The sailboat is named FROLIC; the yacht’s moniker is KING OF FUN. They were in Great Cove over the weekend during the 41st annual Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. (FROLIC is a resident, the KING was visiting.)
The KING was positioned near the finish line of the Regatta, showing his unflattering rear to viewers trying to see the sleek racers as they came in. I believe that this was the KING’s first visit to the Cove and his appearance has become a catalyst for debate about recent trends in recreational seafaring.
Concern about those trends has been festering here since Maine was discovered by the operators of large cruise ships that can dump great multitudes of tourists into a small town on one visit. Bad as they are, these cruise ships do bring some local economic benefit, and they have many ordinary admirers who consider them to be affordable, floating resorts that provide fun and maybe romance.
You have to wonder about the benefits of the luxury charter yachts, even when they’re made in the U.S. They’re usually chartered by one person or a small number of people; they’re getting bigger and bigger, and they’re coming here more and more, despite the rising prices of fuel.
A concern is that the increase in these luxury charter yachts is an augury of even more influxes of desperately rich people who seem to need a great deal of attention. They also may be part of a more general increase in coarseness in America’s lifestyle, language and leadership. Have we devolved into a world where it’s fashionable to flaunt wealth and deny the truth?
Let’s take a closer look at the KING, based on a quick internet search. First, his transom homeport designation says only “Falmouth,” which might make a Mainer think of the historic Maine coastal town near Portland. Well, the KING’s actual throne is in Falmouth, Jamaica, home of many commercial luxury yachts, some of hard-to-detect ownership. Nonetheless, the KING apparently was built in Anacortes, Washington, and has had at least one refitting in Belfast, Maine.
The KING’s 130-foot length means that he’s at least two standard city buses long. Such combined buses can transport up to 160 passengers, according to available statistics. The KING “offers guest accommodation for up to 10 guests in 5 suites comprising a master suite located on the main deck, one VIP cabin, two double cabins and one twin cabin,” according to her charter website.
Those 10 (or fewer) guests of the KING are offered, among many others, the following amenities: an exterior bar; sun deck; outdoor cinema; Wi-Fi, swimming platform; deck jacuzzi, spa; gym, air conditioning, barbeque equipment, and a Portuguese bridge (protected walkway around the boat). Want to live it up? All of this and more is available to you at a mere $120,000 per month.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 2 and 1, 2026.)