The well-known tour boat MV Bermuda Longtail has come under new ownership.

The 65-foot-catamaran was bought by the husband-and-wife team of Percy and Deborah Smith and is now operating under their firm Perrah Yacht Charters Ltd.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been involved in the boating business for almost 20 years. They were first with Salt Kettle Yacht Charters Ltd. before striking out on their own with a series of sailboats.

The MV Bermuda Longtail was put up for sale by tender in March by former operator and holding company Yoshi Corporation president David Durham after he received a number of inquiries from people who were interested in purchasing the vessel.

The Smiths took over full operation of the vessel in May and have enjoyed a "great'' first summer, said Mr. Smith. He declined to reveal how much they paid for the business.

Captain Steven (Cooky) Brown, the former skipper of the MV Bermuda Longtail , stayed with his charge during the sale of the vessel along with instructor Tami Ray.

MV Bermuda Longtail sold MV Bermuda Longtail sold They were joined by the Smith's son Percy Jr. and Brian Talbot on board the boat while Mrs. Smith runs the office with assistance from her daughter Monique Smith and Janelle John.

The MV Bermuda Longtail operated a number of snorkelling trips for visiting cruise ships but 75 to 80 percent of the firm's business was generated by local clientele, noted Capt. Brown.

"We do a number of private charters for weddings, birthdays, schools, churches and companies,'' he said.

Mrs. Smith added: "We have a broad range of passengers -- pre-schoolers to pensioners and anything in between. We take pride in continuing the former owner's tradition of striving to be Bermuda's number one party boat.'' But the new owners will also be seeking to highlight the boat's versatility.

"We are a one of a kind boat,'' noted Mrs. Smith. "We are in a class all of our own. We have a lot of space and can be easily converted to suit everyone's needs.'' Capt. Brown added: "We are a big, small boat. We can go into places and do things that big boats and small boats cannot do themselves. We are unique.'' And the owners have a few ideas of their own which they will be bringing on line in the future to tap into the boat's versatility and the charter market but until then they are a secret.

Mr. Smith said: "We have plenty of individual ideas we'll be tapping into in the future.'' Capt. Brown added: "We are currently negotiating with several people for next year but we do not want to let the cat out of the bag just yet.'' One idea the new owners have introduced already is a Flashback cruise.

Mrs. Smith said: "It has been very popular and has the potential to grow.

It's a cruise for the more mature crowd and we just play music from the 70s and 80s.'' The new owners have also invested in the boat with a new sound system from Great Sound, new marine electronics from Auto Marine Services and Anfossi Ltd.

and new all weather curtains from So What, which have made the boat truly capable of operating all year round. "The season is not over for us,'' noted Mr. Smith. "We have new all weather curtains so throughout the winter the boat will be warm, safe and dry.'' Capt. Brown added: "We will now be able to run in any type of weather, as long as there is no name to the wind.'' During the winter season the Smiths will also be trying to give back to the public by offering the boat for a minimum fee to organisations and individuals looking to raise money for needy causes.

Mrs. Smith said: "We will allow people to rent the boat for a bare, minimum fee. All they have to do is get their support behind them and sell the tickets for their cruise. The money they make from the tickets will all go to them.

We'll just charge for the fuel.'' Perrah Yacht Charters have had two such benefit cruises already which have proven very successful.

Anyone looking for more information about the MV Bermuda Longtail and Perrah Yacht Charters can contact Mr. and Mrs. Smith at 296-5263 or perrah y northrock.bm.