WildCat up for sale
The WildCat’s owners, brothers Edward and William Lawrence, say the pressures of their other business interests, coupled with the departure of the boat’s captain, make it an opportune time to sell.
The high-speed catamaran has been recently been fitted with two new C-18 Caterpillar diesel engines, each rated at 875 horsepower, that can propel the WildCat along at a velocity of up to 45 knots (53 miles per hour).
It has been taking boatloads of cruisers on two-hour circumnavigations of Bermuda for nearly seven years.
William Lawrence said: “Between us, my brother and I have a lot of irons in the fire, including a boatyard and a roofing firm. We lost Mark Boden, a Bermudian who was captain of the WildCat for three years and has now emigrated to Canada. And our tour guide left as well.
“So now the boat is going to take up a lot of our time and it seemed like a good time to sell it.”
Mr. Lawrence used to drive on the tours himself, an experience he enjoyed.
“It’s been fun to have been captain and tour guide — I guess I’ve been around the Island 50 times,” Mr. Lawrence said. “There’s nothing quite like a ride around Bermuda on the WildCat, there’s no better tour anywhere.”
He said the tour had great appeal for many locals, as well as visitors, and the buyer would be taking on a healthy tour business.
The WildCat suffered mechanical problems in the past that took it off the water for months in 2004, but Mr. Lawrence said that problem had been rectified.
He did not reveal an asking price for the 48-foot boat, but said it was in better condition than ever before, after a recent revamp.
“The problem we had before was that the engines weren’t big enough,” Mr. Lawrence said. “But we have changed the boat mechanically and now she has engines that have more torque.”
The boat is fitted with new seating for 50 passengers, safety gear, VHF radio, “chart-plotter” and depth sounder. An advert posted in yesterday’s Royal Gazette stated the port engine was at 406 hours and the starboard engine at 731 hours.
For more information, Mr. Lawrence can be contacted at wal[AT]northrock.bm or on 534-9599.
