CAROLINA SAILING
Alternatives to Sailboat Ownership in Charleston By Dan Dickison
A
lmost everyone has heard the term “time-share.” Back in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, that phrase was a buzzword, denoting a novel concept gaining popularity in the world of real estate. Fractional ownership, as it was also known, described a scenario wherein individual investors could secure partial title (and guaranteed use) of a particular property, usually a villa in some desirable destination like Hawaii or Hilton Head. The touted advantage was that you’d enjoy the cachet of property ownership without the hassles of maintenance and management. At least that was the sales pitch. Spin the calendar forward a few decades and a parallel concept began to take root in the boating world. It’s not exactly fractional ownership, but boat-sharing appears to be on the rise again, and it’s becoming more of an option for sailors and would-be sailors in the Carolina Low Country. In coastal South Carolina, there are three companies currently engaged in this business. Before you phone them
up, be forewarned that using the term “time-sharing” won’t endear you to the proprietors. Most of them prefer to characterize their offerings as club memberships. Here’s a brief overview of existing opportunities: Carefree Boat Club Nathan Gabriel owns the Carefree Boat Club (CBC) franchise, an outfit with two bases in Charleston, one just across the Ashley River from downtown at Ripley Light Marina, and the other up the Cooper River at Daniel Island Marina. Gabriel is an affable guy who opened his business here in the spring of 2009. He says he simply wants to see sailing grow in this area. In order to seed that growth, he quickly added two sailboats to his fleet, though he’ll readily admit that the firm’s bread and butter remains its stable of powerboats. “We’ve got 44 members at the moment,” he offers, “but just three of
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May 2011
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