Superyacht SuRi: A Photographer Explores the Caribbean

“No thanks!” was my initial reply when a colleague asked if I wanted to cover a three-week photo shoot aboard a megayacht. It would run right through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, when my grown kids would be visiting, a rare occurrence nowadays. I had never been on a job for that long and didn’t have much info on the itinerary or what the charterer was looking for. The boat however, looked pretty amazing and when I told my family of the job and of my response, I was peppered with comments including: “Are you crazy?! This is a chance of a lifetime. You have to do it. Don’t worry about us.” With full support from my personal crew, I called back and accepted the job.

M/Y SuRi is a 208-foot converted open-deck crabber built in 1978 by Mississippi’s Halter Marine. During several refits, SuRi was transformed from the crabber to a shadow yacht and then into an exquisite seven-cabin superyacht. Major modifications included slicing her in half amidship to add nearly 33 feet of length, allowing for a huge garage for water toys (including everything you could think of, even a sea plane), helicopter pad, observation deck, additional staterooms, crew quarters and an outdoor cigar lounge, to name a few. Today, she boasts a pair of 1,800-horsepower MG engines that can push her to 12 knots with a range of 7800 nautical miles at even slower speeds. With the pedigree of tackling the northwest oceans to globe-trotting the corners of the earth, SuRi is a solid, earth-exploring platform.

I met SuRi in Grenada, a few days into their charter, but still with a lot of time to go. It took some time to find my way around the yacht, but the captain helped direct me to the crew mess for my first stop to meet everyone and learn the ropes. This is when I learned what a well-oiled operation this ship was, as it should be with a crew of nineteen and a few extras like me, a masseuse, pilot and a personal trainer. The two chefs were seemingly busy around the clock creating fascinating meals for the guests and hearty food for the crew, too. I would lose no weight on this job.

I unpacked my camera gear quickly in my crew quarters as I was immediately pressed into action, assigned to capture the pirate-themed dinner party for the 12 guests. The stews decorated the dining table in the glass-enclosed aft deck with gold coins, mini treasure chests and other pirate booty. It was a fun way to get my feet wet with everyone aboard. Later, lying at anchor in the inky blackness of the night, I was cautiously optimistic as to what the next weeks would hold.

I settled into a routine pretty quickly, showing up on the bridge around 6:30 each morning after cruising overnight, finding out from the captain which harbor we were slipping into and getting an idea of the itinerary for the day. These were highly active charter guests we had aboard. This was also the time to grab some magical blue-hour photos. Cruising the eastern Caribbean with the islands to starboard created dramatic sunrises over the archipelago.

Over my three weeks, SuRi was to transit the Caribbean, stopping for a day or two in the hot spots and some quieter harbors: Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Martin, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and a few others. And let me state: If you have never been to any of these rocks, you need to go. The plush landscape, jutting mountains, glass-clear water and favorable weather are all key draws, barring a hurricane. I fell in love with the scenery, the people and the lifestyle.

My perspective was different from the typical tourist. While vacationing on the islands, people generally lie on the sand and look out upon the vastness of the sea. While wielding my lens, I could consume the vast topography, watch the sun’s beams rise above the mountains, smell the sweetness of the native fruits and flowers wafting over the open water, catch the screeching of local birds, feel the dew and taste the richness of the air—at times, a sensory overload.

At first light, I was schooled on many things. One is that the crew gets up exceptionally early to prep the yacht—every day. Four tenders had to be lifted from the decks and gingerly placed alongside. An oversized inflatable dock was hung off the swim platform to allow easy and safe access to the many water toys. One crewperson had to clear customs at each location, speeding off to get the paperwork completed. From my perch on the upper aft landing deck, it was like watching a flurry of ants, all knowing what had to be done and where they had to be. On a yacht of this size, things are expected and protocols must be followed—particularly where safety is concerned.

So, I mentioned the water toys, right? Well, if you took a poll to determine which yacht out there has the most water toys, SuRiwould undoubtedly be at the top of the list. If you want to be on the water, below or over the water, this yacht delivers. That massive garage, which takes up about two-thirds of SuRi’s main deck, is there for a reason. Within, just about every water toy imaginable—including the aforementioned plane (yes, I’ll get to that)—has a place to be stored safely and securely.

How many toys are we talking about? SuRi carries four tenders: a 37 CC Intrepid to move guests to/from shore, a BRIG 26-foot inflatable, which also carries guests, a 22-foot Mastercraft for skiing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing and pretty much any activity that needs a tow rig, a 23-foot Munson Landing Craft, perfect for moving crew, guest and gear to the beach, and the designated workhorse for getting everything to and from shore for private-beach barbecue dinners and lastly, there’s the only vessel you hope to NOT have to ride aboard: a DSB rescue tender for those times when things aren’t going well.

When you feel like getting some exercise and don’t want to use the full lower-deck gym, guests can hop on one of the four kayaks, a paddleboard (there are six), Heritage row boats (two) or the inflatable trampoline. For more adventure, there are two Yamaha Superjet skis, four regular Yamaha jet skis, two electric foil boards and two Seabobs. There’s also a complete Nitrox dive system to support the scuba units. And even though there’s a certified dive instructor on board and several crew who dive and accompany the guests, SuRi usually hires one or two local divers who can take guests to the best locations. Want to snorkel? You and nine friends can all go together.

Filling out the rest of the gear garage are several towable inflatables, kite boards, Hobie Cat sailing craft and nine surfboards. Have a hankering to wet a line? There’s over a dozen rod and reel setups.

Now, about that seaplane. Voted as the favorite “toy” onboard by the crew is the ICON A5 amphibious seaplane. This two-seater, light-sport aircraft has a single 100-horsepower, aft-facing engine, and foldable wings that allow for compact storage. Guests skim across the surface for takeoff and landing and take in the views over quaint towns or reef-lined shores. It’s pretty unbelievable.

Aboard such a large charter, I was running around all day, every day, capturing land excursions that included hiking, touring, city walks and stopping in local dives serving the day’s catch and of course, conch prepared a dozen different ways. Capturing those expeditions kept me busy with underwater videos and action shots. From waterfalls to scenic overlooks to photographing the volcanic remains on the island of Montserrat by helicopter (it’s still releasing steam), to incredible sunsets, there was plenty to do. But for guests, there was also plenty of time to do nothing at all.

This article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.

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Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/megayachts/superyacht-suri-a-photographer-explores-the-caribbean