Charter Yacht SERENITY Wins Herman Pundt Award at 2023 Newport Charter Yacht Show

The Herman Pundt Best Yacht Hop Award Goes to SERENITY at this year’s Newport Charter Yacht Show.

The Newport Charter Yacht Show is held every year in June at the Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard in Newport, Rhode Island. At the event, charter yachts are displayed along with all the goods and services related to the charter industry, in addition to scheduled seminars, meetings, luncheons, and similar events. Organized specifically for professionals in the field, charter brokers and crew get together at the Newport Charter Yacht Show from far and wide.

At the awards ceremony at the end of the show, there is also a new tradition of announcing the winner of the Herman Pundt “Best Yacht Hop” award, dedicated to the late Herman Pundt, a former Denison charter yacht manager and broker, who sadly lost his battle with cancer in 2020. Pundt was known throughout the industry, especially for his immense, long-time support of and presence at the yearly Newport Charter Yacht Show.

Of the 14 charter yachts on display at the Newport Charter Yacht Show, two were Denison charter yachts SERENITY, a 133’ IAG, and LIQUID ASSET, a 66’ Azimut. Denison Charter Manager Allison Cecilio, who was in attendance at the show, beamed: “We could not have been prouder of the Denison charter yachts we had in the show. The yachts looked great, and it showed how hard the crews worked to make it to the show.”

According to Allison, this year’s show was a huge success. “On Tuesday, we arrived early to make sure the yachts were ready, and our first stop was LIQUID ASSET, since this was their first show. She is now nicknamed our ‘little gem’ and the crew are spectacular. They got an A on their assignment and had a full-on welcome spread waiting for the brokers to arrive. They had two specialty cocktails and appetizers each day, one for the morning and one for the afternoon. Both Captain Joey and Mate/Stew Ashley were all about hospitality and all the charter brokers were enthusiastic about her and their program. SERENITY was all set up and ready to welcome the brokers onboard. I must give special kudos to this crew that just had the owner and his ten guests onboard for two weeks which left them with two days to prepare for the show. They are rock stars and rose to the challenge.”

“Wednesday was a long day with a deliciously beautiful lunch onboard SERENITY with a last minute ‘Farm to Table’ fill-in chef that has signed on for the summer charters now. They went straight into their ’70s-themed Yacht Hop and everyone that came onboard said it was the best theme and party at the show. The crew were fully involved and got dressed up and made sure everyone was well looked-after and had fun!”

Thursday featured the AYCA seminar and the culmination of the show with the blowing of the horns, followed by the awards ceremony. Both Denison yachts were in full participation in almost all the competitions. The Herman Pundt Best Yacht Hop Award was presented to the crew of SERENITY. Alison was proud to say that “it was the best way to end the show; we were all thrilled that a Denison charter yacht won this special award that was put in place to honor one of the most enthusiastic charter managers in the industry.”

On behalf of SERENITY and her crew, Denison is proud to have received this great honor. We are looking forward to next year’s Newport Charter Yacht Show!

Interested in booking a charter for your next vacation? Contact a Denison charter broker for more information.

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