A superyacht once owned by New Zealand’s richest man has hit the market for sale.
Sea Breeze III is being sold by Kiwi entrepreneur Charlotte Devereux and her partner, former Team New Zealand grinder, Simon Greenwood.
The 32-metre-long vessel is the country’s largest charter yacht and can accommodate up to 12 guests in its six cabins.
Ray White Marine agent Al White, who is taking the boat to auction on June 21, says it “offers a mix of old-world charm and modern luxury”.
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The boat, which was built in Brisbane in the mid-1970s and originally christened Ulysses, has had several high-profile owners over the years, including Sea World developer Keith Williams, mining magnate Sir Leslie Thiess and Kiwi billionaire Graeme Hart.
Hart reportedly spent around $1.6 million upgrading the vessel after buying it from Thiess’ estate in the mid-1990s. He lengthened it to its current size, added a cockpit and flybridge, and refurbished the interior. More importantly, he changed the name to Sea Breeze III (he kept the name Ulysses for his latest superyacht, which has been undergoing sea trials in Norway).
The boat changed hands one more time before ending up with Devereux and Greenwood in 2019.
Love at first sight: Simon Greenwood and Charlotte Devereux on board the Sea Breeze III. Photo / Supplied
Inside the refurbished cabins. “I love textures and patterns, and I love the mid-century modern style," Devereux said. Photo / Supplied
At the time, Devereux and Greenwood had been looking for a project they could work on together. Devereux, who had experience restoring boats and hotels, was keen to tackle something grand and found the perfect subject in Sea Breeze III. “It was definitely love at first sight,” she told OneRoof.
The couple couldn’t attend the auction in person, instead watching it online from the hospital bedside of Devereux’s mother. The sale was a white-knuckle ride. “It felt like it went on for hours,” said Devereux. Upon winning, the pair celebrated with champagne in hospital paper cups, which Greenwood later joked might have been urine sample cups.
The pair spent more than $3m and two years upgrading the boat before relaunching it as part of their charter business Boutique Superyachts.
The refit work at Whangarei’s Oceania Marine Shipyards involved substantial structural alterations, including rebuilding the bridge deck so it could support up to 99 people.
The couple commuted to Whangarei for much of the refit and lived there for the final four months. Friends and family helped out with jobs such as sanding and painting.
The boat's gold-plated hand basins were restored to their original glory. Photo / Supplied
The boat's upgraded design is a mixture of old and new. Photo / Supplied
During the restoration, Devereux was in charge of the décor. “I didn’t want it to have the classic nautical look,” she told OneRoof. “I wanted something a little bit different.”
Devereux trawled local antique and junk shops for inspiration, reached out to international textile merchants, and worked hard to restore many of the boat’s original features, including the curved seats and gold-plated hand basins.
She chose a mid-century modern look, which paid homage to the vessel’s 1970s heritage. “But I didn’t stick to the rules. That was the fun part.”
The highlight for Devereux was the cabins. “I love textures and patterns, and I love the mid-century modern style. I was looking at bringing in those elements, but also working with what I had.”
The design incorporates some unique elements such as a melamine poker set, and carpets designed for Sea Breeze III and made from recycled fishing nets.
There were challenges with Covid when it came to ordering fabrics from overseas. Likewise, Italian light fittings that were supposed to take three months to arrive took nearly a year.
The boat can be chartered, for $2900 per hour. Photo / Supplied
Previous owner Graeme Hart, left, in 2021. He also carried out an expensive refit and changed the name of the boat from its original name, Ulysses. Photo / Getty Images
She admitted that the project nearly broke the pair. A month before the end of the refit, she wrote on Instagram that she and Greenwood were “probably very naive”. It was the first time the shipyard had seen a family working on their own superyacht.
In true Kiwi spirit, they completed the project in the nick of time, launching the boat just two days before their self-imposed deadline, the start of the 36th America’s Cup, in Auckland in 2021. The race marked the launch of the couple’s charter business and they worked with Kiwi chef Josh Emmett on the menu.
Boutique Superyachts has hosted a wide range of events over the past three years. In 2023, Sea Breeze III became a floating theatre, after it was taken over by a theatre troupe, which played out an immersive, murder mystery show called Butterfly Smokescreen.
Listing agent Al White said Sea Breeze III and Boutique Superyachts could be bought separately or together as a package. Currently, the vessel can be chartered for $2900 per hour.
White told OneRoof his instructions were to sell. “It’s a last hand up buys the boat scenario,” said White. “They’ve approached us as Ray White Marine to get it auctioned and sold.”
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Updated June 5 to show new auction date of June 21.
