This team building floats

SITTING PRETTY: Newport-based 12 Meter Charters Inc.'s prized vessel Columbia sails by Clingstone in Narragansett Bay near Jamestown. / COURTESY 12 METER CHARTERS INC.
SITTING PRETTY: Newport-based 12 Meter Charters Inc.'s prized vessel Columbia sails by Clingstone in Narragansett Bay near Jamestown. / COURTESY 12 METER CHARTERS INC.

Kevin Hegarty loves being out on the water, so about 12 years ago he decided to take what he loves and make it into a business.

12 Meter Charters Inc., owned by Hegarty and Eli Massar, is a yacht charter company based in Newport that mostly sails the waters of Narragansett Bay and Block Island.

“I thought it would be great for more people to get out on a boat,” said Hegarty, remembering back to when he started the business in 2003.

12 Meter Charters is currently ranked No. 1 of 19 boat tours and water sports in Newport on the travel-guide website TripAdvisor Inc. Hegarty says the listing is nice, but he evaluates much of his success based on the amount of repeat customers he’s received year after year.

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“We have a lot of return customers because once they come out they fall in love with the experience,” Hegarty said.

The company offers a variety of services, from corporate outings to individual ticket sales. Hegarty says businesses come to 12 Meter Charters because they offer a host of team-building exercises, including races between boats that can hold 12-13 people each.

“Personally, I feel, that if you have a golf outing for your company, they are going to leave in groups of four and then you aren’t going to talk to anyone else for four or five hours,” Hegarty said. “The racing is an experience where [co-workers] are more together.”

12 Meter also charters its boats for racing events along the Eastern Seaboard, including events in New York and Nantucket each year. Like many other businesses, 12 Meter’s sales fell during the economic recession of 2008, but Hegarty says it’s rebounded nicely and that tourism seems to be growing in Rhode Island.

“We’re doing ticketed sales per person and those sales have been up,” Hegarty said.

The price of corporate outings and chartered sails fluctuate depending on the season, but the company does sunset excursions for those interested in going out for a two-hour sail. The outing costs $73 per person, with various deals for children.

The yacht charter business is seasonal and the last outing for 12 Meter Charter’s is Oct. 29. Afterward, the boats are taken apart for maintenance and then the company usually shuts down for a month before gearing up for an April reopening.

Running an April through October enterprise is challenging at times, Hegarty admitted, because “you only have so much time to make the business work.” But the offseason does allow his team to regroup and recharge.

Hegarty says he still enjoys seeing the thrill others get on the water.

“Once the engine goes off and they begin to take it all in, they love it,” he said. “They say it’s one of the best experiences they’ve ever had.” •

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