Bikini boat: Entrepreneur takes new tack on chartering
By IBI Magazine
An entrepreneur in Newport, Rhode Island, has started a charter business that features exotic dancers. Calling itself "Model Cruises," the boat's owners expect to make their maiden voyage on June 1. The company's website advertises the US$200 hour-long charter as "Sexy times on private yachts." In Newport, known more for its America's Cup racing yachts and the manicured New York Yacht Club overlooking the harbor, this type of business has never been seen. It would seem more at home in Miami Beach. The business does seem to have a slightly seedy edge. Clients are only given the location of the boat after they pay their fee, and on board, they are given four US$25 tokens for dances. Newport city officials are trying to determine if the party boat violates any local or state laws, and so far, they seem to be coming up empty-handed. The owners don't sell alcohol, so they require no special permits other than a charter operator's license. "Think of it as a normal charter boat, but with bikinis," one of the owners, asking to be identified only as "John" told the East Bay Newspaper chain. "It's really all just marketing," he said. With Rhode Island's unemployment rate now at 11 per cent, one of the highest in the US, exotic dancing has become a growth industry. A local club recently had a "job fair." According to the Providence Journal, it attracted over 200 applicants.
(22 May 2009)
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