Sea captains are never short of a fishy tale or two, but skipper-to-the-stars James Ballard has more than most. Many salty sea-dog yarns revolve around battling the cruel elements, ending up in the drink or, in fact, too much drink. But James’s are altogether more unusual and provide a snapshot of the lives of the rich and famous.
And now, after decades sailing all over the world , he is settling down on land to launch an online shop and is ready to spill the beans. Among his stranger experiences were getting a private performance from Sir Rod Stewart , Robert De Niro helming the boat, and tracking down tins of caviar for a musician’s dog. We have all seen the likes of David and Victoria Beckham , reality star Kylie Jenner , Leonardo DiCaprio and billionaire Jeff Bezos enjoying lives of luxury aboard yachts and superyachts.
And for 18 of his 25 years at sea, James has captained such vessels, catering to the whims of billionaires, bankers, movie and pop stars, and royal families. He says such guests had “ Beyonce levels of wealth” and would spend £1.1million a week chartering the yacht and another £100,000 on food and drink.
“I’ve been asked for a certain year of Don Julio tequila that was really rare and around £700 each. We bought every bottle worldwide. “We’d often put orders of over £343,000 in for wine, that would cover a few months.
Some of the bottles were £5,000 each.” James and the crew did not just sort out food and drink. “One guest saw a.