Ted Conklin, owner of The American Hotel, sets sail with private yacht charters.
“I’ve always dreamed of chartering a classic Trumpy Yacht, and after a career of 18-hour days at The American Hotel, I decided it was about time,” says owner Ted Conklin, who has helmed the landmark hotel for over 40 years. The Long Island native grew up sailing sloops and always associated old-world elegance with Trumpy Yachts, a limited run of wooden ships built by John Trumpy & Sons in Annapolis from the late ’40s to the early ’70s, each with the company’s signature gold filigree T on the hull. After purchasing America in 2008, Conklin joined such esteemed names as Guggenheim, Chrysler, DuPont, and Dodge, all past Trumpy owners.
The 75-foot America was originally built in 1965 for James L. Knight, a newspaper publisher and noted philanthropist. Beautifully maintained over the years, the yacht sports Trumpy’s signature handcrafted mahogany hull and oak frames as well as three staterooms that feature en suite bathrooms and modern amenities. To ensure smooth sailing, Conklin recently invested in the top-of-the-line Seakeeper gyro stabilizer, which allows for “1,000 pounds of steel to rotate at 10,000 rpm, removing over half the roll in a beam sea,” he explains.
From her home port of Sag Harbor, America is available for catered events arranged through The American Hotel as well as destination-oriented getaways to Block Island, Newport, and Palm Beach. “If you don’t have time for the return trip, we can even arrange for pickup by single-or double-engine aircraft or seaplane,” suggests Conklin, who, despite his new seafaring lifestyle, remains a true hotelier at heart. The American Hotel, 49 Main St., Sag Harbor, 725-3535
Photography by:
photography by doug knutz
