When your 100-foot superyacht pulls into a new port, you're going to want to make an entrance. And there's no better way to do so than by water slide.
Freestyle Cruisers designs and builds custom inflatable water slides that hang off the decks of some of the world's finest yachts, transforming even the most staid ship into a private Typhoon Lagoon. They're available in sizes up to 39 feet, though Freestyle will build slides as short as six and a half feet.
Company managing director Sean White told Gibraltar's *Marina Live *that the Freestyle water slide is "the latest toy that tells everyone where the party is at," as if the luxuriously appointed private boat weren't enough. It also lets people know just what kind of party it is, and that watercress sandwiches probably won't be served. If you want your guests to know to whom they should address their thank-you cards, Freestyle will even print your name or corporate logo on the slide itself. Should your bacchanal get out of hand, the slides have a three year warranty.
An optional accessory is the Critter Free Sea Pool, a mesh enclosure at the bottom of the slide for those who want to play in the ocean without the risk of encountering any actual ocean life. Patented "AirStairs" will get you back on board.
The slides have been especially popular with charter companies, who can advertise their yachts as having an amenity that their competitors lack. One charter yacht featuring one of the tallest available Freestyle water slides commands rates that start at $110,000 a week.
To date, the Florida-based (of course) company has sold over 100 yachter-slides, which have deposited countless billionaires into the ocean. Because no two ships are alike, Freestyle designs each slide from scratch, and pricing is calculated accordingly. But with the company's FAQ peppered with phrases like, "The number of crew members needed to set up your slide will be determined by the size of your slide and the accessibility of an on-board crane," don't expect a water slide to be a cheap thrill.
