My Life in Boats: Bob Eichler on squalls, Broadway singalongs and finding the perfect yacht

From a rocky first sail at summer camp to racing in the Transatlantic and cruising the Pacific Northwest, Bob Eichler shares how he fell in love with sailing and why his 29.1-metre Derecktor yacht Altair is the only yacht he’ll ever need.

My first sailing experience was terrible. I grew up in Illinois and went to summer camp in Wisconsin where they took us campers out for an afternoon sail. When the boat heeled over, it scared me to death. I said I would never, ever go out in a sailboat again. Then I moved to Seattle for college, where sailing was big. I met my friend Roger, who raced a Six Metre, and he talked me into going with him. 

The downwind legs of the race were fine, but the last leg was a beat and the water came almost inside the boat. I decided that’s it for me — I’m done. But he was a great mentor and such a convincing guy, he got me to go sailing again soon, and he taught me to run his 25ft (8-metre) powerboat that towed the Six Metre. He was very forgiving, even when I ran it aground twice. He instilled in me a love of sailing and I have him to thank for every boat bill I pay today.

I had two Trojan powerboats before I thought, you know, I really love sailing, what am I doing? So I bought a 45ft (14-metre) Columbia sailboat, then a 52ft (16-metre) Irwin. My first Altair was an 80ft (24-metre) Don Brooke design, which I had for 14 years. On my first trip down the West Coast to Puerto Vallarta, we got caught in a storm south of San Diego. I asked my new captain, who’d run 80ft (24-metre) and 120ft (37-metre) motor yachts, how big the waves were. He said, “I don’t know.” I said, “What do you mean you don’t know?” He said, “I’ve never been out in the ocean before.”

I loved that boat but it just happened that we saw this Altair, a 96ft custom Sparkman & Stephens. Buying it was one of my really smart moves. That was 18 years ago. I never want to go bigger or smaller.

I’ve done several Buckets and even won my class one time. I enjoy racing, but I’m not a racer at heart; I’m a cruiser. I’ve done every leg from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. I also like to entertain. When we’re in New York, my friend David, a vocal coach for Broadway stars, comes down and we bring out the electric piano. We’ll have 35 people on board, with Broadway wannabes taking turns singing.

In 2015 we set off for the UK in the Transatlantic Race. A freak squall caused an uncontrolled jibe; the preventer failed and the boom was damaged beyond repair. We were forced to return to Newport. That was my biggest disaster. I laugh about how when we boaters get together, instead of discussing football or something, we talk about our boat repairs. Everybody’s got a story about a boat repair. We all love our boats, but we all wonder, “Are we a little nuts?”

The next year we did the Newport Bermuda Race and continued on to spend two years in Europe, sailing as far as Greece. But British Columbia will always be my favourite; I call it Maine on steroids. We’ve been through the Canal five times, and this winter will make our sixth trip. We plan to arrive in Seattle by May to be part of the [boat season] Opening Day parade then will head to Alaska for the first time.

I can’t imagine any owner who’s happier with his boat. When I’m at the helm on a perfect sail, the world is absolutely right and it’s all worth it. It’s poetry in motion.

First published in the February 2025 issue of BOAT International US Edition. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.