Smart spending: You can rent a yacht and live a day like a billionaire

Any mention of yachts evokes images of the luxury boats owned by the wealthiest men in the world – the size of their ships directly proportional to the amount of money that's spent on them. In that world, bigger is better; and around the globe, yachts have been a billionaire pursuit – from Aristotle Onassis's 99-metre superyacht ‘Christina O’ to absconding billionaire Vijay Mallya's 95-metre ‘Indian Empress’. But what most may not know is that it's possible to sail like a billionaire even if for a day or two because most owners lease their boats out when they aren't using them. Case in point – can you rent ‘Ashena’ – a 45-metre superyacht with five cabins owned by Raymond's boss Gautam Singhania? It's possible if you cough up Rs 800,000 a day, and if that's too steep for the wallet, there are other options that cater to every budget.

In the island metropolis of Mumbai, the business of boats is a less flashy affair with most owners being avid sailors as opposed to grandstanding tycoons who throw champagne parties for hundreds of people after an F1 race when docked in Monte Carlo or Barcelona. Which also means that ‘Ashena’ is an exception, and most of the boats range between 10 metres and 20 metres. A 20-metre boat can host a party for two dozen people with ease. These boats can be leased for an evening or a weekend from any one of the couple dozen companies such as Gateway Charters, Sailing Stuff and Yacht Charters India in Mumbai. The upside: it's cheaper than shelling out a few lakhs for a ballroom at a five-star hotel in the city.