Brian Brady

A mainstay in the local hospitality industry looks like it will have to chart a new course away from Cornelius. Passengers on the “Yachta Yachta Yachta” charter boat are no longer allowed to embark or disembark from the luxury houseboat’s long-time host, The Peninsula Yacht Club.

The two-deck boat, however, will continue to be berthed there, at least for the time being.

“Our membership got too big and it’s just not a good fit.”

-Bruce Furman, PYC general manager

Yachta Yachta Yachta owner Brian Brady could not be reached for comment. He also operates a 146-passenger houseboat out of Midway Marina in Terrell and a 48-foot cruising yacht from the yacht club, which is owned and operated by Morningstar Marina, a large company with marinas on lakes in North Carolina, and, according to its website, on the coasts of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia.

The Yachta Yachta Yachta has been the setting for countless weddings, parties and corporate events over the years.

PYC general manager Bruce Furman said: “Our membership got too big and it’s just not a good fit.”

Indeed, the club will no longer be a launching point for charter boats. For now, Brady is using All Seasons Marina on Langtree Road in Mooresville as the pick-up location for charter customers.

Parking for guests has been an issue at the PYC, according to a source in the Lake Norman charter boat industry. Despite what looks like an endlessly fun line of work, the charter boat business is tough.

The source said there are “so many variables—the boat, the weather, managing people, the personnel, the rules, the Lake Norman Marine Commission people…it’s like juggling eight balls in the air at the same time.”

There was an explosion on a charter boat operated by Capt. Cliff Champion eight years ago on the west side of the lake that resulted in the death of a young employee.

“This business is not for everyone, it’s difficult,” the source said. “The charter boats are not thriving out there.”

He went on to say that Yachta Yachta Yachta was good for the Cornelius economy. “It’s a business we should be proud of,” he said. “This will hurt business. They gave him a one-month notice.”

The news was first reported in The Peninsula’s neighborhood online newsletter April 27. The newsletter said, “Additionally, the PYC has stopped the parking & launching of the Charter boats out of their marina this year.”