A once in a lifetime opportunity is now available for one, well-off fan of Morgan Freeman to purchase the ultimate film star memorabilia. Freeman’s yacht, Afrodesia, is up for sale for just under $300,000 with all the net proceeds going to support charity. Freeman bought the Shannon 43 ketch in 1996 and has sailed her extensively along the East Coast and throughout the Caribbean.
Afrodesia is a well-equipped boat and has been meticulously maintained with multiple upgrades over the years. She is ready to cruise and comes with sails and a Westerbeke 71-C Four Diesel engine with 1198 hours. The Afrodesia offers seven berths in three double berths, one single berth, and two heads. The Afrodesia is currently laying in the British Virgin Islands.
Freeman’s love of the ocean and sailing began as a child while reading classic tales about the sea. But it was not until 1967 while working at the Stowe Playhouse in Vermont that he first stepped aboard a sailboat. Over the course of that summer, Freeman learned the basics of sailing aboard a borrowed 18-foot Lightning-class centreboard boat.
Since then, sailing became an ever-growing part of his life. Freeman purchased his first sailboat, a Holiday 28, in 1971. Over the next 16 years, he sailed out of Eastchester Bay to cruise the waters of the Northeast from Long Island Sound to Nova Scotia. Throughout the years, Freeman has owned various sailboats including an Alberg 30 and a Shannon 38 Sojourner and extended his cruising grounds to include the Caribbean.
Freeman finds sailing is much more than a simple pastime, he calls it a passion and his refuge from the world. But after an unfortunate automobile accident in 2008 which left the 80-year-old actor’s right hand immobile, he hasn’t managed to get on the water as much he would like. So, after much consideration, Freeman is offering his beloved Afrodesia for sale through Virgin Gorda Boat Sales.
Although he is one of Hollywood’s busiest actors he also knows how to kick back, and over the years sailing has become his refuge. His skills were honed, he says, in the waters and anchorages of Long Island Sound, New England and Nova Scotia. On a trip between New York and Bermuda on his 30-foot yacht he encountered what he terms “my survival storm,” an event that helped him appreciate sailing in the Caribbean all the more.
Since his first trip to the Caribbean in 1989 he has spent as much time as possible exploring the region’s many islands. In the ’90s he discovered the Grenadines which soon became one of his favorite sailing grounds and his boat’s home base for five years. When Hurricane Ivan struck the islands in 2004, a Grenadian friend called him asking for help. Freeman got in touch with his publicist Donna Lee for some ideas, and she suggested a Caribbean cookbook.
After Grenada, the actor reestablished Virgin Gorda as his Caribbean base. “I was homesick for the BVI. The weather, the waters, the ambiance; the sailing is what keeps me coming back to the BVI,” he admits. “There’s a lot of sailing you can do here – comfortable sailing.” When in the BVI, Freeman stayed aboard his 43-foot Shannon which he bought in 1996, juggling the responsibilities of a successful movie career and the pleasures of living aboard his boat.
At almost 80, a bad auto accident in 2008 resulted in serious mobility and control issues in his left hand and shoulder. After some other recent near misses Morgan has said very publicly his days of single handing are behind him.
Main image: Freeman on the water in younger days.
From brokerage PR
