CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - For Sommy Irani, being in and on the water is nothing new.
"I'm from Tampa, Florida but I went to the University of Chicago, in Hyde Park. I grew up as a swimmer, a competitive swimmer in high school and college," Irani said.
After years in the hospitality industry, managing restaurants and planning events, he and his partner expanded into the charter boat industry.
"I was very involved in Greek life in college, and we planned events and dances and such. I had some connections and I ended up joining a hospitality group. That's where I met my now business partner Vince," he recalled. "We started an events company. Vince had the idea to buy a boat and we should do charters," he smiled.
"Vince came up with the name, Knot My Boat. We all loved it. It has a 'tying the knot' connotation, with all the bachelorette parties we host. It's also very punny. Charter boats are not your boat,' ya know?" he smiled.
The first year, the company did 150 charters.
"That was in 2019. We didn't know if that was good or bad, but we found out from other companies that it was very good," he laughed.
Then the pandemic hit.
"All of our bachelorette pre-bookings, birthday parties, they’re all canceled. Everyone cancels…We lose all of our pre -bookings…We didn't really know what to do." he recalled.
Irani decided to move his charters to Hammond, Indiana where there weren't capacity restrictions. Illinois would only allow 8 passengers on board including two crew members that summer.
"We offered all of our clients a transportation stipend to come to Indiana. We didn't have as many cancellations because of that. It was hard on the boats, moving them back and forth from Indiana. But what allowed us to have a really good 2021, is we powered through and played the system a bit, but it paid off," Irani said.
Now, the fleet is docked at 31st Street Harbor and 2021 turned out to be their best year yet.
"We had a really, really strong year last year. Our goal was 1,050 charters and we did 1,038. I was very pleased with that. We doubled again this year," noted Irani.
What started out as one boat, turned into 7, which quickly turned into 15 yachts. "Knot My Boat" has become the largest fleet in Chicago.
"It's been a journey for sure. We now have 150 employees. This is our fourth season. It's crazy." said Irani.
He said 2020 was very difficult but as the year progressed, more people were looking for safe activities outdoors.
Looking back, Irani said, the pandemic year was a blessing in disguise.
"Corporate groups couldn't go to a restaurant to do a happy hour, they couldn't do a private event, a birthday party-families couldn't do anything at the neighborhood bar. We saw a huge surge in attendance in picnics, parks, (and) activities on the waterfront. Beaches and boating definitely gained a lot of momentum as a result of this," Irani said.
Irani said the interest in boating has skyrocketed nationwide but in Chicago, the skyline and riverwalk makes the experience unique.
"We have the PlayPen, we have Monroe Harbor, you can go in front of the concert venues and watch concerts on the waterfront. The riverfront is so nice too. I do think Chicago is one of the leaders in terms of boating. I really do think there is none other," he said.
Knot My Boat offers smaller sport boats and luxury vessels with bedrooms, bathrooms and full kitchens. The company also offers memberships and single-use rentals for a fleet of 15 sport and luxury yachts, ranging from 33-foot sport cruisers to 56-foot luxe yachts.
"We want the booking process to be as seamless as possible to our customers. We want accessibility and price transparency. We didn't want to offer a one price fits all. We have a lot of different offerings. What makes us unique is that we offer an unlimited membership for motor yachts. There's a half membership or a full membership," said Irani.
Memberships range from $4,950 to $19,500 for the season.
In a short four years, Knot My Boat has doubled its fleet and reached more than 1,000 charters. Irani said boating isn't just for the rich and elite anymore.
"If you have 12 guests after the cost of a captain, it's under $100 a person which is a really good price point," Irani said.
Guests may provide their own captain or hire one from the Knot My Boat Charters’ list. Guests are responsible for hiring their own captain directly by law. Prior to each ride, all vessels undergo maintenance and cleaning.
Guests can reserve vessels from the Knot My Boat Charters’ fleet on an hourly basis: Guests may choose any time frame with a minimum of 3 hours during weekdays. On weekends, guests may choose from 10am – 2pm, 2:45pm – 6:45pm or 7:30pm – 11:30pm.
Irani and his partner also are a part of HiFi Hospitality Group, which owns and operates four restaurants in Chicago.
They opened their first venue, The Dime, in 2019. Two years later they opened two more restaurants (Chalet and Storyville-inspired by a New Orleans neighborhood) and a dance club (Flash Dance Club) in River North.
"Working in hospitality management with the two companies I had experience with was really important. I couldn't do this without that. The boat rental space has been awesome so far and we're now looking to expand into other markets."
For more information or to rent a charter, click here.
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