Yacht owner sues captain for unauthorized partying.

Byline: Pat Murphy

As the Lisa G.'s newly hired captain, Christian R. Egger's first assignment earlier this year seemed straightforward enough: He was to skipper the 2019 68-foot yacht from Florida to Massachusetts.

But according to a breach-of-contract suit filed Sept. 9 in federal court by the owner of the Lisa G., Egger had to be relieved from command halfway through the trip because his "prolonged periods of intoxication" placed the brand new boat in peril.

Further, Egger violated the employer's written no drinking, maintenance and communications policies, according to the complaint filed by yacht owner JLB LLC, which uses the vessel to entertain clients.

The suit goes on to allege that the defendant's wrongful conduct included conversion of the yacht to Egger's personal use for several time periods for fishing and "partying," making full use of the owner's liquor cabinet and new, state-of-the art fishing gear.

JLB is headquartered in Newton. The plaintiff's attorney, Robert W. Stetson III of Bernkopf Goodman in Boston, didn't respond to a request for comment.

However, Thomas M. Bond, an admiralty and maritime lawyer for more than 30 years, says JLB's complaint on its face states a strong claim for breach of contractual obligations.

"You can't go off on a 'frolic and detour' with the owner's vessel," the Boston lawyer says.

The sea saga began in February when JLB took delivery in New Jersey of a new, custom designed Viking sport fishing yacht. Through an online ad, JLB contacted Egger, a licensed yacht captain in Florida. After a meeting in Boston, the company offered Egger command of the Lisa G. for an annual salary of $85,000. Egger agreed and started on June 1.

Egger's first task was to navigate the yacht from Florida to Massachusetts. The boat left port on June 5. The next day, according to the complaint, Egger diverted the vessel to go fishing, instructing his mate not to communicate the change of plans to the owner. Egger then allegedly proceeded to help himself to the owner's never-used custom fishing gear, storing his catch in a cockpit stowage box that also had never been used.

The plaintiff alleges that Egger regularly consumed alcohol at least whenever he arrived in a port setting up a "mock vodka bar" with the owner's alcohol. The plaintiff further complains that while Egger represented himself as a non-smoker, he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.

On June 7, the owner allegedly received an electronic alert from the Lisa...