The traditional doctor’s advice is, “Take two, and call me in the morning.” After Willie Urbieta sold his family’s petroleum company in South Florida in 2021, the veteran boater found cruising to be just the right medicine for transitioning into semiretirement. In fact, he liked the Sirena Yachts 68 he’d purchased for cruising in the Mediterranean so much that he decided to trade up his Sirena 58 in Fort Lauderdale for a second Sirena 68. He’s now able to call on exciting ports in the Eastern and Western hemispheres in Sirena 68 style. Sold On Sirena’s Spaciousness Urbieta, 65, bought his first boat, a 29-foot Cruisers, when he was 24. “I made many, many mistakes in Biscayne Bay,” he says with a chuckle. During the following decades, he owned a half dozen increasingly larger boats, a mix of Sea Ray, Hatteras and Greenline models.
When he saw the Sirena 58, “what attracted me was how roomy and spacious a Sirena is inside,” he says. It also had a large flybridge, a requirement for him. “We have such beautiful nights here in Florida. You go out to dinner and can see the skyline or the stars from the flybridge as you’re cruising back.”
With greater freedom in time and travel on his hands, Urbieta also wanted to base a boat in the Mediterranean. He ordered a Sirena 68, not only to accommodate the necessary crew, but also to provide more room for him and his family: his wife, Maria; his daughter, Mariah; his son-in-law; and three grandchildren ages 10 and younger. In 2022, the family took delivery of Willma (a combination of his first name and his wife’s first name) in Turkey. They explored the Turkish and Greek coasts, and cruised all the way to Mallorca, in Spain’s Balearic Islands.
“That’s when I fell in love with the Mediterranean,” Urbieta says. “Such beautiful beaches, beautiful waters, beautiful marinas. Everywhere you go has so much history. I’ve been to Europe many times before, but seeing it from the water gives you a whole different perspective.” The Perfect Size For Urbieta, the 68 is the perfect size. “You can get into most marinas without having to reserve too far ahead,” he says. His family likes the spacious interior, especially the long dining table next to the galley. Urbieta’s favorite spot is the desk next to the helm, where he can keep one eye on business matters and the other eye on the beautiful scenery ahead.
There is even room on board Willma for Urbieta’s extended family. He hosted a reunion in 2022 of around 30 relatives at the marina in Sitges, Spain, where he keeps the boat.
In 2022, he cruised the Balearics and the mainland Spanish ports of Denia and Valencia. In 2023, Urbieta and a cousin cruised the whole Iberian Peninsula and up the Guadalquivir River to Seville. “Seville is special, but it’s even better when you arrive by water,” he says. A pro at navigating the many bridges in Fort Lauderdale, Urbieta took over from the captain and nosed the Willma under Seville’s bridges, with about 6 inches of clearance to spare.
To make all kinds of maneuvers easier, he loaded up Willma with a variety of technical extras: fins, gyros, a Yacht Controller, dynamic positioning, and an extra helm station on the outside. The optional 1,000 hp Volvo Penta engines (900 hp Volvo Penta diesels are standard) “navigate so well,” he says. “Even in 6- to 8-foot seas, you’re doing 18, 19 knots, and it’s steady going.” That ride is aided by a high freeboard, and a seakindly and semidisplacement hull form from naval architect Germán Frers. Additionally, the Sirena 68 is a solidly built yacht that displaces about 103,600 pounds.
Thrilled with Willma, Urbieta ordered a twin Sirena 68 with a lighter interior to keep at his 105-foot dock at his home on the New River in Fort Lauderdale. “Sirena has been excellent,” he says. “It’s not just about buying a boat, but who stands behind it. That makes the biggest difference in the world.”
Urbieta plans to cruise Valentina (named for his grandmother) throughout the Caribbean, with St. Martin topping the list. And he’s frequently conferring with his European captain, his service team near Barcelona, and the Sirena dealer in La Palma about maintenance priorities so that Willma is in prime shape for the upcoming summer season. “I always feel happiest on the water,” he says.
