Month: September 2019

Invisible Crew. How can we help you?

The most important question a business owner should focus on is the one often heared over the phone in a somewhat rehearsed and unconcious fashion: “How can we HELP you.” When business owners put financial gains second, the magic happens. I’m talking about more people engaging with your business. Fulfilment as well as revenue will be the return on investment! A few weeks ago I was contacted by an American who lives in Asia. He is the owner / driver of a 58ft sail yacht and he enquired about what we could do for him on a long term basis. Many people think we only place crew or only manage crewed yachts but we also provide consultancy and training for owner-drivers. We help them find the best yards and marinas, source parts, organise maintenance, insurance, yacht transport, the occasional extra crew or delivery and so on. A few minutes into our chat it became clear that this owner had a more accute issue at hand though. When he left his yacht in an Italian marina, several weeks before, he was forced to give the keys to some guy he didn’t know from Adam. While he had planned to leave the […]

The future of (Pocket) Superyachts.

On the 15th of October Quaynote organises a conference called “The Future Of Superyachts”. I have been asked to join as one of the speakers. This is great news, not just for my ego, but because the yachting industry is starting to notice the importance of the growing niche of yachts under 100ft or 30m. I have been asked to provide an introduction on Pocket Superyachts: What are Pocket Superyachts exactly? Why do we use this terminology and what defines them in size and value? Why are they a niche of their own? How are they a stepping stone to Superyachting? Crew on Pocket Superyachts: the dynamics, training and certification. And finally; Pocket Superyachts in Palma: How are Pocket Superyachts received in Palma? At first I wasn’t sure whether I would have anything to contribute to this already great event. But during discussions with the organisers it became apparent that in my niche we are confronted with a very different set of challenges than the rest of the industry encounters. It also became apparent how these issues are relevant to the larger yacht sections of the industry and the companies that cater to them. Just one thought there is this: […]