Going the Distance
There were many charter brokers whom I know and trust working at the recent industry-only boat shows in Europe. One of them in particular, though, caught my attention when she told me that she’d spent the previous day driving some three hours to a shipyard to check on the status of a new build.
Cindy Brown, a longtime charter broker based in the New York office of Nigel Burgess, explained to me that she had booked what was going to be the first charter onboard a brand-new megayacht that was scheduled to launch from a European shipyard in about a month.
“I just wanted to make sure everything was on track,” she told me. “I don’t want there to be any unexpected problems for my client.”
That’s exactly the kind of going-the-extra-mile comment that helps me separate reputable charter brokers from fly-by-night jokers. A reputable broker does a heck of a lot more than just take down the dates of your booking. Like Cindy in this case, a good broker goes the distance on every last detail of your vacation, even if it means spending a whole day driving around Europe to a shipyard on your behalf.
If you want to determine whether your broker is reputable, ask her about the last time she went “above and beyond” to help a client. You should hear a story like this one, or you should walk away and book your charter with somebody else.