I’m feeling a bit like a travel agent here today, trying to get organized for what those of us who write about the marine industry like to call “boat show season.” Between now and the middle of December, I will have attended at least five different boat shows in the United States, Virgin Islands, and Caribbean–all to make sure I know what’s going on with available charter yachts, industry trends, and reputable charter brokers.

My personal travel schedule reminds me of some advice that I give in my charter book, about five questions you should ask any broker before working with him or her. One of the questions is: What was the last boat show you attended?

It’s an important question, because reputable charter brokers do what I do–walking the docks, talking to crew, and inspecting yachts firsthand to make sure they actually offer everything their brochures promise. Anybody can call themselves a broker and read descriptions of vacations to you from other people’s websites, but you’d be crazy to give them a dime. Instead, you want to work with professionals, and that means people who are attending boat shows regularly.

So the next time you decide to work with a charter broker, ask what boat show they last attended. I personally will be at Fort Lauderdale, St. Thomas, Tortola, Antigua and Sint Maarten in the next two months (and remember, I’m just a writer). Anybody worth your business should at least be trying to keep up with me.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007 at 8:44 am and is filed under charter tips, Boating Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.