“A Reasonable Standard”
I received a very interesting letter in the mail yesterday from the owner-operator of a sailing yacht that was on display earlier this month at the industry-only charter show on Tortola, British Virgin Islands. I didn’t get onboard this boat during the show, so I’m assuming that this man got my name from the show’s directory of attendees.
According to the letter, this owner-operator received “a lot of bad feedback” about his yacht from brokers who toured it during the boat show. He is thus disappointed, and is writing in an attempt to clarify the way that he feels brokers and the media should describe his boat to potential clients like you.
He explains that his yacht is 35 years old, was battered in Hurricane Ivan two years ago, and is now up to what he considers “a reasonable standard for the charter business for the lower end of the market.” He goes on to say that this is his first year in the charter business, and that he’s willing to increase broker commissions beyond their normal rate if they send clients his way.
You’ve gotta love this guy’s chutzpah.
But you absolutely, positively do not want to charter his boat.
The reason that reputable charter brokers (and reporters like me) attend these boat shows is to see firsthand what condition the boats are in, how well the owners and crew compare within their price range, and how well the owners and captains respond to requests for improvements that will enhance people’s charter vacations. Many brokers have more than this particular owner-operator’s single year’s worth of time in the business. In fact, many have been inspecting charter yachts for more than a decade. They know what to look for on your behalf.
It’s yachts like this–that are below the standard, with owners unwilling to acknowledge that fact or make improvements–that you absolutely want to steer clear of when booking a charter vacation. And your best ally in that process is a reputable charter broker who knows what you should be getting for your money.