Owner and charter broker, Nemo Yachts

Date interviewed: March 2010

How did you get started as a charter broker?

Prior to becoming a charter broker, I was a travel agent for nearly 12 years in Moscow and in New York City. I worked mainly in the luxury segment of the travel market, so my first introduction to yachts was as a travel agent organizing vacations for high net-worth clients while working with a charter broker.

I went to the Monaco Yacht Show for the first time in 2004, and I thought it would be a dream to work only on the yachts. Edmiston & Company was opening a new office in New York, and I was offered a job as a charter broker.

In 2009, my husband and I started our own charter company, Nemo Yachts. It was a challenging time, with the global recession, but we are hard workers and we really want to succeed. It’s going pretty well.

What kinds of boats do you book?

We book only crewed yachts from 60 to 250 feet, motor and sailing, worldwide.

What are some of the best charter destinations you’ve visited?

I liked Fiji very much. I personally like to explore more exotic, off-the-beaten-track destinations. The South Pacific offers incredible opportunities. It’s so vast and diverse, like another planet, really. Fiji and French Polynesia are all unspoiled, the people are friendly, and the culture is fantastic.

What is the first thing you ask a new charter client?

The first question is usually, ‘Have you chartered before?’ If yes, I ask what type of yacht it was. That gives me a good perspective about what the client knows about chartering.
If the client has never chartered before, I have to do a lot more talking and explaining the basics.

Describe your ideal charter client.

The ideal client is one who communicates, who responds to e-mails and telephone calls. It’s someone who will take the time to tell me what they like and dislike, what their expectations are, so that I can satisfy them.

Describe your nightmare charter client.

They are completely inaccessible. While ‘nightmare’ is probably too strong a word, the opposite of an ideal client is someone who does not communicate or simply disappears. Unfortunately, some clients make inquiries, ask for lots of detailed information that is dutifully supplied, and then they vanish without a word. Client feedback is very important.

Describe a previous booking where you worked “above and beyond” for a client.

The most difficult charter that I’ve worked on so far was one that, in the end, did not happen.

A client booked a four-day charter in the Greek Isles. Due to a sudden and strong Meltemi wind, the Greek port authority would not allow the yacht to move for three days. I was in New York with a seven-hour time difference from Greece, and I didn’t sleep for days trying to remedy the situation. I was constantly on the telephone with the client, the captain, the yacht’s management company, and even the port authorities. The wind never came down and the charter was never able to start, but my client got most of his money back because of all the efforts—even though the yacht’s owner was not required to give the money back.

Weather is not something that we can control, and sometimes it’s not always in the client’s favor, but I always try to go above and beyond to remedy any unfortunate situation.

What are a few of your favorite charter yachts?

My favorite charter yacht is one that has a great captain who can manage a professional crew. A boat that is a good example is the 228-foot motoryacht Sherakhan. They once sent me a 25-page program for a three-day anniversary charter, which was literally planned down to the minute. The charter was flawless, and I can’t thank that crew and Capt. Jan Verkerk enough.

I always sleep much better when I know my client is in the hands of a crew like that.

What makes you different from other charter brokers?

Many brokers speak more than one language, and I happen to be fluent in both English and Russian. I have American clients as well as Russian clients, and I’m always interested in working with clients from all over the world.

I also make sure that my clients can reach me, no matter the day of the week or the time difference between us.

And my background as a travel agent, with all of the destinations I have been fortunate to visit and all the insider contacts I have obtained through the years, allows me to handle all kinds of different charter-related situations. For instance, I once had to find a limousine with an English-speaking driver at 7 a.m. on a Sunday in Italy. I also once had a charter whose success depended on whether I could arrange a last-minute Schengen visa for a Ukraininan guest of an American client wanting to visit Europe. It was done in two days, while the regular turnaround time is more than two weeks.

What else should CharterWave readers know about you?

Nemo Yachts is my baby, my great responsibility. So I will go above and beyond to make sure that the client is happy. We love what we do, we are passionate about yachting and travel, and we want to share the world with our clients.

How can CharterWave readers contact you?

We have two office numbers: (646) 943-1973 and (646) 863-6106, and our website is www.nemoyachts.com.