Owner, Ed Hamilton & Co.

Date interviewed: November 2006

How did you get started as a charter broker?
We started Ed Hamilton & Co. in 1982, but I have been involved in chartering since 1972. I sailed to Tortola from England and lived there from 1972 until 1981. I eventually started my own bareboat company in the British Virgin Islands.

What kinds of boats do you typically book?
We book both bareboats (from 30 to 60 feet long) and crewed yachts (from 45 to more than 300 feet long). We are the largest brokerage for the Caribbean, but also book charters in the Bahamas, the Mediterranean, the Pacific Islands, New England, and more.

What are some of the best charter destinations you’ve personally visited?
For winter getaways, the Caribbean is hard to beat. Even though the Virgins are more crowded than other islands, they offer so much in a small area.
We personally enjoy some of the quieter cruising grounds: St. Martin to Antigua, the Grenadines, the Exumas or the South Pacific Islands.

What is the first thing you ask a new charter client?
We ask many questions about the makeup of their group, the type of charter (active, relaxed, water sports, etc.), hobbies, interests, that sort of thing.
The key is to get a good match with the crew (for crewed charters). This is almost always more important than the boat.

Describe your ideal charter client.
Someone who is keen to communicate and takes an interest in making the right choices. The more we know about our clients, the better job we can do.

Describe your nightmare charter client.
The opposite of the ideal client: hard to reach, doesn’t read material, leaves everything until the last minute, and doesn’t say what he wants, then complains if something is not the way he expected.

Describe a previous booking where you worked “above and beyond” for a client.
Many charters seem to fall in this category, but providing really personal service is part of our job. Some of the best ones are surprise charters. We have arranged charters with several groups, all traveling separately and meeting at the yacht, where guests have no idea the others are coming.
Occasionally a crew gets sick or a boat cannot do a charter and we have had to find an alternative boat. In almost all these cases, we have found a more expensive yacht at the same price. It rarely happens, but it is comforting that we have the means to do this.

What are a few of your favorite charter yachts, and why?
It could possibly be misleading to name specific yachts, as there is no yacht or crew that is suitable for everyone. We treat each charter separately. Clients should tell us the kinds of things they are looking for in their vacation (either by filling out a form on our Web site or over the phone), and we will show them a selection of boats we feel would be best for them.

What makes you different from other charter brokers?
We book more Caribbean charters than any other brokerage, so we have a much better overview of how each boat/company is performing from the hundreds of post-charter comments we receive.
We really do take the time to match guests with the right boat/crew.

What else should CharterWave subscribers know about you and your business?
There are people who still think they should deal directly with a boat and crew, and some will even send money to the boat in advance. Using our services costs no more than booking direct, and your money is safely kept in an escrow account, released to the boat just before the charter.
This is one case where using a broker really does make sense and can make the whole process considerably easier and safer.

How can CharterWave.com subscribers contact you?
www.ed-hamilton.com, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , (800) 621-7855, (207) 882-7855