On Friday night, the Florida Yacht Brokers Association presented Ann Landry of Northrop and Johnson with its Charter Broker of the Year Award for 2009. That's Landry displaying her plaque in the photograph at right, sitting alongside Charter Marketing Director Terry Hines of International Yacht Collection.

    As luck would have it, Landry and I had chatted just a few days before the FYBA announcement. Among the things we discussed is the evolving role of retail charter brokers as the global recession continues to upend long-established yacht-booking practices.

    By her estimation, what was once a seller's market is now a buyer's market, and charter brokers need to know not only about the best yachts and crew, but also about how to negotiate prices effectively.

    "There have always been clients who wanted to negotiate rates, but it was not something you could do on a charter of less than three weeks," she told me. "Yacht owners would not do it. Now, they’ll negotiate on a weeklong charter or less.

    "A good broker has to have different skills now, in terms of being able to effectively negotiate. I need to have a feeling for what a week aboard a boat is actually worth. The clients are determining the boat’s worth, with the broker negotiating on their behalf, as opposed to the owners setting the price."

    Interesting stuff from a longtime charter broker who, as the FYBA award shows, is at the top of her game.

    The full text of my interview with Landry is available here. And of course, my warmest congratulations to her on winning the FYBA award.

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