Carolyn Titus,
Charter broker, Northrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters

How did you get started as a charter broker?
When I was 18, I took a summer job at the Sparkman & Stephens yachting company in New York City. Within six months, I had been made a charter broker. That was 1981. They sent me to Europe to inspect boats for a month, and I just loved it. I’ve been a charter broker ever since.
     From there, I worked for Alden Yachts, and then in 1991, Nautor Swan offered me a job in Newport, Rhode Island, and I took it because I thought it would be great to be closer to the boats. While I was there, they let me start my own company, Cox Marine, booking charters onboard any boats other than Swan sailing yachts.
     In January 2008, I joined Northrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters in Newport. I was looking for an opportunity to expand my business, and owner Missy Johnston was looking to get into charter yacht management, so we feel we can complement each other.

What kinds of boats do you typically book?
Only crewed yachts, power and sail, including high-end racing charters, which not all brokers do. I’m able to offer that because of my background with Nautor Swan.

What are some of the best charter destinations you’ve personally visited?
One of my favorites is the coast of Turkey. It’s gorgeous, there’s great sailing, there’s a lot of history and archaeology, you can do a lot of nice hikes on shore, and the scenery is beautiful. I just think it offers so much for everybody. 
 
What is the first thing you ask a new charter client?
Have you ever done this before?
     I think it’s important to know, so I can make suggestions. If they’ve never chartered before, there are areas that are better for first-time charterers. If they have cruised before, I can make better recommendations based on what experiences they tell me they've already had.

Describe your ideal charter client.
I like a client who will listen to my suggestions. I find it frustrating when they have a plan set in their mind, but I know that it won’t work. Either they want to do too much, or they want to be in an area where weather won’t be favorable at that time of the year.
     I have 27 years of experience at this. A good broker can understand what their clients want to do, and help them do it.

Describe a booking where you worked “above and beyond” for a charter client.
There have been so many of those situations, because things do happen with boats. They’re moving around, they’re in different parts of the world, and things happen. A woman who used to work with me once gave me a diploma that said, “Problem-Solver of the Year Award.”
     I can’t think of a specific situation, but I can say that whenever a yacht has canceled at the last minute, I’ve always managed to find a suitable replacement. I feel like I go above and beyond all the time.

What are a few of your favorite charter yachts, and why?
For me, it’s the yachts with really good crew. They’re going to maintain the yacht really well, and they’re going to be flexible for charter. When I go on a boat and the crew are very specific about what they want to do, I’m thinking that they’re inflexible.
     To me, the most important thing is that if something goes wrong on a charter, the client should never know. I want clients to come back and tell me that whatever they wanted to do, they did.

What makes you different from other charter brokers?
I think the fact that I am so involved in boating, and have been since I was really young. I understand what it’s like to live and cruise onboard a boat. I get seasick. All of it gives me a better understanding of what people are going to experience during a charter, so I can make suggestions for them.
     Because I’ve been onboard a lot of these yachts on charter, instead of just at boat shows, I know which cabins are the best and other details that brokers without that firsthand experience might not be able to provide.

What else should CharterWave readers know about you?
I’m not as vocal as the other charter brokers. I don’t talk about the things that I’ve done. But I’ve been involved in the industry for a long time. I helped to start the American Yacht Charter Association, I helped to start the San Remo charter show that is now the Genoa show, and I helped to start the process of taking options on yachts to make bookings go more smoothly.

How can CharterWave readers contact you?
Our main number at Northrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters is (800) 868-5913, and our website is www.njcharters.com.