About Boatbookings.com Yacht Charter

The Boatbookings.com Advantage

Boatbookings.com was founded in 2005 to combine a worldwide network of charter experts with leading technology to deliver the best possible yacht charter experience. By several measures (number of boats available, amount of content, Alexa traffic rank, etc.) we are the largest charter-only site on the web. We have put thousands of clients on charter yachts, in virtually every major charter destination in the world. Here are some of the key reasons to charter with us:

We only do yacht charter.

We do not sell, manage or equip yachts. We are fully dedicated to our client's charter needs.

We have a worldwide network of Charter Experts near the boats. Chartering a yacht is not just about pictures and specs on the internet. In order to deliver the best charter experience, you need someone who knows the yachts, crew, cruising areas, weather, local attractions, customs - the list is long. We have offices around the world with charter experts who can guide you from personal experience.

Free, unbiased advice to get you on the right boat. We want to put you on the right boat so that you will come back year after year, as opposed to operators who want only to put you on their boat! It's virtually impossible to tell from pictures and specs what the boat or crew is really like, which is where we come in. In consultation with you we will recommend suitable yachts from among our multiple owner/operators to assure the boat you choose is right for you.

Someone on your side if something goes wrong. While the vast majority of charters go flawlessly, if something does happen, you need someone on your side to help solve the issue. This is especially true if you're chartering in a foreign country where you may not know local customs or even be able to speak the local language. We work with our operators on a daily basis, and because of our size and relationships we can push hard for a satisfactory result.

The same or better price if you book through us. The price you are charged is normally the same as the Owners/Operators charge their direct clients, and propose on their websites. So you get the best of all worlds by going through us: one-stop-shopping, best price, impartial advice, quality, and someone on your side!

The best content in the business. We have literally hundreds of articles available to you on the site. Destination Guides, Blogs, How to's, etc. We believe that the more you know, the higher likelihood you have of having a successful charter. See our content articles.

The widest selection of high quality Yachts. At last count, we had over 8000 yachts available, worldwide. So if you need a yacht of any type, we probably know about it and normally have been on it. Being able to choose your boat from a larger list means you have a better chance of finding the best boat for your needs. That said, there are plenty of yachts we don't put on our site or recommend, because they don't meet our strict quality standards. See our charter yachts.

And, most importantly, 97% customer satisfaction (and the remaning 3% are normally because of weather) . We want you to come back year after year so we do whatever we can to make your charter great. Testimonials.

The Advantages of Chartering through a Broker

We are charter brokers, which means that we work with all of the relevant fleet managers, owners and agents to find you the right boat. We have no vested interest in any specific yacht - our vested interest is your satisfaction.

Please note: The charter price does not change if you work directly with the manager or through us, acting as a broker. Any commissions are already calculated in the price, so nothing is added on for you, the client. This is industry standard, making it the same price to any broker, including the central agent who manages the yacht. And when you get to know us, we're sure you'll enjoy working with us!

See more about the advantages of using a charter yacht broker.

Chartering through Boatbookings.com

We know that chartering a yacht can be time consuming. You want to find the perfect yacht, with a fantastic crew, at a reasonable price in the most efficient way possible. And you want to know that the boat you select is in great repair and that there will be no surprises or hidden extras. You may not even speak the language of the country where you'll by chartering!

When you contact us, you get both expertise and a "one stop shop" to find you the best yacht for your needs and budget.

All you need to do is fill out a "no obligation" charter request and we'll propose the yachts that are available and best meet your criteria. It's as simple as that.

If you'd rather browse through the boats yourself, we offer information, pictures and specifications on thousands of quality yachts and a the world's largest online library of chartering information. You can go to our bareboat, crewed yacht, catamaran or Super Yacht sections, search for your specific criteria and regions or check out some of our specials. Or you can start with the destination to search for the boats available in the area you want to charter in. If you're looking for a boat for a specific personal or corporate event, we have information and specific yachts for you as well.

Once you find the boat you want, you just let us know, either through the booking form on every yacht page, through a charter request, or just by contacting us. We will confirm availability, specifications and price and get directly back to you. This is a risk-free way of securing your boat - there is no obligation until you sign a contract.

Important note - we do not charge you any fees or commissions. We receive our fees directly from the charter operators that we work with, and our price is the same as they would offer you.

Our People

Boatbookings.com is run by people who have a passion for yachts, e-commerce and customer satisfaction. Recognizing that it's often a very difficult, time consuming, and trying process to find the boat you require, we've combined our extensive contacts in the Charter industry with expertise in e-commerce, search, and database management to bring you the best possible site to book your boat - and one that you'll come back to time and time again.

Tom Virden, Director, Founder

Tom is a seasoned executive in leisure, travel and technology business, and has sailed extensively in the BVI, Thailand, Turkey and the Mediterranean. As the original International Director at lastminute.com, he brings a wealth of knowledge of e-commerce best practices to boatbookings.com.

Tom also worked at Apple Computer and Netscape which has provided a broad understanding of how technology can be used to improve the customer experience. Tom is a graduate of Stanford University and has written for the Harvard Business Review.

 

Sean Fawcett, Executive Vice President, North American Operations

Sean brings extensive yachting, operations, technical and internet experience to Boatbookings.com. In yachting he has been a yacht captain, yacht builder and yacht designer, including roles on the design team for two America's Cup winning yachts.

He also spent 10 years at Parametric Technology Corp. where he held positions in Sales, Consulting, Development and Operations during the largest growth period of the company. He has also managed several yacht shows and, an avid sailor himself, has experience racing and cruising in almost every ocean in the world. Sean will be developing the US/Caribbean business, Building Content and Communities, and helping improve our user interface and operations.

Peter Piper, Indian Ocean Charter Director

Peter has recently moved to Mauritius, where he has opened our Indian Ocean office, servicing Mauritius, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Madagascar, and other areas of the Indian Ocean. Peter also continues to work with many clients in the French Riviera, where he spent 3 years with Boatbookings.com as European Charter Director and has extensive knowledge and contacts in the area.

Prior to Boatbookings.com, Peter built the sales force for Anglo Info, a highly successful English language listing site in France. Peter has also been involved with yachts from his early years, and has expertise in most of the resort ports in the world as crew aboard a number of luxury yachts. Click here if you want to email him, or call directly at .

Sharon Bahmer, Caribbean and US Charter Director

Sharon, a South Africa native, came to the US via sailboat, having sailed half-way around the world. She has worked in the Marine Industry as a Sales Representative for the last 12 years in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and has a passion for putting customers on the right boat for them.

She is a true believer that full service and customer satisfaction is the only way to charter boats! Sharon is a member of CYBA (Charter Yacht Brokers Association). Click here if you want to email her, or call directly at +1 954 584 0026.

Meg Toppa, Caribbean and US Charter Specialist

Growing up in Newport, Rhode Island, Meg comes from a lifelong boating background. She worked for an America’s Cup syndicate and has worked for 16 years in the yachting industry. She spent several years as the office manager for North Sails Florida, Inc. and for 4 years was the Marketing Director for Ferretti Group USA, where she was responsible for event marketing, media relations, sales support and customer service.

Meg joined BoatBookings.com in 2009 as a Sales and Marketing Associate and brings depth of experience and enthusiasm to the team.

 

Sam Watson, Charter Director - French and Italian Riviera

Sam has extensive experience in sales and business development in leisure and healthcare. Boats were an early passion growing up in Hong Kong, Spain and Dubai and Sam is now based in our Cannes office, responsible for the French and Italian Riviera, Corsica, and the beautiful lakes of northern Italy.

Sam is an expert on luxury yachts in the region, and also has specialites in classic yachts for private regattas and corporate and event charters in Cannes and across the region. Sam attends all the major Yacht Shows along the Riviera and has excellent first hand knowledge of many of the luxury yachts available for charter in the Mediterranean. She'll match your needs with the right yacht in the region.

Natalie Baragwanath, Turkey Charter Director and Gulet Specialist

Natalie runs our UK office, based in London. Being a New Zealand native, naturally she loves being in and on the sea, via boats of all types and sizes - from classic sailing yachts to some of the world's most spectacular superyachts. She has sailed (and motored!) in many worldwide destinations, and personally inspects as many charter yachts as she can at various Yacht Shows and sailing events. Natalie focuses primarily on Turkey, with a speciality in Gulets/Blue Cruises.

Natalie has sailed in the Round the Island Regatta, Isle of Wight; attended the World Superyacht Awards, which are held annually in Venice; attended the Dubois Cup Regatta, which took place in Palma in June 2007; and most recently, completed a three day MYBA Superyacht Brokers Seminar held in St Laurent du Var, Nice, France.

Mariona Riera, Charter Director - Greece and Spain

Mariona has been associated with boats and yachting all her live, having grown up on Mallorca and sailed extensively through the Greek Islands.

Mariona is based in Athens and knows all about the hot spots and secret hideaways in the Greek Islands and her native Spain. Mariona opened the office in 2007 and has personally visited the majority of charter yachts in her regions so she knows the right yacht and crew for you!

Mariona speaks 5 languages fluently and also has a legal background, so you know that her charter contracts will be clear and correct!

Regina Laqua, Charter Manager - Sardinia, Sicily, Southern Italy and Croatia

Regina specialises in Croatia, Sardinia, Sicily and southern Italy, including the Amalfi Coast. Before joining Boatbookings, she was a pioneer in the emerging new media scene where she became an accomplished entrepreneur. She built a full service media broadcast company delivering worldwide news, sport and entertainment content to various European TV stations. Her love of the sea initiated her move to Sardinia, Italy, and she knows most of our charter partners in this region personally. Regina is fluent in 3 languages and tries always to follow her motto: Be Like Water...

Kevin Moir, Charter Director - Asia Pacific

Kevin, a Scot living in Singapore, has extensive experience in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian yachting areas. Kevin has been in the region for many years and can find you the right yacht in all of the new and exciting charter areas of the Asia Pacific region.

Kevin launched our Southeast Asia Business in 2007 and has developed probably the best selection of yachts and online guides in Southeast Asia, with a specialty in Thailand/Phuket.

Kevin also specialises in events and luxury yachts in Singapore and is a keen golfer and scuba diver, so he can offer advice on these activities if you want to add them to your sailing holiday.

Advisory Board Members

Boatbookings.com has set up an advisory board of key yachting, business and technology leaders who help us through the thousands of decisions required to grow the company into a world yachting leader. Members include:

- Rob Hersov, Chair - Chairman of Net Jets Europe and Private Equity Investor
- Nick Pearch - Founding CEO of Dyson & Company and Private Equity Investor
- Brent Hoberman - Founder of lastminute.com
- Brian May - Managing Director, Berthon Yachts

Testimonials!

We receive hundreds of unsolicited testimonials from happy customers, many of which are added to the boat page itself so you get the feedback from people who have actually used the yachts. Here are just a few of the testimonials we've received.

The Company

This web site is owned and operated by Enitiative.biz Limited, a company incorporated in England whose registered address is Dukes Court, 32 Duke Street, St James's, SW1Y 6DF London and whose company number is 05326363. Our UK VAT number is 970 8802 94.

Details of our business addresses and how you can contact us can be found on the Contact Us page.

Boatbookings.com has offices in London, Cannes, Athens, Ft Lauderdale, Newport and Singapore. We work worldwide, primarily through the Internet, to match boats to our customer's requests. We do not own or operate boats ourselves - your contract will be with one of our charter partners. That way we can be unbiased in finding you the right boat. For additional information on this, see our Terms and Conditions.

Technology and Yacht Charter

Effective use of technology can greatly improve the process of chartering a yacht, and we continue to add new technologies and features on a daily basis. The website is just the tip of our technology iceberg - behind the scenes we link electronically to our suppliers and partners, keep track of all the tasks necessary to get you on the boat as efficiently as possible, and automate reminders, contracts and forms wherever possible.

We reach out to you and keep you informed via our specials feeds, twitter, blog and newsletters. If you're not near a computer, you can charter on your mobile phone with our iPhone App. We allow users to add comments directly to the site, so that you get real customer feedback to help you decide which boat to select. And we create unique tools such as our map-based trip planner (calculate distance, time, fuel cost for your charter) and our CO2 calculator (estimate your carbon emissions and cost to offset).

Here are just a few of the innovations and industry firsts from Boatbookings.com: first worldwide Specials RSS Feed, first charter agent to provide an iPhone app, first to provide a free map-based itinerary planner that calculates distance, time and fuel cost, first to automatically calculate estimated CO2 emissions on its yachts, first to offer Carbon Offsets for charter yachts, first to run a promotion so that all yachts were chartered with a Zero Carbon footprint.

As technology evolves, we will incorporate it into the charter experience. So look for us on additional mobile devices, collaborative platforms and other new communications technologies. If they help the charter experience, we'll be there!

Chartering via the Internet with Safety and Security

We believe that the internet provides the best way of finding your charter yacht, short of actually seeing the boat first hand. It can deliver images, videos, descriptions, calculators, backgound information and testimonials instantly, worldwide.

We know many of you worry about booking over the internet - there are too many stories of scams and other unscrupulous behavior. We are an internet agent because it lowers our costs, and therefore allows us to be more responsive to your needs and more customer service oriented. To give you comfort and confidence in us, however, you should know the following:

We are members of industry organisations such as the Charter Yacht Brokers Association (CYBA)

We can provide references from top Brokers

We pass your money on immediately to the boat owner or operator, and they can confirm this for you

We only work with the best charter operators and boat owners, worldwide

We can be reached literally 24 hours per day to deal with any issues you may have

We bank with reputable international banks - HSBC in London and Bank of America (BofA) in the US.

We normally work with industry standard contracts such as CYBA (Charter Yacht Brokers Association) or MYBA (Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association). These contracts clearly specify owner, agent and charterer responsibilities and protect you in many ways.

We have lots of happy customers - please read the testimonials section on our site! We contact every customer after the charter, and last year had 97%+ customer satisfaction!

The above notwithstanding, we do realise that unforeseen problems can happen on charters such as plane cancellations, bad weather or illness, and recommend that you always purchase travel insurance for your peace of mind.

Legal Info

Please note the terms of use of this site, our copyrights and trademarks, privacy policy and other legal matters as fully detailed on our Legal Pages.

Thanks!

To all of our partners, especially the Charter Operators, Skippers, Captains, Crew and Boat Owners who take such great care of the boats and our clients. And to the manufacturers who create such fine products and generously provide us with beautiful photos and boat descriptions.

In memory of Bjorn G, who's love of sailing, and life, continues to inspire us.