If you are keen to buy a yacht but worry about the costs, maybe this blog will help you make the right decision.

The cost of a yacht ownership is very expensive for most and in a way, this has always been the case. The initial outlay may be the smallest problem at times, as once you start considering purchase of a yacht, surely you must have earned some money to consider doing so. The problem, as with many other hobbies or activities can be a cash flow or the cost of maintaining such a yacht. This is where modern yacht ownership options change a lot for many of those considering purchase of such an expensive toy as a yacht, in particular a luxury yacht.

Today, one can even talk about profitable yacht ownership indeed. The most popular of all, 50-67ft luxury catamarans such as Vaan R5 but in particular the most popular models such as Bali 5.4, Lagoon 55, Sunreef 60, Alegria 67 are rented up to 20 weeks during the Mediterranean season alone. Purchase price of these boats is in the region of 1,5 – 3,5 million Euros, yet income is also around 20% of the purchase price in the year one alone and as a minimum in most cases. If such boats than head to the East Caribbean for the winter season and make another 20 weeks, this income is not only covering leasing rates, crew salaries and port or insurance fees, but give a handsome return on investment too.

The cost of running such a yacht with professional crew is probably around 200,000 – 300,000 Eur per year, yet average price of a Bali 5.4 is also around 20,000 Eur net. Multiplying it by 40 weeks which such a yacht can make, without potential transatlantic crossing charter income added, makes for a very interesting read indeed. Yacht such as Alegria 67’s are for example almost 70% booked out already for most of Mediterranean summer holiday months and we are still in January. Sending such a yacht to a winter seasons destination, at n average weekly rate of 40,000 Eur, ensuring 40 weeks are made in a 55 week period brings an income of 1,6 million Euros. Deduct management fee of 15%, brokerage fee of 15%, crew wages and usual running costs of around 200,000 Eur and you as owner are still left with a total yearly income of around 1 million Euro on a purchase price that is likely to be 2,5 million Euros. Try buying anything else for 2,5 million Euros and see how you can finance it, let alone collect 1 million Euros income and most of the investment advisors in your own bank will want to listen to you.

Similar, albeit not as good investment proposal is available with a luxury motor yacht or indeed a genuine superyacht. The talk here is about a Puccini Yacht 65 Fly or Puccini Yacht 82 Fly, both JING models. JING stands for a rare, indeed unique offering in yachting. Puccini Yachts are namely the only shipyard in the World that is trying to combine sleek, modern designs with traditional styling that includes the use of Royal Chinese Cloisonne patterns. This combination of fashionable yachts, as well as cutting-edge technology and the integration of traditional handicraft is a great and innovative concept that any sinophile or chinophile would need to consider. Imagine your own hotel or villa on the water, located in a marina near the London’s Tower Bridge, promoting the traditional expression of thousands of years of Chinese civilization, all in modern & stylish environment that is also a high-quality CE and Lloyds classed boat.

At a cost of around 4 million Euros, PUCCINI YACHT 82 Fly Jing is the most expensive of all mentioned her, yet thousands would flock to London every year just to see this floating museum of Ming Dinasty’s greatest designs, thanks to world renowned art details of Royal Chinese Cloisonné designers. As a world famous traditional handcraft, the Cloisonné is appreciated worldwide due to the artistic characteristics of the craft, summarized by the four symbols of shape, grain, colour and light. A beautiful cloisonné designed luxury yacht will therefore have a good shape, a decorative pattern, gorgeous blue colour determined by carefully chosen materials and finally the chosen patterns will be finished in gloss and gold plated. A masterpiece without a need for any art, as the yacht is art in itself in other words. Thus, this collection of art, craft, sculpture, inlay, glass melting, metallurgy and other professional technologies, all with a distinctive Chinese style and cultural connotation, combined with an ultra-modern European design, will make each of these JING styled yachts a very individual creation, would entice many to pay a premium price just to visit the yacht. Many others would want to enjoy a stylish meal on board coupled with daily or hourly cruise down the Thames. Others would even consider her for a long term stay while visiting the UK or conducting a business event in London. The possibilities to generate income from a superyacht that is also a sort of a museum, a painting, a piece of art are endless. Sale price alone may be higher than purchase price under circumstances, so that even flipping her may be the best investment decision anyway. With a smaller PUCCINI FLY 65 JING costing less than 2 million, more then 50% less than the 82ft-er, your investment into this type of a luxury motor yacht may be even more profitable.

Whatever your plans, in today’s market, yacht ownership can be a great way of enjoying the lifestyle you crave but also not paying for it. At least not in full. The popularity of sailing and yachting as a social distancing exercise in a privately secluded environment is also on the rise, so much so that in the coming years, investing into your own yacht is not only desirable, but also recommended in a way. There is of course no guarantee of success, neither it is advisable to buy any kind of yacht, at any time, unless you can fully finance it, without falling into difficulties, yet given the current market conditions, high demand and track record of many similar yachts or indeed exclusivity of a project such as Puccini Yacht ‘JING’, it is certainly worthwhile considering jumping into a cold water.

Superyacht charter should be a pleasant experience, both for the owner and in particular for the yacht charter clientele and the crew!

Quite often we assume, and rightfully so, that superyacht charter is the ultimate type of holiday.  UHNW and HNW individuals and families indeed enjoy such vacation at least once, if not two or even a number of times per year. A vacation dreams are made of, and best way to enjoy your well-deserved luxury type of a getaway. Sailing between the best hotspots one can find on this planet, eating best and freshest food, served by the best in business in the most beautiful way possible, visiting the most historic, newest and exclusive sites, beach clubs and restaurants is a fabulous experience. In particular as this is done while island hoping in the most amazing corners of the planet, which makes it a pleasure worth naming as the holiday of a lifetime. This in particular when it is combined with a luxury environment one can only find or experience on a superyacht or a mega yacht.

The best type of a vacation there is:
Indeed, both luxury yacht charter, superyacht hire and mega yacht charter fall into the similar type of a holiday that can only be beaten by a specialized package. This package may include private charter flight, high-end luxury yacht charter experience, coupled with a 5-star villa holiday and helicopter transfers, submarine excursions and Micheline star menu in local restaurants along the way. In reality, such package does not exist however, as pricing it and arranging it would be very expensive, in particular matching all services with available private charter flights.  Celebrity concierge service available with SuperSailYachts.com can certainly make such a package a reality, but on a day-to-day basis, all these are in most cases packaged individually and based on specific desires and requirements of each client separately. 

Superyacht charter clients enjoy top menu’s prepared by highly skilled and experienced chefs, most of which have worked in Micheline starred restaurants in the past.  Captains are highly organized professionals who sailed international and itinerary-based national waters numerous times before and can plan a fantastic yacht charter itinerary that would include best hot-spots of the Mediterranean or the East Caribbean in most cases. Best of all, a typical itinerary will include rarely visited and secluded anchorages with private beaches where carefully chosen crew can prepare a birthday party, even a wedding or just a romantic BBQ dining experience.  These type of luxury charter yachts are also full of water toys and gadgets that allow yacht charter clients to be as adventurous as they wish and enjoy such activities as kite surfing, windsurfing, jet-skiing or water-skiing and simple staff as just sunbathing, snorkeling or rendez-vous diving. 

What can happen to turn exceptional into a problem?
Experiences made on these exclusive yachting holidays are mesmerizing, unforgettable and irreplaceable in the memories of most guests. That is one of the reason, most of them come back year in and year out or may charter twice a year, during the summer in the Mediterranean and during the winter in the Caribbean or as far as South Pacific and Indian Ocean.  However, there are at times unexpected issues that may prop up and here we analyze two that can occur most often.  One of them is a technical issue with the boat that may not allow the crew to set off on a carefully planned itinerary.  This can be for variety of reasons, but the simplest one can be an engine or hydraulics issues that for obvious or safety reasons may not allow the captain to leave safety of the port.  In that case, the clients will face a choice of giving up on their bespoke yachting holiday or looking for a replacement vessel. Given that specific nature of lastminute charter, this may mean lack of any choice or poor choice or indeed end of their yachting holiday as such.  The clients may have to reconsider and rent a high-end villa or just rooms in luxury hotels. In most cases, such accommodation tends to be booked out and unavailable however and replacements boats either not in the area or simply not suitable.  This is where the clients may choose to stay on board and put up with waiting times and hopes that engineers will repair the yacht in good time, allowing for the planned superyacht charter to continue.  There is not much wrong with this option, given that crew are likely be even more attentive, chef will prepare sublime menu and captain or chief stewardess will be able to advise on local excursions, alternative dining outlets or local cultural offering such as museums, galleries, theaters or archeological sites.  In case the repair will last a day or less than 48hrs, and charter is at least one week long, any such experiences of delayed departure could be minimized.   This is where the main problem can occur. Namely, the pick up location may be in a non-touristy type of a port or away from usual tourist trail, forcing the clients to stay on board in a unpleasant industrial marina and a location not made for superyacht charter client. If than repair takes more than 48hrs and charter is indeed just 7 day  or less, the clients are likely to be frustrated, unsatisfied and in expectation of a major refund. The owners may see the situation completely differently though and claim that clients have stayed on board for the duration of the charter, have used the services of the crew and their yacht and as such do not deserve any refund.  It is therefore of ultimate importance that you make a sound decision if staying on board is best choice or if you are better off putting up with an alternative solution until the boat is fully repaired and ready to go, or accept delay.

Anything else one has to be aware of ?
The other main issue that can cause stress or change the expected experience for the worse is differing views on the final or ongoing fuel consumption. This is in particular the case with motor yachts that cruise at higher speeds of 20kn+ and where weather can come in play.  As an example, your boat may have quoted fuel consumption of 600L/H at cruising speed of 25kn. However, what if that cruising speed is only 20kn, yet your fuel consumption is higher ?  This can happen in case the waves are bigger than say 1m or swells are continuous for long distances.  You may not reach a destination you desired on time, yet your bill can be 20% higher.  On top, if situation extends to a full week charter and your bill at the end is 000’s of Euros higher than assumed, yet you only managed to cover 50% of your itinerary, a dispute or dissatisfaction can be very bad.  It is therefore advisable to confirm expected fuel consumption both at calm weather, and if adverse weather kicks in.  This is especially important on superyachts that cruise at speeds of 25kn+ but it can be even more frustrating on sailing catamarans that may cruise at only 8kn, yet their expected 2,000 Eur bill after a weeks charter, turns out to be 4,500 Eur.  Fuel prices can often play a major role too, especially if there is a major pricing change as it happened in 2022 following the war in Ukraine.  You will in most cases book your yacht 6-12 months in advance namely, and fuel prices can change substantially before embarkation takes place. If the price of fuel is 50% higher and your expected bill is 10,000 Eur, suddenly, this can turn into a 15,000 Eur bill due to increase in pricing and maybe even 20,000 Eur due to higher waves, bad weather and slight or bigger variance in actual fuel consumption, cruising speed and information given by the captain. The suggestion is therefore to plan for such adverse scenario in advance, double check rates at different cruising speeds and by change of prices and than decide if motor yacht or any superyacht you are keen to charter is indeed within the budget or desirable enough to ignore such potential adversity in final costs.

There are indeed a few other scenarios, experiences or issues that can occur, unexpectedly or in case of poor preparations. These two are the most likely ones; yet a professional charter broker can indeed identify many others and ensure most are dismissed well in advance of the start of your next luxury yacht charter or superyacht hire in the most popular yachting destinations of the East Caribbean or the Mediterranean.

Published by Eldin Basic (TpMBA)
Yacht Charter & Sales Broker  at SuperSailYachts

And why you should consider doing so.

Following covid-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in enquiries about superyacht charters and luxury yacht charters in particular.
Social distancing rules and self-isolation have become increasingly popular and in demand, therefore sailing and yachting holidays have by their nature become of a more interest to many families and couples.  Given the lack of specific information for these type of clients, who are about to charter their first yacht or who are likely to consider a luxury yacht charter or indeed a superyacht charter in the coming months and years, here is a top 10 breakdown of what needs to be known before you embark on such a project. For more information, you can also follow our superyacht charter guide available on SuperSailYachts.com.

1. What is a superyacht charter?

Yacht chartering in general is the practice of renting, or hiring or indeed chartering a sailboat, motor yacht or a gullet and traveling to a number of different coastal or island destinations. Usual duration is one week, from Saturday – Saturday, yet many clients opt for 10 days, 2 weeks or even long-term charters of up to 2-18 months on some occasion.  The usual charter is completed during your summer or winter holiday time, but it also can be a business event for some.  Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix are typical events where business may hire a superyacht.  In terms of superyacht charter, this includes crew of at least 4, including professional captain, chef, engineer or deckhand and a stewardess or hostess.  Biggest yachts may have crew of up to 30+ to include bodyguards, nannies, chief stewardess, yoga instructor, fitness instructor and personal concierge.  Midweek charters or embarkation on any day is possible on most superyachts, in particular in destinations such as the Caribbean or Indian Ocean. Some Mediterranean yachting destinations, such as Croatia, may limit embarkation and disembarkation times to specific days ie. Saturday, yet this is usually the case on smaller boats

2. How much does it cost to charter a super yacht?
   This really depends on a variety of factors such as size, type and age of the yacht.  A typical superyacht will cost around US$ 100,000 per week plus APA expenses. If you opt something smaller, older or with less appeal, the price varies between US$20,000 and US$80,000. For a megayacht rental (boats from around 200ft/60m, and much bigger than a superyacht), you can expect to pay upwards of half a million dollars. The larger the yacht, the higher the cost, although classic yachts may at times cost much less than a much smaller new superyacht. 
   
   
3. What are APA Expenses?
   These are all costs one can incur during a superayacht charter.  This can include all fuel, marina fees, costs of food and drinks consumed, tips to the crew, any local tourist or boat taxes, National Park fees, special requests and arrangements, even airport transfers.  They are usually set at around 30% of the charter fee, thus US$ 30,000 in case the charter fee is US$ 100,000 but can be higher, around 40%, on fast superyachts such as Pershing 115 or Sunseeker’s Predator range or newest Sunseeker 131 yacht, while sailing catamarans such as Sunreef 60 or the new Alegria 67 by Fountain Pajot may accept 20%.
   

4. Is a superyacht charter holiday worth it?
   Yacht charter is an absolute best way to enjoy a summer or sea holiday.  Changing your overnight location every day is an amazing experience, in particular if you enjoy sailing experience itself and feeling the lovely breeze on your face. Waking up to a new view, sights, smell and expeirences every day is just a mesmerising feeling and nothing beats it.  If you and your family are sailors and want to explore different parts of the world, chartering a boat in a different location, depending on the season and your budget, is a very fun and rewarding experience.
   
   
5. How much is a super yacht per night?
   At times you may wish to charter just for a night, weekend or a shorter period of time.  All superyachts are offered from around 3,500 US$’s per day plus expenses and the longer you rent, the average costs may be lower.  Superyachts are classed as boats bigger than 80ft or 25m, yet some newer boats that may only be 70ft, can have a bigger volume than a classic 100ft superyacht, thus may offer better value despite costing more.  All charter fees are always subject to local tax/vat and this can add from 4-22% on top of the usual charter rate. APA Expenses are on average 30% too.
   
   
6. Can I bring more than 12 guests?
   Most superyachts or yachts in general are limited to maximum 12 guests sleeping.  During the cruise this number may be increased and for stationary events in secured ports many will accept 50 guests on board, others even more than 100.  Smaller yachts may carry only six people, but even many superyachts are capped at 12 passengers.  This is mostly due to the SOLAS Convention (Safety of Life at Sea) set in law by the International Maritime Organization.  If your party has more than 12 guests, in location such as Croatia in particular, there is a range of high quality superyachts which can accept up to 40 guests on board. Some mega yachts, which can cruise in various locations from the Caribbean to the locatioins in the Arabian Sea can also accept up to 32 guests for overnight stays as well as cruising.
   
   
7. Is food included in superyacht charters ?
   All superyachts have a trained, professional chef on board.  The crew is also trained to provide 5-star service and often multiple course meals with specialties ranging from sea food, Mediterranean, Thai, Japanese or Chinese even and in most cases cater for all types of foodies, from vegetarians, gluten-free, vegan or an specific allergy-free menu’s.  However, food is rarely included in the charter fee and requires separate payments. In most cases this is part of APA EXPENSES, but on some yachts, in particular in the Adriatic Sea or in Seychelles, a set menu cost is offered, either for half-board (breakfast and lunch or dinner) or full board (half-board plus dinner) with drinks added to the bill from ships bar or as part of expenses.  Where APA expenses are applied, superyacht charter clients may often bring their own drinks. Some clients for example drink only certain brands of wine or may also own a vineyard and will bring their own bottles on board. 
   

4. 8. Do you have to tip on a superyacht charter ?
   In general, all professional yachtcharter brokers advise tipping 10 per cent of the charter fee total in the Mediterranean.  On US registered boats in the Caribbean or any boat hired in the US waters, the recommended tip is 20 per cent of the base charter fee.  Tipping your crew is a customary practice at the end of all and any superyacht charter, yet it is in most cases not obligatory.  Some boats, in particular those in the US waters or US registered ones, will advise on obligatory amount of tips before the exchange of the contracts. In case your superyacht charter was a disappointment for some reason and crew may have played a major role in the experience, you are not obliged to leave a tip of course.  If however your experience was amazing, or even life-changing adventure, you can tip as much as you like.
   
   9. What’s the best way to charter a superyacht?
   The best way is to decide on your ideal or maximum budget and approximate time or period you wish to charter.  You should than approach a superyacht charter broker such as SuperSailYachts and provide as much as other information as possible, such as total number of guests (split into couples, singles, children) and type of yacht required (sailing monohull, sailing catamaran, power catamaran, gullet etc.).  Indeed, some gullets can be classed as superyachts too but most of the superyachts tend to be luxury motor yachts above 25 metre in length.  Nowadays, the most popular yachts are sailing catamarans and those 80ft and longer are considered superyachts, Sunreef 80 and Lagoon 77 being the most desired ones.  For example, sailing catamarans of around 70ft and below are considered luxury or de-luxe charter yachts and are also very impressive but may not be seen as superyachts, while gullets must be new, 5-star service vessels and at least 120ft to be considered a superyacht.
   
   10. Where and when to charter a superyacht?
   The best locations to see and to be seen on a superyacht tend to be in the Mediterranean during the summer and the Caribbean in the winter.  If you want to be amongst others who charter superyachts, you should consider turning up for Cannes Film Festival or Monaco’s F1 Grand Prix for example.  End of July and early August is probably time to visit South of France and locations such as Cap d’Antibes or Porquerolles and inevitably St Tropez.  Mid August you are best going to Ibiza and private  island Tagamago as well as neighbouring Formentera or indeed Greek Island of Mykonos.  Dubrovnik and Island of Hvar in Croatia are popular throughout August and late July, while Portofino alongside Italian Riviera and Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda coast can be hit at the same time when visiting South of France, in particular if you are on a long-term charter of sailing on a fast cruising motor yacht (25kn+).

Bonus tips:
There may be a number of other variables that you should consider before chartering a superyacht, yet one cannot cover them all in a blog.  Most importantly, if you can afford it, you should definitely consider luxury yacht charter experiences, regardless of what type of yacht, period of the year or duration you are considering.  Making the experience will certainly be the best way to check if you will enjoy it and given the possibility to hire a superyacht for a day or long weekend, there is nothing in the way to stop you doing so.  On top, superyacht charter can takes place during your regular school holidays period at the end of July and August or last one or two weeks typically. The most popular charter times are during Christmas and the NEW YEAR, when most superyacht charterers head to Virgin Islands (BVI’s and USVI’s) and ultra-popular Saint Barths. Billionaires and Multi-millionaires tend to charter yachts throughout the year as and when the need arises and the latest special offerings are transatlantic crossing which start around mid-November and last up to mid-December each year. Other clients, albeit very few, tend to charter yachts for longer periods only, enjoying a full blown long-term sabbatical yacht charter vacation. Lately, clients have also enquired for ONE WAY charters, the most popular being between Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia, Athens and Mykonos in Greece and St Tropez and Portofino (in France and Italy respectively). The most adventurous of all, are one way charters from locations such as the Grenadines to ABC Islands, Martinique to San Blas in Panama or even Cuba to Galapagos!

Published by Eldin Basic (TpMBA) of SuperSailYachts.com

What can you look forward to when planning your superyacht charter in 2023!

When it comes to luxury holidays, nothing beats charter of a superyacht. The choice of exclusive villas, balcony suite on a largest cruiser in the world, high-end apartment in the prime location or any other type of adventure, luxury getaway and variety of many other options have never been greater. Despite this, being on a private superyacht, being served by a top professional crew and floating from one superyacht location to another one, each and every day is simply incomparable to anything else out there.

However, simply being on board of a superyacht and sailing from say Portofino to St Tropez is an adventure of the past. Modern superyacht charter client is seeking more than just calculation of mileage and fuel fee, but wants to enjoy various activities along the way. This cant include only traditional activities such as swimming, snorkelling and water skiing but must include kite surfing, choice of finest 1-3 Michelin star restaurants along the way, rendez-vous diving for some, rental of a superyacht tender that will shadow the chartered yacht, tandem charter with another boat that will cater for children only or other members of the family or indeed bodyguards, diving team or for any other type of special arrangements.

On top of various activities on the water, thanks to a number of new water toys, yacht charter clients on board of superyachts can also increasingly look at various activities under the water. Some mega yachts already have a submarine in their offering, others also a amphibious jeep that allows exploration of uninhabited islands or those where there are no vehicles to hire or taxis to book. On the other hand, many others crewed charter yachts have various seabobs, infinity islands or Sea-Easta comfortable lounger by Jobe, electric jetboards that can propel the riders out of the water and to speeds of almost 50kmp for example. On top, there are so many others including waverunners, jet skis, iAqua SeaDar Max, the interesting 100% emission free and extremely lightweight and cordless electric hydrofoil such Waydoo Flyer one, or hydrofoil eBike Manta5 XE-1 that reaches speeds of 20kph and many others. Latest and rare to find superyacht water toys are Aston Martin and Triton Sumbarines’s Project Neptune which is a type of a limited edition submarine which carries 2 x guests and pilot up to dephts of 500m allowing amazing romantic or adventurous moments for couples, as well as ingenious underwater Robo-Shark drone and many other inflatables and towables.

Most interesting of all however, are not the toys but adventures in relation to special destinations. You can now dive with whale sharks in Indonesia by chartering a super luxury 200ft+ mega yacht near Triton and Cenderawasih bay throughout autumn, all winter months and early Spring or in Teluk Saleh in Sumbawa during late Spring and all of the Summer months. Other boats can take you to location such as Svalbard where you can both ski, watch polar bears and enjoy swimming.

To get your best adventure arranged, you can also quite often come up with very specific ideas, projects or demands and in many cases they can be met with great attention and also executed fully. It is up to you and your imagination to consider what would be the best solution, exploration or adventure and SuperSailYachts.com are most likely going to be in position to blog their way out and ensure they are fulfilled.

What else and where can it be experienced

In other locations, you could charter a supercat SUNREEF 80 and enjoy a beach barbeque in Tobago Cays, Grenadines, enjoying a specially prepared lobster dinner. The same exclusive Sunreef mega catamarans, a choice of at least 3 different ones indeed, ares also available in the Virgin Islands with optional big game fishing off Anegada and fish dinner served after you have caught fresh fish yourself an hour earlier.

In the Bahamas you could hire one and only Privilege 510 Signature sailing catamaran while planning to swim with Manta Rays and in Italy, we can reserve a table in a little known restaurant, located on a secluded island where a fantastic 7-course dinner with admirable value can be served, all topped off with a romantic dinghy ride to local historic castle with a love story to die for.

Many superyachts will also gladly create a romantic beach barbeque at a time and in a location where you will be the only party present. Such locations are rare, but can be found in most locations, allowing you to enjoy a spectacular dinner under the start lit sky, your own private beach and highly experienced chef preparing meals that will cater fully for everyone on board. In other locations, you can hire a helicopter or a Jeep safari and while cruising in the Adriatic Sea we can also take you to unique Pyramides of Bosnia with a stopover at Mostar Bridge to see amazing dives from a 27 metres high bridge over crystal clear green colour of river Neretva.

In other words, whatever your idea of an adventure, luxury holiday, special occasion or once in a lifetime experience, you can be certain that superyacht charter is the only such vacation allowing you to be mesmerized, pampered and fulfilled while feeling safe, taken care of and exhilarated all at the same time.

Is it worth it!?

10 minutes read

Buying a new yacht is rarely seen as a good investment.  This was the case for decades and certainly for many years in a row before covid-19 pandemic hit us and changed the world.  When it comes to investing in general, buying a new boat it seems the worse decision you can make.  Boats are name expensive to buy, even more expensive to run and ultimately can cost someones life too if handled improperly, especially in adverse weather conditions. 

However, in real terms, it seems that nowadays it’s all about avoiding huge inflation numbers.  There is a run away from currencies such as Russian Rouble, Turkish Lira and maybe increasingly also Sterling Pound, Euro and even US$ despite huge increase in value of it against its main rivals from UK and Europe.  Finding that coveted fund, crypto currency or yield in general that beats double digits loss that so called fiat currencies are experiencing nowadays is the key to ultimate success.   As an example, investors who last week put some money into Ethereum crypto currency, gained 14% instantly simply on the news that Goerli Testnet went live, which meant that Ethereum’s dress rehearsal for mid-September launch of new proof-of-stake blockchain that is expected to reduce gas fees and speed up transactions was successful.  And that was only a test, rather than the real deal itself.   In real terms this also means that amongst major crypto currencies, only Bitcoin will remain on energy demanding and relatively slow proof-of-work of system.

Many fund managers also promise regular, quality returns, investing in major stocks such as TESLA, APPLE, SAMSUNG or COCA COLA seems to give increasing or regular dividends and returns too.  Stock options are by now an old way to get huge returns, albeit attached to potentially huge risks and buying carbon credits may also bring in some returns.  For an existing yacht owner or an aspiring live-aboard sailor keen to circumnavigate the world, buying or investing into a new boat remains a risk too.  Given huge disruption across the world and in terms of just-in-time supply and delivery of boat parts and equipment, the manufacture of both sailing and motor yachts seems to have not only been delayed but in some cases, frankly stalled almost.

This created an investment opportunity for yacht buyers. Buying a manufacturing slot for a highly popular sailing catamaran such as Sunreef 60, Sunreef 70 or even Sunreef 80 or Sunreef 100 is a game worth considering when it comes to investment alone.  The same situation is with Lagoon 65 and hugely popular Lagoon 77 supercat. These highly popular charter and private yachts alike, simply cannot be found even on a second hand market any longer. Some of these models are now accepting orders for 2025 already as taking delivery of a new Sunreef in 2023 may be impossible unless the order is made in 2021 or maybe early 2022.  The same is likely to be across many other brands of sailing or power catamarans as ordering a new Bali 5.4 for example, seemed a poor move for a buyer who placed an order in 2020.  One particular boat for example was due to be delivered in September 2021, yet by August 2022 it is still not certain if she will hit the water in September 2022.  In charter terms, this created a huge disruption across the booking lists as both regular sailing holidays in the Caribbean, long-term charters in the Bahamas and even transatlantic crossings during ARC and from Gran Canaria to Saint Lucia all got cancelled or re-booked.

For an investor in these models, this almost proved fatal as losing necessary charter income to finance the lease of purchased boats or pay salaries of yacht managers, captains, and even brokers who arranged charters in the first place this move proved as a loss.  Given that these orders were placed before or during covid-19 pandemic, when disruption of supply chains did not hit home yet, this was not surprising.  The new buyer market scenario has in the meantime developed however as there is lack of new boats on the market while the same pandemic created a new need for self-isolation and social distancing which is perfectly achieved when sailing. In other words, sailing as a hobby, an activity, a type of holiday or as a boat ownership has seen huge increase in popularity and this created a new type of boat buyers.  As a result, buying a new boat, regardless of when the delivery is going to take place, suddenly seems like a good investment.  Those lucky to be taking delivery of a new Azimut, Sunseeker,  Riva, Sunreef, Bali or for example a VAAN catamaran in 2023 are likely to see a good % increase in value on their agreed purchase prices.

In fact, owners of second hand boats are already reporting amazing news for their pockets, as selling a boa they used for several years for more than they originally paid for it is an amazing achievement.  Usually, a boat such as Victoria 67, a Fountain Pajot luxury sailing cat would normally lose around 10% of her value every year.  Given current situation with delays in launch of new boats, such models are likely to be gaining 10% per year in fact.  Those newer ones such as Victoria 67’s successor, Alegria 67 is even more popular and buyers of such boats that would have taken delivery or managed to buy a second hand boat in early 2022 are the lucky winners.

As a result, I feel that those with funds in their bank and a keen desire to regularly sail or motor up their favourite coastline should consider buying a slot of a desired yacht immediately.  As a matter of fact, it may already be a bit late to guarantee a profit, yet not losing money in yachting terms as an owner is already a great achievement.  If you are one of those with funds and desire to sail therefore, we would recommend to get offers in immediately and considering buying either a motor yacht or a sailing catamaran.  These are likely to be most popular models, albeit power catamarans, luxury sailing yachts from brands such as Oyster, CNB and Wally are also likely to be proving beneficial in years to come.

If you are therefore not keen to risk your money on stocks, options, crypto currency or funds, do considering spending a good amount of your savings on a new VAAN R6 or O YACHT 6 for example as such an investment is likely to prove a good one.  If you can’t force yourself to make such a move with your existing knowledge, experience and insights, you can indeed seek an advice either by bank investor, fund manager or yacht sales broker.  One of the best investments can namely be buying a new PUCCINI YACHT 82 JING as by decorating both interior and exterior of a prestigious luxury motor yacht with Royal Chinese CLOISONNE patterns, taking delivery of such a boat already in 2023 at a reasonable discount and most importantly treating the boat as an investment by keeping her in a prime location such as London’s Tower Bridge or wherever a huge number of well-heeled Chinese tourists are likely to roam during their holiday, an investor is likely to both receive a return on regular charters as well as potential increase in yacht value as that would be a first such a yacht in the World and buyers of expensive Chinese vases that are made with same century-old technique already know that there is a good value in spending 100’s of thousands of GPB pounds or US$’s in acquiring such rare pieces of art.