Charter Open House Displays the Class and Professionalism that is the Cornerstone of the Industry
Each month, the Florida Yacht Broker's Association (FYBA) hosts a charter open house in Ft. Lauderdale. The event is held the second Wednesday of every month to allow its members to view yachts available for charter and to showcase their offerings to other brokers and the public. TowBoatU.S. New River's Sales representative, Michelle Hoekstra joined thirty brokers and their guests exploring 9 yachts at January's event which was held at Bahia Mar Yachting Center, many premiering for the first time. The charters ranged in price from $15,000 to $185,000 per week. Along the docks, the yachts were perfectly moored and sparkling from Bow Sprit to cockpit to welcome visitors. Each yacht's crew greeted the brokers and provided personalized tours if desired. If they did not want a guide, the brokers were allowed to freely roam the yacht to capture its ambiance and uniqueness at their leisure. Each crew attempted to make every guest feel as though they were the charterer.
While touring M/Y Redhead, Chef and stewardess Natalie Hannon declared, "As crew, we understand that the brokers are interested in seeing the yacht's amenities, but they are truly critiquing the crew's capabilities and mannerisms." Keeping Natalie's words in mind, Michelle noticed, "All of the yacht crews were demonstrating their culinary talents from the homemade goat cheese with a flaky caramel crust on M/Y Won Buy Land to the sweet and delicious Kahlua mousse on M/Y Betty Jane. Every yacht provided food and service that was above and beyond the finest cocktail party." As the night came to a close, the yachts illuminated the waters and docks with their subtle yet sufficient lighting. While the brokers and their guests were returning home, the night just began for the crew. Many of the captains and their crew stayed aboard to clean and polish the yacht for their next charter. Each yacht exemplified a small tidbit of how a guest on the open water would be treated.
FYBA is a non-profit organization that unites those involved with buying, selling and chartering yachts. They have approximately 1,000 members representing over 400 businesses and are the proud owners of the Yacht & Brokerage Show held yearly in conjunction with the Miami International Boat Show. FYBA hosts a variety of educational seminars and networking events throughout the year for its members. To learn more about FYBA and their events, please visit their website at www.fyba.org.
TowBoatU.S. New River works closely with Captains and Brokers to assist with all of their towing needs. Call a yacht towing specialist directly at 954-292-0948 for prompt, professional and personalized service that the yachting community deserves. To learn more about their crew and capabilities, please visit the yacht towing page of their website at www.towboatusnewriver.com
