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Latitude 38
• March, 2014
ANNA FREDRIKSSON
2013
⇑⇓BEST WAY TO PROMOTE A CHARTERBOAT Thanks for your October issue advice on how to get a crew position for the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers). I ended up crossing the Atlantic aboard a custom Axonite 69 monohull built in the Netherlands. It was a really great experience, but I have to say that I enjoy coastal sailing and island hopping much more! Since my arrival in St. Lucia, I have been sailing on Malisi, an Outremer 64 Light catamaran. We've gone as fast as 17 knots with me aboard, but the crew that brought her across the Atlantic in the ARC hit 23 knots. It's a real delight to sail on such a fast and comfortable boat. I've made a deal with the owner where I get free food and a cabin when there are no clients aboard. In return, I have to help with the maintenance and upkeep of the boat, and work on her when there are charters. Since I have a background in luxury travel, I also made a deal to help promote the boat in exchange Anna has gone from crewing on the ARC to for some commission, living and working on an Outremer 64. so I was wondering if Latitude could give me some tips on how to market Malisi. What brokers should we use for a $16,000/week boat, and what can we do to get press? Are there any international or locally-based brokers that you would recommend for a boat of this size and budget? I'm really looking forward to hearing from you and getting some advice so I can get this project up and running — and make some money in the process. Anna Mascaro Fredriksson Malisi, Outremer 64 St. Lucia Anna — It's great to hear from you again. We're certainly not experts in the medium-high to luxury crewed charter market, so we would direct your questions to our old California friend and Antigua Sailing Week crew Bob Carson who, after a couple of years of crewed chartering with his wife Denise, bought Southern Trades, a yacht sales and crewed yacht management company in Road Town, Tortola. With over 90 yachts in their stable, Southern Trades is the biggest clearing house of crewed charter yachts in the capital of yacht chartering. The good news is that when we met with Carson in mid-February, he told us that the mid- to high-end crewed charterboats were killing it this season with very strong bookings. The less good news for you is that most bookings come through brokers, and brokers understandably prefer to book with tried and true boats and crews, or at least boats they have seen at the charterboat shows. The big shows are in November in the Caribbean, so with the winter season about to wind down, you're really looking at setting up for next season. In addition, you always want to market what is unique about your vessel. In the case of the Outremer 64, we'd stress the fact that she's newer as well as a high-performance cat — unlike almost all the other cats in the Caribbean. Readers — It's funny how you get to meet people in sailing. Two winters ago Anna, who is from Spain, was working at a shop in San Jose del Cabo when the Ha-Ha came through. Wanting to move on, she asked if she could join Profligate for