Reliance Yacht Management provides delivery and logistical solutions to the world’s leading charter fleet operators. A new optimism within the industry sees chartering growing worldwide and becoming more accessable to a wider market.

Our colleagues at Coolbreeze yachts recently posted;

“Chartering: the passport to freedom on the high seas According to the travel industry and charter operators, chartering has well and truly become the new vacation staple for demographics as diverse as couples, groups of friends and families, capturing their imaginations with the allure of exotic locations and fleeting ownership of their own vessel.

Sailing for everyone

People are warming up to the idea of chartering a yacht in June and July. With the rise of comparing and booking on the internet, people are taking advantage of off-peak specials and choosing to travel out of high season, even with children. There’s more availability, choice of boats and better bargains. People are far more price conscious these days.’ In 2013, the focus is on sailing for everyone. Based on Hamilton Island at the Heart of the Whitsundays, is the global brand Sunsail they are working to break down the barriers to attracting non-yachties to sailing. According to David Reid, the company conducted research in the US among its ideal demographics and found that most people didn’t understand the terms and jargon related to sailing, which impacted on their confidence to charter a boat. Sunsail offers self-sail charters. ‘We are aiming to reduce the jargon to appeal to people new to sailing, to remove the barriers to getting on a boat. Our survey shows most people don’t know port from starboard, or the term ‘heads’, which has a detrimental effect on choosing to charter a boat. ‘We’re aiming to make it universal in our marketing, by portraying a family-friendly product and promoting our sailing school for people to come up and try it, and inform people there’s a whole range of places around the world you can sail for as little as a few thousand a week, rather than buying your own $600,000 yacht.’

The Family Market

The Family market is growing and Sunsail, as part of the largest travel group in the world, the German company TUI Marine, is proud to offer a product to suit every taste. As well as 29 yachts in the Whitsundays, Sunsail operates yachts in Europe, the US and South Pacific under various brand identities. The Moorings is the brand name of its Luxury yacht segment, operating in Thailand, New Zealand,Tonga and Tahiti, Europe and the Caribbean and the Americas. In Europe, it runs canal boats under the brand Le Boat, which Reid says are ‘massively popular’. ‘They are like holiday homes on water. People who enjoy driving around, find a lot of enjoyment holidaying through some of the ancient canals and rivers, seeing places you wouldn’t see driving. It’s ideal for couples, families and small groups of friends. The Australian dollar is so strong, people are taking advantage of that. We realise it’s one component of the typical five to six week holiday. Whereas, when people come to the Whitsundays, their 10 day cruise makes up most of their holiday.’ Sunsail charter catamarans – Sunsail enjoys year round popularity.

Seasons and markets

‘We do experience different seasons,’ Reid acknowledges. ‘Summer is traditionally the wet season in the Whitsundays and Europe doesn’t kick in until April. It’s a quieter period for us and we pick up in April too. But Christmas has been busy, and January and February will be quieter, then Easter will be busy again.’ Sunsail appeals to a broad market, and with the recent introduction of flotilla sailing – unique in the region – the company is hoping to attract families and groups of friends, with a skipper and hostess to accompany and guide. ‘We attract a good variation,’ continues Reid, referring to the Sunsail client base. ‘Over Christmas, we had families from the US as well as many people from southern states. In Europe, our brokers do rallies in the Med, which appeals to the retiree market.’

Seeking new markets

In 2013, Sunsail has its sights set on capturing new markets. ‘We are looking outside the box, targeting new sailors, emphasizing our ability to conduct sailing classes to demystify sailing and make it more accessible.’ Locally, Sunsail will be reinforcing the theme of sailing the beautiful Whitsundays, aiming to lure the domestic market to Queensland with the assurance that you can do more locally, spend less time in transit and enjoy more of your holiday ‘Sailing is currently at the forefront as a sport and recreational activity,’says Reid, referring to its success at the London Olympics. ‘We will be telling people that they can charter a beautiful yacht for a week for $4,000, with none of the hassle or expense of ownership, and not have to buy one for $600,000.’