One of the things that makes my job really interesting is how all my clients are so different and have different wishes and demands.

I have dealt with owners of yachts from 44 feet to 44 meters and I can testify that size doesn’t matter. What matters is the level of service the clients want. It is also interesting to learn how the budgets for the services related to the yacht are not directly related to the size of the yacht but solely dependant on the owner’s ideas and preferences.

Recently we have provided the crew for a 45ft production catamaran. The yacht is run by a captain and a stewardess to handle the safe navigation, maintenance and hospitality. Another client has an 85ft custom build ketch and he doesn’t care about his G&T or hors d’oeuvres​. He has a captain / engineer to keep the yacht technically in shape​ so he can do some real offshore miles in the summer.

One client wants his 65ft monohull to be shimmering, shining, splendid at all times while another yacht, of equal value and pedigree, is owner driven and simply has an Invisible Crew member visiting for a couple of days each month to handle the basic maintenance.

We pride ourselves in providing what the owners want and consulting them on what they need. Some owners enjoy being involved in the operations of their yacht and they often know their yachts really well, other clients practically hand over the keys and want the yacht to be ready when they come on holiday. The latter requires a fair amount of trust from the client. Usually these clients come in after being referred to us by existing clients, reputable yacht brokers or after reading the references on our website. Once in operation we nurture that trust relation through crystal clear communication. We provide clear reports of finances and actions undertaken.

Irrespective of the scope of services that the owners desire, there is one common ground. They all want the worries that come with ownership taken away from them. Many of our clients come in with limited experience as owners as we work with entry level sizes. They often struggle to find unbiased advice. This is exactly what we offer.

Unbiased advice comes in the form of options. If a client has a question we provide a minimum of two possible answers. These answers come from the shared knowledge of all Invisible Crew members and our network of industry experts. Because no two owners are the same, there will never be a straightforward answer.

A while ago we were discussing a charter programme for a client. He was wondering if he should do both a Caribbean and a Mediterranean season to make it a success. One could write a whole article about the brainstorm and answers that followed that question. We took into account the owner’s own cruising preference, the make and build-quality of the yacht, the charter brokers we would work with and so on. And so we came up with several options and through listening carefully to the client’s feedback we can narrow the options down and allow the owner to make an educated decision, a decision that suits his particular needs.

Jens Oomes

jens@invisiblecrew.com

www.invisiblecrew.com