The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show was a great success for me with the very fast purchase of a large motor yacht, a 140' WESTSHIP, for a European client. From first offer to closing was a short 35 days. The vessel is now ready for her first cruise with the Owner and family over the New Year period, in and around the Caribbean.

MARTHA ANN now MonaLiza, Large Motor Yacht Sold by Mike Sharpe

From my perspective, this large yacht purchase precisely followed the successful 'script' that leads a new Owner into the joys of yacht ownership. My client came ready funded to buy. I located the yachts that I felt would best suit his agenda, before his arrival in Florida. We quickly agreed on the one vessel that suited his taste best. We made a fair offer that got the Seller's attention.

With the Seller realizing that the 'opening offer' was a fair indicator of the Buyer's realistic intentions, the final price was negotiated over the next 2 days, and a price agreement was struck.

SOME OF THE LARGE MOTOR AND SAILING YACHTS RECENTLY SOLD BY MIKE SHARPE...   140 Westship    76' Baltic    62' Azimut    86' Mangusta    133' Perini Navi    98' Cheoy Lee On the general brokerage side, I have had a busy year with 5 motor yachts sold, ranging for a new 62' AZIMUT to the 140' WESTSHIP, along with a 76' Mediterranean based CNB sailing yacht. Four of my clients have been European, and with the exchange rate being so beneficial to foreign buyers, we expect that trend to continue.

Two large yacht charters have been booked, one over New Year and one early in the New Year. Both yachts are well over 100', and as that business grows, I am aware that one of those clients will be a buyer in 2008.

The Yacht & Brokerage Show
Miami Beach, Florida
February 14 - 18, 2008

Discussions are afoot with clients wanting to purchase no later that the Miami Show, and one will be buying a large sailing yacht while two others are discussing large motor yacht in the 120' to 130' range.

It would seem that 2008 is off to a flying start!

Palm Beach Boat Show
March 27-30, 2008

New in 2008 for us will be the expanded Texas International Boat Show in Corpus Christi, Texas, which will be held a few weeks after the Palm Beach Boat Show, 14th to 18th of February, and Texas will be a great opportunity for me to meet new clients to discuss brokerage and charter.

Texas International Boat Show
April 24 - 27, 2008

Our focus on large yachts, over 80' in particular, will hopefully be of interest to show visitors, and we I will be pleased to answer the simplest of questions for first time buyers and charterers, or offer technical advice for the more seasoned boaters.

As always, as the New Year rolls around, we are already focusing on our efforts for Monaco and Fort Lauderdale Shows for 2008. We will be focusing even more on having a booth, a meeting place at each show, in the hope that you will visit us and spend some time discussing your interests and needs. With a fair degree of optimism based on experience, I believe I can help you sort through the decision making process of selecting your next boating project, be it selling your boat, buying a boat, or deciding on that first charter. As a specialist in both large sailing yachts as well as large motor yachts, from PERINI to FEADSHIP, I will enjoy meeting existing and new clients at the many venues that we make the effort to visit for the sole opportunity to meet our clients.

Enjoy the holidays. I look forward to Hearing from You in 2008.

Mike

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