Welcome to my web site. I am a yacht broker specializing in large sailing yachts, working with WELLINGTON YACHTS PARTNERS, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have been professionally involved in the yachting industry since 1973. I am also, a Captain with extensive offshore experience, approaching 250,000 n.m., with an emphasis on large sailing yachts.

Originally from Sydney, my sailing experience began with dinghy racing, later shifting to ocean racing in my mid-twenties. From ocean racing, I expanded my offshore experience delivering sailing yachts back to their home ports from around the South Pacific and across the Tasman. In early 1981, I completed the first of many Panama transits as Captain, delivering a clients sailing yacht from Florida to Sydney via Antigua, further expanding my offshore experience.

Over the next 15 years I captained a variety of vessels, culminating in my command, a 140' modern Sparkman and Stephens schooner. I have skippered yachts trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific on many occasions, including race-boats, cruising yachts, and even a classic J-Class yacht. With these yachts ranging in size from 46 to 140 feet, I’ve completed dozens of ocean crossings in all types of sailing yachts.

I have also skippered and delivered numerous motor yachts, from sport-fishers to Feadship. All in all, my background of experience as a skipper who has cruised the world’s ocean over a 30 year career is pretty well rounded, in all types and classes of ocean going yachts. I bring that experience to my career as a professional yacht broker, and I believe my experience will be useful to you as a client.

Yacht Brokerage Assistantance for you, the Client. Recently I was awarded the accolade of National Salesman of the Year based on my knowledge as a Yacht Broker specializing in large vessels. Much of my knowledge and experience was gained through many years as Captain and Project Manager. My contacts with various building yards like Feadship, Royal Huisman, Alloy, Trinity, Sensation, McMullen and Wing and Delta keeps that knowledge current.

Our company, WELLINGTON YACHTS PARTNERS has offices in the important East Coast locations of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, at the Little Harbor Yachting Center just outside Newport, and in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, long considered the 'Yachting Capital of the World'. The Company is headed up by Ted Hood, whose total involvement in the yachting business over some 30 years and as a builder and broker is extensive and eclectic. We have representation on the West Coast, as well as in Europe, Australasia and South America. Our brokers frequently travel to the Med. to attend the Boat Shows there as well as traveling on trips to inspect vessels and visit clients. We are truly an International group, comfortable whether dealing with clients and boats in New York, Cannes or Sydney. With brokers specializing in the sale and charter of yachts, both power and sail, we can also advise on and arrange re-fits and new construction projects.

WELLINGTON brokers have gained their experience after success in the industry brokering yachts of all sizes, which paved the way to their current knowledge of the over 100' market. Nowadays, motor and sailing vessels over 100 feet dominate our portfolio, yet quality vessels over 60 feet remain vital to our sales efforts.

In working with WELLINGTON, I am associated with one of the most experienced groups of broker's in the international brokerage community. The principals and most of the brokers are from a sailing background that continues today. In Florida we have a group of brokers with captaining experience ranging from large sailing yachts to large motor yachts. Experience ranges from Feadship and Delta to Royal Huisman, Palmer Johnson and S&S.

Through our dealings with other brokerage companies we have strong ties to Europe and the Mediterranean, and many of our yacht sales are for boats located in places other than the US. Typically, I average of six trips a year to Europe, as well as to other locations where yachts of interest may lay, taking time to also visit the major international shows. During this last 12 months I have visited Feadship (Van Lent and De Vries), Cheoy-Lee, Nereid’s, Baglietto and Proteskan/Turquoise yacht yards, inspecting their latest projects.

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My input means we are offering yachts with a standard of finish equal to the best that is available from Northern Europe, yet with a great effort to reduce the cost on the final product without compromising aesthetics, ‘feel’ or quality. This has been achieved and was much simpler that expected. For example, by eliminating exotic materials for masts and rigging, but using ‘off-the-shelf’ state of the art equipment from the likes of RONDAL and NIRVANA, we are providing dramatic cost savings, without compromise. For buyers wanting the latest in high tech carbon and exotics from those companies, it can be provided as optional equipment. By example, both Ron Holland and Tony Castro have been at the leading and innovative edge of racing yacht technology for many years, employing exotic materials in their search for performance advantages. They have also designed conservative cruising yachts for builders like Nautor’s Swan, Baltic Yachts and Jongert, so are fully versed in the requirements for all types of sailing yachts.

From my extensive experience as a captain and yacht broker, I feel that many yacht buyers do not require the high level of sophistication and complexity, (as well as cost) that is becoming commonplace in new sailing yachts. A simpler approach of aluminum in lieu of carbon, single engines rather than twin installations, and conventionally powered winches rather than ‘captive’ winches offer cost savings that are substantial. For buyers wanting the latest innovations, the designers and manufacturers will be able to provide these, coupled with their many years of implementing the latest technology. BUT, there is still room for the simpler life, even in the largest sailing yachts.

These sailing yachts can be designed to suit any buyers needs and parameters from these very experienced designers, but the proposals in place from Ron, Tony and CCYD offer unique accommodation layouts that will no doubt appeal to the new boat buyer, yet of critical importance, they have also been designed with re-sale in mind. As a broker, my associates and I are very aware that in contrast to the motor yacht market, the mega yacht market for sailing yachts is filled with many designs lacking general appeal in the used vessel market. I have made a concerted effort with Ron and Tony to avoid this by providing appealing designs, with re-sale in mind at a critical issue. For example, in the used boat market, generally ‘the more accommodation the better’. In contrast, in new sailing yacht construction, it is less of a priority. As a sailing yacht broker, it is easier for me to find a buyer for a 5 stateroom yacht than a 3 stateroom yacht. That is the reality, so the 3 stateroom boat lingers, unsold for longer, often selling for a lower price.

The used sailing yacht buyer is generally not impressed or willing to pay a premium for exotic material construction, and boats built that way rarely re-coup the original owners cost of construction. Our new design proposals take this into account in the hope of ensuring high re-sale value and high demand, due to layouts and features that will appeal to the buyer comparing sailing yachts in the brokerage market.

 
 
Of great importance when purchasing a vessel is the input I can suggest regarding re-sale. Too often this issue is given insufficient consideration when purchasing a yacht. I feel that the issue of re-sale is vitally important when considering a vessel for purchase. Input from the broker will help find a yacht with good re-sale potential, avoiding a yacht which may be difficult or slow to re-sell. My experience with this issue is one of the driving forces behind creating this web-site, allowing us the time to meet early in the process, to consider the purchase your new yacht.

It is all too easy to relate accounts of vessels which have either been sold below the sellers expectations, or taken too long a time to sell. I believe this can be avoided at the time of purchase, and it is a 'hot button' issue that I believe should be as important to the buying conditions as should be the survey report. An experienced broker knows this, and will be interested in future re-sale for his client, as well as purchase.

 
 
I have included a link to the Designers Forum that includes bio’s and information from some of the world’s leading yacht designers, informing you of their ideas and philosophies as to their views on what makes the best offshore sailing yachts. Their portfolios include some of the largest sailing yachts afloat, as well as medium sized private and charter yachts. Included are designs built by Jongert, Royal Huisman, Perini Navi and Nautor’s Swan, amongst others. From the new mega-yacht MIRABELLA to the latest from Jongert, Wally, Alloy and Perini Navi, these designers offer insights into the design and building process that I hope will be interesting and informative to you. Information is being added to the web-site as this is being written, and the site should be complete soon. Please call me so I can update you on the progress.

Being in the position of knowing most of these designers for many years, and having sold several of their designs, I am in a unique position to link designer and client together in a friendly and comfortable atmosphere. Let me know if I can be of assistance.

 
In creating this web site, I had one goal in mind. To ensure a seamless transition into my data base, so you could 'point and click' your way to vessels of interest. To date I have been encouraged by the positive comments that have been received on this subject.

I felt it important, once again to make it easy for you to 'cruise' to the vessels of interest in the easiest way possible. When you find a vessel of interest, I have asked for just the minimum information from you so that I can respond to your inquiry. If you would prefer to contact me directly, call me on my mobile or at my office. Either way, I would like to speak to you if I can assist you in any way. Your phone contact is always helpful.

One final note. I do not list sail boats under 60' on my data base. Because of the large number that are available the results of any search tend to be too large to be practical. If your interest is in that size range, e-mail me or call me directly for assistance.

I look forward to your feed-back regarding this site, and would like to hear from you in the hope I can assist you further.

Best regards,

Mike Sharpe