Buying Into Paradise

The Moorings and Sunsail offer the opportunity to own a boat based in one of the charter companies’ exotic locations around the globe and use yachts at any of them for up to 12 weeks a year, either for fixed income or a reduced purchase price.

- Kit Chotithamaporn

When the Moorings was founded in 1969, it had a total of six yachts in the British Virgin Islands. Five years later, Sunsail started operating, in Greece. Today, The Moorings and Sunsail – which merged in 2005 – form the world’s largest charter company, employing over 800 people globally and managing a fleet of 850 boats all over the world.

The Moorings and Sunsail have not only revolutionised the charter industry but also ownership options within charter programmes. In total, they’ve had over 5,000 boat owners between them.

The companies offer a huge fleet of Leopard catamarans built by South Africa’s Robertson & Caine (only The Moorings offers powercats) and sailing monohulls built by iconic French brands Jeanneau and Beneteau.

In Asia, Leopard catamarans and Jeanneau and Beneteau sailing boats are owned and used throughout Asia, but The Moorings Yacht Ownership programme offers an alternative way of buying and using these yachts. So, how does it work and what are the advantages?

The standard contracts typically last five to six years, depending on the location of the yacht. In Asia, The Moorings has a base in Phuket, Thailand, while other destinations around the world include Tahiti, Seychelles and right across the Mediterranean, Americas and Caribbean.

The Moorings and Sunsail yachts are operated for a maximum of six seasons, with only limited numbers of boats extended longer. Almost all are individually owned and this obligation to the owners results in highly maintained yachts. The bases are staffed with employees trained to the highest of standards in customer service and technical expertise for maintenance and upkeep of the yachts.

The ownership programme includes the option of almost any ‘Leopard’, as well as sailing monohulls from Jeanneau and Beneteau, exclusively branded as The Moorings or Sunsail charter boats and with charter-specific options.