SPRING-SUMMER 2010I sea&iI85cnifocushe US charter division of CNI is based in the Palm Beach and FortLauderdale offices. The Palm Beach charter team, betweenthem, count around 60 years of industry experience and haveworked together for 12 years, meaning they have excellentchartering knowledge and a solid inter-office network, numerous benefitsof which extend to their clients. Agnes Howard, meanwhile, heads upcharter in the Fort Lauderdale office. Here, they outline the key elementsof their role.FORT LAUDERDALEAgnes Howard"My life in the yachting industry began almost 20 years ago as a stewardesson a 30m (100') yacht named Trilogy in the Caribbean. My next role was aboardthe Feadship Fifanella (now Kingfisher). We spent time in Japan, cruised theInland Sea and spent several seasons in Thailand. I ended up back in FortLauderdale as I wanted to continue working in this vibrant industry. Myposition as charter manager and marketing director at Bob Saxon Associates,which was acquired by CNI, formed the basis of my professional knowledgeof chartering. I have travelled extensively but only recently had theopportunity to visit the Galapagos and have to say it is one of my favouritedestinations. What I like most about my work is seeing how excited peopleget about their yacht charter experience - I feel lucky to be in on the thrill."PALM BEACHSuzette McLaughlin "I launched into the yachting profession by chance, although growing up inLong Island, New York, I'd always loved the water. In the late 80s, after gaininga Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and communications from MaristCollege, New York, I was working for Ogilvy & Mather's public relations divisionwhen I was asked to be part of the start-up operation for the prestigious NorthCove Yacht Harbor: a George Nicholson and Emilio Azcárraga project. I spentthe next ten years at North Cove before becoming a charter broker andrelocating to CNI's Palm Beach office, where I have been based for 12 years. I enjoy getting to know my clients and creating bespoke charters, for whichI draw from my experience in public relations and event planning. I endeavourto travel to many of the destinations that my clients book; some of myfavourites being Greece, Turkey, Italy and the British Virgin Islands. As partof my work I attend industry shows worldwide and I am a member of theMediterranean Yacht Broker Association (MYBA), The American Yacht CharterAssociation (AYCA) and the Florida Yacht Brokers Association (FYBA)." Diana Lee Mares-Brody"Having grown up by the water I cannot imagine anything but a life by the sea.After graduating from Southampton College, New York, majoring inpsychobiology and business, I found work on board a classic motoryacht andobtained a USCG captain's licence. I then began working for CNI. Seventeenyears later I'm still a charter broker with the company - and I love every minute. I've arranged charters in the Caribbean, Alaska, Galapagos, Thailand,Bali, the Mediterranean, New England, Seychelles and Florida.As part of my work, I travel a great deal - it's a perfect opportunity toexplore but it's also a key element of my work as it is only by personallycruising the pristine waters of Tahiti, swimming with sharks or findingthe ultimate Alaskan hot spring that I can truly give first hand advice."Barbara Dawson"I have been a charter broker for more than two decades, having joined CNIalmost 16 years ago from my own successful company, New Horizon Charters.I was raised in Virginia and love everything to do with the water. As I becameolder, sailing became more than a passing interest so it was a naturalprogression for me to join the yachting industry. I have been on the board of the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association(MYBA) for the past two years, and am Chairwoman of its Charter Committee.I also sit on the board of the American Yacht Charter Association (AYCA), andam an associate member of the Florida Yacht Brokers Association.I travel extensively to explore the best yachting destinations and I reallyenjoy creating my clients' itineraries, and particularly organizing their specialevents. Attention to detail and knowing your clients' wishes are extremelyimportant. Whether it's dinner for 12 on a deserted beach or a romanticcandlelit dinner on board, it is a wonderful feeling to know that you havehelped create their best ever holiday."nTo contact CNI's Palm Beach office, call +1 561 655 2121 or email: info@pal.cnyachts.com To contact Agnes Howard in Fort Lauderdale, call +1 954 524 4250 or email: info@ftl.cnyachts.comT

86Isea&iISPRING-SUMMER 2010From the end of 2007 to the end of 2008, the brokeragemarketplace experienced a sudden spike in the numberof listings coming onto the market, with a whopping 70per cent increase in the fleet available for sale.Correspondingly the number of interested buyers dropped sosharply that there was very limited superyacht sales activitybetween October 2008 and March 2009, particularly in themedium to large size range. Excess supply over demandincreased so abruptly that prices immediately started toplunge, yet with little impact on the number of yachts sold.Statistics indicate that it was the upper segment of the marketthat suffered most, with a 65 per cent drop that no one expectedand which affected the brokerage houses specialising in themedium to larger yachts market - who therefore lost overallglobal marketshare to companies specializing in selling smalleryachts. Although these companies were similarly strugglingto make sales, they fared better over this period as they hadbegun their recession earlier, well before October 2009. Thiswas especially true in the USA where prices had alreadydeclined steeply as they had entered an economic downturnearlier than Europe and the rest of the world. Adjustments made by the market during the first quarter of2009 and a number of distress sales being snapped up bywilling Buyers resulted in a bounce back for the industry in thesecond quarter, both in volume and value. This was the case inall size segments, and so figures overall were onlymarginally down from 2008. Interestingly, the larger yachtsmarket was then quite active, and many believed that thedownturn might already have bottomed out in this area. Themedium-range market segment remained affected, as supplyin that segment remained high, demand low, and pricereductions still very much the norm. The third quarter confirmedthis overall trend, with the larger brokerage firms catching upand the volume of business overall up 50 per cent on 2009 overthe same period - which although impressive, was actually nottoo difficult to achieve given the downturn experienced the yearbefore. But the market has remained unsteady. While the fourthquarter is, even in good times, generally a period of loweractivity, the fourth quarter of 2009 revealed that the upwardtrend of the six previous months had not been sustained.The activity remained chaotic, with no clear trend, andbusiness was done on the grounds of good opportunities andsome further market adjustment. Does this mean a W-type ofrecessional curve for yachting as well, as some people believemay occur to the finance markets? Or has the yachting marketalready fully bottomed out? The CNI (super)yachting Index 2010(due for release in May) will help its readers grasp the full realityof where things stand. Until then, all interested buyers shouldbe aware that there are still many good opportunities to buyfrom the 2,000+ superyachts for sale on the pre-ownedmarketplace; those recently listed by Camper & Nicholsons'brokers and displayed on the following pages being only a smallsample of what we have on offer.nEveryone in the yachting industry surely agrees that 2009 was anunexpected year, with much drama, business down on almost all fronts, andanxiety early on as to what the year ahead might hold. The reality, oncefigures are thoroughly reviewed, is both reassuring and concerning in equalmeasure, as the new CNI (super)Yachting Index will revealDOWN BUT NOT OUTsuperyacht brokerage