SailChecker | You’d be Well Advised | The Art of Charter

SailChecker was founded by Christopher Lait, who experienced first-hand the fragmented and challenging nature of the yacht charter market. While search engines emerged, the problem of differentiating between countless operators like Pitter, Dream, and Kavas remained, making it nearly impossible for clients to choose effectively, unlike in the airline industry.

What the market desperately needed was clear, independent advice and a streamlined booking process. This presented SailChecker with an opportunity not just to advise, but to lead the transformation of the yacht charter experience and exceed customer service expectations.

During the recent pandemic, SailChecker, through its pivotal role at the International Federation of Yacht Charter Agents (IFYCA), was central to developing and implementing the industry’s coordinated response to global challenges. What began as disparate policies quickly evolved into a fair and consistent approach.

Across various agents, service standards and options often varied wildly. SailChecker remains committed to leading the industry towards greater transparency, openness, and truly independent advice, ensuring a better experience for you.

The yacht charter market comprises small, medium, and large operators, each offering similar yet distinct services. SailChecker excels at not only matching clients with the perfect boat but also ensuring they partner with the operator most likely to exceed their expectations. We offer independent, tailored options, including seamless airport transfers (even with a supermarket stop en-route!), helicopter transfers, and comprehensive provisioning services. Our goal is to build upon the core services provided by operators, adding significant value throughout your booking process, the charter itself, and post-charter support.

We’ve introduced a range of options that standardize offerings across various suppliers. For instance, if a specific charter company doesn’t provide a damage waiver system, we can arrange one for you. If provisioning varies between locations, such as Marina Alimos in Athens, we can ensure your supplies are consistently provided. A SailChecker customer can rest assured that we iron out variations and address any potential poor practices.

By supporting and rewarding best practices, we foster a healthier, more robust industry. SailChecker is at the forefront of this evolution. Our yacht and fleet operators trust us to be exceptionally fair while diligently representing the interests of both parties. This strong bond ensures that any rogue operators promptly rectify their practices, and excellence is consistently rewarded.

In the rare event a customer experiences an issue with a fleet operator, the operator is already aware that we will effectively and fairly arbitrate. This often leads to disputes being resolved without our direct involvement, as operators prefer to avoid public scrutiny associated with poor service.

Having been integral to the yacht charter revolution, both in service standards and digital advancements, we recognize that the market is still in its early stages of development compared to other travel sectors and will continue to evolve. We identified the technological challenges within the market and seized the opportunity to innovate. Our dedicated staff now utilize some of the most advanced tools available to guide and advise clients. They have access to every yacht on the broker market, in addition to independent suppliers who can offer their bespoke vessels directly to you.

When SailChecker first gained comprehensive access to every available boat, other platforms made similar claims, but with subtle yet significant differences. Many attempted to fully automate the booking process, entirely removing human consultants – a direction we believed the market wasn’t truly seeking. Often, crucial details like the age of the yacht (critical for a buying decision) were omitted, or payment was required before a yacht’s confirmation was properly secured.

Some companies have since reacted, now transparently displaying the boat’s age. We take pride in having encouraged others to improve the market for consumers through our leading example.

From our inception, we have consistently displayed the age and location of every boat. Now, in a significant industry development, we are explicitly revealing the name of the yacht charter operator. Historically, most agents meticulously guarded operator details until the deal was legally binding.

We identified two key issues with this traditional secrecy. Firstly, a deal cannot truly be binding until the customer has reviewed and agreed to the full charter contract. This was a critical flaw in automated systems; imagine paying only to discover a glaring issue in the agreement – you’re immediately thrust into a dispute, which we’ve certainly seen happen.

Secondly, SailChecker chose to break with convention because we believe winning business through secrecy is fundamentally flawed. We prefer to earn your trust and your business through complete transparency and openness.

If we cannot genuinely persuade you of the benefits of using SailChecker as your trusted agent, then we believe we shouldn’t be earning your business.

We differentiate ourselves from other online booking portals in three crucial ways:

1. Independent: Unlike automated online systems, our results are not limited to any single supplier or database. Our process is guided by experienced human consultants with deep market knowledge, not just algorithms.
2. Whole Market Access: We don’t just work with the 7 largest yacht charter booking platforms; we also cultivate relationships with independent and individual yacht owners. This commitment ensures you receive the widest possible choice and the best possible value for your charter.
3. Price Promise: While it’s reasonable to assume going direct might save you money, we guarantee it won’t. If you receive a quote elsewhere, we promise to beat it while simultaneously adding superior value through our service and expertise.