From a federal penitentiary signing to a 3:00 a.m. passage past the Statue of Liberty, no two sales have been alike.
When people say, “Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life,” I think about my career in yacht brokerage. After 15 years as a broker with David Walters Yachts, I can honestly say that the journey has been every bit as rewarding, challenging, and unpredictable as I had hoped when I first entered the business.
I have always had a background in sales, so the opportunity to become a yacht broker felt like a natural next step. What excited me most was the challenge, the opportunity to learn an entirely new business, and the chance to meet the fascinating people who are drawn to boating. I was also genuinely interested in boats of all sizes, and as a sailor at heart, I knew this was an industry I could connect with on a personal level.
What I didn't fully appreciate at the time was just how far this business would take me, both geographically and in terms of the experiences I would encounter along the way.
No Two Days Are Ever the Same
One of the things I enjoy most about yacht brokerage is that no two transactions are alike. Every client has a different vision, every boat has its own story, and every sale brings its own set of challenges. Over the years, I've learned that successfully selling a yacht involves much more than matching a buyer with a boat. It requires patience, persistence, creativity, attention to detail, and the ability to navigate situations that don't always follow a predictable path.
The experiences have been remarkable. My work has taken me from Cartagena, Colombia, throughout the Caribbean, and along the East Coast from Maine to Key West, as well as to California. I've arranged deliveries and shipments to destinations as far away as Hong Kong. I've worked with interesting people from all walks of life and found myself involved in circumstances I could never have anticipated when I started.
Some transactions have led me into extraordinary situations, including dealings connected to a story that ultimately became the subject of a full 60 Minutes episode. On another occasion, I had to obtain signatures to transfer ownership of a yacht from inside a federal penitentiary.
These are not exactly the experiences you imagine when you first think about a career in sales, but they illustrate what makes this business so unique. Yacht brokerage can take you places you never expected, introduce you to people you would never otherwise meet, and challenge you to find solutions to situations that are anything but ordinary.
Perhaps that unpredictability is part of what drew me to the business in the first place. I enjoy the challenge, the variety, and the knowledge that each new day might bring something entirely different.
A Sailor at Heart
While the business side of yacht brokerage is important, my personal connection to sailing has always been a big part of what I do. I have a genuine appreciation for boats and the people who love them. For me, the opportunity to help clients find the right yacht is especially rewarding when I can also share in the excitement of getting that boat out on the water.
Over the years, I've had the opportunity to sell larger sailing yachts, including boats that have gone on to circumnavigate the globe. There is something special about knowing that a yacht you helped someone purchase will become part of an adventure that takes them around the world.
I've also had the pleasure of selling certain boats more than once. In fact, I currently have a yacht listed, CORSAIR that, once sold, will mark the fourth time I've sold that same boat. That is one of the interesting aspects of this business: boats develop histories, owners move on to new adventures, and sometimes a familiar yacht finds its way back into your life.
These repeat transactions are a reminder that yacht brokerage is built on relationships as much as it is on boats. Trust matters, experience matters, and the relationships developed over time can bring clients and yachts back together years after an earlier sale.
The Journey Is Part of the Reward
One of the great privileges of being a yacht broker is having the opportunity to deliver yachts I've sold for clients. These trips allow me to experience the boats in the way they were meant to be experienced, while also appreciating the responsibility that comes with getting a vessel safely to its destination.
This year has provided some particularly memorable adventures, including a trip from Fort Lauderdale to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and another from Boston to the Chesapeake Bay.
The Boston trip offered a moment that will stay with me for a long time. Making our way through Hell’s Gate on the East River at approximately 3:00 a.m., we passed through New York City beneath its incredible nighttime skyline. The city was still lit up around us, but traffic was sparse, with only a few headlights visible on FDR Drive.
About an hour later, we passed the Statue of Liberty, beautifully illuminated against the night sky.
There is something extraordinary about experiencing a familiar landmark from the water, especially in the quiet hours of the early morning. New York takes on an entirely different character from the deck of a boat, and moments like that are a reminder of why I became a sailor in the first place.
These trips are more than simply getting a yacht from one location to another. They are opportunities to experience the water, appreciate the journey, and remember that the boat itself is often only part of the adventure.
Experience, Relationships, and the Love of the Business
Throughout my 15 years in yacht brokerage, I've been fortunate to work with clients purchasing yachts of all sizes and to be involved in transactions that have taken me far beyond what I could have imagined at the outset.
I've also been honored to be nominated twice for Florida Yacht Broker of the Year in the sailboat category. Those nominations are meaningful milestones in a career that has been shaped by hard work, a passion for sailing, and a commitment to helping clients navigate the buying and selling process.
Working with David Walters Yachts, with its presence in Fort Lauderdale, Annapolis, Rhode Island, and Naples, Florida, has allowed me to be part of a business that connects people with boats and boating opportunities across a wide range of markets.
After all these years, what I enjoy most remains much the same as when I started: the boats, the people, the challenge of each transaction, and the opportunity to be part of someone else's next adventure.
Yacht brokerage has taken me across oceans, through busy waterways in the middle of the night, into unexpected situations, and around the world. It has introduced me to remarkable people and given me stories I never could have planned.
And the journey isn't over.
There are still boats to sell, new owners to meet, destinations to explore, and plenty of water left to cover. If there is one thing 15 years in this business has taught me, it is that you never really know where the next sale—or the next adventure—will take you.
That is what keeps it interesting. And that is why, after all these years, I still feel fortunate to call this my business.
