Year: 2019

18 Dec 2019

Christmas Message 2019

Dear All

As we approach the Christmas period and the end of 2019 we want to send a big THANK YOU to our all clients, suppliers, captains and crew for their continued and valued support. We sent out a record number of Christmas cards this year – it took a long time to get them all signed. The cards support our chosen charity, the National Autistic Society.
2019 started well and then got better as brokers and dealers worldwide increased their sales and more boats needed to be delivered. We were also pleased to see more than one corporate client return to us for their delivery and equipment needs. Safety and charter equipment sales increased continue to increase.
We expect to see continued growth through 2020, building on our already confirmed delivery contracts starting in January through to September.
Reliance Yacht Management is gearing up for 2020 and will hit the ground running in the New Year with the Dusseldorf Boat Show and we look forward to hopefully catching up with as many friends, colleagues and clients as possible.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2020.

All the best from Nick and all at Reliance Yacht Management

01 Nov 2019

Interview with Nautika Centar Nava

An Interview by Jennifer Irving

In the second of our series of interviews we talk to Nautika Centar Navaone of Reliance Yacht Management’s most loyal clients, with a partnership spanning longer than most can remember. We asked the company about what that relationship has meant to them over the years, as well as gain a deeper insight into the workings of the Mediterranean’s largest catamaran dealer and charter company.

Jelena Banovic from the Marketing Department at Nautika Centar Nava was very kind to reply to our questions

What is the story behind Nautika Center Nava – how did it develop into the company that it is today?

Nautika centar Nava was one of the first companies in Croatia that started charter back in 1990. It was established by Dario Marijan, who is still the leading force of the company and the most important strategist. After the slow but steady early development, the company’s development boomed in the late nineties and the early 2000’s . This is when boat sales became one of our core business activities and brands such as Beneteau, Lagoon, Sea Ray and Boston Whaler authorized us as their distributors in Croatia. Since Mr. Marijan was the connoisseur and the visionary, he needed someone to take care of daily tasks and management. This is where Ms. Ingrid Cosic stepped in and the two are almost a “magic duo” that has been leading the company so successfully. Today, Nava also has  Monte Carlo, Monte Carlo Yachts and X-Yachts as part of their boat selection.

On your website you outline how Nava’s three areas of business – charter, sales, and Volvo Penta – ‘complement each other’. Would you say that collaboration and diversification is central to Nava’s success?

Yes, this is one of our biggest advantages on the market. We have a solution for everything related to boating up our sleeve, if we don’t Ms. Cosic will make sure we think of one. As Croatia grows more and more popular among guests, boaters and investors, the acquired knowledge within the company becomes even more important as does the possibility to do as much as possible within the “house”.

You claim your ‘greatest asset’ is your team and the reason for the company’s continued success as the Croatian and European leader of the boat industry. How important is it to invest in the people you employ?

It’s one of the most significant ways we can directly influence the quality of our services. Investing in the knowledge, education and training of our staff and giving employees additional benefits makes them the first ambassadors of our brand which then reflects on customer satisfaction and client relations in general. It’s the reason they keep coming back and we’ve had more than our share of charter guests that fell in love with Croatia and sailing and decided to invest in boating and entrust us to be their charter managers and take care of their boats full-time.

Reliance too has always prioritized the expertise of its captains in order to ensure efficient and safe delivery. How important has Reliance’s captain-based yacht delivery service been to Nava’s operations?

It is very important to have reliable, professional and expert captains on the boat because delivery process of new boats, catamarans and motor boats, brings a lot of challenges during handovers and also during navigation. Only experienced and professional captains are able to handle that challenges completely independently. With Reliance, we are completely confident that each job will be completed as agreed. Timely, safe and reliable vessel delivery is of the highest significance in maintaining our image as the trustworthy partner before our clients and on the market in general.

How did you first come to hear about Reliance and decide to work with us?

Honestly, we don’t remember exactly, given that it was more than 10 years ago. We suppose first contact was established with Nick, during some boat show.

You offer a wide range of services for your clients, from consulting and brokerage, to engine service and event organization, going above and beyond charter and sales. What effect has the long-standing relationship between Nautika and Reliance had on what Nava is able to offer its clients?

Cooperation with Reliance is actually added value to our day-to-day business. It is extremely important to have such a valuable partner in one specific market segment which is always able to fulfill all our requests and requests from our clients. This great relationship and the trust that we put in you, has partly enabled us to concentrate on other aspects of our business and further develop them since we did not need to worry about boat deliveries and related issues.

You received some EU funds back in 2015, what changes have you made in the last five years and what can we expect from Nava in the next five years?

The company has modernized and introduced CRM and ERP systems in order to better keep track of our sales and overall business results. In the next five years we plan to explore other ways to innovate all aspects of our activities with the opening of new offices, further digitalization of our business processes and investing in boat safety and our employees. We’ll keep taking care of the less popular side of boat-purchase and ownership and leaving the fun parts to our clients. When it comes to charter guests we’ll keep our boats well-equipped and maintained and ensure all their demands are met and that they can just sail away into new adventures and explore their favorite islands, taverns, beaches, coves, towns, restaurants, sites or find new ones.

To learn more about Nava visit their site; https://www.navaboats.com/

See also interview with the Catamaran Company

23 Oct 2019

Kind Words from a Valued Client

We are very proud to have so many valued clients that have been loyal to us for many years. Their continued business is not taken for granted and always appreciated.  These kind words give us a great deal of satisfaction.

It is very important to have reliable, professional and expert captains on the boat because delivery process of new boats, catamarans and motor boats, brings a lot of challenges during handovers and also during navigation. Only experienced and professional captains are able to handle that challenges completely independently. With Reliance, we are completely confident that each job will be completed as agreed. Timely, safe and reliable vessel delivery is of the highest significance in maintaining our image as the trustworthy partner before our clients and on the market in general.

NAUTIKA CENTAR NAVA

This extract is part of an interview. The full transcript will be coming soon.

Nautica Centar Nava is based in Split, Croatia and is one of the world’s leading Lagoon Dealerships.

 

09 Oct 2019

Interview with the President of The Catamaran Company

An Interview by Jennifer Irving

The Catamaran Company is one of Reliance Yacht Management’s oldest clients, with a partnership spanning over 20 years. We interviewed the company’s president, Hugh Murray, to discuss what that relationship has meant to them over the years, as well as gain a deeper insight into the workings of the world’s largest catamaran dealer and charter company.

What are the origins of The Catamaran Company and how did you come to be a part of it?

The Catamaran Company was founded in 1989 and grew into the largest retailer of new and used catamarans in the world. I invested in the company and became President in 1996 – a role I continue to this day.

Hugh Murray
Hugh Murray,
On The Catamaran Company website, you claim to be ‘the worldwide leader in all aspects of the catamaran market.’ What is the key to The Catamaran Company’s success? 

We only do one thing and we do that better than anyone else. Most companies try to sell anything that makes them money, but we are solely about catamarans and catamaran experts. We focus entirely on catamarans and offer sales, charter, service, financing and insurance exclusively for catamarans.

How did you come to hear about Reliance Yacht Management and why did you choose to work with them? 

Originally, we imported and sailed all of our boats from France using our own inhouse delivery teams. In the late 90’s we were approached by Nick Irving, the owner of Reliance, who offered to provide a complete delivery service to us. He highlighted that while we concentrated on catamarans, he concentrated on delivery and he was the expert at getting our boats from A to B. We agreed to give him a try and that has continued for over 20 years and Reliance are our exclusive delivery company.

Reliance has recently started working with The Catamaran Company in organising shipments of catamarans to California. But I want to ask, how important is Reliance’s captain-based yacht delivery service to The Catamaran Company’s operations?

We discovered many moons ago that we need to focus on what we do best and to use experts to do the rest. Reliancealways provided us with the best captains and crews for sailing deliveries so when he had to start freighting cats to California it was a whole new ball game. We had the actual shipping companies handle the first few deliveries ourselves to get a feel for it and quickly found out what it entailed and decided we needed someone we could trust to do it for us, so we immediately turned the task over to Reliance. They now provide all shipping services for us, whether on the vessel’s bottom or on a freighter.

You offer a wide range of services for your clients, going above and beyond charter and sales. What effect has the long-standing relationship between The Catamaran Companyand Reliance had on what you are able to offer your clients?

Business is all about trust so when you know you have a “partner” you can rely on; it makes the job a lot easier. It allows us to concentrate on our strengths and know that Relianceare taking care of their end. Their communication with us is exemplary. When problems arise, as they have a habit of doing, we are informed quickly, efficiently and with proposed solutions. That’s people working together, not simply trying to blame others or to cover their asses.

As I previously mentioned, Reliance has been involved in shipping more catamarans out to California for The Catamaran Company in recent months, what is next for you?

I wish I knew…. but I can promise it will be exciting!

 

Find out more about The Catamaran Company at: https://www.catamarans.com

Read more about Reliance’s new California deliveries for The Catamaran Company here and here

01 Oct 2019

LA Harbor Boat Show

The fourth annual LA Harbor In-Water Boat Show this September was held at the Cabrillo Way Marina in the heart of Los Angeles Harbor and was by all accounts to have been a great success.

It was satifiying to see the yachts we delivered from France to be on display and attracting a great deal of attention. The Catamaran Company had 3 yachts on display, a Gemini, the Astrea 42 from Fountaine Pajot and the Nautitech Open 40

Reliance Yacht Management provided the end to end logistics required to get the yachts from France to California on time, in budget and looking good.

All the best to the Catamaran guys at the show, Monte, Dave, Jonathan, Tom and Brent

Catco LA Harbor

LA Harbor

30 Sep 2019

Yachts Delivered Video

A short video made by the guys in the office of some of the boat delivered this year. Apologies to those clients whose yacht is not included.

30 Aug 2019

Astrea 42 Arrives in San Diego

The beautiful new Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42 arrives in San Diego from France. The multi modal delivery included trucking from the factory to La Rochelle, crewed delivery to Antwerp, Ship to San Diego and finally the transfer from ship’s side to marina for the handover to client. A very happy client.

29 Aug 2019
Annapolis boat show

Upcoming Boat Shows

Reliance will be attending the following boat shows this year:

Cannes – 11th to 15th September

Southampton – 13th to 22nd September

Annapolis – 3rd to 6th October

We look forward to seeing clients, past and present, as well as meet new contacts. If you would like to arrange a meeting during any of the boat shows, please get in touch. All contact details can be found here.

See you there!

28 Aug 2019

Travel the World Like Greta Thunberg: Tips on Crewing and Boat Hitchhiking

Greta Thunberg, the teenage environmental activist, is due to arrive in New York today for the Climate Action Conference, after battling the Atlantic waves for two weeks. Thunberg had committed herself to carbon-neutral travel, following her train tour around Europe this summer. The yacht is state of the art, with underwater turbines and solar power; the emergency engine has been sealed off to ensure complete carbon neutrality. However, Thunberg has attracted a lot of criticism for her efforts to find greener forms of travel, from the trip’s lack of practicality through to personal attacks calling Thunberg ‘deeply disturbed.’

While the ethical debate rages on as to whether Thunberg should try and achieve as much as she can as an individual or showcase accessible but imperfect solutions for all (bearing in mind that perhaps we shouldn’t hold a 16 year old girl with autism to such a high standard, or take her actions as gospel). We suggest that Greta’s journey, although not entirely explicable, highlights how sailing can be a simple, sustainable and ultimately adventurous way to travel.

Boat hitchhiking, boat-hiking, or crewing,  is a great way to travel while reducing your carbon footprint. Sailing is not perfect – fuel reserves are always needed to account for changeable weather conditions and safety – but some of its downfalls can become its greatest gifts. Slower travel allows you to enjoy the wonder of the journey itself, as much as the destination. You learn a new sport, as well as test your team working skills with people who come from all walks of life. You can take a job that is just a day, a few days, or even a transatlantic passage. The world is your oyster!

Nonetheless, here are a few things to consider before you embark on your crewing adventure:

Get the WHY clear
  • Do you want to crew to improve your sailing skills? To travel the world and get from A to B? To experience something new and a different way of life? Or to simply relax in beautiful bays? Search accordingly and be clear about what you want.

 

Reliance crew
Be confident or start small
  • Sailing requires trust and confidence, and you need to be honest with yourself, your captain and your fellow crew as to whether you are ready to complete an ocean passage. There are many other smaller opportunities out there as well – at Reliance we regularly conduct deliveries between France and Greece, Croatia and Turkey. There are even smaller jobs available sometimes just along the coast: France to Antwerp; Kent to Poole. Keep your eye out for something you are completely confident on.

 

Research and learn
  • At Reliance we do not turn away crew if they don’t have formal qualifications; experience is preferred above all else and beyond. Nonetheless, it is always the captain’s decision whether they decide to take you aboard. You may not know how to sail but learning about the specific passage you would like to take, the seasons, weather and the basic parts of a boat will not only make you a more competent crew member but will help you feel more confident and safe on board.

 

Be flexible with time, money, and place
  • Unlike hitching on a car or a ferry, crewing is not simply an easy way to get from A to B. Sailboats deal with seasons, routes, weather, breakage, people, all sorts of variables. You must be flexible on time and place – go where the wind takes you so to speak! For example, currently in August, and through to September, its hurricane season so yacht delivery is quite quiet, while the end of the summer, October time, tends to be the busiest time for transatlantic and American-centric deliveries. In the Med, charter companies like to have everything in place by Spring. Nonetheless, Reliance is largely moving yachts all year round, responding to clients and whenever boats are ready out of the factory. Unlike private boat hitchhiking, crewing with Reliance does give you more certainty about where exactly you will land, nonetheless, we cannot guarantee that it’ll be exactly next to the airport.

 

Reliance crew
Be 100% happy with the people onboard
  • It is always hard to foresee but sometimes captains and crew do not get along, its one of the many hazards of working with people. At Reliance we provide space for our captains to find crew but ultimately it is up to them who they choose to sail with. Once you are in touch with a captain, message them and communicate clearly; ask lots of questions and leave nothing to presumption. Don’t let your eagerness to sail override your instinct and judgement; do not get on a boat that you are 100% happy about. At Reliance we guarantee the professionalism of our captains and your safety. However, that does not mean that friction and disagreements are completely avoidable.

 

Be clear on intentions, expectations and agreements
  • Crewing for Reliance means delivering a yacht for a client, it means getting from A to B in the most efficient way possible. It does not mean cruising or having a holiday. If you would like a more relaxed experience, then please look at the many crew websites that are available online. Be clear of your intentions and what you expect from a crewing experience before embarking upon one. It will make it easier for you to plan, anticipate and avoid misunderstandings.

 

Pack light and thoughtful (personal safety gear)
  • Ask your captain what you might need, and they will give you a list based upon the expected weather conditions and the equipment already aboard. With yacht delivery we are often working from a blank canvas, while it is the captain’s job to source equipment, it is your job to provide your safety gear. Pack lightly and don’t forget a sleeping bag!

 

Make it meaningful
  • While a crewing experience can help build up your nautical miles and experience, it is important to look at how your journey can benefit this world beyond yourself. When we plan, prepare and make conscious decisions, we can minimize our negative footprint and maximize the benefits for the places we visit and for the planet as a whole. Find out how you can make a more climate-conscious yacht delivery.

 

Don’t buy a return ticket
  • Although yacht deliveries aim to be as efficient as possible, they rarely go to plan. Avoid stressing the captain and don’t book a return flight. While Reliance can sometimes cover your travel costs, we recommend you follow that newly caught travel bug and keep going.

 

Reliance crew

While there are many forums, websites and agencies that specialize in boat-hiking and crewing opportunities, these are not your only or even best option. Forums and private messaging can lead to scams, and travel companies often require an upfront fee. At Reliance, you will be taking part in a professional delivery so there are no upfront or hidden fees. Your captain will be transparent with terms, and Reliance will cover onboard and often travel expenses. While it will feel less like a holiday, you will  work hard and become fully immersed in boat life. You will gain invaluable skills in sailing, seamanship, teamwork and communication, besides memories to last a lifetime.

While Thunberg’s carbon-neutral journey is awe-inspiring, consider crewing and sailing as a practical alternative. If you are well prepared and informed, sailing can not only be an alternative form of travel but a wondrous journey in and of itself.

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