ONBOARD Magazine Spring 2018

IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO LIMIT YOURSELF TO ONLY
PROVIDING SERVICES. FOR US, THE CREW ARE LIKE
FRIENDS AND THE OWNERS ARE SPECIAL GUESTS
changes happen frequently at short notice.
Yacht agents need to accurately assess
the level of urgency and provide solutions
accordingly, whilst being empathetic with
the needs of crew and guests. We must
be competent knowledgeable connoisseurs
of the best local products and resources
and respond to requests swiftly enabling
captain and crew to do their job and hit
their targets efficiently.”
“Efficiency, effectiveness, speed, punctuality
and 24/7 availability,” says Elena Giourtzidou
from Yachtways in Athens. “The team in the
office have a deep knowledge of the local
legal framework, paperwork requirements
and formalities, and the natural beauty that
your country has to offer. Oh, and a warm
welcoming smile, patience and passion for
a challenge.”
Meanwhile, Paz Rodrigo from Dockside
Services based in Palma, believes, “It is
important not to limit yourself to only
providing services. For us, the crew are like
friends and the owners are special guests.
Like when you have guests at home, you
take care of all the details and do things
with love and passion. Spain is our home,
so we try to get everything perfect when
they come to visit us. And, of course, it’s
very important to be formal and polite.”
Whilst the ‘softer’ side of yacht agencies
is undoubtedly valuable, steering yachts
through tricky local bureaucracy is where
yacht agents really become worth their
weight in gold. Varied, complicated and
ever-changing according to territory, it’s
really only an agent who can accurately
present and explain the local rules and
regulations to clients.
As Katerina from Kronos Yacht Agency
says, “Anybody who supports the theory
that the entry and exit formalities are easy,
is mistaken. An agent must know the laws
very well and must advise and protect the
boat by issuing the right papers in order
to cruise in the waters legally. And, we
have our way with the authorities so that
makes our job more efficient.”
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of services and requests, and they love doing
it! The company can provide all the standard
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services, private tours, provisioning and
flowers; and are turned on by challenges,
being ready to provide even for the most
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Paola concurs, “We work mainly with
superyachts, which tends to make our
job a little trickier in terms of paperwork.
Furthermore, changes in regulations every
year doesn’t help either. Let’s say there
are key differences between private and
commercial yachts, EU and non-EU yachts,
but also private and commercial ports.
Each port has its own document requests,
with commercial ones being stricter and
more bureaucratic.”
Maja adds, “And, never assume that rules,
products and services are the same in all
countries just because they are part of
the EU.”
Some paperwork is of a rather obvious
nature – the yacht’s registration certificate,
insurance certificate, the captain’s licence,
an accurate crew and passenger list – while
some is slightly more obscure. Spain, for
example, hasn’t always rolled out the red
42 | SPRING 2018 | ONBOARD