SailAway Yacht Charter Consultants

OUR STORY

At SailAway Yacht Charter Consultants, Inc., we know that the yacht charter industry is changing. We’re excited to be leading the charge!

If you ask us our mission, we’ll tell you, it’s clear: To change the face of the yacht charter and rental market. We know the Internet has forever changed the way consumers charter yachts – and how they work with charter brokers and travel agents. Our customers lead fast-paced, busy lives. To keep pace, our discriminating clients work smarter, not harder, especially when it comes to gathering information. We understand the ever-changing needs of our clients and travel agents, and we are dedicated to improving the flow of online information and accurate, professional customer support.

We help clients and travel agents save time, so they can focus on the thing they love doing most - spending quality time with family and friends. Work smarter, not harder. Let us handle all of the details for you!

That’s why, as your yacht charter specialists, SailAway is pioneering new business solutions to provide quick, convenient access to a global fleet of luxury yachts. Our efforts are working. In 2003, SailAway was recognized by Forbes.com as the "Best Private Cruise."

There are many charter brokers, but we’re proud of our reputation as the original "Yacht Charter Specialists." As we enter our third decade in the charter industry, we are still driven by the pride and the passion to be the very best. WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN!

When was SailAway founded?

SailAway was born in 1976, in Chicago, IL, founded by Kathleen Doore, a world traveler with a passion for boating. Kathleen spent years exploring the Caribbean and Mediterranean by boat and decided to share this special vacation with others. She relocated to South Florida, the world capital of yachting, to be closer to the yachts, the crews, and the infrastructure of this emerging vacation industry. Like all thriving industries, the best businesses must grow and evolve. The company recognized the need to expand from a cottage-industry to a core component of the global travel industry. In 1989, the company joined forces with a small team of Certified Public Accountants and Financial Consultants. The new SailAway team understood the need to cater to affluent travelers and viewed each charter as a vacation "investment." Great emphasis was placed on preparing contracts, offering travel protection insurance, and safeguarding clients' deposits prior to the charter. NO other charter brokers in the country were owned and managed by a team of "white-collar" business professionals - a point of difference that continues on to this day! Thus, our team members were brought together because of their shared values of Family, Innovation and Results. And it’s those core values that continue to fuel SailAway’s success.

What Makes SailAway Different?

Lots of things! But it in a nutshell, our core values really do a great job of summing it up.

Our Core Values Defined: Family, Innovation and Results

Family:

We believe that yachting is a family business. It’s about serving families of all shapes and sizes. It’s about having respect for clients, travel agents, and employees – all those with whom we come in contact. It’s about creating high-trust relationships. It’s about teamwork and integrity. It’s about doing what you say you’re going to do and being honest and real all the time. (It's about "talking the talk" and "walking the walk!" NOT JUST LIP SERVICE!) It’s about believing in, and being thankful for your roots, even as you grow personally and professionally. It’s about empowering our own staff to treat clients they way we, ourselves, wish to be treated. Most importantly, it’s about having fun and sharing our passion for yachting - and the relationships that creates – the kind that last a lifetime, in a functional, supportive environment. Our commitment to family is why our leadership team is comprised of lifelong business professionals – people who personally know the joy of yachting with family and friends and understand the clients' need to plan every aspect of this special vacation - from selecting the right yacht and destination, to preparing the charter paperwork and collecting the charter funds, to personally coordinating the vacation with the yacht's crew and owner. Ultimately, our commitment to family is why we do what we do, every day.

Innovation:

We believe that innovation – the successful implementation of new ideas that drive results – is one of the proudest hallmarks of our heritage. Equally as important, innovation is what fuels our entrepreneurial spirit. Innovation is what brings our vision to life. It ensures that we remain aggressive and a step ahead of the competition – best in every way and always ready to grow. It feeds our hunger for lifelong learning and helps us embrace change. Innovation keeps us sharp, adaptable – and progressive. It’s the secret to personal, professional and business growth. It’s the lifeblood that keeps us strong. Our commitment to innovation is evident in our industry-leading public Web site, 1800SailAway.com, and all the tools we offer our clients. We were among the first charter companies to offer e-brochures of charter yachts, as well as on-line reservation calendars to check availability. It’s also evident in the technology, training and marketing support we deliver to travel agents, to make sure they’re always a step ahead of the competition.

Results:

When it comes down to it, results are the essence of our culture. Family and Innovation work together to fuel our success – and that success comes in the form of results: The memorable yachting vacations SailAway provides our clients, day in and day out - by delivering comprehensive, quality service in every transaction; the financial rewards our team and travel agents reap as a result of that customer focus; the additional productivity our staff experiences as a result of our innovation and support; and the pride that we feel in being part of a broader family – a network of progressive, creative people and companies.

Our commitment to results is just another reason why we’re one of the fastest-growing yacht charter companies in the nation. It’s why SailAway is recognized by the global press as an industry leader (in articles in The Boston Globe, Miami Herald, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, etc!). It’s also why the services we provide both clients and agents are looked to as the TRUE industry best, year after year.

The true story of SailAway is in its people. Although global in scale of business, at our core we are a small family - a boutique specialty business, with a team of 6 charter consultants. Jana L. Sheeder, President of SailAway has been at the helm since 1989. Through hard work, dedication, integrity – and a shared commitment to the values of family, innovation and results - Jana has "branded" SailAway – a brand recognized on the Internet as the industry leader. Thanks to the foresight of our founder, the vision of today’s team, and productivity and success of our travel agent partners, SailAway remains in an enviable – and distinct – position in the yacht charter industry. Each day we believe we are a "new" company – a boutique business of the future – aspiring to change the face of our industry. But we also have three decades of real industry experience under our belt. That’s three decades of empowering our staff and travel agents to succeed...three decades of helping active, affluent well-traveled clients enjoy the most unique private vacation on the planet...three decades of experience in operating and growing a successful yacht charter company.

Three decades, combined with the energetic, visionary, and progressive leadership of a new generation!