Holidays at sea (and the people who organise them)
By Dominique Afacan | 28 March 2019Three experienced charter brokers reflect on their best trips and bucket lists.
READ MORESuperyacht broker
Founded in 1975 by Nigel Burgess, renowned sailor and worldwide single-handed ocean racer, he created a company with an obsessive eye for detail that put clients first every time. Today, Burgess is a leading authority in the sale and purchase, new construction, charter and operational management of the world’s finest yachts over 30 metres.
From their original office in London in 1975, Burgess now spans the globe, with branches catering to clients in 14 major locations. The company has been involved with some of the most significant yachts ever built and Chief Executive Jonathan Beckett has led Burgess to its position as the world’s number one full-service superyacht company. In recognition of this, Burgess became the first yacht brokerage firm ever to receive the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2001.
“’Luxury’ is often a term carelessly thrown around – it covers a whole host of things! However, ‘luxury’, when used in conjunction with the superyacht industry, can conjure up quite negative connotations. It doesn’t accurately portray an industry that supports the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, world over. The end result of a new build is a masterpiece – a beautiful piece of engineering which expertly blends art with science and industry – meaning ‘luxury’ is simply the icing on the cake. I have been fortunate enough to work at the coalface of this industry for over 40 years, and I have seen the changes that have been made and I know we can make the ones being called for in the future. The Superyacht Life Foundation is a great platform encouraging collaboration, innovation, and evolution – only as a team can we work towards our collective goals of a fun, challenging work environment, correcting any misconceptions and, most importantly, a sustainable future. At Burgess, we are fully committed to raising the bar and working hard with industry colleagues to help educate society on our niche but exceptional world.” – Jonathan Beckett, CEO of Burgess