Smart Charter Yacht Ownership - Helen Tells All

For many years Helen wasn't a sailor...

... then she found out what she was missing and joined a Smart yacht syndicate.

You can read how Helen started sailing and what she thought of yacht share here.

We asked Helen what made her consider owning a charter yacht

During our time in yacht syndication we were working full-time so 34 days sailing each year was ideal for us.

But with retirement looming we wanted more days on the water...

... and we wanted to be able to take our family out more often.

We saw the new Jenneau 42i at the Sydney Boat Show and fell in love with it!

We chatted to David Biddle about charter yacht ownership and the next stage of our sailing journey began.

During our yacht share we built up a trust in SmartBoating so we knew they would look after our charter yacht as meticulously as they look after the syndicate boats.

We felt comfortable enough to take the next step.

We placed an order and White Fin launched a few months later.

Do you have any regrets?

No none whatsoever!

There have been hurdles to get over of course. Getting White Fin into commercial survey took longer than we hoped and tested our patience.

And until you own a boat you don't realise how much maintenance there is... for example just the other day our wind instrument was chewed by the cockie's and had to be replaced.

For a lot of people the cost of owning a boat and all the unexpected repairs is a real burden - charter yacht ownership allows us to offset those costs.

In fact I would go so far as to say charter yacht ownership is the best lifestyle investment we have ever made.

I now have my own holiday home and waterfront apartment all in one beautiful boat.

The best times for me are getting out on the water with my husband, children and grand-children - they've all got the sailing bug and it gives us a mutual bond.

We create new family memories every time we go out. I can't tell you how important that is to me.

It's also been a great social thing for us. We've joined the sail cruising division of the Royal Motor Yacht Club and and love spending time with like-minded boaties.

We've enjoyed some great weekends away and learned lots of new information.

So for a lady who loves adventure - what's next?

To be honest we have no huge changes planned.

We're happy just as we are enjoying our boat and the lifestyle it brings us.

I could sail on Pittwater for the rest of my life. I love Smith's Creek.

I love having the untouched bushland so close to the boat, sipping a cup of tea in the morning and watching the mist gently clear from the water.

So you're not taking on any new challenges at all?

Hmmm...

Well we keep talking about taking White Fin North one year during the winter... it would be a great chance to create some new memories...

Oh yes and the upcoming challenge of sailing a charter yacht alone with my husband in New Zealand's Bay of Islands will be a test to my new sailing skills!

Here's more about Helen's Jeanneau 42i 'White Fin'.

More about Smart Charter Yacht Ownership

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