By LEN BOSE
One of my clients had just returned from a super yacht charter in Greece and after talking to them my mind started wondering what, who, and where would be my choice of a superyacht charter. Kind of like when you purchase a Lotto ticket with dreaming about what you would do if you won. After interviewing Charter broker Rose Jolis, I felt that the odds of participating in a yacht charter are much better odds than winning the Lotto.
Over the last year, I have gotten to know Jolis from our weekly sales meetings and have found she is extremely easy to talk to and an even better listener. She grew up in New York and found a passion for preparing fine meals and then studied culinary arts in New York City. This led to the desire to see the different foods of the world while finding her way to Australia to work aboard a mothership for charter clients fishing 1,000 lb. black marlin on the Great Barrier Reef.
Her next opportunity came as a chef aboard three luxury yachts while continuing to climb up the job opportunity ladder to a purser. Jolis had to explain what the term purser meant: “A Purser oversees all of the crew’s logistics, provisioning, accounting, and each vessel is managed differently, so ultimately you manage the interior of the yacht.” After 20 years at sea, Jolis moved onto land becoming a yacht charter specialist. “After two decades at sea, my firsthand experience provides my clients with customized, off-the-beaten path adventures,” Jolis said.
Start by envisioning an experience of a lifetime aboard one of the vessels by scouring the internet and nurturing the desire to do this. Your next step forward is to contact Rose Jolis, six to eight months beforehand, with the dates you would like to go, who you would like to go with, along with the types of activities that would interest your group. This can be in the sun with many water activities, and with historical or nature expeditions. Jolis personally experienced these vessels by attending the many different charter boat shows around the world, and meeting the captains and crews while personally viewing the vessels.
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| Rose Jolis |
“I am a people person, so I like to talk to my clients over the phone ensuring I make the perfect fit into the proper yacht. I personally am an off-the-beaten path type of person. I have a lot of adventurous clients where I take them to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea; my favorite destination is Tahiti.”
Your next question, while hesitating to ask, is how much does this cost? What are the standard terms of a charter contract? This is where Jolis stands apart from other charter brokers. She will take you through the charter agreement item by item so that you are completely comfortable with the terms. As a charter agent through Denison Yachting, Denison is the escrow agent. Two payments are made when chartering with a 50% deposit of the charter fee with taxes added which are variable around the world. With the second payment, an advanced provisioning allowance (APA) is paid which varies from 30-40% of the charter fee. This goes to the yacht covering provisions, fuel, dockage, alcohol, day tours, transportation to and from the airport and diving expeditions. All of the APA is accounted for and presented to the lead charter client. Traditionally, the remaining funds usually go in full or part toward the crew’s gratuity or returning the charter. If a client has spent in excess, the balance is due on receipt and paid by wire.“Every trip is exclusive to that client and every client moves at a different pace. Because we know the individual requirements of each guest, this allows us to provide the best bespoke service,” Jolis said.
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| (L-R) Captain Charlie Johnson, Rose Jolis and Nese Aiumu |
My happy place is Catalina, but my wife Jennifer feels it’s not a vacation unless we get on an airplane. Therefore, after my interview with Jolis, I would want to book the Yachtfisher she described berthed in Cabo San Lucas and then cruise the Gulf of California. Jolis described the Luxury Yacht Fisher as a “finely finished yacht, yes, she is a fishing machine, with an American captain and Mexican crew. The chef is world renowned. It’s a really fabulous yacht!”
Here is my image with two other couples cruising the different islands of the Gulf of California. Start the day with different water activities, slides, jet skis and competitive sailing with guests, then lunch on the beach. Make it back to the boat for happy hour, making sure that the captain understands I want to lay into the ship’s horns at 1700 (5 p.m.) each afternoon. Freshen up, then head to dinner with a nightcap in the Jacuzzi. That pretty much wraps it up for me.
You can reach Rose Jolis at www.rosejolis.com.
I’d better get back to work!
Sea ya!
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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for Stu News Newport.
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