Burgess Yachts

Burgess Yachts
Name	Burgess Yachts
Industry	Yacht brokerage and charter
Founded	1975
Headquarters	London, UK
Area served	Global
Products	Yacht sales, yacht charter, yacht management, refit services

Burgess Yachts is an international yacht brokerage and charter firm specializing in superyacht sales, management, and refit coordination. Operating from principal offices in London, Fort Lauderdale, and other maritime centers, the firm serves owners, captains, and shipyards across major yachting hubs such as Monaco, Antibes, Port Hercules, Miami, Newport, Rhode Island, and Auckland. Known in the superyacht sector for brokering large motor and sailing yachts, the company interacts frequently with shipyards, naval architects, and classification societies like Lloyd's Register, Bureau Veritas, and RINA.

History

Founded in the mid-1970s amid expansion in the global leisure fleet, the company grew alongside the modern superyacht market that included influential events like the rise of the Monaco Yacht Show and the development of Mediterranean charter seasons in Cannes and Saint-Tropez. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it consolidated relationships with established builders in Italy, The Netherlands, and Germany, engaging with shipyards such as Feadship, Lürssen, Benetti, Oceanco, and Amels. During the 2000s the firm expanded its footprint in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, aligning with maritime clusters in Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Sydney, and Hong Kong. The company’s trajectory has been shaped by landmark industry moments including the proliferation of the 70–180 metre class exemplified by projects from Lürssen and Oceanco and by regulatory developments involving bodies like the International Maritime Organization and regional flag administrations such as Isle of Man and Marshall Islands.

Services and Operations

The firm offers brokerage services encompassing sale and purchase mandates, charter management, crew placement collaboration with organizations like Crew4Crew and industry training providers such as MCA-approved academies, and technical management services partnering with classification societies including American Bureau of Shipping and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai. Its charter operations coordinate itineraries across classic cruising grounds—Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, South Pacific—and work with event calendars of ports and regattas like the Riviera Classic Regatta and Antigua Charter Week. Operational activities include tender procurement, logistics for transoceanic repositioning that reference routes such as transatlantic crossings tied to Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and seasonal transits through the Suez Canal and Panama Canal, and compliance with maritime laws overseen by administrations like Flag State authorities and port authorities in hubs such as Marseille and Valletta.

Fleet and Notable Yachts

The brokerage has listed and managed a spectrum of vessels including motor yachts from builders Feadship, Benetti, Heesen Yachts, Sanlorenzo, and Amels, as well as sailing yachts associated with designers like Nautor Swan and shipyards such as Royal Huisman. Prominent transactions have involved yachts that participated in high-profile gatherings including the Monaco Yacht Show and the Cannes Film Festival-adjacent charter season, and vessels that earned attention in maritime media outlets like Boat International and Yachting World. The company’s portfolio spans explorer yachts engaged in polar logistics relevant to Svalbard and Antarctica cruising, to large displacement superyachts operating in regions from the Balearic Islands to the Bahamas.

Design Partnerships and Refits

The firm liaises with naval architects and design houses such as Herbert Berg, Nuvolari Lenard, Bannenberg & Rowell, Tim Heywood, and Terence Disdale to source, specify, and manage bespoke refit and new-build projects. Refit operations coordinate with shipyards and refit yards located in Mediterranean facilities like Palermo, La Ciotat, and Split, and with specialized refit providers in La Spezia and Greece. Technical refits often require interfacing with equipment manufacturers such as MTU, MAN Energy Solutions, Schmidtsche Schiffswerft, and electronics firms like Raymarine and Furuno as well as regulatory surveyors from ClassNK and Bureau Veritas.

Awards and Industry Recognition

The firm and vessels it represented have been featured in industry awards presented by bodies and publications such as Boat International World Superyacht Awards, The Yacht Harbour Association-affiliated events, and editorial accolades from Motor Boat & Yachting and SuperYacht Times. Recognition often relates to categories including best refit, innovation in naval architecture, and excellence in charter service delivery, with peer acknowledgment at gatherings like the Monaco Yacht Club functions and international trade fairs including the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and Boot Düsseldorf.

Corporate Structure and Ownership

Operating as a private commercial enterprise, the company maintains regional offices and affiliates in key maritime jurisdictions and collaborates with corporate service providers for structures in jurisdictions such as Isle of Man, Malta, and the Cayman Islands for yacht registration and ownership facilitation. Its operational model integrates brokerage teams, technical management departments, charter divisions, and commercial partnerships with financial institutions including private banking groups and maritime insurers like Lloyd's of London underwriters and leading protection and indemnity clubs such as Gard and North P&I Club.

Category:Yacht brokers