43.7347° N, 7.4228° EMonaco
For private individuals and families
Your family first, then the yacht.
Your buyer's broker, from the first brief to handover. I start with your family: how you will travel, who will be with you and what ownership will involve, so the yacht is chosen to fit the way you live and the purchase is organised around your plans.
Start the right conversation- UK based
- Operating from the United Kingdom, with engagements running worldwide
- Worldwide
- Wherever the purchase, the viewing or the sea trial happens to be
- Master
- Captain Anthony Austin holds Master Mariner Unlimited: unlimited tonnage, unrestricted waters
- Your broker
- Acting for you from the first brief to handover, within the agreed mandate
Where it starts
Four questions that shape the brief
Every family arrives at this decision from a different place. Some are considering a first yacht. Others already own one and are weighing a larger yacht, or a different direction entirely. Four questions decide most of the brief, and none of them appear on a specification sheet.
- Who will normally be aboard.
- How long you intend to spend aboard each year.
- Whether children or guests change what the layout needs to do.
- What crewing level you are comfortable with.
We agree the answers before you start viewing, so a credible brief is in place before any listing is looked at.
One brief, the whole family
Agreeing it as a family
A family yacht rarely reflects the wishes of one person. One of you may want speed and range, another privacy and calm water, and grandparents may be funding a yacht their children and grandchildren will use for many years.
I help you talk through what each of you wants from the yacht, so the brief reflects the whole family before an offer is made. It is a much easier conversation to have at the start than after delivery.
When there are choices to make, I set out the options, the compromises each involves and a clear recommendation, so that the family decides together and any offer is one everybody understands.
What it looks like in practice
Three things, in this order
Full buyer representation covers all three. If you would rather start smaller, a focused advisory session about one yacht is a separate service with its own agreed fee.
01
The brief
We agree what the yacht has to do, across the whole family, before any listing is looked at: the cruising pattern, the people aboard, the berth and anchoring envelope, and the crewing model that follows.
02
The search and the scrutiny
I search the market, liaise with listing brokers and arrange access, then assess each candidate in person against the same criteria, and I read the survey in the context of how you will use the yacht, support the negotiation and am aboard at the sea trial to judge the machinery under load. Your lawyers, the surveyor and other specialists each remain responsible for their own professional work.
03
Taking her on
I organise the steps to completion, so you know who is handling each matter and what needs your attention. Crew certificates and sea time are verified before appointments are made, documentation is checked before she is yours to operate, and I attend the handover.
Before you appoint
Explained first, agreed in writing
For full buyer representation, I am remunerated through buyer's broker commission on a completed purchase, together with a modest retainer agreed when you appoint me. The retainer establishes a committed engagement, reserves agreed capacity and supports the search and preparation work.
Remuneration is explained to you before you appoint me, and these terms are settled in writing at appointment: the amount, duration and scope of the retainer; how the commission arises, who pays it and how it is calculated; how the retainer is treated whether or not a purchase completes; and how expenses and applicable taxes are handled. You see all of them together before you commit.
Advisory sessions and defined consultancy projects are separate engagements with their own agreed fees. They are not part of the brokerage arrangements, and neither commits you to full buyer representation.
Frequently asked questions
Questions families ask me
We haven't chosen a yacht yet. Is it too early to talk?
It is the best time. The earlier I am involved, the more options remain open, and the easier it is to build a brief around your family before you become attached to a particular listing.
Different people in our family want different things. Can you help with that?
Yes, and it is a normal part of the process. We work through cruising plans, crew preferences and privacy needs across the family, so the brief holds up once you own the yacht, and I explain the compromises each option involves while the decision stays with the family.
We already work with a broker we like. Can we still talk to you?
Yes. I act as your buyer's broker through the whole purchase, so you would not normally need a second broker for the same role, and if you have already appointed one, please tell me at the start so that we can agree what is useful and avoid duplicating the role. Listing brokers are part of every purchase, and I work with them.
Who else will be involved in the purchase?
Your lawyers, tax advisers, insurers, financiers and the appointed surveyor each remain responsible for their own professional work. I coordinate the purchase, tell you who is handling each matter and what needs your attention, and give a clear recommendation when a decision is needed. You decide, and you authorise any offer.
Is this different from what you offer family offices?
The service is the same. This page is for families making the decision directly, without a family office or professional adviser managing the process on their behalf.
Start the conversation
The first conversation is about your family
Whatever stage you are at, I would welcome a confidential conversation, with no obligation, about what your family needs from ownership.