Sustainable Yacht Charter

Think yachts, guest and crew practices on board, yacht owners, central agents, brokers, ship builders, provision suppliers, marina and port operators amongst others. All these parties are connected and involved in ensuring and maximizing sustainability of yacht charters. It comes down to the whole industry on the macro as well micro level, aiming and adopting more common sustainable approaches. The yacht industry started to shift, albeit slowly, and we all need to come together in our efforts to make more charters truly sustainable yacht experiences. Below you can see what green practices we implemented at Boataffair, which innovative eco-friendly yacht technologies have been brought to market and we highlight examples of sustainable yachts available for charter.

Green Yacht Broker

At Boataffair, we recognize our responsibility and that of all stakeholders in the yachting industry to look after the sea we all share. We show our commitment to go green, for example, by adhering to green practices as set out by Charter Yacht Broker Association (CYBA), where we are a proud member and granted the status as eco-friendly broker. CYBA is the oldest and largest professional association for professional charter yacht brokers worldwide.

As an eco-friendly broker, we have implemented a set of eco-friendly measures for ourselves, our guests and our partners in the yacht charter industry. We would like to highlight the ones we adhere to at Boataffair, as follows.

• We educate our yacht charter guests. For every yacht vacation we highlight the importance of reducing plastic water bottle waste before we send our clients their provisioning list. This is a list we send out to all our guests before a crewed yacht charter, so they may choose their food and drinks preferences. We communicate this topic and the importance of choosing plastic-free drinking options where possible.
• We explain the importance of reef-friendly sunscreen, mention the availability on our yachts and encourage our clients to use it.
• We support yachts that take sustainable practices and going green seriously. We mention these yachts prominently on our social media channels (we reach a lot of people on our Instagram and our LinkedIn channels, our newsletters as well as our blog posts).
• We revise our preference sheets (another word for provisioning list) before we send it to our guests to make sure plastic-free choices are available and we like to offer the choice of drinking the yacht’s water rather than from plastic bottles, where possible.
• When we visit yacht shows and during our global travels, team Boataffair says no to plastic straws. The same is true for our offices where we do our daily work.
• We do not use plastic water bottles during yacht shows, in our home or our offices.
• In our office we adopted a thorough recycling policy. Being headquartered in Switzerland, this is an initiative that is widely supported by the local communities. We recycle all paper, all cardboard, cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles, batteries, printer cartridges, light bulbs, mobile phones and laptops. The local communities in Switzerland have set out recycling centers in every village to support sustainable work practices and we feel very supported in our approach.
• We write blog posts about eco-friendly practices, educate our employees about this topic in-depth and we engage our partners, yacht managers, travel agencies and guests in as many conversations as we can to raise awareness for reusable approaches.
• We constantly look for new approaches to going green. These may include eco-friendly sneakers, plastic-free deodorant, eco-friendly bath towels and a sustainable computer case. We monitor news and updates from relevant associations all the time.

Eco-friendly Yacht Technologies

Many yacht builders have identified the need to look after our planet and wildlife by creating philanthropic foundations or by partnering with charities or organizations that are doing good. Goals set include the reduction of fuel consumption, creating marine reserves, tackle the challenge of overfishing, carbon offsetting, eliminating plastic and using sustainable materials. Regulations are changing fast and yacht owners are looking to reduce emissions, all yachts built today must be IMO Tier-III compliant. Furthermore, many new yachts come with hybrid diesel-electric engines, battery storage systems or solar panels. All of these are used to provide electricity to run key systems on the yacht, such as generators, air conditioning or the lights when at anchor. There are many new startups and companies in the market researching new technologies and emission-neutral approaches.

Eco-Friendly Yachts for Charter

An important aspect of going green for us, of course, is to offer and highlight eco-friendly yachts for charter. Many yacht builders have undertaken endeavors to make boating more sustainable by adapting the latest environmentally friendly technology. We aim to highlight these yachts to our clients wherever we can. Please see below a selection of such yachts that are available on the yacht charter market and at Boataffair.

Catamaran E Supercat by Sunreef Yachts

Reset your expectations with one of the world's most unique high-powered electric propulsion system luxury catamarans – an evolution in nautical engineering. ‘E’ promises sustainable performance sailing, in safety, efficiency, and ultimate comfort. This is the magic and excitement of state-of-the-art sailing: the freedom of the sea, the enjoyment of clean air and peaceful nature, the security of dependable power for unique experiences without ever leaving a trace - all of the time.

She is available for charter in Sardinia in the summer season, and in St. Marteen or the Virgin Islands in the winter months.

Link to the yacht: Catamaran E Supercat by Sunreef

Catamaran Voyage 590e

Experience silent electric motors onboard this magnificent, ultra luxurious, eco friendly yacht! All systems are quietly powered by large capacity batteries and recharged by solar, hydro generation and high efficiency auxiliary generators. A modern design that offers exceptional accommodations integrated in beautiful hulls beneath a perfect sail plan.

She is available for charter in the Virgin Islands, Caribbean.

Link to the yacht: VOYAGE 590e

Sunreef 50 Catamaran

This stunning Sunreef 50 brings luxury and sustainability together. A luxury charter experience powered by the sun, sea and wind. TIRIL puts an emphasis on sustainable yachting through her ecological design, which features silent propulsion, ultralight batteries, and a state-of-the-art photovoltaic system. Launched in 2019, TIRIL is an electric catamaran that provides guilt-free and comfortable exploration of French Polynesia. Her design saves massive amounts of energy through solar panels and twin electric engines which allows guests to travel in silence and appreciate their beautiful backgrounds.

She is available for charter in French Polynesia.

Link to the yacht: Sunreef 50 Catamaran

Sustainable Yachting

Here are our final thoughts for our blog post: There is still a long way to go. We all know it and surely change does not happen overnight. No change happens instantly and instead, any new lifestyle, habit or approach takes patience and stamina. Above yachts, approaches and practices are not final or conclusive and there is more to be written and said about the topic.

A famous saying by Stephen Covey goes as follows: “What course you take is far more important than how fast you go.”

We would love to go fast. However, we are aware that an eco-friendly way of life on our planet as well as in the yachting industry takes a lot of raising awareness, many conversations and a lot of coming together. At Boataffair we offer boutique yacht experiences to our guests from all over the globe. A part of this is realizing our responsibility as yacht charter brokers to educate all of our stakeholders regarding sustainable approaches in yachting where we can, to be educated about new green practices and to implement them where we can. As always, communication and curiosity is key and will help us all to find out about the newest technologies and approaches.