Quality Sailing – The Swedish Way

The rich history of Scandinavian sailing has grown and developed from the ever-intriguing history of the Vikings’ longboats through the oldest sailing club in Scandinavia and one of the five oldest in the world, the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, founded 15 May 1830 to a number of modern yacht clubs spread all over Scandinavia. One of them, Navigare Yachting, was founded in 2001 by Swedish Jesper Rönngard and Per Abrahamsson.

Jesper and Per were actually skippers from the beginning with deep knowledge of customer experience. Their mission was to give clients the opportunity to sail state of the art yachts in warmer waters with excellent service and security. As students from Lunds University, they skippered in Greece over the summers, and came to the conclusion that they can do much better than the experience the customers were given. Said and done, the business started in Poros, south of Athens in Greece with four Bavaria 44s and by the end of the year the fleet had grown to six!

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Today, Navigare Yachting has a fleet of over 300 yachts worldwide, and close to 250,000 sailors have experienced one or more of the company’s yachts either as part of its luxury yacht charter services or the ownership programs.

Jesper and Per are from Malmö and have run Navigare Yachting with commitment and genuine interest in sailing as well as the company’s destinations. Their commitment has now developed into a professional company that operates in many countries, both in terms of sales and operations. Although they are physically in other places in the world most of their time, they consider their hometown Malmö an important meeting point for the parent company.

It’s all in the details
Jesper and Per’s vision was to give the customers a carefree experience, by among many other things, offer a Carefree Pack with a “Peace of Mind Guarantee” – which means clients don’t have to pay any security deposit or deductible, and they’re never liable for accidental damages they might experience during a charter holiday.

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”My family chartered with Navigare Yachting for the first time in 2008 in Croatia when my dad turned 40,” says Emma Lydén.  ”Shortly afterwards, my parents realized the value of having a boat with Navigare, and bought a monohull, Jeanneau 509. Not having to take care of all the maintenance and on top of that, escaping the bad conscience when the boat may not be used as much as it should, made the choice to buy a boat with Navigare very easy!” she continues.

Navigare is all about the experience
Onboard a Navigare yacht the clients will be blown away by ever changing surroundings and experience full freedom of letting the wind take them to new exciting destinations every day.

The core and heart of the company rests upon the service-minded and hardworking team members, now 100 full-time employees and as many seasonal staff. It is thanks to their dedication and passion that Navigare has enjoyed such growth and success.

The company expect their guests will want to sail new destinations like the  Bahamas and Seychelles, and access the latest models from the leading yacht builders, both monohulls and catamarans. They are always striving to add new destinations and to update the fleet to keep up with customer demands and desires.

“This year will be the tenth time that we have booked a sailboat via Navigare, and it has always felt safe. You know that the boats are checked, and you get a good overview before departure,” says one client, Lena Kempén and adds, “Our sailing trip in 2021 was the best so far with wonderful weather for two weeks. In the marinas, you are received by helpful staff, who patiently show you how to dock. In smaller bays, you are often greeted by a guy from the local restaurant who helps with providing a mooring. To anchor in a secluded bay, sunbath and swim, and then take the dinghy ashore to a small restaurant in the evening, that is the height of happiness!”

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Emma Lydén, Global Project Manager Boat Shows & Events in Navigare, is both a member of the team and a long-time ambassador for the company. She says, “My mother saw the value in letting the boat pay for itself, as it generates an annual revenue each year when it’s chartered via Navigare, and at the same time we have our holidays locked and loaded. We have had the opportunity to sail all over the world, and test both monohulls and catamarans in different waters. Last winter, my parents bought their third boat with Navigare Yachting, after selling their previous boats in the fleet. The new boat, a catamaran (BALI 4.8), will be placed in the Seychelles! In other words, they have made a bit of a journey, and have been able to upgrade the size of the boat thanks to the guaranteed annual Revenue/income.

Quality, Freedom, Reliability
Navigare is a company that delivers quality in all its stages. From first contact with the customer down to the care of the boats. The company also offers its clients the freedom to travel almost anywhere in the world and experience yachting in their own pace. Everything is possible, nothing is impossible. Our planet is diverse and beautiful, what better way to experience it than on the sea close to the elements. Cast off the lines and let the adventure begin!

However, reliability is essential. With bases all over the world, Navigare delivers a consistent high-quality product, and should the client run into issues on their holiday the staff does its utmost to remedy any situation as soon as possible. The clients know what they get, regardless of destination.

There are several competitors who deliver the same product but not to the same high level as Navigare. Quality permeates the entire company.

“Navigare Yachting has also launched a Service platform, where boat owners are able to track in real time all performed and planned services on the yacht. This is a great example of the transparency that the company has towards its boat owners who have chosen to place their yachts in Navigares’ fleet, says Lydén and continues, “The service platform generates a complete service book containing all history, which means that the resale value is also significantly higher. This was a big contributing factor to why my parents felt safe investing in a yacht with Navigare, to have insight into the maintenance of the yacht. Even if a charter boat wears to a different extent when it is rented out, it will also receive significantly more hours of professional maintenance than a privately owned boat would. During the winter, all boats are serviced, and after 5 years in the fleet, for example, all sails are replaced on all of the yachts.”

Clients with varying sailing experience
Navigare clients vary from experienced sailors who book bareboat charters to “first-timers” who book all-inclusive yacht charters which include a skipper and hostess.

“Excellent service, the boat was in very good condition and ready to go on time. The staff on-site was knowledgeable of the best spots to cruise to and what to see, as well as what was open for onshore dining. They provided a thorough walkthrough of the boats systems and helped me remote trouble-shoot a water pump issue which was easily solved over the phone. It’s my second time with Navigare in Marsh Harbour and we will definitely be back!” says Adam, one of many satisfied customers.

The future
Numbers show that the demand for catamarans continues to grow and has exceeded the demand for monohulls. The demand for bigger is up, so all yachts are getting bigger.

During and after the pandemic, people have been looking for a way to explore new destinations and travel in smaller groups to avoid crowded places. Sailing is a great way to travel between different places without crowds!

We’re experiencing an increased demand from so called “non-sailors”. Our customers really appreciate the genuine sailing experience, being close to nature and in harmony with the ocean. Exploring secluded bays and untouched nature by sailing there, is something that a lot of travellers really appreciate. Whether you are an experienced salty sailor or an enthusiastic newbie, Navigare Yachting wants sailing to be a carefree and relaxed experience! We want our guests to feel safe onboard, knowing that the boats are taken well care of, and if you hire a crew to sail the boat for you, we want to be able to guarantee that the staff is highly capable and provide our guests the best possible experience! Discover the Scandinavian standard of chartering!

Quality Sailing – The Swedish Way, written in collaboration with Navigare Yachting by Tor Kjolberg.

All images © Navigare Yachting

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