SailTime Miami

Fractional Yacht Sharing Program

Announcing SailTime Miami "Sail Now, Retire Later Plan". Florida Yacht Charters & Sales and Hunter Marine are pleased to announce the grand opening of SailTime Miami's newest base at the Miami Beach Marina on South Beach!

What is SailTime?
Quite simply, an intelligent, low-cost, no hassle way to sail frequently in your local waters, aboard new, fully-equipped Hunter sailboats at a fraction of the cost of private ownership.

SailTime Miami is the regional base for SailTime the global leader in fractional sailing and power yachts.

Imagine having a brand new 2004 Hunter 33' or 36' sailboat to use a minimum of 7 SailTimes per month, for as little as $500.00 per month. We take care of the rest! No dockage fees, insurance, maintenance or mortgage payments to worry about. Just have fun and go sailing! What a concept!

Best of all, SailTime Miami's yachts will be berthed in one of North America's most pristine, yet convenient cruising grounds -- the Florida Keys and Bahamas. And even novices can learn to navigate the sparkling, protected, emerald-green waters of beautiful Biscayne Bay, just minutes from downtown Miami.

Marine industry statistics indicate that most boat owners do not use their boats as often as they'd like to, due to time constraints. Yet the recurring monthly costs such as mortgage payments, dockage, insurance and maintenance is a 12 month per year commitment.

Fractional sailing is not a new concept. It's popular in the aviation and real estate fields. That's because it makes sense!

How the SailTime program works

To understand the program, you first must know all the players. Here are the definitions of each party's role in the program.

1. Hunter Dealer: Hunter Marine is one of the largest production sailboat builders in the world. Their network of Hunter dealers is extensive, each with its own staff of trained sales and service personnel. Each dealer has a defined territory. Florida Yacht is the authorized Hunter dealer for Southeast Florida and the Bahamas, including Palm Beach to Key West. The Hunter dealer is responsible for selling the new SailTime boats and providing after-the-sale service and warranty coverage.

2. SailTime Base Manager: This is the entity managing each of the various SailTime bases, located in different, popular sailing locales around the world. Depending on the location of the base, the Base Manager may be an entrepreneur; the actual boat owner; or an independent company. There can be more than one SailTime boat at each SailTime base. In the case of SailTime's Miami base, the SailTime Base Manager is Florida Yacht Charters & Sales, Inc., who is the local Hunter dealer as well.

3. Owner Member: One "Owner-Member" purchases a new Hunter sailboat from their local Hunter dealer, (in this case, Florida Yacht).The Owner-Member retains all ownership rights to the boat and typically finances the boat with a 20% down payment. The Owner Member is responsible for making the mortgage payments each month.

However, unlike a private owner, the Owner-Member has an agreement with the SailTime base manager. The Owner-Member gets paid a monthly lease fee for allowing 7 other SailTime members use of the SailTime yacht.

The dockage fees, maintenance and insurance costs are paid by the other member's combined monthly membership fees. So other than coming up with the 20% down payment and qualifying for the boat loan, the Owner Member's boat "overhead" costs are paid out of the Member's monthly fees collected and disbursed by the Base Manager.

As as alternative to simply chartering a yacht, the Owner Member earns equity in the yacht. Plus, at the end of the SailTime-Miami lease term, (or 3 years), the boat owner has more than just a nice suntan to show for it. He or she receives an average of 70% of their initial downpayment back when the boat is sold. Florida Yacht will also guarantee to take the retiring vessel in "trade" on a new Hunter and roll the new boat back into the program for another 3 years. So the boats are constantly updated with new models on a recurring basis, an added plus for SailTime members!

4. Members: The non-owner members are simply called "Members". They sign an annual membership agreement and agree to pay a monthly membership fee. The membership fees can vary from one SailTime base to another, depending on local cost variables, such as dockage, maintenance and insurance. (If you live in South Florida, you know how expensive just the dockage and wind storm insurance can be!)

5. SailTime Licensor: These are the brilliant guys, Grant Headifen and George Bonelli, who founded SailTime and developed the software and on-line internet scheduler. They provide the software and computer support to all the SailTime bases worldwide, a key component to the success of the SailTime program. The on-line scheduling software keeps track of each Member's use of the yacht, insuring a fair and equitable distribution of SailTime uses among the members. Their E-ttendant PDA software also makes it easy to notify the Base Manager via e-mail, of an item onboard the boat needing attention and streamlines the check-out/inventory each time the yacht is used by a different member.

Benefits of Fractional Sailing

According to Susan Everhard, a licensed yacht broker and President of Florida Yacht: "The Owner-Member of SailTime yachts, don't have to worry about cleaning, maintenance, paying the dockage, shopping for insurance, bookkeeping or other administrative duties. Absentee ownership becomes easy for people who like to vacation here certain times of the year, and not have to worry about their boat being left unattended during "hurricane season".

There's also the benefit of boating in "paradise", the Florida Keys and Bahamas. Even if you can afford to own a boat, the on-going commitment of cleaning and maintenance can become a hassle. Often the boat owner simply doesn't have the mechanical expertise or spare time to maintain the yacht in ship-shape condition. Realizing this, we've developed our SailTime Miami program to be easy, affordable and above all, fun!"

SailTime Miami's unique E-ttendant and on-line scheduling software program puts the "pleasure" back in "pleasure boating".

Both Owner-Members and regular Members can easily reserve the boat in advance and enjoy it about as often as they typically would as a private boat owner, guaranteed a minimum of seven SailTimes per month, or even more, provided the yacht is not already reserved 24 hours in advance.

One SailTime period is either 10 am - 6 pm or 6 pm to 10 am. Members can book 2 SailTimes back to back to get a full 24 hour day or save up 2 months worth of SailTimes and book a week's vacation every 2 months.

The software keeps track of each members use, fairly and impartially, according to certain rules all members agree to honor.

The yacht is clean, well- maintained and ready to set sail upon the Owners or Member's arrival. Florida Yacht, as the base manager, looks after your investment so you are free to enjoy it!

Even non-US citizens can join the program, with no financing restrictions to deal with. Florida Yacht, as the base manager, serves as a liaision for the Members and earns a small management fee their services.

For further information about the new SailTime Miami Yacht Sharing Program please visit www.sailtime.com/miami.

Sailtime Miami: Fractional sailing yachts and power boats.