Our Guarantee: More Than Just Price Matching
A message from our Director Robert Cross:
At Sail Connections we are proud of our record as a brand that has continuously traded for 45 years. Maintaining an enduring business means staying true to what we do and delivering the very best sailing holiday experience, building loyalty through trustworthiness.
You will see on our website that we offer a price guarantee. This is not just about price matching. Much more than that, it’s about making sure you get what you paid for.
Before going any further, I’d like to reference a recent article by Jocken Rieker titled “Blinded by the favourable price”. It speaks directly to the risks people face when chasing the cheapest deal, and it highlights the very issues I’m addressing here.
Why We Match Discounts, and Why We Work Hard to Be Your Broker
I am genuinely concerned that people who have enquired with Sail Connections, while weighing their booking options, may fall prey to online promises and end up being put off sailing holidays for life. There is a disturbing pattern in the market: a push for dominance through hard discounting and unsustainable business plans. We’ve already seen examples of discounters using client funds owed to charter operators just to stay afloat.
Hard discounting is a race to the bottom. There are legitimate reasons for operator discounts — and we explain these fully in our Charter Guide — but we don’t actively promote them in our marketing. What we do is so much more than price.
We will match discounts on like-for-like charters to protect the integrity of this industry. Because:
- As a long-standing charter broker, we run on lower overheads and have a large base of loyal clients whom we get to know one-on-one. We encourage feedback and regularly publish client reviews on our website.
- If disrupter practices were to push out the established broker network we are part of, full service would fall to boat operators. Ultimately, costs to charterers would rise. Brokering is a proven and cost-effective operator support model.
- The service we offer is irreplaceable. Online listings showing boats without confirmed availability, combined with constant marketing-type communications and no real operator relationship, cannot replace what qualified brokers provide in person with our sailing knowledge and first-hand destination experience.
- Chat bots must not be allowed to replace passionate people. We fulfil a very human role that should not disappear.
The Sail Connections Advantage: Full-Service Brokering
The yacht-charter brokering model is simple until you factor in the human aspect. All brokers see the same published rates and operator discounts. The only way a broker can discount further is to cut their own commission.
We work on a standard 15% commission — at no cost to the charterer — payable by the operator on the basic boat price. We charge no commission on the Extras we arrange at your request.
Disruptive discount platforms operate as “book it yourself” services, similar to Airbnb. Airbnb charges accommodation providers 15%. The cost is the same; the service is not.
When you book through Sail Connections, the service doesn’t end at confirmation. We look after you all the way to your next charter. This added value includes:
- Helping you choose the right destination at the right time of year for your group
- Discussing the boat in detail and explaining differences between models
- Arranging extras at no extra cost — anything from kayaks to special requests requiring sourcing and negotiation
- Recommending itineraries before you go
- Mediating any issues during and after charter
- Providing researched information, including historic weather data, and ensuring you are not misled by AI-generated itineraries
The strength of a small, experienced agency like Sail Connections lies in our resilience — something disrupters simply don’t have.
The Risk in Using Would-Be Disrupters
As e-commerce has grown, disrupters have repeatedly entered and exited the market, and the results are mixed to say the least. The complexities of organising sailing holidays cannot be automated into a reliable system.
It seems to me that some discounters, having incurred significant start-up costs and finding their budgets tighten, then have to ask more of their investors or dip into clients’ charter deposits to pay the bills. They don’t come close to gaining the market dominance they’d projected, and before long they vanish.
Our Call to Action: Run Your Quote Past Us First
If there are genuine deals out there, of course you have every right to take advantage of them. But if you want to fully understand the risks behind the cheapest offer, I urge you to read the recent article linked to above. It lays the issues out plainly.
If you receive a discounted quote and are thinking about booking, please run it past me first. With the right information, I can break it down and identify what costs may have been left out and what services might be missing. If I can book the same charter at the same price, you will enjoy the full service and security you deserve — matching the price while providing a genuinely better experience.
A Final Word
My commitment is simple: transparency, honesty and integrity in everything I do. After 45 years in this industry, I know that trust is earned, not claimed. My role — and the role of my team — is to protect your interests, safeguard your charter investment, and make sure your sailing holiday is everything it should be.
When you choose Sail Connections, you are choosing people who care deeply about doing things the right way, every time.
