What the Experts have to say about Port Yacht Charters "Port Yacht Charters promotes client satisfaction and emphasizes the importance of loyal repeat business. Savvy agents will pursue this growing market with the same gusto that they give to scuba diving, bicycling and other special interest travel. Due to all the customizing and matchmaking, travel professionals should rely on a charteryacht agent. Port Yacht Charters is one of the best as they know the yachts and crews; can provide information from former guests; and can offer the information and materials needed to close the sale." Travel World News, September, 1999 "The optimum way to see the Caribbean Islands is by chartered yacht. Port Yacht Charters promises to fit you with the right boats and the right crew on the right dates." The New Yorker, April 7, 1999 "Discover a different shade of blue aboard Port Yacht Charters" The New Yorker At Large, Winter 2000 "Why is this great vacation such a secret? It might be due to the false perception that it is expensive or only for the rich and famous... Due to all the customizing and matchmaking needed, travel professionals rely on Ken Hecht and Port Yacht Charters. They know the yachts and their crews and can provide information from former guests." The Specialist, November, 1999 (A travel agent trade journal) "Port Yacht Charters: Smooth Sailing to any Destination. Vacations on private yachts can be anything you want it to be." American Bar Association Journal, December, 1998 "Port Yacht Charters knows their yachts, the crews and the world's sailing lanes and islands. They assist in every detail to make your yachting holiday the perfect vacation of a lifetime. President Ken Hecht is the expert's expert on the yachts of the world." The Physician'S Guide To Quality, November, 1997 "Chartering a yacht is not expensive. Rely on Port Yacht Charters, led by Ken Hecht, because they know the yachts and crews well." Vital Times, March, 2000 "If you love travelling with friends, wish you had a luxury yacht of your own, or love to be waited on like royalty, then charter a customized luxury yacht from Port Yacht Charters." SOUTH FLORIDA MAGAZINE, May, 1997 History of Port Yacht Charters Port Yacht Charterswas founded in 1988 by sailors, not travel agents. Ken Hecht and Susan Roegge founded the firm in Long Island (New York) because they saw a need to offer the vacationing public the opportunity to consider luxury private yacht charter as an alternative to land based resorts. Prior to this time, existing agents only represented just a few yachts each and the public had no single source to obtain details and selection on all available yachts accepting charter guests. Port Yacht Charters represents many yachts. Each yacht is inspected, evaluated and the crew is interviewed at least twice each year. Only vessels who offer the highest levels of service and gourmet cuisine are presented to our clients. Port Yacht Charters sees every yacht they charter, they do not charter every yacht they see. Since its inception in 1988, the firm has grown each year. They have become an American agent of both the Virgin Islands Charter-yacht League (V.I.C.L.) and the Charter Yacht Society (C.Y.S.), two Caribbean based charteryacht organizations. The firm has recently become the American agent for two French yachting companies, both based in Paris: Stardust Marine and V.P.M. Yacht Charters. Both charter French yachts in the French West Indies and French Polynesia. Port Yacht Charters also represents a number of Greek operators and belongs to the Hellenic Professional Sailors Association. With thousands of clients, Port Yacht Charters has quickly grown to be one of the largest charter yacht agencies in the world today. And they remain one of the few independent agencies who is able to offer yachts from all sources, not just one or two owners. This insures the client the widest choice of vessels and makes it possible to get each client to book the perfect yacht and crew for their special needs and budget considerations. Recent additions to the staff include Mr. John Hoover, Executive VP- Midwest Division. Operating out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, John brings great expertise to the operation and can better serve the clients located in the middle of the country. Mr. John Peters is the Director of Corporate Communication and the editor of our quarterly newsletter, News From Port yacht Charters. Ken Hecht remains a "hands-on" chief executive. He is always involved in each presentation and readily available for consultations and discussions on any yacht being considered by each client. He will personally handle all contracts and insure that all requests are met and expectations are exceeded. His 20 years of yachting experience and yacht ownership eminently qualifies him to serve clients. From day sailing on inland lakes, to yachting on the Great Lakes and both the East and West Coasts before the founding of the company, Mr. Hecht has now expanded his personal yachting experience to include the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific and most other ports of the world. A recent national publication, The Physicians' Guide to Quality, rated Mr. Hecht, "The expert's expert on luxury private yacht charter". (December, 1997). Susan Roegge, co-founder and now Susan Hecht, handles advertising and promotion for Port Yacht Charters. A former publishing executive with AVON and William Morrow Books, she brings to the firm expertise in getting the message out to the public. Private yacht charter is still a secret to many and that is costs the same as other vacation choices is even more unknown to the general public. Through her fine efforts, our message is placed in front of the public with public relation campaigns, print media advertising, and speaking engagements. With such a fine team in place, Port Yacht Charters is poised to grow further, serve many new clients and is positioned to support the continued growth of yacht charter into the next century.