From the Helm

Journal

Observations on buying, owning, and living with yachts — without the jargon.

AT

Andrew Troyer

Founder & Principal Broker

BuyingMarch 22, 2026

The Right Yacht for the Wrong Reasons

Why specs alone will never tell the full story

“A spreadsheet can't tell you how a flybridge feels at sunset.”

Read Essay7 min read
Archive
6 essays
Selling

What Your Broker Won't Say About Selling

Honest truths from 200+ closed deals

Most sellers overprice their yacht by 12-18% in the first listing. I know because I track every single deal we close. The number one reason a yacht sits on the market isn't the condition, or the market, or the time of year. It's the gap between what the owner remembers paying and what today's buyer is willing to spend. Closing that gap isn't a negotiation — it's a conversation.

February 28, 2026Read
Ownership

Your First Year of Ownership

The things nobody warns you about — and the things I wish they had

You've signed the papers, popped the champagne, and posted the Instagram. Congratulations — you're a yacht owner. Now here's the part the brochure left out. Month two: you'll get your first real maintenance invoice. Month four: you'll wonder why the previous owner "forgot" to mention the generator issue. Month seven: you'll realize the best money you spent wasn't on the yacht — it was on the survey.

February 10, 2026Read
Industry

Hybrid Yachts: An Honest Take

Separating the engineering from the marketing

Every boat show this year had a "green" section. Hybrid this, electric that. And look — I'm genuinely excited about the Virtue V14 we represent. But I owe you honesty, not a sales pitch. The technology is real and it's improving fast. The infrastructure is not. If your cruising grounds are the Bahamas, a hybrid makes perfect sense. If you're crossing the Atlantic, the math doesn't work yet.

January 20, 2026Read
Charter

Charter First, Buy Second

The $50,000 test drive that saves you $2 million

Here's my most unpopular advice as a yacht broker: don't buy a yacht. Not yet. Charter three different types over twelve months. A flybridge in the Bahamas. A catamaran in Croatia. A sportfisher off Islamorada. You'll learn more in those three weeks than in a year of reading forums. And you might discover that what you thought you wanted isn't what you actually need.

December 15, 2025Read
Lifestyle

Twenty-Eight Years on the Water

Why I still wake up at 5am for sea trials

People ask me when I'm going to slow down. The honest answer is I don't know how. Last Tuesday I was on a 72-footer at dawn in Palm Beach, coffee in hand, watching the diesels warm up. The smell of salt and exhaust. The sound of water against the hull. Twenty-eight years in, and that five minutes before we leave the dock is still the best part of my week.

November 28, 2025Read
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Every yacht has a story. Most brokers sell the specs. I'd rather tell you the story.
Andrew Troyer
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