14 Jul 2026

From Bareboat to Crewed Yacht Ownership: a Q&A About What Changes, and What Matters Most

Written By: Bob Burke | Two-Time Horizon Yacht Owner

It’s Bob and Amanda Burke from Tennessee! Former owners of Detour, a Fountaine Pajot Elba 45 in the Horizon Yacht Charters Fleet and now proud owners of Stella Mare, a Lagoon 55 in the Horizon Luxury Crewed Fleet, which we purchased last summer. Having experienced ownership in both the bareboat and luxury crewed programs, we’re in a somewhat unique position and Horizon has invited us to share our thoughts on the differences between the two models to help those who might be weighing up which option is a better fit.

The Early Days of Ownership

Like many, the first time I chartered a boat in the BVI with friends, I thought to myself – why have I not been doing this all my life? Sailing the BVI is so much fun, and after consistently chartering throughout the Caribbean 3-4 times a year, we decided we should probably consider purchasing our own boat. A co-worker of mine had a catamaran in charter with Horizon, and he walked me through the pluses and minuses of yacht ownership, which was a huge help – I am forever grateful to Larry Kline!

1. What were your goals when you first entered yacht ownership/charter?

We wanted to have fun! AND we wanted the charter aspect to cover the cost of the boat. We can comfortably say we have achieved both so far. In addition, and very important, as we were only going to use our boat 4 weeks a year, we wanted to ensure it would be well looked after. After 6 years with Horizon, we can attest to the fact that we have enjoyed working with their team and our boats have been nothing if not well-maintained.

2. Why did you choose the BVI specifically as your base?

The BVI is the top sailing destination in the world for a reason. The trade winds provide near perfect sailing year-round, and equally important, the BVI communities really cater to the sailing community. Besides that, there were 3 other aspects that really sold us:

There are so many great restaurants and beach bars on just about every inhabited island as well as mooring balls and designated spots that make it easy to get ashore. In addition, there are great grocery stores in the event you want to provision and find a secluded destination.
The residents are so very friendly and very helpful.
The islands are close enough together that those who want to sail can roll out the canvas and enjoy for a few hours, and those who enjoy the beach, bars/restaurants, and shore-side exploration will still have plenty of time for those activities as well.

Experience with Detour

After we decided to buy a boat and place her into charter, we attended the Miami Boat Show and looked at a ton of boats. None quite fit what we were looking for: four cabins with four heads, good sailing and easy to handle, but not necessarily a performance boat. We ended up meeting Kayleigh and Giles Starkey from Horizon, who showed us aboard a Fountaine Pajot Elba 45. We loved the design, the styling, everything about it – the boat called to us, and we knew right then it was the right boat for us.

We enjoyed various things about Detour:

I enjoyed the ease and joy of sailing her – we chose to upgrade Detour with a spinnaker and Code 0 sail, talk about sailing fun!
To us, the layout and roominess of the boat was about as good as you can get for a 45-foot boat.
One of Amanda’s favourite things was sitting up top on the flybridge at the end of the day, sipping a cocktail, watching the stars, and enjoying the company.

3. What did you learn about yacht ownership during this phase?

As first-time owners, we really didn’t know what to expect about owning a yacht, we just hoped it would make money – it did! We quickly came to realise that having a good relationship with the maintenance, dock, and management staff is really important. Not only did we make good friends, we learned a lot about the business and about boating in general. There is a lot of boat knowledge you can learn by talking to folks who are on boats every day: For example, we were surprised to find out just how often you have to scrape the hull to keep it clean in the Caribbean! On the business side, a good website and social media presence are huge as being able to bring in some of your own bookings can be very helpful.

4. What would you want your past self to know about owning a bareboat?

First and foremost, this is a business. Reliability is the absolute key. Your boat is your product, and it needs to be operable and in good shape. Purchasing a reliable brand with the right upgrades that will add value without being a maintenance drain is important.
Secondly, partnering with a reliable company like Horizon is so important as it ensures your yacht will be maintained to a high standard.
Next, having a boat-dedicated website and social media ready to go ASAP is going to support the marketing efforts to promote your yacht.
Finally, we absolutely loved Detour and it was our baby. If it gets a scratch, stay calm, point it out, and let the maintenance guys do their thing.

Tour Detour Explore Stella Mare

The Decision to Transition

For us, moving from owning a bareboat to a luxury crewed yacht was purely a business move. We found the margins on larger boats to be higher and felt that the switch would position us in a unique niche. We found ourselves at the Miami Boat Show once again in February 2025 and explored quite a few boats. While we are partial to Fountaine Pajots, we stepped aboard the Lagoon 55 and absolutely loved the layout. It’s just a super design and feels like a much larger boat. We did rough ‘back-of-a-napkin’ math and decided to buy our very own Lagoon 55 right then and there! We celebrated that evening with the Horizon crew on a rooftop bar in Miami – such a fun time!

5. What were your biggest considerations when making this decision?

Obviously price. The crewed market is all about luxury in our opinion and we had to ask ourselves if we could afford to outfit the boat in a manner that would make her rise to top of her class. We needed to make the numbers work, get the right crew, outfit the boat appropriately, and then get bookings. Once we got the first three in order, the bookings proved to be better than expected for a first season. We are very thankful we were able to work with Horizon and Coastal Financing to pull it all together and make it work for us.

Of course, it was important that we sold Detour to help us move up to the Lagoon 55. Fortunately, Horizon handles the full cycle of ownership and the fact that they have a brokerage arm was a real asset when it came to selling our Elba 45. Giles, who is Horizon’s Brokerage Manager, was fully hands-on with ensuring that the sale of Detour happened smoothly and on time so that we could complete our purchase of Stella Mare.

If I was going to do it all again, I might consider a business partner. However, being able to do things exactly how we wanted with Stella Mare has been quite satisfying and I found the entire purchase process to be tremendously fun. I loved being able to choose all kinds of cool options and upgrades! While Amanda is an amazing decorator, she found it to be a little more stressful. I have to give our crew, Ariel and Matea, a shout out as they were super helpful in ensuring we supplied everything they needed.

Experience with Stella Mare so far

The most rewarding part about owning Stella Mare so far has to be working with our crew. We were so lucky to get Ariel and Matea – the crew truly makes the boat and they have been super! Other than that, just seeing it all come to fruition has been amazing. I have to say it was pretty neat to see our boat being built. Robin Hodges, Horizon’s Yacht Sales Manager, was a huge help and kept us updated with pictures throughout the entire boat-building process. We took two trips to France to make decisions on options, outfitting and for the final handover, which we missed out on when we purchased Detour due to COVID19. Interestingly enough, when we picked up Stella Mare from the Lagoon factory in Bordeaux, France, I just figured they would throw us the keys and wish us well. Instead, they really rolled out the turquoise carpet (Lagoon’s colours) had Champagne, fancy coffee, tasties, etc. It was pretty darn fun and I’m glad I wore a nice shirt!

6. How has your experience owning Stella Mare differed from owning Detour?

It’s been a totally different experience. Aboard Stella Mare, you are pampered and spoiled from the time you step foot onboard to the time you step off at the end of the week. Just amazing! The food, the activities – all unmatched!! Detour on the other hand was more hands-on: Amanda and I did almost everything and really enjoyed it. I loved sailing Detour, and was always the Captain, whereas aboard Stella Mare, Ariel is the Captain. It took me a couple of days to relax and just let Ariel do his thing, but it has been a pleasure seeing him and Matea do such an outstanding job with Stella Mare and her guests. Amanda and I could not come close to matching what those two do every week.

Tour Stella Mare Explore Stella Mare

7. What considerations did you feel were important in finding the perfect crew for your expectations?

Amanda and I both are in the customer service industry. So, for us, safety and customer service are paramount. Horizon interviewed a ton of crews for us and recommended we interview Ariel. After meeting him we wanted to hire him on the spot! Ariel then found Matea, who is equally amazing. They both shared our vision of excellence, and we could not be happier. Our confidence in them was confirmed when they won Best Crew at the 2025 BVI Charter Yacht Show – between us, I was not surprised. This next season will see Julia join Ariel as Chef/First Mate as Matea explores new career options. We’re so thrilled with what she has helped achieve for Stella Mare and wish her all the best.

8. What are your favourite aspects of having permanent crew onboard?

First, we really enjoyed Ariel and Matea if we have not made that abundantly clear already and having met Julia, we know that both us and Stella Mare’s guests will appreciate her style just as much.
Next, it’s nice having a crew onboard who is intimately familiar with the boat. They know exactly how it should look, sound, and perform at all times. If something is off, they either fix it, or know to get it fixed right away – Ariel is so good at this.
Finally, Ariel is from the BVI and has a ton of local knowledge. He is intimately familiar with where the boat can or cannot go, which is great when it comes to mitigating risk and keeping the crew, passengers, and boat safe at all times.

9. How involved have you felt as an owner in each style of ownership?

About the same, actually, but that is primarily because I was able to find comfort and trust in Horizon’s management with Detour and the same with Ariel on Stella Mare. There is a fine line between staying in the loop on important and expensive decisions and being in the weeds.

10. How do the two ownership models compare from a return or value perspective?

I like the crewed return a bit better right now, but I think we will need a couple of seasons to see if this is a one-off season or a trend.

Advice for Future Owners

For those entering the bareboat market:

Talk to people about where they see bareboat trends going.
See if there is a niche that fits what you like, for example smaller monohulls is a great niche. Otherwise, I like 5-6 cabin catamarans, but find what you like and, most importantly, what you can afford.
Ensure your boat is equipped with a thing or two that will give it an edge for charter and eventual resale.

For those considering a luxury crewed yacht:

Your crew is everything, they truly make the boat.
There are a lot of great boats out there, ensure your boat is equipped in a manner that levels the playing field so your crew can win charters.

11. Is there anything you wish you knew before starting your ownership journey?

I wish I knew everything that I know now! Haha! Learning has been part of the joy and challenge. We have really enjoyed working with Horizon as it is definitely more of a family atmosphere. There is no chance I could call up the CEO of a large charter corporation if I had a question or concern, but Andrew Thompson and the whole team at Horizon has been excellent.

As for would I do it all again? Yes, but with some very slight modifications. There is a lot of pride in ownership. Especially when you get to make incredible memories with family and friends!