What The Moorings does

The Moorings, founded in 1969 and headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, is one of the longest-established luxury yacht charter operators in the world. The company offers bareboat, skippered, fully crewed, and by-the-cabin charters of sailing catamarans and monohulls (37–58 feet, 2–6 cabins) plus power catamarans, across more than 20 destinations in four regions: the Caribbean (BVI, Antigua, St. Martin, St. Lucia, Grenada), the Americas (Bahamas/Abacos/Exumas, Belize, La Paz/Mexico), the Mediterranean (Croatia, Greece, Italy, with Turkey launching Summer 2026), and Exotics (Seychelles, Tahiti, Thailand). The fleet is custom-built under an exclusive partnership with South African builder Robertson & Caine, and incorporates proprietary features such as the Moorings SailMate mainsail stacking system, zoned air-conditioning on crewed yachts, and — on the new Moorings 5200 — an electric drive system.

The Moorings operates a direct-to-consumer model anchored by its website (moorings.com) with 24/7 online booking and a team of Vacation Planning Specialists, supplemented by Travel Partners, Groups & Incentives, and a Captain's Rewards loyalty program. Revenue is generated through per-charter (typically 7-night) bookings with tiered pricing across Exclusive Plus, Exclusive, and Club classes, plus ancillary streams: provisioning, water sports equipment rentals, skipper hire, travel insurance, gift certificates, yacht ownership/management under Moorings Yacht Ownership, brokerage through Moorings Brokerage, and Leopard Catamarans sales. The customer base is overwhelmingly affluent leisure travelers — couples, families, sailing enthusiasts ranging from novices to experienced skippers, and corporate incentive groups — served via a hybrid persona/use-case segmentation approach supported by RYA, NauticEd, and Sunsail sailing-certification pathways.

The company is privately held with no disclosed ownership or revenue, sits within a broader marine tourism group with sister company Sunsail and subsidiary Offshore Sailing School, and has no app, no public API, and no app store presence. Channel mix is primarily DTC, with no third-party reseller network for charters. Brand reputation is supported by 5 consecutive years of TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice awards (2021–2025), a 2019 Boat of the Year award for the Moorings 5000, and 2018 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and UK eCommerce Awards.

Name

The Moorings

Legal name

The Moorings

Website

https://moorings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Moorings is a privately held luxury yacht charter operator, founded 1969 and headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, offering bareboat, skippered, crewed, and by-the-cabin charters of catamarans, monohulls, and power yachts across more than 20 destinations in the Caribbean, Americas, Mediterranean, and Exotics regions, serving affluent leisure travelers, families, and corporate groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Yacht Charters

NAICS

Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Yacht & Luxury Boat Charters (With Crew) (THAJALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catamaran & Sailing Cat Cruise Operators (THAEADAD), Cruise Yacht Charters (Private Crewed) (THAEADAG), Bareboat Yacht Charters (Self-Skippered) (THAEAEAB), Cabin Charters & Shared Yacht Trips (THAEADAH), Cabin Charters on Private Yachts (By-the-Cabin) (THAEAEAD)

Keywords

• Yacht charter services
• Bareboat charters
• Crewed yacht charters
• Catamaran charters
• Sailing vacations

Headquarters

HQ city

Clearwater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Yacht Charters (Sail, Power, Crewed): Core revenue stream from bareboat, skippered, and fully crewed yacht charters across 20+ global destinations. Revenue is generated on a per-charter, per-week basis. Customers can charter monohulls and catamarans (37–58 feet, 2–6 cabins). Pricing varies by destination, yacht class (Exclusive Plus, Exclusive, Club), and season.
2. Provisioning Services: Online provisioning service allowing customers to pre-order groceries and food & beverage packages before their charter. Orders are delivered directly to the yacht. Available at most bases with online ordering deadlines (BVI: 5 days; others: 7 days prior). Complimentary Care Package included with every charter.
3. Water Sports Equipment Rentals: Pre-orderable extras including kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and fishing gear rented for the full charter duration at daily rates.
4. Skipper Hire Services: Skilled skippers available for hire on bareboat charters, either as part of a skippered charter package (includes skipper provisions and Wi-Fi) or as an add-on to bareboat bookings. Bareboat skippered charters are flexible — skippers can be hired for full duration or by the day.
5. Yacht Ownership Program: Programs enabling individuals to purchase yachts within the Moorings fleet, with the company managing maintenance, charter revenue, and resale. Related services include Moorings Yacht Brokerage and Leopard Catamaran sales.
6. Gift Certificates: Gift certificates valid for five years from purchase date, redeemable for charter payments and optional extras.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Moorings charters sailing catamarans (40–58 ft) and monohulls (35–52 ft) plus power catamarans across more than 20 destinations in the Caribbean, Americas, Mediterranean and Exotics via bareboat, skippered, fully crewed, power, and by-the-cabin charter formats. All catamarans are custom-built by Robertson & Caine, and ancillary services include provisioning, water sports equipment, skipper hire, virtual chart briefings, and a yacht ownership/brokerage program.

Product overview

The Moorings operates as a luxury yacht charter vacation company offering a diversified portfolio of products across three main charter types: Sail (bareboat and skippered catamarans and monohulls), Power (motor yacht catamarans), and Crewed (fully staffed luxury yachts with captain and chef). The company also provides by-the-cabin bookings for individual travelers. The fleet spans 37 to 58 feet with 2 to 6 cabins, built exclusively by Robertson & Caine for catamarans and various manufacturers for monohulls. Supporting services include provisioning, water sports equipment rental, learn-to-sail programs through RYA/NauticEd/Sunsail partnerships, virtual chart briefings, yacht ownership programs, and travel insurance. The product ecosystem serves experience levels from beginner (Level 1 destinations) to expert (Level 3), with over 20 destinations across Caribbean, Americas, Mediterranean, and Exotic regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Moorings Yacht Ownership: Yacht ownership program allowing customers to purchase and place yachts in the charter fleet
• Moorings Brokerage
• Leopard Catamarans

Products and services

• Bareboat Sail Charter Self-skippered sailing vacations aboard 35–58 ft monohulls and catamarans (2–6 cabins), allowing qualified customers to captain their own yacht in destinations including BVI, Greece, Croatia, the Bahamas, and beyond.

Quantifiable outcome

• Per-person cost of a yachting vacation is typically at or below the cost of a resort vacation or ocean cruise, without the crowds

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Robertson & CainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991Exclusive manufacturing partnership for all Moorings yachts. Robertson & Caine, founded in 1991 in South Africa, has built over 1,000 yachts and is one of the world's top catamaran builders. They manufacture the entire Moorings custom fleet, including award-winning Leopard Catamaran range. The Moorings fleet ranges from 39 to 58 feet and sails the world's most exotic destinations.
• Royal Yachting Association (RYA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal certification partner providing internationally recognized sailing qualifications. RYA courses range from beginner Competent Crew to Yachtmaster. RYA certification is accepted by charter operators in nearly every sailing destination worldwide. Moorings directs unqualified customers to RYA courses to meet destination licensing requirements.
• NauticEdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline boating education and certification partner. NauticEd offers online sailing courses and certifications at all levels. Moorings accepts NauticEd's SLC (International Sailing License and Credentials) and Bareboat Charter Master certifications for bareboat charter qualification in destinations including Bahamas, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Seychelles, and Tahiti.
• SunsailcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSister company and live-aboard sailing school partner. Sunsail offers RYA-certified sailing courses in multiple destinations worldwide. Moorings directs unqualified customers to Sunsail for practical on-water training and certification. The two companies share operational infrastructure and cross-market to each other's customers.
• Offshore Sailing SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Sailing School partner for The Moorings. Provides sailing and powerboat certification courses to help customers qualify for charter. Courses available across multiple destinations.
• Leopard CatamaransminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeopard Catamarans are sold through Moorings Yacht Ownership program and the Leopard Catamarans website (leopardcatamarans.com). Robertson & Caine is the builder behind the Leopard brand, with The Moorings serving as the charter management and resale partner.
• TripAdvisorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTripAdvisor serves as the primary third-party review and reputation platform for The Moorings. The company has won the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award for 5 consecutive years (as of 2025) and holds a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Burgess: Global luxury yacht charter broker and sales specialist, offering both bareboat-style and fully crewed superyacht charters. Broader portfolio (superyacht focus) than The Moorings but overlapping customer base in the luxury leisure segment.
• Y.CO: International luxury yacht charter and sales company with a Mediterranean focus. Comparable in customer demographics (ultra-high-net-worth leisure travelers) and crewed charter expertise but positioned at the higher end of the market.

Direct peers

• Dream Yacht Worldwide: One of the world's largest yacht charter operators, offering bareboat, skippered, and crewed charters across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and exotic destinations. Directly comparable in scale, product breadth, and target customer base.
• Sunsail: Sister company under the same Travelopia parent, Sunsail offers nearly identical yacht charter products (bareboat, skippered, crewed) across overlapping global destinations. Most directly comparable peer given shared fleet, parent company, and overlapping operational infrastructure.
• Horizon Yacht Charters: BVI-based yacht charter operator offering bareboat and crewed charters in the Caribbean. Comparable product and customer base but with concentrated geographic focus versus Moorings' global network.
• MedSailors: Cabin charter specialist focused on the Mediterranean (Greece, Croatia, Italy), offering by-the-cabin bookings on sailing yachts. Directly comparable to Moorings' By-the-Cabin product for solo travelers and couples.
• Navigare Yachting: Yacht charter operator offering bareboat and crewed charters across the Mediterranean and Caribbean, with a yacht ownership program similar to The Moorings' ownership offering. Directly comparable business model and target market.
• The Yacht Week: Curated sailing-week experiences for groups, primarily in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Comparable in fleet use and destination portfolio, but with a younger, party-focused customer demographic and shorter trip durations.

Regional players

• CYOA Yacht Charters: Caribbean yacht charter operator with a strong bareboat offering in the BVI and St. Martin. Comparable to Moorings' core Caribbean bases but with a more limited geographic footprint.
• Conch Charters: Long-established BVI-based yacht charter operator with deep Caribbean roots. Comparable bareboat and crewed offerings but focused primarily on the British Virgin Islands market where Moorings has its flagship base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MooringsYachts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Moorings