Run by sailors,
not salesmen.
Velamar began in 2008 with one second-hand sailing yacht and a stubborn idea: a charter company its own crew would be proud of.
Our Story
One yacht, then two, then a way of working.
Founder Marcus Hale spent his twenties delivering yachts across the Atlantic. The pattern he kept seeing — tired boats, transient crew, guests left to figure it out — became the list of things Velamar would never do.
So we manage our own fleet instead of listing other people's. Our captains are permanent, salaried and trained in-house. Our chefs plan menus around your table, not a template. And every itinerary is sailed by the broker who sold it — at least once a season.
Eighteen years on, that stubbornness sails 32 yachts, employs 140 people across six bases, and brings two-thirds of our guests back within three years.
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Managed yachts
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Happy guests
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Nautical miles / yr
0
Years at sea
What we won't compromise
Three rules, painted on the workshop wall in every base.
Our boats, our responsibility
We only charter yachts we manage and maintain ourselves. If it isn't good enough for our own families, it doesn't take guests.
Crew are the product
Permanent contracts, winter training, real careers. Guests feel the difference within an hour of stepping aboard.
Honest miles
Realistic itineraries, weather-honest advice, itemised bills. We'd rather talk you into a shorter hop than watch you motor through the night.
The Crew
140 people, six bases, one standard.
From the varnish shed in Portsmouth to the dive dock in Marigot Bay, Velamar people stay — average tenure is over seven years, unheard of at sea. That continuity is what guests actually buy: a crew that knows the boat blindfold and the coastline by heart.
96%
guests rate crew “exceptional”
7+ yrs
average crew tenure
Milestones
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2008 — One second-hand sloop
Marcus buys a tired 12-metre sloop in Portsmouth and charters her on weekends between deliveries.
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2014 — The Med base opens
Six yachts winter in Split; the first full-time crew contracts are signed. Repeat bookings pass 40%.
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2019 — Caribbean & events arm
Marigot Bay base opens; corporate events become their own division with dedicated event captains.
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2026 — 32 yachts, 24,000 guests
Six bases, a sailing school, and the same rule on every workshop wall: our boats, our responsibility.
Come and see how we work.
Base tours run every Saturday in season — coffee, a walk down the pontoon, no pitch.