The ball dropped on 2022 and with that, we ring in 2023. (Did you know? NYC’s New Year’s Eve time ball has a maritime beginning! Read More>>). We say it every year: “Where did the time go”? Seems like yesterday that we changed our calendars for a new year! The CG team has done so much in the last two years, and it all has culminated in some amazing accomplishments for our team. As we counted down to midnight, we mused on what happened in 2022 from the beautiful shores of Belize. Yes, we quietly “disappeared” for a few days to simply relax, regroup, and set our goals for the upcoming year from this second biggest barrier reef in the world. So, we look back at 2022 with some awe and nostalgia, while looking optimistically into the future towards 2023. Happy New Year!
big changes in 2022!
2022 was eventful in so many ways, not only for us but for our team, our boat owners and supporters! Our new boat division has grown and flourished and we are excited about the 2023 season. The 2022 brokerage division was also on fire and we predict that we will have an even bigger 2023 now that more inventory is coming to market. Some of the highlights:
- Ocean Multihulls as part of Catamaran Guru Group, now has Bali Catamaran dealerships for the Caribbean, Texas and USA for charter management
- Catamaran Guru is exclusive dealer for Catana in the USA
- We are an RYA accredited sailing school facility
- We expanded our footprint in the charter management community and invited boutique charter companies to join us in our quest to provide superior owner experiences
- We launched “The Yacht Exchange” exclusively for charter yacht owners worldwide
- We hosted our 4th annual Catamaran Rendezvous in the Bahamas
- Craig Allison from Maz Ocean joined the team as Company Operations Officer for the Catamaran Guru Group
Bali Catamaran Dealership in Texas
Ocean Multihulls appointed exclusive Texas dealer for Bali Catamarans
OCEAN MULTIHULLS, a division of CG group, has been a dealer in the Caribbean for Bali Catamarans since 2020 and has now been named exclusive dealer in Texas, January 2022. We have our established offices in the beautiful Watergate Marina in Kemah, TX. We invite you to visit us onsite to talk to our Texas brokers Nick Shields and Terry Grover. We have big plans for this dealership in 2023! For Bali Catamaran specifications and pricing, give us a call or click below to request information.
Catamaran Guru Appointed Catana USA Dealer
CG Adds a Catana OC 50 to the Fleet
Ocean Multihulls has also been appointed the exclusive agent for Catana Catamarans for the entire USA. The Sales offices are Hollywood, FL and Kemah, TX. The Catana 50 OC will be based in FL and will be available for demo sails and training for qualified buyers and students. Press Release>>
We have acquired the Catana Ocean Class 50 in 2022 and we will unveil her for the first time at the Miami Boat Show in February 2023. We are beyond excited to embark on this journey of discovering the “virtues” of a performance cruising catamaran! For Specifications and Price contact us or call Tel 1-804-815-5054 or make an appointment for a private viewing.
our BOutique Charter Management Partners
CG forms alliances with boutique charter companies worldwide
2022 was again a bumper year for Catamaran Guru in Yacht Sales and we have created very robust and proven charter management programs to help our owners achieve their boat business goals with charter income and tax advantages as well as the most established and proven crewed yacht program. But we could not have done this by ourselves.
We identified some of the best boutique charter companies in the industry like TMM Yacht Charters, The Catamaran Company, BVI Yacht Charters and Dream Caribbean Blue, Cruise Abaco etc. to manage our owners’ boats and invited them to join us and our community. These alliances create a much more personalized experience and a more controlled environment for our boat owners to operate within. Owners in these smaller owner operated fleets are generally happier and will fetch much higher re-sale value for their boats because the boats are well cared for. Read More>>
The Yacht Exchange A WINNER FOR OWNERS!
But we have also created The Yacht Exchange program, exclusively for charter yachts. Boat owners from ANY charter company anywhere in the world can now swap out time on their boats with other boat owners with no money changing hands. It is a win-win! TYE program is in its infancy and is bound to grow fast in 2023 when we add more boats in more locations like Croatia, Turkey, Australia and Asia Pacific. We encourage every charter yacht owner to sign up in 2023 and get the community involved and get in control of your own destinies!
CG awarded prestigious RYA accreditation in the USA
RYA Sailing Academy in Florida
After a rigorous and costly vetting program of our instructors, our boat and our facility by the RYA in England, we officially opened the Catamaran Guru Sailing Academy this year in May with our chief instructor, Steele Greyling heading this division of Catamaran Guru. It has been a roaring success! Since our first school in May, we have awarded 50+ RYA certifications and licenses and bookings are far into 2023 already! Because of increased demand, we have since added Matt Joubert as an instructor and we will increase our available sail training weeks to accommodate eager students. Our RYA graduates have received a first-class internationally recognized education onboard Akani, our Bali 4.2 catamaran and we will add our Catana 50 Ocean Class to the line-up as a performance sailing school. Our goal is always to help each student become a competent and confident sailor! Learn about our weeklong live aboard courses as well as the ICC Certification.
Craig Allison Joins the Catamaran Guru Team
Craig rounds out the CG Team as Company Operations Officer and After Sales Support Expert
We would like to take a moment to introduce you to Craig Allison (owner of Maz Ocean) who has joined our team in 2022 as a CG partner to head up our After Sales Support team as well as company operations. Following this, Maz Ocean was a natural fit for the CG group and with this strategic partnership Maz Ocean now completes the vision of CG being able to provide a full one-stop service to all CG clients.
While Maz Ocean specializes in electronics, electrical upgrades, monitoring systems and renewable energy systems like solar and lithium-Ion battery installations they will also provide a full warranty and after sales service to all CG customers. Craig is an expert and leader in his field, and we are excited to have him join us and further enhance the customer experience for all our boat owners. Read More>>
OUR SAILING TEAM PLACED 1ST IN HEINEKEN REGATTA!
The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta celebrated its 42nd edition from March 3 – 6, 2022. This world-renowned sailing event is known for being the largest regatta in the Caribbean.
Our team, lead by one of our most seasoned sailor and broker Ian Martin, joined the brigade and finished with stellar results – first place! We are so proud of Ian Martin and his team for this victory on their Leopard Catamaran 45.
Pre-owned Cats will have a big year in 2023
The Catamaran Guru yacht brokerage division continues to grow, offering full-service brokerage to buyers and sellers of pre-owned yachts. The experienced Cat Guru brokers now have a presence in Florida, Texas, Maryland, Sint Maarten, and St. Thomas in the Caribbean.
Beyond these 2023 predictions of strong catamaran and general boat sales, we have experienced early signs that point to continued high demand for catamarans. Catamaran Guru has already inked several deals in the first weeks of January with several more in the pipeline.
We see 2023 pre-owned yacht sales to be very beneficial for buyers. We think that we will have more inventory coming to market and at more reasonable prices but demand is still very high. Therefor sellers can still expect to fetch good prices for their boats since new boats are not readily available yet because of a huge backlog. Higher interest rates, tighter insurance rules and limited marina space for catamarans will definitely have an impact on prices. But there are still very eager buyers with cash and we are ready with some innovative ideas to help buyers. Our relationships in banking, insurance, charter management etc. will no doubt benefit our buyers and sellers. Love Stats? Here are the 2022 Catamaran Yacht Sales in Numbers!
Annual Catamaran rendezvous & regatta
We did not only work during 2022! We had the best rendezvous in the Abacos, Bahamas after a hiatus of two years after the hurricane and then Covid. A group of 30 catamarans enthusiastically descended on the Abacos in May for four days of unadulterated fun! The event featured a regatta between islands, the famous rumbrella race on Tahiti Beach, a dinghy dress-up competition and some knowledge sharing and seminars.
It is a great camaraderie and a fantastic time for everyone. This year, we had 9 different brands of catamarans (Prout / Lightwave / Nautitech/ Lagoon / Voyage / Fountaine Pajot / Bali / Leopard / Manta), 27 catamarans in total and 104 people join in the fun. Our next event is scheduled for May 7-10, 2023. The Rendezvous dates are chosen to dovetail with the insurance requirements for boats required to be North of Cape Hatteras by June. We also arrange a post-Rendezvous flotilla to depart from The Abacos to the Chesapeake Bay. For this flotilla, we sponsor weather routing for the fleet.
RENDEZVOUS SUPPORTS THE FUTURE OF SAILING
Catamaran Guru, with the help of the generous Rendezvous participants and vendors, proudly donates money to the Hope Town Junior Sailing Club during the event. This sailing program helps promote junior sailing programs and summer camps in Abaco, Bahamas.
Our goal is to support young sailors in reaching their full potential as they become independent and responsible adults and sailors. We hope to donate to these kids again in 2023! Contact us if you want to donate!
Our boats displayed in Cannes, Annapolis, Miami shows
We have done boat shows since 1999 and 2022 was no exception when Stephen marked his 22nd attendance during this 2022 Annapolis Boat Show.
We always worked with partners rather than independently but 2021 marked our first independent show and we have never looked back! We have displayed our own live-aboard Bali 5.4 (Zuri 3), our Bali 4.2 (Akani) Sailing school boat and now (Mithril), our Catana 50 OC.
It has been a wild ride and we are so grateful to all the people who have supported us and joined us at these shows. Curious about the names of our boats? Learn the meaning of the names>> Visit us this February 15th – 19th, 2023 at the Miami Boat Show! Learn more about our charter programs, Bali Catamarans for sale and the debut of the Catana 50 OC in USA.
5-Star Testimonials & Prestigious Awards
The 2022 Reviews are in, and you gave us 5 stars!
The Catamaran Guru team did a phenomenal job this year and has received scores of wonderful testimonials and 5-star reviews. Our super star team really shined this year with their positive mind set and we pride ourselves on being the “Can-Do Company”, leading through customer service and community involvement. We thank all our fellow sailors for your support and trust and congratulations to all our new boat owners and industry partners who helped make this all possible. Read More Testimonials here>>
In March we were invited to the Bali dealer meeting in the charming seaside town of La Rochelle on the Atlantic side of France. This is where the Catana Group manufactures the Bali 4.4 and Bali 4.6. and we were treated to a factory tour and guided tours of both models.
Our sister company, Ocean Multihulls won an award, the first year in business as an independent dealer, for “best progress worldwide” with record sales in 2021. Woohoo! We also caught up with our French colleagues and friends. It was a good time!
Enough about us!
We have great admiration for our clients who take the plunge and go sailing. Some go for just a short sabbatical, others set off and sail around the world and yet more charter their boats in anticipation for when they will retire and go sailing. We stay in touch and follow their journeys because they all have a story and have some nugget to share about their personal experiences onboard. And we can all learn from each other.
Catamaran Guru has now become an extended family and this community keeps growing, including our manufacturers, vendors, sales team, our families, and you, our “fans”! We are incredibly thankful for your generosity.
The most exciting part of CG is seeing people from all walks of life come together and celebrate our love of sailing and boats. We love sharing the special and exciting stories of our team members and our wonderful CG fans; we hope you check it out while you browse our site and thank you for being part of this “special kind of magic”!
