Broker Spotlight: Fraser's Anastasia Legrand

Welcome to Yacht Charter Market, the weekly newsletter dedicated to the world of yacht charter.

In today’s newsletter:

• Top story: Broker spotlight: Fraser’s Anastasia Legrand

• Charter Updates: Camper & Nicholsons’ Guillemot for charter in the Caribbean | Summer 2027 in Greece onboard I Nova | The USVI’s during the holidays onboard Sleepover | Explore the Windward Islands onboard Orion | Heading West for the winter season is 67m Benetti Symmetry 

• Superyacht Spotlight: Behind the scenes during MYS with Axioma

TOP STORY

Broker spotlight: Fraser’s Anastasia Legrand

With 19 years in the yachting industry and 14 years at Fraser, Anastasia Legrand has built a career around understanding what charter clients really want – and finding a way to make it happen. From arranging yachts as a personal assistant to negotiating multimillion-euro charter contracts, her approach has remained remarkably straightforward: listen carefully, work hard and find solutions.

For the first edition of Yacht Charter Market’s Broker Spotlight series, we speak with Anastasia about her route into yachting, competition between brokers, matching clients with the right yachts and what nearly two decades in charter has taught her.

Can you give a brief overview of your career and how you got to where you are today?

I started in 2007 as a personal assistant to a gentleman who owned two Princess yachts and was also building a 40-metre yacht. I was working 19-hour days on average, as he had businesses in Europe and Brazil, so I eventually changed jobs and became a personal assistant to the general director of a large construction company.

I realised how much I missed working with yachts and jets, and the overall life experience you witness in this industry. From there, I went to work for a Princess dealer before eventually making the move to Fraser, where I’ve now been for 14 years.

What has kept you at Fraser all this time?

I’ve enjoyed every day at Fraser; my longevity is proof of that. I’m really proud to work for the company and very happy with my colleagues. Most of all, I feel very supported. Sometimes our job can get tough and you have to find solutions fast, no matter the situation. Being able to work quickly and efficiently is essential, and I have colleagues who support me in that.

Another element is how international the company is: we currently have about 25 different languages spoken in the team.

What have been some of the highs and lows in your career?

The pandemic was very tough, especially in 2020 when it all started. A lot of my clients couldn’t travel to the Mediterranean, while others could but didn’t want to. Work-wise, it was very challenging. Personally, it was maybe the most relaxing summer I’ve had in 20 years.

A highlight actually happened just the other day. I went to dinner with a friend who I hadn’t seen in over a month because I’d been travelling. Before I left, I was working on a multimillion-euro contract, which she asked me about. I realised it had been signed and we were already working on the cruising itinerary.

Sometimes you need other people to help you realise that, while now it might feel more normal to sign a multimillion-euro contract, there was a day when I could never have imagined being here.

What is the competition like between charter brokers?

It’s a very competitive industry, of course, but I believe our work is very individual. People trust you with their personal time. Sometimes they only have two weeks in the year for the family to come together onboard a yacht, so it’s up to me to match the client with the most perfect experience.

Yet I also believe there is a client for every broker and a broker for every client. You either match or you don’t, but it’s not a competition on a personal level; it’s business. There have been times when I’ve passed clients on to colleagues because they could better cater to them. I don’t really see my colleagues as competitors. It would be too sad living life on the battlefield.

Many of my broker friends outside Fraser I don’t view as competition either. If they sign a good contract, I’m happy for them, and if I need advice, I give them a call. It creates a much more enjoyable working environment.

How do you match a client with the right charter yacht?

I always start with the basics: when is the charter and what yachts are available during that timeframe? From there, you look at the number of guests, budget limitations and client expectations. Some clients are very keen on having a well-equipped gym, whereas others want more emphasis on lounge areas or an extensive beach club.

I’ll provide clients with a few options, including yachts that might be larger than their original request but a little older and within budget, or newer, slightly smaller yachts at a higher price point.

There are so many factors beyond dates, budget and size. You have the crew, toys and itinerary to consider. Is it a family trip or a holiday with friends? Some charter guests want to see no one for two weeks and just be alone, while others want a very involved crew.

Most of the yachts I work with are in the 50- to 60-metre range, so there is already less availability than among 24- to 40-metre yachts. I always try to listen to my clients’ expectations and find a match as close as possible.

While I work with a lot of clients who want a 60-metre-plus yacht, the similarities in their expectations often end there. Some simply want to have a good time onboard, while others are more family-focused or want a very specific feature, such as a large gym, personal trainer or onboard spa.

Sometimes what a client wants simply isn’t available. I’ll offer them similar alternatives or suggest modifying the destination to somewhere with more yachts that suit their requirements.

Are there any absolute deal breakers when recommending a yacht?

I see myself as a consultant, and the majority of my clients have been with me for a while, so they trust my opinion.

If I see the crew and the clients might not match personally or there is something onboard that I know my clients won’t like, I need to advise them on that, no matter how much they want the yacht. It’s not so much about deal breakers for me, but rather knowing the client and their wishes, as well as their dislikes.

The only real deal breaker is a yacht that needs work or has been having engine issues. That’s a no-go.

What happens when something goes wrong during a charter?

Touch wood, I’ve only had two technical breakdowns in my entire 19-year career. With one, the engine broke down, meaning I had to find a replacement yacht. It’s challenging when it happens mid-week. Sometimes engines break, even if they’ve been maintained properly, and it’s moments like that you have to handle quickly.

I was en route to Monaco after a visit to La Spezia and had to pull over at a petrol station, where I spent the next five hours on the phone calling to find alternatives. Luckily, we were able to move the client onto a different yacht that they ended up liking better.

How have charter clients’ expectations changed in recent years?

I’ve noticed, since the pandemic, a strong uptake in the desire for personalised experiences: personal shoppers, personal trainers, personal assistants and so on. Those who step onboard a yacht don’t have to compromise. You get exactly what you want.

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