Beyond 'super': unique yacht design with Burgess
Behind closed doors
Published 09 June 2025
In a world ever more public, at Burgess we pride ourselves on quiet discretion. Hear from Senior Sales Broker Tim Vickers about Burgess' discreet approach to yacht brokerage as he discusses how – and why – client privacy, trust, and quiet success come first.
Since we began in 1975, Burgess has focused on the sale of large yachts. This has required us to operate with the utmost privacy and discretion on behalf of our clients, whether buying or selling a yacht. It has led to wonderfully long relationships with some of the world’s biggest names, but you will never know who they are. Not from us, anyway.
If that sounds frustratingly opaque, we make no apology. Because, at Burgess, it is never about the noise of the deal, it is always about the privacy of the client. Since lockdown we have seen an increase in global wealth but also a want to escape, to experience and to enjoy life. And to do it privately.
Superyachts are about privacy and possibility. Seclusion and peace for friends and family, to travel wherever you want, safely and securely. We sell, charter and manage more large yachts than any other brokerage house, and we can do this as far below the radar as a client might want.
We have always been the big boat broker and it is often said that we don’t shout loud enough about our success. But people know we are successful, though it’s not because we told them. It’s because we are.
Discretion is something we pride ourselves on. We see ourselves as gentleman brokers, quietly and efficiently working for our clients. We have long appreciated that if you’re in the room, you do not talk about what’s happening in the room. Of course, if you’re outside the room you can speculate and you can shout, but you don’t know.
We are working with the wealthiest people in the world. People who naturally wish privacy. They know we have the ability to sit down with the right people, potential buyers, and market their yacht without drawing attention to the fact it is for sale or who owns it. This is a particular skill in brokerage as, compared to a new build yacht project which you can under wraps for years, a brokerage deal is usually very public.
Last year, we sold what was at the time the largest Feadship ever delivered. It was one of the biggest deals of the year, and no one knew it had happened. I know because I was the broker involved and that’s the first time I have said so publicly. Using our private channels we found the buyer, and this is exactly how the client wanted things to be conducted.
The trust we have built up is a big reason why we manage so many of our clients' yachts. And why those yachts under management will be sold by us in the future.
Three sales, five days
Sold: FOCUS
