When Giovanni Alessi Anghini noticed the lack of easy methods to charter a boat, he decided to take the problem into his own hands
Tatler Asia
Above Giovanni Alessi Anghini (Photo: Courtesy of Nowboat)

Chartering a boat is great. Not so great? The painstaking research needed to find a reliable charter. That’s where Giovanni Alessi Anghini got the idea for Nowboat.

A fourth generation Alessi, from the famed Italian design family, Anghini says, “I used the same approach in designing products and applied it to designing business models. I love sailing and boats and kite surfing, and the dream behind Nowboat was to deliver added value to all stakeholders involved: the travelers, boat owners and NGOs.”

Tatler Asia
Above Luxury 90' sailing yacht charter in Phuket, Thailand (Photo: Courtesy of Nowboat)

As a Hong Kong resident, Anghini’s many unforgettable trips around Southeast Asia are something he wanted to make accessible to everyone in the world. But when trying to charter boats himself, he noticed a few issues within the industry.

The smaller charters “don’t have a reasonable website, or even a basic web presence,” Anghini says. “So we started helping these small to medium enterprises get tech solutions and software, and made this available to the big guys too, because most of them are not digitally savvy.”

See also: This Is Asia's Largest Yacht—And It Comes With A Helipad

Next Anghini trimmed costs for charters and travelers by eliminating intermediaries who make a profit off both.

“Between 20 to 25 percent of the cost of a charter is lost to intermediaries,” says Anghini. This spending could easily go toward the cost of a flight to the destination. “Now, you save that money, and can talk directly to the owner of the boat you are renting.”

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Above Gourmet yacht charter in Male, Maldives (Photo: Courtesy of Nowboat)

Founded three years ago, Nowboat is becoming the go-to charter service for royal families such as King Salman who was looking to organise a workshop off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Nowboat expertly delivered a full concierge service to meet all of the guests’ requests. “If you are involving private jets, specific chefs or food requests, Nowboat can service all of these needs,” Anghini says.

But Nowboat is not trying to be “Airbnb for boats." “We require a business registration number, insurance information, so that we know we are sending our customers to reliable suppliers,” Anghini says.

All operators on Nowboat are seasoned professionals and each is hand-picked by Anghini’s team based on compliance with terms such as eco-friendliness, safety, quality of services and ethical treatment of workers.

See also: Sail Away: Inside The 32m Yacht Designed By Kelly Lo

Anghini believes an inclusive business model is the way of the future. “Part of my generation is to build up business models that protect the environment. We must leave for our kids a planet that they can enjoy, and we can enjoy as well.”  

Tatler Asia
Above Internal view of a catamaran charter in Sicily, Italy (Photo: Courtesy of Nowboat)

In the Nowboat model, ocean conservation NGOs are thoughtfully included through donations from the booking downpayment. Before finalising the trip, an exclusive link enables the traveler to make a donation to an NGO of their choice from the 60 NGOs that Nowboat supports. Then 3.5% of the booking goes directly to the NGO.

So go ahead and plan that new years party on the superyacht you’ve always wanted to charter, and rest assured all your needs will be taken care of, plus you’ll be benefiting seafarers and ocean conservation NGOs.

Find out more at nowboat.com

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