010. Go Below Deck: Yacht Show Etiquette & Finding a Boat Daddy

Sep 5

Nothing says old money like yachts.

Whether you're a seasoned yacht enthusiast or just curious about the glamorous world of the ultra-wealthy, you'll want to tune in today.

In today's episode, you'll learn the framework you need for attending your first yacht show without making cringe-worthy rookie mistakes. From proper etiquette to networking to what not to wear, we've got you covered. So grab a glass of champagne, sit back, and sail away into this episode!

In today's episode, we cover the following:

Birdie and bogey of the week (2:37)

Upcoming yacht shows in the fall (14:36)

Quick tips on finding a yacht daddy (18:45)

The norms and unspoken rules of yacht shows (24:58)

The differences between a charter show vs. a regular yacht show (26:07)

How to tour boats while not taking up time from potential clients (30:01)

Planning your shoes and outfit (33:12)

Boat etiquette (36:10)

Where the real party is: nightlife and receptions (40:08)

Hot Stock Tip: Subscribe to the YouTube channel Motor Yacht Loon (43:15)

transcript

Amber F. (00:00)
Welcome to Old Money, a show dedicated to helping you build the trust fund you wish you were born with. Ladies who lunch, listen up. Life is not about looking rich. I want you to build a life and a legacy that feels rich in every sense of the word. If you're ready to stack cash, talk shop, and trade insider secrets, you're in the right place. These are the new rules to Old Money, so let's get out for it. Hello, Rich Girls and boys. It's your host, Amber Frankhuizen. And welcome back to the Old Money podcast. Thank you so much for being here. Things are just going so well with the pod, you all. I really am appreciating all of your support and it's been so fun for me to dive into a creative project. So thank you so much for all of your feedback, your DMs, your comments, your reviews. I'm seeing them all. At this point, I'm responding to them all. I'm not a huge celebrity who's so busy, but I'm just really focused on creating great content for you. And I'm really interested in what it is you want to hear. So I've been hearing a lot of things.

Amber F. (01:07)
I got a lot of good feedback on that Tracy Anderson drama style podcast with Bamaraj and Girl Math. So if you like that, you want me to spill the tea? I'm talking the expensive high tea at the plaza level tea. I can go all lady, whistle down and talk about what's going on with the rich people, what they care about. Or if you're liking the shorter episodes, amuse-bouche, the longer form episodes, mindset, tell me what you want to talk about. I will put some polls up in the Instagram on the day that this drops so that you guys can give your feedback because that's what I'm doing it for. I'm doing it for you all so we can grow together. And I'm also really excited because we've been focusing on really building a strong foundation of content here on Old Money as I've figured out my voice and what you all want. And now I'm reaching out and starting to spread my wings. And I'm going to start going on other podcasts soon. So I'm really excited about that. If there's any podcast that you think I should be on, I'm going to again, I'll put a poll box or a question box on Instagram stories

Amber F. (02:13)
You guys can let me know if you know anyone who you think has an audience that would benefit from some mindset, some old money vibes. You let me know. So really excited and thank you guys so much. Today's show is something I'm very excited about because it is a yacht show season, baby. And we are getting into it all the things you need to know about how to get in and what to do at a yacht show. But before we get into that, let's do my birdie and bogey. So my birdie for this last week is that I've been planning our next trip. And we're so lucky to be able to travel and honestly to coordinate a lot of our travel with work obligations, which has been so great because the stage I'm in, in my life right now, I'm not taking a summer off to vacation. I'm in hustle mode. I'm growing this business, and AF marketing and our clients there have my first priorities. I'm not taking long vacations, but it's great when we can mix business with pleasure and travel for work. So we have an upcoming trip to Miami that's going to be a work trip, but we're turning it into a vacation for that weekend that we're there.

Amber F. (03:20)
I love Miami so much, obsessed, I think. If I didn't live in San Diego, I'd love to live in Miami. And just the energy there, the art in the streets, the luxury, the hotels, the culture, music, people, everything. I'm obsessed. It's such a fun place to visit. And I don't know if this is a hobby, but I'll tell you one of my number one hobbies is hoteling. And I'm not sure that hoteling is actually a verb, like an action thing that I do. But the way that I am when I am in a luxury hotel is the best version of myself. I love a luxury hotel. I love working in a hotel during the day, getting a glass of wine at the bar, or even just a snack. I love being in a lobby. I love how they're scented. And Miami Beach just has such an incredible collection of luxury hotels. I mean, not just Miami Beach, but all of the areas like Bricol and coconut Grove and all these different places. But recently I just stayed at the Parker in Palm Springs, as I've told you all. And we just got back from Vegas where we always stayed at the enCore.

Amber F. (04:24)
And the Parker is one extreme of a total boutique experience. Encore, it's dialed, but it's definitely not boutique. I mean, Encore, the service, everything you know what to expect, but there's not a lot of frills or surprises there. But when you go into a place like Miami, you have all of these different options to consider locations, amenities, style. And so I'm trying to figure out where we're going to stay for this trip. Last time we were there, which was just in, I think, in March, we stayed at the W in South Beach. And for the price and the level of service, the level of amenities, the level of design and just energy in that hotel, it is such a good deal, honestly. We had a partial view hotel room, which was like a junior suite, and it has this beautiful pink and blues and beautiful view of the obvious turquoise ocean. Everything's just so dialed. So as much as I love the W, I don't want to stay there again. I'm looking at different hotels, and one of the favorite hotels for everybody, if you've ever been, is the One Hotel. Absolutely stunning. I mean, the interior of that lobby, these big, fluffy, cushy white couches that look like big Marshmallows with green leafy trees everywhere.

Amber F. (05:39)
It smells like absolute heaven. Upstairs, they have the sickest bar and restaurant with the pool on the roof that overlooks the ocean. It is such a moment. And then there's the Faena Hotel, which is really famous because it has that Damien Hirst sculpture in the back with the wooly mammoth-like skeleton, which is just so sick. And that is just like opulence. It's just red and red striped umbrellas and gold and decadence and really, really rich. But the rooms are also dialed. And then I was looking at the standard spa, but the rooms are a little bit more narrow, smaller, like a micro-room. We're also looking at, I think, the addition, which is a Marriott property. And just FYI, for anybody who has a Chase credit card right now, they are doing a 50 % bonus point offer when you transfer points to Marriott. So we might be staying at the addition. And the addition is a great property as well. So anyway, my birdie is just looking at hotels online and finding out where to stay. If you've been to Miami, if you love Miami, tell me what you like to do. I feel like I've done a lot of things there, and I always like to try new things, new restaurants, new places to go, new art exhibitions, huge for me.

Amber F. (06:53)
So if you have any Miami recs, please let me know. Take me on your journey. I want to see what you see about that amazing city. And then one of the things that I wanted to share about that is I saw this clip from Seth Godin, who is the goat of marketing. He has written so many marketing books. They're all very short form. He's prolific in the space, and he talks a lot about branding, marketing, et cetera. And he had the best quote. He was giving an interview, and the quote was about hotels and brands. And he said that if Nike were to make a hotel, we could probably guess what it would be like, right? But if was to make a shoe, what would that shoe be? And his point is that Nike has such a solid brand identity. They have a brand promise. We know what to expect from Nike. But Hyatt, it's totally interchangeable with Marriott, with Hilton. I mean, the rooms look the same, the hallways look the same, the lobbies are just indistinguishable. There's nothing special about them, and they don't have actual brands. I mean, they have brand identities, logo marks, fonts, and colors, but they don't have a strong brand promise, which is so true.

Amber F. (08:03)
They're interchangeable, you never really remember. When you save somewhere for travel, you probably just have your loyalty program at one of them, which is why you keep booking at the same types of hotels, right? And this is so interesting because there was also an article on The Pointes Guide this week that was showing that one of the most popular or most profitable brands was actually the Hampton by Hilton. They make the most revenue by room out of any hotel company, and that's at $10.2 billion in revenue for a year. And after that comes Hilton, then Marriott, then Holiday Ill. Oh, my God. Did I just say Holiday Ill? Yeah, I meant, Holiday Inn. But I guess that Freudian slip was not on accident. Anyway, my point is that what's so interesting is that all of this mid-level hotel, it's performing really, really well. It's what a lot of people pick and choose. So you have this distribution of people who've either picked super high luxury, very boutique brands, or these middle-of-the-road brands, and it's giving what's called a barbell effect to the industry. So the very low motel-level brands are not performing well. And then these mid-range brands the higher end like the Sheraton, the Westins, the Wyndhams, they've also been struggling.

Amber F. (09:20)
So there's this distribution of what people are looking for out there. I'm not staying at a Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott. I'm always going boutique because I want a really special memorable experience, something that I can lock in with new sights and sounds and experiences. So for me, when we talk about branding, I'm a brand strategist, right? That's what AF marketing does. So a lot of the times we're rebranding or developing new brands for businesses or hotels or apartment complexes. And when you're building a brand and you're leaning on design, you really have to use what we call heuristics, which are shortcuts. Those are design elements or fonts or styles or colors or reference points that humans have in their brand culturally to when they see a new brand they don't know yet, they can make some shortcut about what that brand might mean to them. So the most common example that I give is a lot of these tech companies, they have these San Serifs, which means they don't have any of the little hanger-ons on the letters, on the characters, right? Think about a Helvetica, a Montserrat. Think about the Uber logo. It's very clean, and that represents clean, tech efficiency, newness.

Amber F. (10:26)
Meanwhile, you have a Serif font. Think on your computer like Times New Roman, and it's more traditional. So maybe that's going to give you ideas about tradition or legacy or professionalism, like a law firm or a bank. And so these different types of shortcuts we have in our brain determine how we interpret new brains that we come in contact with. But after you have an established brand, strategy totally changes. You have a visual identity set. Now what you really need to focus on is interacting with your clients in a positive way to reinforce your brand promises. Just like Seth Godin says about Nike, Nike promises us high-quality sports stuff. So if they were going to make a hotel, I would imagine we'd probably have a basketball court in the lobby and you'd probably have sports drinks when you walk in. And it would probably be very tactile and active and have a lot of athleticism around it. That's what a Nike hotel would look like. But a Hyatt shoe? I have no idea because a Hyatt shoe versus a Hyatt hallway versus a Hyatt lobby, it's all the same to me. So anyway, just a fun little fact, a little extra branding tip, something you can impress your boss with week as we talk about luxury hotels.

Amber F. (11:31)
But before I waste any more of your time, really quick, bogey, is looking at some of the reports that are coming out about how everybody is affording all of these luxury hotels. And I'm very happy to say that I don't fall in this camp anymore, although I did. But credit card debt has passed one trillion dollars of consumer credit card debt in the country for the first time. And this is an aggregate of everyone in the US. And I think the only thing that's really... Well, not the only thing, but the thing that's really concerning is that total credit card debt increased by 45 billion in April, May, and June of this year. That's a rise of four %, and that's what took us over that one trillion mark. So when you read into the story, and I have the link for you to look at, it's from CNBC, it talks about the fact that we're not very high with delinquencies, which means that's good. But the reality is, is so many people still live dealing with credit card debt all of the time. It's so common and it's become so normalized that people don't think it's such a bad thing.

Amber F. (12:29)
And listen, it's not a bad thing like there's so much shame around it or you should feel bad about it, but it's definitely not the way to have a financially healthy life. And there can be other ways. I just gave a talk on this recently, and one of the things that I equate feeling in debt to is feeling sick. And when you have the flu and you're in bed and every muscle aches, you can't sleep because you can't breathe through your nose, you are just absolutely miserable. And you're laying there wide-awake in the middle of the night thinking, I am never going to take feeling healthy for granted again. The fact that I could breathe, I'm never going to take it for granted. And that's the only way that I can describe to you what it feels like for me being out of debt now after having been in it for my entire adult life. The opportunities are so much more plentiful. The way that I'm leveraging things like credit card points in order to fund vacations like this, the amount of travel that we're able to do has a lot to do with the way that I play with my credit cards, not the way that I stay in debt with them.

Amber F. (13:26)
Because if I was in debt, I wouldn't be getting any of these credit card bonuses. You're just tricking yourself, thinking that you're getting points if you're carrying a balance on your credit card. So you've got to tell me what you need next. As I talked about what type of stuff do we want to talk about, are the next episodes we're talking about getting out of debt, healing that? Are we talking about credit card hacks? You tell me. I will make it happen. We can go anywhere you want to go. But speaking of going places, we're getting into it because it's a yacht season, as I said. And if you've ever wanted to experience real life below deck without having to do all the work, this is the way to do it. I've been really lucky to work with a couple of really incredible yachting companies and been to many boat and yacht shows. I was raised around boats, so I've always had a bit of an interest in them and a lot of exposure to them. Now that I get to work in the marine industry, which is so much fun, and if you know, I have a background in real estate and real estate development, and I always just say that selling a yacht is like selling real estate that floats because it is.

Amber F. (14:28)
And being able to go to some of these events, which are some of the most incredible experiences, I highly recommend going to a yacht show if you can. And this post-summer, early fall season is when so much activity is happening. So just to give you the lay of the land in the next two, three months, September and October, there's a ton of events happening. One of them is the Cannes Yachting Festival in Cannes, France. That one is incredible. It's beautiful. It's in the port of Cannes. You're going to see the big dogs here. Absolutely some bigass yacht because they're all having their charter season in the Mediterranean right now. So if you've ever watched an episode of Below Dech, you know that these boats get rented out essentially by an owner to a management company who then charters them. Let's take, for example, BelowDek Australia, which has Captain Jason, excuse me. So it's really easy for them to pop over to Cannes and show the yacht whether it's going to be for sale or for charter. I'll talk about that in a second. Also coming up in September of this year is the Newport International Boat Show, which is in Newport, Rhode Island.

Amber. F. (15:31)
So very old money vibes. You're going to see a lot of sweaters over the shoulders, a lot of vineyard vines type of vibes. And this you're going to see a lot more sailing boats, East Coast boats. So think like Boston Whaler type boats, things that can manage the sea up there. So they have a very short season up there, but you're seeing smaller boats there. A lot of single-hole, not multi-hole boats for sail boats. So just think like classic what you see in the pictures of East Coast restaurants, stuff like that. After that, you have the Regachas Royale and Cannes again, and that's a sailing regotta. And a regotta is like a race where they have different heat set up for different size boats. So, for example, the 30-meter boats go against the 30-meter boats and the 20-meter boats race against other 20-meter boats. And here at this type of regotta, this one and at the St. Bart's Bucky regotta, you're seeing massive sailing yacht race like these are big dog sailing boats. So again, for cultural reference, if you've seen below deck sailing yacht on that's Percival Three, that's a Perini Navi boat. That's like 150-foot sailing yacht with big ass sails on it.

Amber F. (16:37)
And they go like, I don't know, 12, 15 knots. But they are huge sailing yachts, absolute luxury inside versus New Boat Show where you're seeing things that are like 30 feet versus 30 meters. A meter is about three feet, so just to give you some context. And then also speaking of sailing, let me pronounce this French word wrong, but it is L'Ivoire in Saint-Troppé, which is another prestigious sailing event where you're looking at sailboats, you're doing the sailing thing. It's a social idea, right? After that, you have Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is one of the biggest boat shows in the entire world. In fact, more yacht sales happen in South Florida. It's more than anywhere else in the world, which is so crazy. It is the hub of everything yacht. And this is actually a really big show because all of the crews come out. This is a huge training ground for when you want to go be a captain or a second deck or whatever they call it, stew. You do all of your training, usually in Fort Lauderdale area. And so during the boat show, there are so many parties for all of the crew.

Amber F. (17:40)
So what you see on below deck and how they go out and rage, that happens, but times 500 because there's 500 boats there. I have clients that will be showing boats there, so I will be very excited to be at that show. And then after that, back to Europe. You have the Monaco Yacht Show at the end of September. And again, just like Cannes, that's where you're going to see some real big dogs. The Port of Hercules is where they have the Monaco Yacht Show and the Monaco Yacht Club. And it is one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen before. I mean, you've probably seen it watching the F1 races where all of the yacht back into the dock and you can see all the cars. But just the energy, the level of wealth. I mean, it's such a pool for people all over the world. It's really, really incredible. Of course, there are so many other shows throughout the year, whether it's Dubai or Miami or whatever. And I think I mentioned this, but this is the St. Bart's Bucket Regotta, which is in March. And that's more... Some of these, if you get access to them through somebody that you know as you start to meet people, you can actually become a part of the regattas because there are a need for having people crew the boats.

Amber F. (18:45)
So if you are looking to build wealth in the way that's finding your boat daddy, a sugar daddy, or otherwise, I'm not typically your girl for that because I'm all about us ladies securing our own bag, am I right? But if I weren't an ethical queen, I would let you know that luxury hotel bars, private airport lounge, cigar rooms, and yacht shows are the place to meet your boat daddy. Okay, especially places like St. Paul Buckets or the Cannes Yachting Festival or the Regattas as Roy Allen can, because again, there's opportunities to basically walk on board and hot seat as crew. You obviously need to have some experience, so if it's available to you, taking some sailing lessons are always very crucial. But it's honestly a very friendly environment, I think more so in Saint-Barts than in Europe. But it's one of those interesting things, places like Saint-Barts and also like the Hamptons, so to speak. The only way that you can really go there is if you know someone, and that's a huge determining factor of access, right? So if you want to go to have a summer in the Hamptons, there is no big Four Seasons property where you can go and spend your time as a tourist.

Amber F. (19:57)
You are basically Airbnb-ing or you're staying with somebody who has a home there. And you're more likely to, in the high seasons, have to know somebody because everybody that has a home there wants to be there. So they're not renting out or VRBO-ing their home. And by the way, I'm never going to call VRBO Virbo because it's the worst rebrand of all time. I digress. So same thing with St. Barthol. It's more of a do you have a home there? Do you know somebody that stays there? And can you get there on a boat? So entry-level youting opportunities include programs like the Yacht Week where they travel all over. They have different mostly catamaran sailboats that have stations in Thailand, in Bahamas, in the British Virgin Islands, sometimes in the Mediterranean. And you can go to Croatia, for example, fly into Croatia, and then you get on a catamaran with a whole bunch of other people, and you can go sailing with them as a guest. And I believe there are some crew responsibilities that you have to participate in, but you can be a guest there. Typically, those don't happen coinciding with the bigger shows, but it's a great way to get involved in the community.

Amber F. (21:03)
And then, hey, you know somebody who also sails here and there. The last time I went out on a sailboat in San Diego Bay over here, I was on a catamaran and the people that hadn't invited us were sailing with a captain that they had met on Yacht Week in Croatia. And he lives in San Diego and he charters boats out here. So it's a very small community, actually. So again, if you're looking to find a Sugar Daddy, it's a good place to start. And also it's just interesting being around really wealthy people. Thanks to work, I've done that a lot. So again, I worked in luxury real estate. I work in the yachting industry. I've had the opportunity to go to a lot of professional services, industry events. I've done a lot of traveling. And even in our own network, Justin and I just know a lot of people who are generationally wealthy or whose families have their wealth managed by a family office. There are millionaires, hundred millionaires. I don't know if I have any billionaires in my phone. Probably not, to be quite honest with you. But at the end of the day, they're all just people, right?

Amber F. (22:04)
Everybody has their own stuff. And I think what's really interesting about this idea of going to a yacht show is that you're going to show up and trick somebody into the fact that you might be very wealthy. It doesn't happen. Because first of all, this whole idea of the esthetic, nobody that's generationally wealthy is wearing a big black bow in their hair with penny loafers every day like we're seeing on Pinterest. It just doesn't happen that way. In fact, most people that I know that are extremely wealthy, they're living a life of leisure where their days are filled with pursuing their hobbies like hiking or hunting or horseback riding. And they're wearing Patagonia and hunting boots or whatever it might be, I think maybe more so in Europe and on the East Coast, less so here in California. But there's this sporty, casual adventure look. And it's not like they're wearing their Sunday best to the at-show because it's all they have, right? It's casual. Think like Richard Branson. You see him on Necker Island in a wrinkled polo in some shorts, and he's just having a good time. And like I say, this whole idea that you're going to walk in somewhere and trick somebody into the fact that you're wealthy, it doesn't work that way.

Amber F. (23:15)
And for somebody who's worked on deck at Yacht Shows as a representative of a Yacht Builder, or someone who's toured a family or a couple or a person in a 3, 4, 5, 10, $15 million home that I've built with the builder or I'm selling for the builder, the thing is you can just tell who's wealthy and who can afford the product that you're selling and who can't. And it's hard to really capture, like lightning in a bottle of like, What does it mean? What are the wealthy people doing differently that us normal people aren't? And there's a few things that I've picked up on, and it's all super nuanced. And it's not the difference between having money and not. And it's just like somebody who's exposed to a lot of travel, who's well-bred, who is well-mannered versus somebody who's just normal. And there's nothing wrong with either of the things. One's not better than the other. But some of the things that I do notice when interacting with hyper-wealthy people is their presence. They're hyper-present and they're not scattered, they're not digging through their stuff. They don't look stressed. They're not focused on their phone.

Amber F. (24:24)
They're very calm, slow, deliberate. Often when they introduce themselves, it's first and last name. It's a little bit more formal. There's a lot of eye contact. When they walk into the room, they appraise it. They don't slink into the corner. They're polished. They're happy, smiling, again, relaxed. I think that's part of the whole looking healthy. If you are healthy, you are relaxed, you are tan, you're unhurried, you have, like I've said, bright white eyes and teeth. And the polish really does come into the presentation and also how you're dressed. Let's talk about this a little bit. If you are planning on going to a yacht show, there are a lot of rules and norms that are unspoken. And I think that's one of the things too. When you start to get into these circles of wealthy people, you're having conversations about things that are only really accessible or available to people, and they talk in shorthand. So, for example, if you're at a yacht show and somebody's like, Oh, yeah, I just saw this boat, Dan's Gold, down at the bucket last year. If you say down at the bucket and you don't know that I just talked about the same parts bucket, you'd be like, What the fuck is this guy talking about?

Amber F. (25:28)
But when you have context because it's been something you've been exposed to before or you've heard about it on the Old Money podcast, that context is really powerful and helpful. And it could be a multitude of different things that people are talking about, whether it's food, restaurants, chefs, travel, resorts, experiences, anything like that. And it's hard to prepare for that unless you've had exposure. So a couple of things so that you don't put your foot in your mouth when you're at a yacht show is talking about how to navigate it appropriately so that you don't feel totally out of place and you have at least a framework. True wealth is not about owning things, it's about owning your time. And what if I told you you could save one day every week? Because I do. Today's show is sponsored by ClickUp, the app that runs my whole company and this podcast. It's an online productivity and project management tool that's so easy to use. We use it in AF marketing to plan projects, schedule tasks, and manage resources. We collaborate internally on projects. We also loop in outside vendors or contractors, anyone who helps keep project management super streamlined.

Amber F. (26:36)
And this is a hot tip. I have a full Wikipedia of standard operating procedures for every single client for AF marketing for this podcast. All set up in ClickUp, and it makes our lives so much easier by staying organized, delegating tasks, and keeping notes straight. Clickup is built for teams of all sizes and industries and can be used at work or in your personal life to help you get more done in less time. It replaces all of your unorganized work apps and brings your tasks, docs, goals, chats, and more into a single shared workspace. We are obsessed if you can't tell, and if you are ready to upgrade your life and business, ClickUp is the tool you need. To support the show, please use the link in the episode notes or on our website to go through their special offers, and it's going to take you right to a to-do list template so you can play around with ClickUp. All you need to do is set up a free workspace, just confirm your email, try it out, make one task and see how it feels to be on the road to organization. There are a ton of free templates for your personal life, your side hustle, or your business.

Amber F. (27:31)
Or if you're employed by someone who doesn't use ClickUp, take ownership of your own career and use it to get yourself ahead and get that raise baby. And here's the best part, ClickUp is free forever. So just use that link in the podcast notes or on our website to set up a free account, verify your email, create one task, and if companies like Uber, Google, and AF marketing are using it, you'll be in good company. If you do move forward and upgrade to a paid plan, use the code, Old Money to get 20 % off unlimited and business plans for the first year. That's code, Old Money at checkout. All one word, Old Money to save 20 %. Save one day every week and get more done with ClickUp. Here's my framework for attending a yacht show, all the best etiquette tips. So first and foremost, when you're at a yacht show, you're going to go either to a charter show or to a for-sale show, so to speak. Essentially, a charter show is when all these different boats that are available for charter come to show off their specific design and crew to attract people to want to charter with them for a week or a month or whatever they might do.

Amber F. (28:40)
So typically when you own a yacht, so let's think like, I don't know, no, Jeff Bezos is a bad example because he doesn't have to charter a yacht. Let's talk about Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith has $200 million in the bank, which is great, but he also wants to buy a $15 million yacht. And him and his family only use it about two months of a year. So the other ten months of the year, the boat still needs to be maintained. It still needs a crew on it. So instead of paying just to maintain the boat every single year, which just to give you an idea, maintenance costs on a yacht are between 10 and 15 % of the purchase price annually. So if you buy a $15 million yacht, you're spending what is that? $1.5 million a year to maintain it? Don't quote me on that. I don't know the math. However, you could be chartering your yacht for $150, $250,000 a week. So instead of just having your boat sit around and do nothing, it could actually be a revenue-producing asset for you. And sure, there might be higher wear and tear on the boat, but chartering the boat out, especially if you have a management company to do it, a full crew that's always with the boat, they know the ins and outs of the boat, they are really well equipped to keep that yacht in business all year round, and then you get to come and use it on the weeks that you reserve.

Amber F. (29:55)
So it's like the best timeshare deal of all time, right? You own the yacht and you use it when you want to use it. And then when you're not using it, it's basically like Airbnb-ing it. And so the charter show is for people and management companies. So there is a company that makes sure that your boat's crude that manages handling the people that want to charter from you so you never have to deal with them. They can have these charter shows for those management companies to come and sell their wares. You invite potential charter clients to come check out the new boats for charter, all those kinds of things. So it's a good marketing opportunity for charter boats. And then, of course, there can be just a regular or a boat show where those yachts and boats are for sale. And that is a whole different experience because the level of clientele is even higher. Because if you are a 200-millionaire like Mr. Smith and you can afford a $15 million boat, that's one type of buyer, right? But if you are a 10, 15, 20 millionaire, I don't know why I'm saying it that way, but let's say you have 10, 15, 20 in the bank, you might be able to afford a charter, but not be able to afford to finance an entire yacht.

Amber F. (31:00)
Do you see what I'm saying here? So charter shows or boats where there's a more heavy emphasis on charter yachts, those to me actually feel a little bit more comfortable to attend because they're not so highbrow. There's definitely more people that are, quote-unquote, more like me, as opposed to these ultra-wealthy people. And these ultra-wealthy people that are shopping for their boats, by the way, they're walking around with their brokers. It's just like real estate. It feels a little bit more formalized. But usually at the shows, you have a blend of them both. So anyway, when you're going to any yacht show, you have to think about who's going because there's a lot of lookie-loos, right? We've talked about people that are looking to charter, looking to buy. There's a ton of industry people there. All the crew is there, and then there's going to be you. You might not be in the market to charter, and you might not be in the market to buy. You might just be a fan of boats. And that's an okay place to be as well, especially if you're well educated and truly a fan of the craftsmanship and the lifestyle, and it's something you aspire to.

Amber F. (32:00)
If you have that knowledge and respect that extends beyond binge watching every season of Below Dech, you can actually connect with a lot of the people that are at these shows. And what I have found is that the best time to go to the shows and really have the best experience is day one in the morning. Because usually these shows run Wednesday through Sunday. Think about it, most people who are the lucky lose, they're going to make it a weekend activity, come on Saturday. It's super crowded and it's harder to get onto the big boats, the really desirable ones. Typically, and especially on the weekends, these larger yachts, you're going to need to register your name and information in order to get on the boat to get a tour and see the boat at all. I think I've mentioned this before, but having been in sales for so many years of my life, you want, as a salesperson, to focus on people who are really qualified to buy. If you are not qualified to buy, I'm literally working a 12-hour day on my feet trying to be charming, and you want me to waste my energy on touring you around my boatout?

Amber F. (32:59)
I don't think so, babe. So you need to be, if you're not in the market, really straightforward about what you need from these sales people and let them off the hook, but also not be in the way of them actually being able to make a sale. So the first day in the morning and you have less traffic there, there's less people, less brokers, and it's more likely for you to be able to get on some of the bigger boats. In fact, that was my strategy at the Large Yacht Broker Association show I went to in Barcelona a few years ago, where I went on to my dream boat, a boat I never thought in one million years I would ever get to go on to. It was the Maltese Falcon. The Maltese Falcon is one of the most famous and most exclusive yachts. It's actually available for Charter. It's built by Perini Navi. It's the same company that built Percival Three, if you watch Below Deck Sailing Yacht. And it's a fully rigged trimast or three-masted sailing yacht. It's huge. It's almost 300 feet long, and it's like a work of art. It's giving steam punk vibes on the inside, but it's something that I never thought...

Amber F. (34:03)
I mean, people take pictures of this boat from all over the world, and it's such an excitement to be able to see it. So to be able to go on it was like a life moment for me. And I did that the very first boat, the very first day on a Wednesday, woke up super early, was first on the dock right there. And I walked up to the stern of the boat and I waved to the crew and I said, Hey, I know it's early, but would you mind if I piqued around for a few minutes? And that's rule number one of attending a yacht show, you do not have permission to come aboard unless you are granted access. So it is customary, even if you're with somebody or somebody's right there to ask them, do I have permission to come aboard? And you're waiting for a response. You, again, as a non-buyer, a non-charter client, you do not have priority. So pick and choose what yachts you're going to try to go on to. And if somebody says no or come back, it's okay to put your name down and ask for a time to return, but absolutely make sure you ask permission.

Amber F. (34:59)
Again, you've got to understand where you're at in the hierarchy on these things. And it's not to say that you don't deserve to go on these boats, but keep in mind these sales people that are working so hard, make sure that you give them the opportunity to talk to the real clients, right? So after you have permission to come aboard, we need to talk about the shoes. No shoes are allowed on a boat. Just period, bar none, full stop. So when you're planning your outfit, you need to make sure that you have shoes that slip on and slip off really easily. But you also need to make sure that you're careful because you're going to be walking on a dock a lot of the time. So that means no heels. And you want to make sure that you have shoes that are thick, sold because sometimes the docs, at some of the larger ports like Monaco, Cannes, in Barcelona even, you're going to have these concrete docs. But a lot of the times you need to walk onto wooden docks and they can have nails sticking up. You want to be really safe, so make sure you have thick, sold shoes, no heels, something that's comfortable to walk in, and something that is distinguishable.

Amber F. (35:57)
So don't wear your nicest shoes ever because you are going to have to leave them out of sight, off the boat while you tour, and make sure that they're distinguishable, meaning that somebody is not accidentally going to mistake your shoes for someone else's. I have seen that happen before. And speaking of outfit, this is really, really important as well. I think my number one thing to say is don't wear a skirt, a long skirt or a short skirt, because A, a long skirt can be a trip hazard. And a short skirt, you're going to get upskirted all day long because you're going up and down ladders on these boats and people can look right up your dress or skirt. And a long skirt, if you're transferring from boats, you might have to make a big step. It can be restrictive. It could get tangled. It can get caught. It's just a safety thing. So pants or shorts are what I recommend. And also you want to keep in mind that you don't want to carry too much. So you're going between these narrow passageways. You might be going from a tender to a large yacht, or maybe there is like a water taxi.

Amber F. (36:55)
That always happens at the Miami Yacht shows. They have water taxis that take you back and forth between the different marinas, and you're going to need to get in on and off the boat. So wearing pants and comfortable shoes are key, but not carrying a huge ass bag is really important too. There's a lot of breakable items on the boats. There's a lot of art. So you want to have something that's close to your body. I recommend a cross body bag, which is probably the best go to. I like light colors. I just think about the photo op opportunities. You don't want to clash. So something on theme is good, like YTS. I usually go for a monochromatic Yolanda moment with a white linen top and white ankle jeans with a nice belt and a nice bag. It's usually my go to. But you also don't want to dress like a costume. Please don't wear things with like, sailor buttons. Please don't wear a captain's hat. Actually, hot tip, do not wear a blue blazer because you'll look like a yacht broker. I swear to God, every single yacht broker that's going to be there is going to be wearing a blue blazer and sometimes like salmon-colored pants.

Amber F. (37:57)
So I definitely recommend staying away from the blue blazer, but going for something that feels stylish and comfortable, it can often get really hot, so make sure you have sunglasses, sunscreen, all that good stuff. So again, as we talked about with registration, a lot of the times you do need to put your names down to see some of the bigger boats, and sometimes there can be gatekeepers, especially at some of the larger boat manufacturers. And when they are new boats, there are a lot of on-the-boat rules. So first and foremost, you often need to be toured by a broker. Don't think that you get to go flounder around and explore on your own. Definitely don't be sitting on the couches. Do not use the toilets for God's sakes. Don't lay on the beds. Don't sneak around. They have cameras everywhere in the boat. So really make sure that you are accompanied by somebody if you need to be. And if you are just touring again, please disclose that you're not in the market. You're just a fan of the craft. Again, this is not like I hate when I hear these manifestation quote-unquote, gurues online saying like, If you want to live your best life and step into the energy of the wealth of you, go test drive the car.

Amber F. (39:00)
No, you cannot waste a salesperson's time. I think I'm so sensitive because I was in sales for so long, but just don't do that. Just close it. Hey, I'm a big fan of your brand. I've been studying you guys on social media. I would love to just take a quick peek around. The other thing is that they often do not allow you to take photos or videos on the boat. You need to ask permission. So if they say something or they have a sign-up, please respect the sign. And the reason for that is a couple of reasons. Number one, trade secrets, because a lot of these new boats are gatekeeping who can come in to see them because they don't want to have their competitors see all of their new things and copy them, things like that. So make sure you're asking permission if you're going to take a photo. And the other big thing is there's going to be brokers on board, but they're also going to be crew on board. And you must respect the crew. So again, that means not boarding unless you're invited, which is normally by the crew, they'll be there to help.

Amber F. (39:58)
But also you need to make sure that you, this is my biggest pet peeve. Please be careful about what you touch. Do not touch all of the chrome. This debt crew, their whole job is to polish the fucking chrome all day long. And then you see somebody's grubby little hands grabbing it all and pawn away all over the boat. And it's just so painful to watch these guys work so hard, guys and girls. So just be mindful. Obviously, use hand railings when you need to for safety or balance. But just remember, you're stepping into somebody else's home. This crew lives aboard this boat. And that means also you are not invited to go below deck at all unless invited, unless you're really touring the boat. So again, a charter boat is likely going to have a crew living aboard. A for-sale boat or a brand new boat probably won't. So if you're on a for-sale boat, they'll probably have the crew area open. But a charter boat? Absolutely not. That is so rude to go into somebody's personal space. The last note that I'll say, Absolutely no pets. I don't care if you have your service animal.

Amber F. (40:58)
I think it is incredibly irresponsible to bring a pet. These shows are very busy, very hot, and also it's very hard to navigate getting up and around on the boat. So especially like in some of the smaller boats, more narrow boats, you could be going up and down ladders. Who's holding your dog? Who's transporting that dog up and down the stairs all day? By the way, if you have a ladder or it's like a steep staircase, treat it like a ladder. Go backwards down it, it's way easier. And then the last note to go hand in hand with pets is kids. It's really busy at these shows. It's not a great place for kids. It can be really unsafe. If they're very young, they should be in a life jacket. It can be really busy. No strollers. This is not Disneyland. Consider getting a babysitter. That's a little bit about touring at a show. But the other thing that you'll see at these yacht shows are a lot of different lounge areas where prospective buyers or brokers can hang out. Those are also really nice to get to know the brands that usually have some nice videos playing, some brochures available for you to look at.

Amber F. (41:57)
But as a marketer, I would say if you're going to take a brochure so that it can live in the back of your car and then end up in the trash, please save a marketer's budget and just don't take one home. Just to round out that conversation, we've talked a lot about the business side and what to expect during the day, but the good stuff, it actually happens at night. I'm talking about the parties. So first and foremost, if you go to any of these events, usually in the area, you'll find other events that are coordinated with the yacht show because there's a lot of industry events that happen. Like I said, crew parties, things like that. But what I'm really focused on are the receptions. What I would recommend that you do is get on the email list early to register for more information from some of your most favorite yacht brands ahead of time. Like I said, Flibs, you're going to see a lot of Yottis. Flibs is Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. But if you go to something like, I don't know, the Miami Yacht Show, there might be some Art Basel Miami Yacht Show crossover with a brand.

Amber F. (42:53)
Or if you go to this party, you can go to that party and there's a reception. Because there's one thing about seeing a yacht in the Marina parked right next to another yacht and there's another experience of getting on that boat, drinking the champagne, sitting on the couches, having the conversations. It's a totally different experience. And that's what the lifestyle is really about, is connecting with other people over a love of yaching in the sea. Just a couple of hot tips. The number one thing is do not get wasted on a boat. I do not know how below deck... They're starting to get into trouble now with all the essay allegations, but do not get wasted because it's so unsafe. You can literally fall off over, on board. I don't know. Just don't do it. Don't embarrass yourself. Do not drink too much on a boat. It's the worst look of all. Also, if you are trying to get into a party, please know that a lot of them can be invite-only. But there are, again, a lot of public events that are available, and you should go. I know it can be intimidating to network, but again, if you've done some research or you get curious, like ask questions.

Amber F. (43:55)
I find that curiosity is the number one way that I get through networking events. I just become wildly curious about what everybody else does. And also for the ladies out there, I have to say it, but there is a dark side of yacht. It's like the Jeffrey Epstein of yoting, right? It's like, why do people call Megan Markle a yacht girl? What does that mean? It basically means that there's a lot of women out there that are hired to go on cruises just for the purposes of being there for either eye candy or sex candy. For yacht owners, rich businessmen, anybody who has the opportunity to go there and there's such an allure of like, I want to go on a yacht, that girls are doing anything to get there. It's so funny. We were just in Vegas. I told you guys this, but we were walking around the encore on Saturday night, and Justin was doing really good at three-card poker, by the way. Bravo to him. But there was this one table and it was full of these beautiful girls. They looked bored out of their fucking minds. And they were all sitting around one fat cat, as I like to call him, fat cat in Chicago.

Amber F. (44:56)
This one guy playing like Black Jack, watching him like he was the most interesting person in the world. No, they looked so fucking bored. And it's so obvious. There was seven girls around him. They are not choosing to be there. They are there for some benefit to them, whether that's access to the club or access to the hotel or whatever else that might be. Don't be that girl. Call me for career advice. We'll get you hooked up with a new job. Okay? The last thing for the day, before I let you go, the hot stock tip. Now, I don't know if anyone else like me is in a content drought. Maybe it's just because it's summer. But I have watched every episode of Real Housewives of New York. I've even been watching Orange County against my will and protest. Below deck, I'm all caught up on... So if you're in need of a new yachting show, I have a huge, amazing recommendation for you. It's on YouTube and it's called Motor Yacht Loon. And this is just real life below deck with gorgeous people. And I am here to tell you that yacht crews are that hot, you guys.

Amber F. (45:55)
They are that hot. The captain at the last boat that I was on, oh, my God, he was way sexier than Captain Jason from... Not real Houseways of Australia, from below deck down under. This man was an Adonis. And they are that good looking because they are just healthy and happy and living their best lives. Anyway, Motor Yacht Loon is a yacht. It's a 55-meter yacht, so I think that's 120 feet. It's a triple decker. It is so gorgeous. It's owned by the owner of the Minnesota Wilde, the hockey team. And it can have up to 12 guests. I think there's 12 or 13 crew on board, and she's just ultimate luxury. But it's just below deck without all of the nonsense. They don't really focus on any sexual drama or the drama with the guests or the crew, but they mess up on real stuff, like missing a line or having a boat problem. It's super entertaining. You actually see them going to shop in Marseille for actual provisioning and going to get truffles. It's incredible. Incredible. It is honestly like Boehringer, but just not produced. I mean, it's very well-produced stuff, but it's also such a genius marketing strategy for the boat because Motor Yacht Loon is a charter vessel.

Amber F. (47:13)
So they have these new charters come on all the time. There's a new video that just went up that's like what it looks like for a $1.1 million charter. And they go from, I think, Marseye to Saint-Troppé to Cannes, to Antibes to Monaco. And they show you the whole thing. And it's just so beautiful to watch and so lovely and calming. It's like the equivalent of watching golf for me. It just puts me at ease. And it's a great marketing strategy because it's a great way for Motor Yacht Loon, again, the Loon with the Minnesota Wildes, does it all come together for you now? It's a great way for him to market his boat so people want to go and charter it and see how amazing the crew is because the crew becomes these semi-celebrities. If I went on a yacht, I would want Aishagoing to be my chief stew, 100 %. And this crew is lovely. They're talented. I love this whole YouTube thing. So your hot stock tip is if you need something new to watch, turn to YouTube. There is great content on there. And I'll also tell you, for my Below Deck sailing Yacht girlies, Colin from that show, he has his own Below Dech, no, not Below Dech, but his own YouTube channel for his own sailing yacht or sailing boat, rather.

Amber F. (48:25)
I don't like it. I'm not a fan. So that's your hot tip, Motor Yacht Loon on YouTube. Check it out. Let me know what you think. Let me know if you're going to any yacht shows this fall. I'd love to see you at them if I'm going to be there too. I'd love to coordinate with you and see you tour some big yards, have some fun. I love this. Cheers, Bon voyage. Thank you for spending time with me today, and I will chat with you on the next episode. Ta-ta. Feeling rich? I hope so. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Old Money. If you have questions you want answered, email me at oldmoneypodcast@gmail. Com or hit us up on social. We are at Old Money Podcast and I am at your service. If this episode spoke to you, inspired you, helped you, if you took a single note, it would mean the world to me. If you could please just take a minute to write and review the podcast. And if you're not doing so already, subscribe. And if you have friends who like getting rich, please share this episode with them, even if it's just on your Instagram story.

Amber F. (49:22)
I'd love you more than Jeff Bezos loves Amazon Prime. Thank you so much and I will talk to you on the next episode. Remember, I'm not your lawyer, I'm not your tax professional, and I'm not your financial advisor. The content presented in this podcast is intended to entertain, educate, inspire, and support listeners and their personal and professional development and does not constitute business, financial, or legal advice. In addition to that, this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.

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The content presented in this podcast is intended to entertain, educate, inspire and support listeners in their personal and professional development and does not constitute business, financial, or legal advice. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services for which individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services related to the episode.

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