SailTime is a fractional sailing (lease-share) program that allows members to lease a 1/8 fraction of a sailboat from 33 to 51 feet, in Newport Beach, CA. Fractional sailing provides a unique opportunity to lease a sailing yacht of your choice, through a professionally managed partnering program—without the commitments and financial obligations normally associated with yacht ownership.
In SailTime’s fractional sailing program, a maximum of eight individuals share the time aboard a fully equipped sailboat in Newport Beach, for a fixed monthly fee. There are no per usage charges and you do not pay extra for insurance, maintenance, or slip fees. Even fuel is included in the monthly membership cost, unless you go on a multi-day trip. Members select one specific yacht–ranging in size from 33 to 51 feet–to use as their own, and are guaranteed a minimum of seven sail times per month (half day blocks which are equivalent to 3.5 days per month). Scheduling time on the yacht is made simple using a real-time, on-line calendar, allowing you to make reservations up to a year in advance.
Fractional sailing is most similar to leasing a fractional plane. SailTime takes care of the maintenance while the members enjoy a newer, well maintained, fully loaded sailing yacht.
An important consideration is that fractional sailing is not “timeshare” for boats. While sharing a nice asset is similar, three key differentiators are: (1.) SailTime does not require a major upfront equity investment, (2.) members do not have to pay per usage fees or assessments, and (3.) members do not have to worry about selling their share when they wish to exit the program. At the end of the lease, SailTime members can just walk away or renew; it is their choice.
Fractional sailing is not chartering either. Consider the difference between renting a car from Hertz or leasing a car from BMW. In a lease, you treat your car—or your boat—with more respect, because you view it as your own.
The major difference between fractional sailing and a traditional partnership is the management factor. In a traditional partnership, if one partner decides to leave, the other partners are left with the financial burden, as well as the inconvenience of finding a new partner. With SailTime as the management company, it is our responsibility to find a suitable member replacement, while also ensuring that fewer members will not cause the remaining membership rates to increase.
What do I get for my monthly membership fee?
What specifically is a “sail time?”
There are two sail time blocks in each 24 hour period. The first block is 10:30am to 6:00pm (referred to as the “day block”) and the second is from 6:00pm to 10:30am (referred to as the “evening block”). Members each receive seven of these blocks per month in the following allotment:
1 weekend day block
1 weekend evening block
3 weekday day blocks
2 weekday evening blocks
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Total = 3.5 days per month
What happens if I want to take a trip longer than 3.5 days in a given month?
No problem! You can pull unused blocks from the previous month or borrow from the following month.
How long can I sail in a given month?
The maximum is 7 full days in a given month.
What happens if I don’t use some of my blocks in a given month?
They roll over to the next month.
What is this about free additional sailing when I book the boat within 36 hours?
Anytime a member reserves the boat within 36 hours of the sail time, it does not count again his/her allotment of seven sail times per month.