Missy Johnston
A luxury yacht charter broker
Missy is passionate about creating outstanding charters and ensuring guests explore the unique experiences available in their chosen charter location. Whether that be an adventure through the culinary or wine highlights of the area or excursions to sites of historic interest.
“I believe a charter is not only the event of being on board … but also an opportunity to slow down and see and do the things that makes their charter location special.”
Growing up and developing a taste for yachting
Missy was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, a culturally rich university town where her father was a professor. Travel was encouraged, and Missy spent the summers of her college years visiting Europe – her degree in architectural history gave her a special interest in, and appreciation of the continent’s fascinating past.
She worked in the Financial Markets in San Franscisco and Boston before moving to Newport, Rhode Island where her yachting career began working as a chef on private charter and offshore racing yachts. Missy describes working as a chef on yachts as one the favourite times of her career, given her passion for creating menus to cater for a huge variety of tastes. And the bonus was meeting guests from around the world while being out on the water in lovely cruising locations. By 1988 Missy had hung up her apron and switched from cooking to booking – returning to shore to become a charter broker.
Dream locations
After so long in the industry and having travelled extensively she still has a special place in her heart for Greece and Turkey, with Santorini being one of her favourite islands in the world. “In Greece and Turkey the people are wonderfully welcoming, and it is easy to be absorbed into village life at a local Taverna … and not as just a visitor, but as a local so you really feel a part of the culture”. Further afield, the enchanting South Pacific is another favourite, particularly the beautiful island of Bora Bora where it is impossible not to feel relaxed and where coral gardens and unique marine life will leave visitors in awe.
Positive praise from happy clients
Missy’s clients appreciate her extensive knowledge of charter yachts and their crew and her experience planning the perfect itinerary. As well as her wealth of information about activities and excursions ashore, she also knows everything about supplying food, drink and amenities on board, plus the best local inexpensive or high-end restaurants - even in remote cruising destinations.
Feedback from her clients attests to the level of trust they have when working with Missy.
"We had an absolutely great time. The boat was perfect. Captain Rob and Chef Jackie were awesome. Rob was up for whatever we desired, which was mostly to find quiet beaches and breathtaking sunsets and we did! Jackie's meals were fantastic, lovely presentations and delicious food. Our expectations were more than exceeded and we all left with wonderful memories of an amazing experience sailing the BVI. "
“Missy is an expert on chartering in Greece and we had an amazing motor yacht cruise to 5 different islands. Her advice on everything from provisioning to working with the captain, was extremely helpful. On the business side, she was extremely professional, with the contracts and payments processing running very smoothly. On the pleasure side, we could not have enjoyed our week more. The boat was beautiful and the crew outstanding.”
“We recently took a family trip to Croatia. Thanks to Missy it went off without a hitch. She was able to put together an unbelievable itinerary. Without her, I highly doubt we would have had such a successful trip. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone who is looking for the trip of a lifetime.”
Personal passions
Away from her busy working life, Missy likes to slow down and make time for her love of culture, particularly architectural history. In contrast to the luxury found on board a yacht charter, her hobby is a simple one - simply walking around an area looking at buildings, diving into shops and antique stores and local churches keep her enthralled with the world.
Memberships
Missy has been a member of the American Yacht Charter Association since 1998 and is currently serving her second term as President. She is also a long-time member of the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association and has served on many other worldwide yacht charter industry committees.
She is committed to offering charters which offer quality, service, safety and value.
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