The Great Migration

The Italian Yacht Group prepares for summer by sending its team members to the hottest yachting destinations of the season.

As Memorial Day Weekend kicks off the unofficial start of summer, the Italian Yacht Group is more than ready for one of its favorite times of year. The warm summer months will see a diaspora among the group, as IYG’s professionals leave the South Florida headquarters and migrate to more seasonal locales like The Hamptons and Italy.

George and Boomer Jousma will be moving up to their familiar digs in Sag Harbor to immerse themselves in what is effectively the yachting capital of the Northeast. There they will work in close confines with some of their most loyal clients, keeping an eye on trends and new business. The larger-boat market is important in Sag as owners use it as a port of call in New England cruising itineraries. But the ultra-hot dayboat market is still all the rage in the Hamptons. Denizens of the ritzy village use boats likes Vanquishes and Rivas to ferry themselves to hotspot waterside eateries such as Duryea’s and Navy Beach, all while skipping the notorious Hamptons traffic. The Jousmas will be in the middle of all of it as they man IYG’s dockside office near Sag Harbor Cove Yacht Club.

Patrick Hopkins will be just a short trip due east from Boomer as he sets up shop in Montauk. Montauk is an important boating location in this region because with access to open ocean it is a popular spot with transient yachts plying the waters of New England or traveling up and down the East Coast. Between the two locations IYG will have a very impressive footprint on Long Island in the upcoming months.

Vittoria Santarone will also be uprooting from Florida this summer. She is headed home to Lake Como, Italy. From that glamorous perch she can keep an eye on the summer season in the Med, and more easily make visits to Italian shipyards to check out in-progress builds, and further cement IYG’s deep ties to the industry there.

Having a European outpost in the summer months is key to IYG’s business strategy as we seek to entrench ourselves globally. Even though we are a boutique firm offering high-touch client care, our contacts and influence span the planet.

Finally, to round things out, IYG’s ace-in-the-hole yacht broker, Conrad Vanderlely, and Patrick Hopkin’s broker/partner, Morgan Sandoval, will both be holding down the fort at IYG’s home base in Fort Lauderdale this summer. 

Being on deck where you need us to be is part of the IYG difference, and it’s also one reason why our clients love doing business with us. We hope you have some exciting things planned for this Memorial Day weekend, and we look forward to greeting you at your favorite cruising destinations this summer.