YACHTING FANTASIES

Seeing as yachting is a fantasy for most, how about Fantasy Yachting?  Anyone can play, all you need is to buy a virtual yacht and name it, of course.  Then enter the fantasy charter league.  Points are issued for the number of charters you sell and the income you receive against running costs.   These costs vary with the largest yachts costing the most to run but returning the highest yields in terms of charter costs.

High ranking crew with more ‘virtual’ certificates and longer experience will improve the chances of selling a charter but these ‘dream teams’ will inevitably demand to be paid more.  

More money spent on maintenance will yield fewer breakdowns and subsequently fewer lost days of charter.

Less spent on the boat will cost more owner trips and therefore fewer available charters and less income.

Too many miles travelled between charters will also cost the boat more and reduce the charter income.

Charter incomes will be reduced if the yacht spends more than the median average on provisions or food in it’s budget.  Or if the crew turnover is significant which is a function of the terms provided to each crew member.  So skimp on the crew and they don’t stay and that costs agents fees.

Undertaking too many charters could also cause crew burn out which results in poor references and lower tips.  

The charter guests come from the other owners who are given a certain amount of money to spend on charters which they have to do over the season.  People could also sign up and just become guests buying charters on their preferred yachts.  

With careful thought and good planning it is possible to actively market and manage your yacht and reach the top of the league in relative income.

At the end of the season each yacht’s numbers are published to see where they were successful and where they weren’t.

There are unlimited numbers of weighting factors that can be used to emulate the charter business. The captains, chefs and other crew could all receive rankings as they do better and better in the Fantasy Charter business.  The yacht’s themselves can develop a reputation which leads to more business which in turn makes choosing the ‘right’ charters important.

Anyhow, all I need now is a degree in software development and a lot more free time than I have at present but I am ready to partner up with someone if you are interested.  It is an idea that will virtually sell itself.