A boat charter is perhaps the most modern and dynamic “product” available. It promises easy access to a unique and memorable experience: a trip that goes above and beyond the norm, offering a different perspective. Here, it is no longer the sea that is the destination, but the beach
by Sacha Giannini
Today, sailing is an experience that is open to everyone, not just experts or the wealthy. Cruising catamarans are easier and more comfortable than traditional boats, making them an excellent option for beginners. The charter experience typically begins with an online booking, where you can search for the best choice to suit your preferences in terms of type, model, season, and location. Mapping apps, route simulators, 360° virtual tours, online checklists, and tick boxes become your first travel companions in the careful planning process, which suddenly finds itself catapulted onto the open seas amid horizons, bow thrusters, BBQ grills, bimini tops, and fantastical sunsets. The modern yachtsman is not the sailor of yesteryear who could endure the discomfort and deprivation of life on board a ‘bivouac’ boat; he has shifted from enjoying the sea to entertaining others, and over time, he has increasingly influenced production, purchasing, and style dynamics by transgressing rules and passions.
Meticulous attention to every detail, the possibility of choosing from 30-foot monohulls to catamarans over 70 feet, the possibility of chartering with a crew by opting for a skipper, hostess and chef of your choice, or even a luxury ‘First Class’ package with the top of the range of Lagoon’s flagship and entry-level boats, equipped to offer exclusive services including priority boarding and disembarkation without waiting, unlimited water toys and accessories, has enabled NSS Charter to become not only the leading charter company in north-western Sardinia, but also an important reference point in Italy and abroad with bases in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
Simone Morelli
Simone Morelli, CEO of NSS Charter, with a fleet of over 150 boats, offers sea holidays for all tastes on Lagoon sailing catamarans and monohulls of the most popular brands.
Catamarans are more appealing than other boats because they give the impression of living in a balanced space, which is so perfect and complete that the outside world seems inadequate and disorderly. When it becomes a charter vessel, it acquires a rare condition where the excesses and comforts fuel a daily routine of rituals that transform the boat from an immersive vehicle for discovering new places into a tool for enjoying all the ‘domesticities’ on board. This risks turning it into a ‘non-place’ of pure individual pleasure.
The company’s winning slogan is “Nobody Sails Smarter”, whose initials also make up the acronym NSS for North Sardinia Sail, embodying the spirit by which added value is produced at every stage. Thanks to expansionist objectives, both in Italy and abroad, NSS is a forward-looking example of product and process innovation, entirely made in Italy. Today, the person who chooses a sailing catamaran for a holiday is a tourist seeking space, stability, privacy, and “stars”- both of the night sky and those on board – amidst hotel-like services and exclusive pampering.
Capable of offering incredible emotions, but also of condensing emotional discomfort, the boat creates a social space for experimentation. This space is structured by the rules of living and daily actions, which can make one believe they are part of it. However, one can feel excluded because one is suspended in a surreal, escapist dimension. The charter phenomenon transforms the boat from a place of hierarchy and promiscuity into an intimate space of ‘cockpit’ and ‘roles’, where everyone will sooner or later have to interact with others or perform tasks for them. On board, egos are built up and destroyed with unpredictable consequences, which can turn into an uncontrollable spiral of nervousness where minor infringements, such as eating one too many crumbs of bread, can trigger agitation akin to the anxiety experienced during the first and last act of the cruise: the mooring manoeuvre, the scene of the most feared test — reversing and getting underway! In these floating shells of serenity and tension, time flows smoothly between sublime moments and the risk of an imminent psychological crisis.
Nautical chartering has increasingly become the answer to realising the desire for isolation and the desire to ‘escape’ in the middle of the sea, with all the benefits, both material and immaterial, of an experience that in the imagination is synonymous with relaxation, carefreeness, privacy, and freedom.
And this is where the decades of experience of NSS and the entire team come into the picture. They know the ‘nautical tourist’ and the various criticalities on board well, arranging everything to ensure that nothing happens or degenerates, with boats and check-ins standard-proof and welcoming, with skippers and crew for hire, with beds made and sheets ironed at every embarkation, with full of diesel, priority boarding and a welcome kit to be welcomed and pampered right from the start. The strategic centrality of our peninsula allows for incredible destinations, from Sardinia to Sicily, including Elba and Giglio, Ischia and Procida, Ponza, Ventotene, and the volcanic Aeolian Islands. The significant variable is perhaps the average price, the only factor that distinguishes the service and determines its market positioning and target audience, between luxury customers and early birds who are keen to book in advance and take advantage of discounted prices, pursuing a promotional strategy that can also counter last-minute offers from competitors.
The charterer realised that water makes one happy and increases good mood, promoting the production of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin to alter our perception of time, slowing it down and dilating it as if we were immersed in a big, fabulous, floating bubble for rent.
Best European Dealer Lagoon for four consecutive years and World’s Best Customer-Centric Initiative in 2024, NSS has managed to maintain a family management style, always working at the forefront to ensure a direct relationship with customers, yards, boats, employees, and anyone who comes into contact with them.
The ‘advanced booking’ strategy adopted by NSS Charter since 2005 has allowed for discounts and advantages for both customers and the company itself through the advance payment of part of the service offered. However, chartering is often under constant threat, facing “occasional” competition, abusive businesses, and amateurism, as Simone Morelli, CEO of NSS Charter, reminds us. With a fleet of over 150 boats, NSS Charter offers sea holidays for all tastes on Lagoon sailing catamarans and monohulls of the most popular brands. Not only is it the best European dealer for Cat boats from the Bénéteau Group, with over 50% of sales in Italy alone, but it is also a dealer for Bénéteau monohulls and an importer of Highfield RIBs. It owns the Cala dei Sardi marina in Sardinia, near Portisco, which it uses as a nautical base for the embarkation, mooring, transit and maintenance of its fleet.
The Mediterranean yacht charter market accounts for more than 30% of the world total and is mainly located in the Balearic Islands, Croatia, Greece and Italy.
From brokerage in the sale and purchase of used boats to purchasing management programmes, maintenance, and servicing, NSS has the experience and tools necessary to defend itself against the most aggressive competitors and, above all, to navigate the free market’s constant evolution of new seasonal trends to attract customers. These phenomena promise to satisfy the exact needs at similar prices and features, but in reality, they often offer stars and ratings that fall short of the advertised standard. The idea of owning and purchasing a boat is becoming less appealing to many customers, who are turning to chartering and the various purchase management programmes offered by NSS. These programmes provide a convenient way to enjoy nautical experiences, based on the principles of quality of service and “multiple ownership”. Rather than owning a boat and having to take care of it, maintain it and deal with unexpected expenses, people increasingly want to use a boat for just a weekend, a week or a month.
(Focus NSS Charter – Memorable Experiences – Barchemagazine.com – Excerpted from Barche, August 2025)
