12. Inside the Market - Yacht Sales Insights & Trends for January 2026 - Berthon International Yacht Brokerage

Our first Inside the Market episode of 2026 sees Sue joined by Tim Carbury, newly appointed Head of Sales at Berthon Spain, for a wide ranging and timely discussion on yacht sales, buyer behaviour and the realities of trading at the start of a challenging but active year.

Tim joined Berthon on 1 January after more than a decade working at the sharp end of the Mediterranean superyacht sector. His background spans offshore sailing, yacht deliveries, yacht management and brokerage, with extensive experience based in Palma. In this episode, Tim shares his journey into the industry, what drew him ashore, and why Berthon’s collaborative, team led approach stood out in a brokerage world that can often feel competitive and siloed.

We discuss the wider market, informed by normal trading activity across Berthon’s UK, Spain, USA and Sweden offices, and by time spent together at boot Düsseldorf. While the Show was positive overall and clearly more active on power than sail, one of the strongest takeaways was its increasingly regional feel. International attendance was noticeably down, with fewer UK and US visitors than expected, suggesting buyers are prioritising local and regional shows rather than long distance travel.

In Spain, Berthon’s service, refit and repair operation continues to be busy, driven largely by smaller assignments rather than large scale upgrades. Budgets are clearly under pressure, and this extends well beyond the sub 24 metre market into the superyacht sector. Owners are focusing on repairs rather than enhancements, with price sensitivity increasing as local authority and operational costs continue to rise.

On the brokerage side, high quality new listings are joining the Berthon fleet across multiple territories. Sweden, in particular, is seeing strong early season activity, with yacht sales performing well despite heavy winter conditions and the fact that the traditional selling cycle has barely begun.

American buyers remain active in brokerage, but a clear shift is emerging. Increasingly, they are purchasing yachts for use in Europe, for bluewater cruising or for global programmes, rather than for domestic US use. This is mirrored by increased transatlantic travel and growing American presence in Mediterranean cruising grounds.

In a harder market, some suppliers of brokerage marketing platforms continue to raise prices, adding pressure at a time when careful cost control matters more than ever.

Within the US domestic market, pricing remains challenging. Some buying brokers are advising offers around 20 percent below asking, irrespective of underlying value. This contrasts sharply with European norms and reinforces the importance of accurate, realistic pricing from the outset.

What remains consistent is that recent, well known brands continue to sell when yachts are well maintained, correctly marketed and survey well. Buyers are cautious, but they are still decisive when quality, transparency and value align.