Q&A with Oyster Yachts After Sales Manager

What attracted you to Oyster?

I lived in Guernsey and then South Africa, before settling in Suffolk to work in Oyster’s Accounts department at Fox’s Marina in Ipswich. I soon moved into After Sales and relocated to Wroxham. I’ve done a bit of sailing and I know a lot about boats, especially Oysters! If I was ever on Mastermind, my specialist subject would be ‘Oyster Yachts – all parts for all models’.

What service does the After Sales team provide to owners?

We provide a one-stop support shop for all Oyster owners throughout their ownership. Providing spares and bespoke parts, we endeavour to ship them out in the quickest and safest way possible, to anywhere in the world. We post most of our orders straight from Oyster Wroxham and source, pack and ship them ourselves to make sure the owners get the highest quality service. Owners and skippers contact us with their parts shopping list and we do the rest.

The members of the After Sales team clearly have a varied job, tell us more about what is involved…

Working in After Sales is really rewarding but it’s not an easy job. Behind the scenes, there are various elements involved; research and gathering information; sourcing the correct parts; ordering; packing; and shipping. The team is part client support and part detective – working to find a specific part for a specific boat that could be up to 49 years old takes time and effort, but when you get that lightbulb moment – which we always do – it is so worth it! One member of the team, Polly Dawson, is based in Southampton and Kate Pryce (who used to be an Oyster boat builder), Paul Norris and myself are based in Wroxham. Working from the yards means we have additional support from other departments, which is invaluable when working on a challenging order. Our final member of the team, Jacqui Evans, works in Ipswich where our new yachts are handed over. In the last five years, we have bought and shipped parts to over 500 different yachts worldwide – it’s a huge task that requires lots of planning and juggling of time –there’s certainly never a dull day in the office!

So, the team can support any Oyster, regardless of their age, model or where they are in the world?

Absolutely – we are a fully global service, supporting every Oyster owner, no matter how old their yacht or model is. That’s part of what makes the job so interesting! One day we are supporting the handover of a brand-new Oyster 565 and the next, we are trying to source a specific hinge replacement for an over 30years old Holman and Pye model – I’ve never worked on a job this varied and exciting! The earlier boats are truly stunning and are so well-crafted that they still sail amazingly now. The owners of these boats adore them, so we work hard to make sure they can stay on the water for another 50 years of adventure. Sourcing parts for older boats takes lots of time and research as it’s not as simple as looking down a list on our records. Oysters do share some common components, but each build also has a lot of customised parts too, so looking for specific replacements can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it’s so worth it when we get a solution. As for supporting Oysters wherever they are in the world – absolutely. We are a completely international service and keep a range of spares like pumps, service kits, anodes and filters, in our offices so that we can ship them immediately when required. No matter where you are, we will strive to get your orders to a convenient place for you, as quickly as we can.

You’ve been described by owners as “the best After Sales team in the world”, why do you think that is?

We genuinely care about every Oyster owner like they are family – and as a team, we work hard to build strong relationships and develop trust in our service. Owners know we are reliable and speedy and we are proud of that reputation. The relationships we build with our owners are so important. Our goal is to always do our absolute best for them by going above and beyond. We strongly believe that we are the best in the industry for overall support for bluewater cruising yachts and this support stands out to anyone who is looking to buy an Oyster. Buying and sailing a yacht is a huge undertaking but knowing that the After Sales team is just a call away feels like having a safety net around you. Knowing that you’re never alone and that we will do our utmost to support you, wherever you are in the world, is such reassurance for the Oyster family.

Are there any stand-out requests that you have met while working at Oyster?

We did ship out a drum kit to Antigua for an Oyster World Rally boat a few years ago, which is not one of our usual After Sales services!

What is so special about the level of service we offer owners?

Once the boat is handed over, owners know that we’re not saying goodbye to them – we stay connected until the day they leave the Oyster family, which for many is never and that relationship is unique in our industry! We also provide support for the Oyster World Rally – when we say it’s a fully supported circumnavigation, we really mean it. Completing a lap of the world is a massive undertaking, you can never predict what will happen or what conditions you might encounter. We offer the fleet expert advice on what spares they are likely to need, especially for longer passages like the Pacific crossing, provide them with as many parts as they want and help prepare them for all situations.

And finally, what is so special about working for Oyster?

I love the challenge of my job and the reward I feel when I get that eureka moment! There’s a real sense of pride in the After Sales department, which is reflected around the business. We all work hard for each other and even harder for our owners, I’m lucky to have such a great team who put themselves out there and constantly go above and beyond to deliver exceptional service to our owners.