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Amazon seeks India antitrust watchdog’s approval to buy Catamaran stake in Cloudtail-parent firm Prione

Amazon is seeking an Indian antitrust watchdog’s approval to buy Catamaran Ventures’ stake in Prione, which operates one of the largest sellers on the e-commerce platform, months after the two firms said they won’t renew their joint venture after May next year.

The announcement comes as a surprise as Catamaran owns a 76% stake in Prione. Amazon earlier held a 49% stake in the company, but diluted it down to 24% to comply with the local laws that prohibit e-commerce firms from having a direct or indirect ownership in businesses that sell on their marketplaces.

In a joint statement Wednesday, the two firms said they are complying with the applicable laws “including all assets and liabilities” to close the deal and have sought the regulatory approval. Amazon has reached out to the Indian watchdog Competition Commission of India for the approval, a person familiar with the matter said.

Billionaire N.R. Narayana Murthy’s Catamaran and Amazon launched the joint venture in the country in 2014. The joint venture restructured its ownership in 2019 following India’s regulatory changes. In August this year, the two said they were ending the relationship.

Who owns Cloudtail? Was it used to sidestep Indian laws. media rarely investigated. What makes us think that the same people are not at it even now? — Anand Lunia, IndiaQuotient (@anandlunia) August 9, 2021

That announcement came after news agency Reuters reported, citing Amazon documents, that the American e-commerce firm had given preferential treatment for years to a small group of sellers , including Cloudtail, and had used them to bypass Indian laws. The Competition Commission of India, separately, ordered an investigation into Amazon and Flipkart last year for allegedly promoting select sellers (those in which they own a stake) on their e-commerce platforms and using business practices that stifle competition. The two firms made an unsuccessful attempt to dismiss the investigation.

“The businesses of the joint venture shall continue under the leadership of the current management and on receipt of regulatory approvals, the board of Prione and Cloudtail will take steps to complete the transaction in compliance with applicable laws,” the joint statement from Amazon and Catamaran said today.

Cloudtail is one of the largest sellers on Amazon in India. It has enabled more than 300,000 sellers and entrepreneurs to go online and has provided 4 million merchants with digital payment capabilities, the two firms said earlier this year.

Long-standing laws in India have restricted Amazon and other e-commerce firms from holding inventory or selling items directly to consumers. To bypass this, firms have operated through a maze of joint ventures with local companies that operate as inventory-holding firms.

India got around to fixing this loophole in late 2018 in a move that was widely seen as the biggest blowback to the American firm in the country at the time. Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart scrambled to delist hundreds of thousands of items from their stores and made their investments in affiliated firms way more indirect.

In June this year, India proposed even tougher e-commerce rules that, among other things, prohibit Amazon, Flipkart and other e-commerce players from running their in-house / private labels. The new proposal asks e-commerce firms to ensure that none of their related and associated parties are listed on their platforms as sellers for selling to customers directly. (New Delhi has yet to follow up on the new rules.)

Amazon has stakes in a few more third-party sellers, including Appario Retail, which is its joint venture with Patni Group.

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Amazon to acquire Prione Business, company's JV with Narayana Murthy firm

Catamaran belongs to infosys co-founder n r narayana murthy; the two partners announced in august they would discontinue the venture when its term ends in may 2022..

A major chunk of Prione’s revenues came from its ownership of Cloudtail, one of the biggest and most profitable retailers on Amazon’s platform

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Amazon to end controversial JV with Narayana Murthy’s Catamaran Ventures

The seven-year-old joint venture, called prione business services pvt., will cease operating from mid-2022.

Amazon.com Inc. is disbanding a controversial joint venture in India with billionaire Narayana Murthy, a potential setback for the e-commerce giant as the country’s online market is projected to surge to $1 trillion.

The seven-year-old joint venture, called Prione Business Services Pvt., will cease operating from mid-2022, the companies announced on Monday. The business, which began by helping merchants get online to sell their wares before becoming a dominant vendor itself, is owned by Jeff Bezos’s Seattle-based behemoth and Catamaran Ventures LLP, the private investment firm of Infosys Ltd. co-founder Murthy.

The partners have “mutually decided to not continue their joint venture beyond the end of its current term,” they said in a statement. The JV has enabled over 300,000 sellers and entrepreneurs to go online and enabled 4 million merchants with digital payment capabilities, they said.

Amazon has come under fire in India for business practices that small retailers contend are unfair and illegal. The Competition Commission of India started a probe last year into the company and Walmart Inc.-owned Flipkart after local retailers alleged the giants abused their dominance through deep discounts, exclusive tie-ups and favorable backing of certain vendors. On Monday, India’s Supreme Court rejected petitions by Amazon and Flipkart to halt the probe, ruling on Monday that the antitrust investigation could proceed.

That adds to mounting pressures on Amazon and Murthy, who turns 75 later this month, to end their collaboration, which has been criticized for violating the spirit of India’s e-commerce laws.

“We expect big giants like Amazon, Flipkart volunteering for inquiry and transparency and you don’t even want it,” Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said in the ruling. “Inquiry has to be permitted.”

Prione was set up in 2014, a year after Amazon began selling in India, with the U.S. retailer owning 49% and Catamaran Ventures holding 51%. The idea was to train and bring on the Amazon platform new-to-online merchants, including local shops like weavers and women-led startups. They were instructed in fundamentals like photographing and cataloging their products, writing accurate descriptions and providing customer assistance.

More controversially, Prione set up a fully-owned unit called Cloudtail that sold goods online alongside the independent shops. It grew to be one of the largest sellers on Amazon, forging agreements with premium brands like Apple and OnePlus, in part because of what smaller merchants alleged was favorable treatment. Cloudtail vended over a third of the goods sold on Amazon even as recently as two years ago.

India later changed its regulations to bar platforms like Amazon from selling products from affiliates or giving favorable treatment to related businesses.

In February of 2019, Amazon lowered its stake in Prione to 24%, while Catamaran Ventures raised its holding to 76%. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a group which represents millions of small retailers, alleged that the restructuring was a creative way to circumvent the new rules. Cloudtail now sells under a fourth of all goods sold by Amazon. Both the companies have insisted that they are fully compliant with the law.In recent months, trade groups representing millions of small retailers have demanded that India’s commerce ministry further tighten the rules. When Amazon’s Bezos visited India in early 2020, incensed small store owners demonstrated outside the venue at which he was speaking with “Amazon Go Back” signs.This July, the Indian Sellers Collective, which represents small seller groups, exhorted Murthy in a letter to end the partnership with Amazon. The letter, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News, accused the billionaire of hurting the interests of his own country.“Mr. Murthy has been in cahoots with Amazon through a name-lending arrangement with Cloudtail acting as a front for Amazon’s retail business and defied the objectives of the policies of the Government of India,” the Collective wrote. “Just for a fixed fee or returns, Mr. Murthy has sacrificed the interests and livelihood of millions of small traders in India and left them at the mercy of Amazon.”

The term of a similar Amazon joint venture with Pune’s Patni Group also ends in May 2022 but no decision has been taken on its continuance.Amazon has invested heavily in India, with its billion-plus potential online shoppers and growing economy. During his visit last year, Bezos pledged the company would invest $1 billion on top of an earlier $5.5 billion sum. Rival Walmart outdid the investing, first acquiring Flipkart for $16 billion and then plowing billions more to boost its growth.

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CCI approves Amazon’s acquisition of Catamaran’s stake in Cloudtail parent

Cloudtail was formed when amazon entered a joint venture with narayana murthy's prione business services, which began offering goods on amazon.in after it was set up in august 2014..

• Updated Mar 09, 2022, 9:35 PM IST

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday approved Amazon's acquisition of Catamaran Ventures' entire stake in Prione Business Services Pvt Ltd. Prione Business Services houses Cloudtail, one of Amazon.in's largest sellers.

The CCI, via a tweet, said, "Commission approves acquisition of Prione Business Services Private Limited by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited."

Commission approves acquisition of Prione Business Services Private Limited by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited pic.twitter.com/7QdZRFRhc5 — CCI (@CCI_India) March 9, 2022

Cloudtail was formed when Amazon entered a joint venture with an entity formed by one of India's most famous tech moguls, N.R. Narayana Murthy, which began offering goods on Amazon.in after it was set up in August 2014.

However, last year in August, a joint venture between Amazon and Catamaran that controlled Cloudtail was coming up for renewal on May 19, 2022, but the two sides said in a joint statement they had mutually decided not to extend it beyond that date.

Besides, Cloudtail had been controversial, with Indian brick-and-mortar retailers for years accusing Amazon of giving it preferential treatment which hurt smaller retailers.

Earlier in January this year, domestic traders' body CAIT had filed a petition before the anti-trust agency to block the transaction that has been entered into by Amazon where it will acquire 100 per cent shareholding in Cloudtail.

The petition provided evidence to show Cloudtail charges less fees/ commission and is a preferential seller on the platform, and with its 100 per cent acquisition, Amazon will cause an adverse effect on the market.

"CAIT has today filed a petition before the Competition Commission of India seeking to block the transaction which has been entered into by Amazon where they will acquire 100 per cent shareholding in Cloudtail," it had added.

Cloudtail, in which Amazon holds 24 per cent stake along with Murthy’s Catamaran Ventures (76 per cent), saw its net profit rise by 171 per cent year-on-year to Rs 183 crore in FY21.

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Competition Commission approves Amazon's acquisition of Prione 

So far amazon and catamaran jointly owned prione business services whose wholly owned subsidiary cloudtail india repeatedly came under the scanner for alleged violation of foreign direct investment norms..

Source: Reuters

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of Prione Business Services by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources. Prione was the joint venture between Narayan Murthy-led Catamaran and Amazon. Its wholly owned subsidiary Cloudtail India has been one of Amazon's largest sellers in the country.

CCI announced the development on a micro blogging site on March 9.

Amazon had disclosed its plans to acquire Prione in December.

So far Amazon and Catamaran jointly owned Prione Business Services whose wholly owned subsidiary Cloudtail India repeatedly came under the scanner for alleged violation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms.

On August 9 last year, Amazon and Catamaran had also announced their decision to not continue the joint venture beyond the end of its current term of May 2022.

Related stories

This decision came following the Supreme Court's decision which allowed the CCI to conduct an investigation into the alleged anti-competitive practices of Amazon.

It wasn't immediately clear how Amazon is preparing to replace Countail's business on its platform as the e-commerce rules bar marketplaces from having any ownership in the firms run by their sellers.

In India, e-tailers are known to be having a set of preferred vendors who get a majority of the business generated by these companies. In 2018, the government had come up with Press Note 2, revising the then-existing Press Note 3. It asked the marketplaces to ensure that they will not sell the products of their group companies on their platforms. Following the clarification, Amazon, which is also alleged to be getting a majority of its business from Cloudtail did a rejig in its structure in India.

In February 2019, Catamaran Ventures raised its stake in Prione Business Services. The move reduced Amazon Asia's stake in Cloudtail to 24 percent from the earlier 49 percent, with Catamaran Ventures’ stake rising to 76 percent from 51 percent earlier.

Following this, Cloudtail ceased to be an Amazon group company, making it compliant with the rules on the papers, yet not serving the purpose with which the norms were straightened.

However, even as the issue got ironed out on paper, the company kept facing constant criticism from offline traders.

 Now this acquisition makes the waters even murkier with no clarity of how will the company manage to run Cloudtail by presumably having it under its umbrella.

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‘Objectives fulfilled’: Amazon, Murthy’s Catamaran to end Cloudtail parent JV next year

The announcement after the supreme court rejected a plea by amazon and flipkart seeking a stay on a probe by the cci into their business practices, paving the way for the antitrust regulator to look into various allegations levelled by sellers on these platforms..

Amazon and Infosys founder NR Naryana Murthy-owned Catamaran Ventures have decided to discontinue their joint-venture partnership for Prione Business Services — the parent company of Cloudtail India, one of Amazon India’s biggest sellers.

“Prione Business Services Pvt. Ltd, the joint venture between Amazon and Catamaran, has been running successfully for the past 7 years and comes up for renewal on May 19, 2022. The two partners today announced they have mutually decided to not continue their joint venture beyond the end of its current term,” Amazon and Catamaran said in a joint statement.

The announcement came on Monday, hours after the Supreme Court rejected a plea by Amazon and Flipkart seeking a stay on a probe by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into their business practices, paving the way for the antitrust regulator to look into various allegations levelled by traders and sellers on these platforms. For years, sellers on platforms like Amazon and Flipkart have been complaining the preferential treatment provided to certain large sellers on these marketplaces, particularly the ones that have a relationship with the platforms.

Responding to a specific query by The Indian Express on the reason of the decision, an Amazon India spokesperson said: “Both the partners believe that the primary business objectives of the JV have been fulfilled. Hence, the JV partners have decided to not renew the JV.” Further, when asked about the next course of action, the spokesperson said: “Catamaran and Amazon have mutually agreed to not renew the JV and partners will decide the next steps.”

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In addition to Cloudtail, Amazon also has a partnership with the Patni Group, through which it operates another major seller on its platform Appario Retail. In February 2019, following the industry department issuing the Press Note 2, asking online marketplaces with foreign investment to not have relationship with sellers on their platforms, Amazon had reduced its stake in Prione Business Services to 24 per cent from 49 per cent earlier. Catamaran’s stake in Prione then rose to 76 per cent from 51 per cent. At the same time, Amazon had also reduced its stake in the Appario Retail JV to 24 per cent.

“Amazon and Catamaran entered into a JV in the early days of e-commerce in India with a shared vision of transforming hundreds of thousands of small businesses in a fast-changing digital world, by providing online capabilities enabling them to access customers both in India and globally,” Amit Agarwal, global senior VP and country head-Amazon India, said.

In June, the Consumer Affairs Ministry had announced draft amendments to the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, significantly tightening the rules for online marketplaces. Shortly after the announcement of the draft amendments, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal had reprimanded e-commerce firms for “forum shopping” to delay sharing information with the CCI. “A number of these large e-commerce companies have come into India and very blatantly flouted the laws of the land in more ways than one…I’ve had several engagements with these large companies, particularly the American ones, and I can see a little bit of arrogance,” he had said.

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Narayana Murthy Parts Ways With Amazon, Cloudtail To Wind Up Operations By May 2022

One of India’s most controversial business partnerships is coming to an end.

Amazon seller Cloudtail, which was jointly owned by Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s Catamaran Ventures and Amazon, has said that it will cease operations from May 2022. The move was announced hours after the Supreme Court of India asked the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to continue its investigation into Amazon and Flipkart for misusing their dominance in the Indian e-commerce space. Critics of Amazon’s model have long alleged that Cloudtail helped Amazon circumvent India’s FDI rules around e-commerce.

Cloudtail’s roots were laid as long as seven years ago — Narayana Murthy’s Catamaran Ventures and Amazon had come together to form a Joint Venture in 2014 named Prione Business Services. Amazon owned 49% of Prione Business Services, while Catamaran Ventures owned 51%. Prione Busineses Services then incorporated a fully-owned subsidiary named Cloudtail, which had started off helping smaller sellers sell their products, but soon itself became one of the most prominent sellers on Amazon India. India’s FDI laws permit e-commerce companies to only run marketplaces and not own any inventory, but the joint venture with Narayana Murthy’s company allegedly allowed Amazon to skirt India’s FDI laws by allowing Cloudtail to become a major seller on Amazon’s platform.

Even though Amazon was a minority shareholder in Cloudtail, it exercised significant control over the company. “It is no coincidence that the managing directors, CFOs, key persons are (so-called) former employees of Amazon,” Indian trade body CAIT had alleged in an open letter earlier this year. “Even the majority of board members of Cloudtail are (so-called) former employees of Amazon. (Even though) Narayana Murthy owns a majority of Cloudtail, the board of directors have Amazon in majority,” the letter had claimed. The body had also alleged that Amazon-controlled companies were accounting for 80% of sales on Amazon India in spite of laws not allowing foreign e-commerce companies to sell products directly to consumers.

The rumblings around Cloudtail had grown louder in recent months. In February, Reuters had published a bombshell report by accessing emails between US government officials and Amazon executives, which showed that Amazon had selectively helped a select group of sellers on its platform. The report had also said that two Amazon-controlled entities accounted for 35% of the total sales in India. In June, British newspaper The Guardian had reported that Cloudtail had been hit with a Rs. 56 crore tax demand by Indian authorities. In July, the High Court had dismissed Amazon and Flipkart’s pleas to halt CCI’s investigations.

Indian sellers had also put pressure on Narayana Murthy to end the partnership. “Mr. Murthy has been in cahoots with Amazon through a name-lending arrangement with Cloudtail acting as a front for Amazon’s retail business and defied the objectives of the policies of the Government of India,” the Indian Sellers Collective had written in a letter. “Just for a fixed fee or returns, Mr. Murthy has sacrificed the interests and livelihood of millions of small traders in India and left them at the mercy of Amazon.”

Amazon and Catamaran Ventures have now decided to part ways, and this signals the end of Cloudtail’s operations in India. It has already been reported that Amazon will look to replace Cloudtail with several smaller sellers which will not be controlled by Amazon, and will try to ensure that no one seller becomes unduly influential over the marketplace. But the fact that Amazon was able to seemingly skirt FDI rules for seven long years in spite of local news reports, the attention of international media, and protestations by local traders shows just how much multinational giants with influence can get away with while running their operations in India.

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Catamaran Ventures to expand investments, bets on manufacturing

The vc firm set up by infosys is shifting focus from services to strategic partnerships in deep tech, precision engineering and manufacturing, and renewables..

Wednesday May 24, 2023 , 2 min Read

 Catamaran Ventures  LLP, a venture capital firm set up by Infosys, plans to expand its investment to $2 billion in the next five years from the current $1 billion.

The firm is shifting its focus from services to strategic partnerships in deep tech, precision engineering and manufacturing, and renewables, Bloomberg has reported.

Chairman MD Ranganath said manufacturing is a crucial trajectory for India's growth. He highlighted the advantage of testing innovation in India for scalability before entering global markets.

To support this growth, Catamaran aims to hire professionals and actively seek partners to develop businesses in the selected sub-sectors. The firm is in discussions to close at least one such partnership in the coming months, said the report.

Bengaluru-based Catamaran Ventures employs around 15 staff, who oversee various holdings, including e-sports, insurance, and investments in Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

In the past, the firm had partnered with  Amazon  to establish Prione Business Services, which initially helped merchants transition online and eventually became a dominant vendor itself. Amazon later acquired Catamaran Ventures' stake in the venture.

Ranganath emphasised that Catamaran Ventures will continue to support early-and late-stage companies. Nearly one-third of the company's investment is in early-stage companies and the remaining is evenly split between late-stage and growth enterprises.

The firm's track record includes investment in companies such as the social network Reddit and India's largest stock exchange, the National Stock Exchange.

Edited by Affirunisa Kankudti

• Narayan Murthy
• Catamaran Ventures
• software versus manufacturing in India

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Cloudtail ceases operations as Amazon, Murthy end JV

This comes against the backdrop of the indian government and its agencies tightening vigil and launching multiple investigations on us e-commerce firms alleging violations of foreign investment rules in retail..

One of Amazon India’s largest sellers, Cloudtail India Pvt. Ltd, will cease to exist in May next year as the N.R. Narayana Murthy-owned Catamaran Ventures and Amazon India break their seven-year partnership. This comes against the backdrop of the Indian government and its agencies tightening vigil and launching multiple investigations on US e-commerce firms alleging violations of foreign investment rules in retail.

Catamaran Ventures and Amazon India will not renew their contract for joint venture Prione Business Services Ltd, the parent of Cloudtail India, leading to the end of its seven-year term on May 19, 2022, according to a joint statement by the two firms on Monday.

Prione, which was founded in 2014, has enabled more than 300,000 sellers and entrepreneurs to go online and enabled 4 million merchants with digital payment capabilities, according to the statement.

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL & GULF BEACHES

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Our experienced captains are knowledgeable in all the best areas of St. Petersburg and its beaches, ensuring you have a fun and safe sailing charter.

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Catamarans are the ultimate vibe. Relax in our spacious and comfortable lounge areas, perfect for enjoying the scenery and soaking up sun.

SUNSET CATAMARAN SAIL

Tampa Bay’s best sunset view.

Embark on a breathtaking sunset sailing cruise as you watch the sun dip below the horizon and enjoy the water at its finest. With plenty of space for you and your guests to relax and unwind, you’ll be treated to an unforgettable experience, complete with comfortable lounging areas, and all the amenities you need to enjoy a perfect evening on the water. Perfect for corporate events, birthday parties, families, groups, and proposals!

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Enjoy a full or half day charter out on the water with our custom sail packages, where you and your friends can soak up the sun, relax on the spacious lounging areas, and take in the breathtaking ocean views. With the flexibility to customize your itinerary, you can choose from a variety of St. Petersburg’s favorite beach and water destinations to anchor at, where you can enjoy swimming, snorkeling, and other water activities.

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Set sail on an unforgettable custom adventure with our overnight cruises, led by an experienced captain. Spend your nights under the stars on our 3BR/3BA catamaran, with all the amenities you need to enjoy a comfortable charter experience. From secluded anchorages to stunning sunsets and sunrises, discover the beauty of the sea and the freedom of sailing, as you explore a range of destinations from St. Petersburg to Clearwater, all the way down to Key West if you choose.

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Top 5 Must-Visit Destinations on a Sailing Cruise from St. Petersburg, FL

Discover the best places to visit on a sailing cruise from Treasure Island, FL. Explore these breathtaking destinations, including John’s Pass Sandbar, and make your trip unforgettable!

Sunset Sailing Around Treasure Island: Your Guide to Choosing the Perfect Boat

There’s nothing quite like watching the sun dip below the horizon while out on the water. If you’re looking for a perfect way to spend an afternoon or evening in Treasure Island, sailing is an excellent option. With a number of different companies offering sunset sails, it can be tough to know which one to…

Catamarans for sale in Florida. Browse new and used catamarans for sale in Saint Petersburg.

We are the largest catamaran dealers in the world and offer over 350 catamarans for sale from lagoon, sunreef, nautitech, gemini and more..

Catamaran Sales

Saint Petersburg, Florida - USA

The Catamaran company is the world's largest retailer of new and used catamarans in the world. This includes being the largest Dealer for Lagoon Catamarans, the world's largest manufacturer of catamarans. Lagoon has over 85 dealers in every major market and country in the world and The Catamaran company has been their # 1 dealer more times than any other dealer. In fact, over the last decade The Catamaran company has sold more new Lagoons than every other Lagoon dealer in the US combined! The Catamaran company is also the World # 1 dealer for Gemini Catamarans, the largest US manufacturer of catamarans with over 1,200 sailing throughout the world.

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Celebrate life with a journey on the water. We help you find a boat & Captain to fit your budget and needs. Plan a getaway.

Yacht Sales

We are licensed and bonded Yacht brokers specializing in the in catamarans by Bali. While our home port is Florida our boats travel From Florida to New England and Back each year to offer qualified buyers the “try before you buy” experience through a variety of charter programs

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Buying or selling a boat? Let us help you coordinate your sea trial, survey, and delivery. Tell us what you need. We are here to help. 

About Sailicity Yacht Sales & Charter

Let your journey begin with Sailicity with all-inclusive sailing experiences. We foster the spirit of sailing and craft personalized and unique voyages tailored to discriminating guests. Tell us where you want to go, and we will plan the rest. We partner with an array of dynamic fleets designed to combine luxury lifestyle and the travel freedom of a memorable sailing experience. We have the privilege to provide guests with alternative social gatherings by hosting socially distant events on the sea, making all feel safe and exclusive.

Our Charter Concierge will craft private charters from half-day, weekend, or up to 14-day voyages. We have multiple types of charters; that sail anywhere in Florida along the Atlantic coast in the spring and fall with our Summer base in New England and our Winter Home in the Caribbean. Sailicity’s concierge service removes the headaches of planning and will take care of all the small details with industry-leading experts.

Our mission is to provide you the sailing experience of your dream. Make an appointment to speak to a Charter Concierge at no cost.

Contact a Charter Concierge to Learn More

Your Charter Concierge will help you create an experience you and your family will never forget. Celebrating a special occasion? Take the family on vacation? Explore incredible sights you can only see by water? We are here to help!

Celebrate Life with us on the Water

We amplified the concept of micro weddings with the creation of Weddings on the Water. Our venue focuses on personalized details for a brief ceremony at anchor for the bride and groom and up to 10 additional guests. 

We will provide wedding planning services, coordinating Florist, Videographer, Photographer, and Caterers to create a memorable experience. The Ceremony can be followed by cruises to resort destinations around Florida’s Gulf.

It took years of planning and effort to get to this point in your life.  There is no better way to celebrate and say thank you to the people who helped you get here. Your day has come, and we strive to meet all your expectations when planning your retirement holiday. 

Your celebration may be a catered dinner and sunset sail or a weeklong excursion, combining sailing, golf, dining, and tennis as we traverse Florida’s Gulf coast and visit some of our finest resorts.

Birthdays & more

Celebrate the time of your life with the people you love aboard a well-appointed crew yacht. Whether it is a milestone or not, let our special event planner help you celebrate in style. 

We will suggest menu options and provision for day cruises for up to 12 guests or overnight retreats for up to three couples. It can be the most memorable celebration of life.   Birthday yacht charters originate from the Vinoy Marina in St. Petersburg, FL, or Key Bight in Key West.

Why Sailicity Charters & Yacht Sales?

We remove the headaches of planning and will take care of the small details with industry-leading experts. We pride ourselves on taking the time to listen to your needs because WE CARE & have a passion for sailing.

We offer the chance to climb aboard the best boats from world-class manufacturers. Our boats combine maximum comfort blended with high performance.

It takes years of experience to know the different types of sailing vessels and how to determine which one is best for you. We are here to guide you to ensure you receive the best value on the type of boat you want.

We’re sailors. We are here to give you a sailing charter experience you will never forget. Start planning your sail today.

The possibilities are endless! Our beautiful Bali Catamarans are always based at ports during high season in the region. Our Concierge Service will help you plan your sailing adventure and build itineraries that are all about you.

A bareboat charter or demise charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things. We are happy to arrange bareboat charters for qualified sailors who choose to go it alone. However, our specialty is to help you connect with knowledgeable captains and competent crew members to enhance your sailing experience by organizing your provisioning, planning your sailing itineraries, helping you manage meals and the galley and keeping you safe during your sailing adventure. Learn More .

Learn more about yacht ownership here .