About Barbara

Barbara Gabriel is founder and CEO of FX Yachting, a luxury yacht charter company she has built over more than 35 years. FX Yachting specializes in crewed catamaran charters — sailing and power — with a fleet of 62 boats across Greece, the Caribbean, Palma, and formerly Egypt. The company handles roughly 750 bespoke bookings per year, tailoring every charter from menus and itineraries to wellness packages, while also managing yachts for owners who typically need about ten charter weeks to break even on operating costs.

What we talked about

Bespoke charters at scale — How FX Yachting's operations team designs each trip from preference sheets — food, activities, destinations — while weather and geopolitics constantly rewrite the plan.

Seasonality and moving fleets — Mediterranean boats go quiet in winter; FX shifts vessels to the Caribbean or keeps them laid up, balancing owner costs against demand.

A younger, faster clientele — Gen Z clients book from a bar for next week and pay close to €100,000 at 25; retirees plan a year ahead — forcing night-shift staff and instant responses.

Wellness on the water — Barbara sees wellness as one of the biggest trends: dietitians, masseurs, yoga, and curated onboard experiences beyond a standard charter.

AI in a personal business — Everyone uses AI for itineraries and drafts, but bespoke parameters — boat positioning, weather, custom requests — still need humans in the loop.

Trust, reviews, and generic platforms — Clients now investigate reviews and social media before booking; Barbara worries generic online platforms could erode the bespoke model her premium clients still value.

Sharpest moments

On AI adoption in yachting:

anyone who says to me that they don't use AI is in business is lying.

On the wellness shift:

wellness is probably one of the biggest trends that is happening right now.

On how Gen Z books:

the younger generation will be sitting at a bar and like, do you want to go on a holiday next week?

On digital presence:

if you don't have a digital presence, years ago, didn't work like this. Now you need to have a digital presence.

On uncertainty ahead:

What am I waiting on? Peace.

Key takeaways

• FX Yachting runs 62 crewed catamarans with ~750 bespoke charters annually — operations, crew vetting, and 24/7 support are the product, not just the boat.
• Seasonality is managed by shifting fleets between the Med and Caribbean; geopolitical shocks (Middle East, Venezuela) freeze bookings faster among American clients.
• Younger charter guests are more demanding and book impulsively; older clients plan further ahead and worry more about global instability.
• Wellness charters — onboard nutrition, massage, yoga — are a major growth bet beyond standard cruising.
• AI speeds itinerary drafting, but every request still needs human parameter-setting in a non-package business.
• Reviews, social proof, and showing crews and staff matter more than pretty yacht photos alone.
• Generic booking platforms are the long-term threat; FX's defense is staying bespoke as boats get bigger and more expensive.