“Working with Captain Andrea Gaines of Essex Boat Works to sell our motor yacht, Sea Spirit, was an exceptional experience. Her extensive maritime expertise, coupled with her unique knowledge of Sea Spirit, as the commissioning captain back in 2008/2009, was an invaluable asset. This deep familiarity ensured a seamless and informed process, making the transition to the new owner flawless. I was particularly impressed to find such a high level of professionalism in the yachting industry—surely comparable to the standards I am accustomed to in the cruise shipping world. Andrea’s professionalism, attention to details, and dedication to excellence exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend her services to anyone seeking a knowledgeable and trustworthy yacht broker and/or yacht Captain.”
Captain Luigi Razeto
m/v Sea Spirit
“I had been in search of my first motor yacht for over a year when I found the vessel of my dreams. When I contacted the listing broker, Captain Andrea Gaines, her intimate knowledge of the vessel, professionalism, organization, and ethics immediately became self-evident. I was so impressed, that I made the unusual request that she consider acting as a dual agent. This is a tough position to put even the most seasoned broker in, however Andrea who was already a trusted representative of the seller, became equally trusted by me. Andrea brings to the table an array of knowledge and attention to detail that is unsurpassed in the industry. From a video walk through and orientation, in my absence, to a seamless survey and sea trial, to a flawless closing, Andrea handled every aspect of the sale. If you need to sell your current yacht or are in search of your first, Andrea will surpass your expectations and guide you through the entire process, while expanding your knowledge and protecting your best interests. Don’t miss out on an opportunity of a lifetime, while developing a lifelong resource and friendship.
Thank you, Andrea for allowing me to realize a lifelong dream and to pursue my passions.”
Randy Hannold
Owner & Captain
m/y Sea Spirit
“Without the guidance and knowledge provided by Capt Andrea Gaines, we would have been lost in what seemed like a cursed journey to sell our client’s boat. Her integrity, work ethic, organizational and communication skills, and thoroughness are beyond reproach. Andrea is a masterful broker, we are so grateful we found her, and we highly recommend her.”
Karen Schacht, Manager
Calvin True, Family Advisor
m/v Hope
“Andrea,
Thank you so much for your valued insight and helping Nicole and I acquire our first yacht.
It gave us such relief and confidence, knowing that you had our back through every step in the process. We looked at countless boats that just didn’t fit our needs and wants in our first major vessel.
After years of searching, we finally found our dreamboat. When I received the call from you at a wedding and you told me, I think we found your boat. We were so excited we couldn’t help ourselves. You told us this boat won’t last long on the market, so we better jump on it. Thankfully we took your valued suggestion and had the boat under contract within two days.
After a very lengthy and detailed boat survey, we were home free with our Festival within sight of ownership.
Thank you so much for your help confidence and support through the entire process of closing the deal and making us so so happy. Please stay in touch look forward to taking you out on the water in the near future“
Mike and Nicole
57’ Tollycraft
m/v Mezmerize
Tampa, FL
Hanse 38:
“First time boat buyer or seasoned serial owner, we really doubt you can find a better or more trustworthy broker than Andrea Gaines and the crew at Essex Boat Works. For starters, she’s really the full nautical package in her own right: an expert skipper and ship handler with a deep understanding on-board systems and conditions. Beyond that, she has a matchmaker’s sense of what kind of craft will best suit you and your off-shore aspiration. The value add: she’s not the sell-it-and-forget it type; she and her amazing sailor of a husband have stayed with us post-purchase, helping us through the usual new boat learning curve.”
Jef and Deborah
s/v Le Beateau Ivres
Stonington, CT
Krogen Express 49:
“My husband Billy and I purchased a Krogen Express 49 in April 2022 from Andrea Gaines at Essex Boat Works. I was so amazed at how easy Andrea made this process! Always finding answers to every question through text, emails, and phone calls. She did several walk throughs for potential boats on FaceTime. Her detail to every aspect of the process of finding and purchasing our Krogen Express was professional and personable.
I was even more grateful as she walked me through the survey, while my husband was out of the country. She made the haul out, sea trial, and dealing with surveyors easy! We are both so very thankful to have her as a broker and wouldn’t hesitate to use her in future buying or selling!”
Sara Turner
m/v Coconuts
“My name is Billy and about four months ago I and my wife Sara bought a 1996 Krogen Express 49 named Coconuts through Essex Boat Works and with the help of our buyer’s broker Andrea Gaines.
We were extremely pleased with the professionalism and knowledge that Andrea exhibited. On top of that she is just a nice person to deal with and she knows what she is talking about. She responded to every single question that we had and if she didn’t have the answer she would find out and let us know. She continues to be available even after the sale and answers my occasional question very quickly.
Having worked for Krogen Express for several years she had an intimate knowledge of our boat and all of its systems and that made it easy for us to get the answers we needed. Thus, making our ultimate decision to buy much less stressful.
I had tried to work with a couple of other brokers from different companies but they were either too busy or did not have any inventory. They were pretty much non-responsive and had almost zero communication with me. Once we found out about Andrea and told her what we wanted she was communicating with us every week about different boats that were on the market. It took a little time but she ultimately found us the boat that we were looking for.
I was actually in Africa during the survey and sea trial but I was very comfortable letting my wife Sara do them herself because I knew that she was in good hands. I received prompt up-to-date reports so that I knew exactly what was going on.
Andrea is a very knowledgeable Captain and gave us great hands on training on our boat after the sale. which has really helped us be confident as we travel. This testimonial could easily stretch on to be very long but I just want to say that we were very pleased and continue to be pleased with our broker and Captain. She is the real deal! “
Billy and Sara Turner
m/v Coconuts
1996 Krogen Express
Nimbus Nova 33:
It’s not easy selling a 20-year-old boat but Andrea did a wonderful job and was very knowledgeable, helpful and thoughtful. Thanks Andrea!”
M Falkner
m/v Beautiful Thing Too
Nimbus Nova 33
“I can’t say enough good things about Essex Boat Works and Capt. Andrea Gaines. If you want one stop shopping for broker and maintenance services you’ve come to the right place. Not only did she locate a buyer but she assured the boat was in 100% excellent condition by the time it conveyed. In fact, she rectified a persistent generator issue that other qualified mechanics were unable to troubleshoot. The listing was extremely detailed and the photography was awesome. I would highly recommend her. I’m a retired executive from a fortune 50 company and it usually takes a lot to impress me. She did.”
Craig B
Four J’s
“Andrea knows boats. She listened to our needs and wants and guided us through numerous options. We wanted a high end long range power cruiser; but for that requirement to be affordable we did not expect to purchase a newer model. That objective is not without risk, but Andrea has an experienced eye for design and functionality. As she showed us boats, we were impressed by how she quietly and methodically pointed out limitations as well as features of each vessel. She also freely shared her personal operational tips and access to her connections. As a result, in the months after we closed, we experienced no unpleasant surprises. Andrea is also an experienced ship captain and was extremely helpful advising us so we could quickly become proficient handling our “new” boat. We were able to immediately embark on trip from Florida to Maryland, uneventfully. Andrea is such a pleasure to work with! She doesn’t try to sell, but rather helps you find the boat which best fits you and your family.”
…And she did it all during the peak period of COVID!”
Pev & Jon
m/v Piemackum
Grand Alaskan 65
“From our first “virtual” meeting, I knew Andrea was the real deal. Not just a broker, but a Captain and truly a boat person. She was always very professional and freely gave her opinion and advice. We were looking for a boat that had the ability to become handicap accessible and she was able to find one that was already modified for that purpose. The boat was in Puerto Rico and while we are in the midst of Covid, she willingly made the trip to supervise a survey and haul-out. She worked with the Crew to give us a guided “Virtual Tour” and was careful to point out both the good and bad in a non-judgmental way. This allowed us to make an informed decision about the boat. She worked with us through the negotiations into signing. I’m a new captain and her help and suggestions have been invaluable. She has made herself available to me and continues to help while we prep the boat for transit to the West Coast. With her help and guidance, she has taken an overwhelming endeavor and made it seem easy and routine. We can’t thank her enough.”
Bryan F
m/y Nirvana
Palmer Johnson 90
Can totally recommend Andrea as broker for buying or selling. Her knowledge of marine systems (yes even the heads!) and local boats on market put us into our Grand Alaskan Trawler with all boxes checked. Her drive and integrity are too uncommon in the rest of the boating world. We will call on her again if the situation calls for an honest and knowledgeable broker.
Steve & Judi
m/v Swanee
Grand Alaskan 56
We are writing this letter to express our gratitude to Capt. Andrea Gaines for her outstanding performance in not only finding the boat of our dreams, a classic 49’ Krogen Express, but for her professionalism and genuine friendship exhibited throughout the entire sales transaction. Andrea’s commitment to communication, follow-up, and just “being there whenever we needed her to be there” was above and beyond. We learned an incredible amount from her extensive Krogen knowledge ranging from mechanics, navigation, naval construction, and simple boating sense which has proved invaluable moving forward from the purchase. In addition to accomplishing a seamless purchase, Andrea was able to successfully pilot our new boat from Beaufort, South Carolina to a temporary spot in Bradenton, Florida where we took over and finished the journey to our home port in Dauphin Island, Alabama.
We are so appreciative of Andrea and look forward to our continued friendship. Thank you, Andrea… you made us feel at ease throughout the process and will highly recommend you to anyone looking to make a yacht purchase!
Robin and Kelby
m/v Coconuts
Krogen Express 49
“Three years ago this month my wife and I closed on the purchase of a used Krogen Express 53 with the help of Capt Andrea Gaines. Andrea was indispensable in our search for and purchase of the boat. We met her casually as the seller’s broker for one of the boats we first looked at and after the showing she introduced us to the concept of a buyer’s broker. From that point on there was not a Krogen Express on the market or about to be on the market that we did not hear about from her. She did several virtual tours via FaceTime which were very helpful and saved a lot of travel. She was very open about a given boat’s weaknesses. At one point when a Krogen Express seemed an impossibility she gave us excellent advice on alternative boats. She represented us very well in two difficult negotiations. The first one fell through because the seller got cold feet. The second was successful after Andrea was instrumental in helping us stay within budget. Throughout the entire search and purchase she clearly put our interests over her own.
Andrea’s real value came during the survey and after the closing when she was always there with us. She is obviously well known and connected in the south Florida marina service industry. There were a number of issues that needed to be resolved in short order before we could leave to bring the boat north from Ft. Lauderdale. Andrea arranged for a marine electrician and a generator mechanic. She made arrangements for dock space in Ft Lauderdale. She arranged a stop in North Palm to put in new batteries and have the antifreeze flushed in the engines. She gave us valuable advice during our cruise north along the intracoastal waterway which she has done numerous times as a professional delivery captain.
She is an extremely experienced yacht captain and an honest, ethical and knowledgeable broker. I have felt with a number of yacht brokers over the years as a buyer and seller and no one has come close to providing the service that Andrea did. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”
Richard & Theresa
m/v Stanraer IV
Krogen Express 53
“Jack and Andrea are so knowledgeable and helpful, going above and beyond what a normal broker would. From the listing, staging of the boat to get pictures just right, assisting as we get the boat in the best condition possible through negotiating the best deal, their experience is invaluable. To top it all off they bring a level of honesty and integrity to the process not often seen in the boat business. We look forward to working with the on our next boat search!!.”
Jenn & Darlene
m/v Taking Time
Fairline 43
Calling Andrea Gaines a boat broker is like calling Willie Mays a baseball player.
Like Willie, she is so much more. She brings her substantial project management skills and incredibly varied marine experience to her work. Extremely knowledgeable, well-organized, and helpful with the smallest details, she not only has focused on our needs and wishes but has helped educate us in ways that will make us safer and more adept boat owners.
We met Andrea because of our interest in the Krogen Express, a boat whose classic good looks had turned our heads when we were still sailors. Andrea had a Krogen Express listing that interested us and when we learned of her skills and experience, we immediately asked her to represent us.
We knew a fair amount about sailboats but almost nothing about motor yachts. Andrea helped us identify the features most important to us and then shepherded us through a week-long series of showings, updating a matrix every few days so we’d have side-by-side comparisons of boats we’d viewed. She encouraged us attend a small trawler boat show with her just to make sure we’d seen a range of possibilities.
Based on our cruising and live-aboard objectives, Andrea cast a wide net and identified several possibilities. These included such brands as Fleming, Dettling, Nordhavn, Sabre, CW Hood, Grand Banks, Kadey-Krogen and the Krogen Express. We narrowed our list down to three appealing options – a great position for any buyer. At the end of the day, a Krogen Express 52 won our hearts. It had the livable spaces – especially an extremely appealing pilothouse – that suited our needs, a criterion Andrea stressed. Easy boarding at the stern for our dogs was one of many factors.
The boat we wanted was in heated storage in Wisconsin and would not be available for a sea trial for several months. Andrea established a sequence of events which allowed us to close in a timely fashion. She attended the survey on the hard and the sea trial and provided very helpful advice as issues arose.
Along the way, she offered a stream of valuable advice. Need a checklist for basic review of engines, transmission and stabilizers before getting underway? Here you go. Need to understand how the trim tabs work? Here’s a lesson. Want to find the best way to prepare for a safety check? Here’s a link.
Now that we are owners, our connection to Andrea remains strong. She believes her relationship with clients does not end with the sale. We feel so fortunate to have her help.
George & Susan
m/v Nina
Krogen Express 52