Berthon International

In this episode we step aboard the remarkable Grey Wolf II (FPB 78-2) to explore a subject that is rarely discussed outside professional circles: MCA Category 0 certification, the highest operational coding available under the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Owner Peter Watson joins the conversation to explain why he insisted that she be built and operated to this demanding standard, even though it created extra work for the designer, the shipyard, and almost everyone involved in the project.
Grey Wolf II is the only FPB yacht in the fleet to hold MCA Category 0 coding, allowing her to operate commercially anywhere in the world, without restriction to distance from a safe haven. For Peter, however, the motivation was not charter income. The goal was much simpler: safety and capability.
As Peter explains, the MCA code has evolved over decades and incorporates lessons learned about stability, structural integrity, systems redundancy, and operational procedures. Achieving Category 0 status means a yacht has been designed and equipped to meet an extremely high standard of offshore safety.
The discussion also looks at the new MCA coding requirements being introduced for 2027, which significantly raise the bar for vessels seeking or maintaining commercial certification. Grey Wolf II is currently being updated to meet the revised standard, a process that involves both physical upgrades and extensive documentation.
Some of the modifications include replacing existing composite seacocks with custom stainless steel valves, installing additional electrical redundancy to ensure navigation lights remain operational even during total power loss, and adding new system shut-off controls and operational protocols.
Beyond the engineering work, the updated code also introduces new administrative requirements, from cyber security policies to expanded safety management documentation. While the upgrades themselves are manageable for a yacht built with serious offshore capability in mind, the paperwork required to demonstrate compliance is considerable.
Grey Wolf II’s ability to pass the new standards relatively smoothly is also a testament to the original design philosophy behind the FPB series and the work carried out during her construction in New Zealand in collaboration with designer Steve Dashew.
Having already cruised extensively across the Pacific, visited remote regions including Antarctica, and completed long-distance voyages in both tropical and polar environments, she has proven herself as a genuine go-anywhere expedition yacht. Her next adventure: a family holiday, a Mediterranean cruising season, travelling through the islands of Greece with children and grandchildren aboard.
It is a reminder that despite her formidable capability, she remains at heart a family cruising yacht, equally comfortable exploring the polar regions or enjoying relaxed voyages in the Mediterranean.
In a world where many yachts are built for appearance or occasional coastal cruising, she stands apart as a vessel designed, built, and certified to operate anywhere on the planet.
Episode 11. Grey Wolf FPB78-2 Adventures from the Pacific to Antarctica – Building the Ultimate Expedition Yacht - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2528535/episodes/18323395
Inside the FPB 78 GREY WOLF II MCA Category 0 Seacock Refit | Owner Interview - https://youtu.be/t4KlacOkbO4
Inside the FPB 78 GREY WOLF II MCA Category 0 Seacock Refit | Walkthrough Tour - https://youtu.be/reEV2V16IKU
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Spring is approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, and with it the start of another yachting season. In this episode of Inside the Market, we take a closer look at the yacht brokerage landscape as it stood at the end of February 2026.
Joining the conversation is Sophie Kemp, who has recently returned to Berthon after maternity leave and celebrates ten years with the company. Sophie specialises in sailing yacht brokerage and has also been closely involved in launching Berthon Essential, a dedicated platform for yachts under £110,000 designed to give smaller boats their own space in the market.
https://boatsforsale.berthoninternational.com/ 
Together we discuss what we are seeing across Berthon’s five international brokerage offices and what buyers and sellers should understand as the new season begins. Conditions vary widely across the globe. In Newport, Rhode Island, over two feet of snow has made showing yachts a challenge, while changes to tariff structures are forcing some buyers to reconsider the costs of importing yachts into the United States and the wider implications for their businesses.
Despite this uncertainty, the brokerage market continues to move. While enquiry levels remain modest overall, Berthon’s long-standing client base continues to provide stability, with more than half of transactions coming from repeat clients returning to buy or sell their next yacht.
Pricing remains a sensitive issue across the market. There is pressure on values in many segments, particularly where there is a larger supply of comparable yachts available. However, well-presented yachts with strong pedigree, proper service histories, and good overall condition continue to attract buyers without difficulty.
Another notable trend is buyer behaviour. A significant number of active leads are currently researching and monitoring the market rather than rushing to commit. With a good selection of yachts available in certain segments, many buyers feel comfortable taking time to evaluate their options before making a decision.
The new yacht market continues to face challenges, although activity remains healthy in parts of the production segment. Major industry developments are also unfolding, including the widely reported bid by Donerail for MarineMax, a move that could have significant implications across the brokerage, marina, and service sectors.
As ever, the fundamentals remain the same. Pricing correctly, presenting yachts well, and maintaining strong service histories continue to be the factors that determine which yachts sell and which remain on the market.
Key Points
• Newport office facing difficult showing conditions due to heavy snowfall, while tariff changes are creating uncertainty for some US buyers.
 • Enquiry rates remain modest, but repeat clients continue to drive activity across the brokerage.
 • Prices are under pressure across much of the market, although well-presented yachts still sell without difficulty.
 • In segments with greater supply, buyers are taking time to research and secure the right deal.
 • A larger number of active leads are monitoring the market rather than committing immediately.
 • The new yacht market remains challenging, although activity continues in parts of the production sector.
 • The proposed Donerail bid for MarineMax is a major development that could influence the wider yachting market.
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Is Sweden the best place to find a proper cruising yacht right now? In this special crossover episode, Berthon Scandinavia join BoatsinSweden to share a practical, buyer-focused guide to the Swedish used boat market, and how to navigate it safely if you are shopping from abroad.

Host Ingus Purgalis from BoatsinSweden is joined by Magnus Kullberg from Berthon Scandinavia, a broker with nearly 15 years in the trade and roughly 400 boats sold. Together they strip away the romantic brochure talk and get into what actually matters when you are wiring serious money for a serious boat.

First, they unpack why Scandinavian yachts earn the “Swedish Gold” reputation. It is not a fairytale. It is often down to storage and environment. Boats spend months ashore each year, many inside heated storage halls, and in large parts of Sweden they live in brackish or even fresh water. That can mean less corrosion, less wear in the places you do not immediately see, and a better chance of finding an older boat that still presents well. As Magnus puts it, “The fact that it is less salt makes a difference. And also the fact that the boats are up on the land for six months makes a difference.”

They also cut through a common assumption about the weak Swedish Krona. Yes, it can help, but Magnus explains that many premium listings are benchmarked against the wider European market anyway. In other words, the buyer does not always get a miraculous discount just because of currency headlines. The real advantage is often condition, provenance, and a sensible seller. When owners push prices beyond reality, the market responds fast. “If we put the price too high… we don’t get any enquiries.”

If you are buying internationally, the most valuable section is the step-by-step process: broker versus private sale, what legal protections apply when buying from a company, and why a proper survey is still the best investment you can make. Magnus is blunt about doing the work early: “If you do the work good from the beginning… we don’t have this type of problems.” In his experience, issues after completion are rare, and the goal is simple: no surprises, no drama, no long-distance arguments.

They also tackle paperwork that can quietly wreck resale value later, especially VAT evidence and registration. If you plan to cruise across borders, you want clean proof from day one. “If you don’t have the paper, but you know that it is paid, then you cannot prove it. And then you have a problem.” It is not glamorous, but it can save you from years of friction when you move countries, change flag, or try to sell.

Finally, they talk about how deals actually get done in the real world: deposits, time limits, exclusivity, escrow handling, and how brokers can hold funds back until launch and sea trial if a boat is sold while in winter storage. It is the unsexy machinery that keeps buyers and sellers safe when the numbers get big.

And for anyone dreaming of bluewater cruising, there is a reminder that cuts through years of over-planning and refit procrastination: “Just buy a boat… and go.”

Audio pulled from the original BoatsinSweden video published Jan 9, 2026.
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Ingus Purgalis
Host of BoatsinSweden, focused on real-world boat buying and life afloat in Sweden.

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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.
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What does it take to build a yacht capable of crossing the Pacific, riding out 100 knots at anchor, refuelling from 45-gallon drums on remote islands, and cruising among drifting ice and orca in Antarctica? In this episode of the Berthon Podcast, Sue Grant sits aboard FPB 78-2 Grey Wolf II with owner Peter Watson to talk through one of the most extraordinary private cruising programs of the last decade.
Peter’s FPB story began with Little Grey Wolf, an FPB 64 he bought in New Zealand. Instead of shipping her home, he made the bold decision to drive her across the Pacific. “I looked at shipping the boat back,” he says, “and then thought, no, let’s drive it back.”
The resulting three-month journey carried a crew of five, including a retired MOD naval architect and two apprentices, through Tahiti, the equatorial countercurrents, Panama, the Azores and on to the Channel Islands. It was on this voyage that Peter learned the practical truths that would shape his next FPB: carry the spares you may need, because help is thousands of miles away, and make sure everything on board is accessible.
While the 64 was crossing oceans, Grey Wolf II was under construction in New Zealand. The design was a collaborative process between Peter, fellow FPB owner Pete Rossin, and Steve Dashew himself. “It was very much a group effort,” Peter explains. “Steve designed the hull, but we all worked together to refine how she should be equipped and laid out.” He even spent nine months in the yard during the build, ensuring the systems, access and fit-out met the standard needed for high-latitude cruising.
Safety was at the core of the project. Peter insisted the yacht be built to MCA Category Zero. “I wanted the boat to be as safe as it possibly could be. The MCA standard is one of the best internationally,” he says. Grey Wolf II is the only FPB 78 coded to that level.
Once completed, she took the long route home. New Zealand to Tahiti, then the Gambier Islands, where fuel was hand-pumped aboard from 45-gallon drums. Past Pitcairn and Christmas Island, then into Chile. From there she and FPB 78-3 Iron Lady II travelled south together and spent three unforgettable weeks in Antarctica. “The wildlife was extraordinary,” Peter says. “Orca, penguins, seals. By the end I was almost penguined out.”
The conditions, of course, were real. Charts were unreliable, ice drifted unpredictably and anchoring required constant vigilance. “You might put the anchor down and be fine, then the wind shifts and suddenly the ice is coming at you. You have to decide whether you can push it off or lift the anchor and move.”
Between Little Grey Wolf and Grey Wolf II, Peter estimates he has logged close to 100,000 FPB miles. The capability, he says, is what keeps drawing him back. “You do not go looking for bad weather,” he explains, “but you know the boat can handle it. We had 100 knots on the nose in Chile and everything held without a problem.”
If you are interested in real world ocean crossing capability, practical design lessons, or what it means to run a family expedition yacht to some of the most remote places on earth, this conversation is not to be missed. Grey Wolf II is a remarkable platform, and Peter’s miles prove the point.
Listen now and step aboard one of the most capable private cruising yachts afloat
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Steve Dashew - Dashew Offshore
Iconic yacht designer and one of the true legends of modern ocean cruising.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.