My Present
Hello dear reader, I am Joost Goverts, born in the Netherlands in 1956, where I was educated as a social worker and worked in that field until 1988. I joined N&J in May of 2008 when my then-partner Simon Jeremy Turner and myself started the Northrop & Johnson Spain office in Palma de Mallorca, right at the Paseo Maritimo overlooking the Club de Mar. Some will remember how testing these times were, yet we survived them well.
As a senior yacht broker, I really enjoy the process of figuring out what buyers and sellers need to come to make the right choices and a satisfactory transaction. Few events are more thrilling for me than bringing these parties together and come to agreement. It is a subtle process where it is easy to get things wrong and continuously honing the method is a must. I am now semi-retired and advise old clients and colleagues where this is needed.
My Past
Before N&J, I arrived in Mallorca from Holland in August of 1988. From 1990 until today I worked in various segments of the yachting industry, from the heavy lifting in the shipyard to sailing the yachts and later in the brokerage industry. It turned out that nothing was a waste of time as I now had a big network of friends and professionals. I was with Lewis Marine, De Valk Yachts, Dahm International and Berthon, to end up at the helm of our new company, N&J Spain – May 2008. This has become my baby from day one and my partner Simon Jeremy Turner and I with the help of Lee have slowly but surely build our track record. We grew our number of colleagues and deals, but then all changed in 2020 – with the pandemic came a sense of uncertainty and we decided to give the franchise back to the N&J Group. I was invited to stay on as a broker and given my age this was exactly what I needed and the firm was happy that I did. N&J group is taking very well care of the office and people and I am very pleased with this.
Since I have always been an avid sailor, through all the years I have carved out a niche market which is the pre-owned Nautor’s Swan yachts. NS 82/100/105/112, many were sold to happy owners. It was a process of growth to come from 40’ to 120’ and yet very satisfying. I had the pleasure to meet the most wonderful and interesting people, whom all shared a passion for sailing and it was often like reading from the same sheet. Besides the passion for sailing, I was surprised by how much I liked the entire sales process and even the endless stacks of documents that come with every transaction. I was there to watch N&J grow to the phenomenal company it is today. N&J is the place to go when you enjoy teamwork and side-by-side overcoming issues. I very much enjoyed my career at Northrop and Johnson.
My Future
As mentioned above, I am partially retired and own a sailing cat in SE Asia where I spend six months of the year. I am available for whoever likes to talk about her/his wish to own a boat, sell her/his yacht, or any part of the process that makes them uneasy. Just call me. Having been hands-on at every stage, from repair to maintenance and sales, others and my own yachts. I have dealt with many complex transactions as well and all these experiences give me the certainty that there is always an opportunity to be of help. There is a lot to deal with when buying a boat and uncertainty can stop you from making your dream come through. Each part of the process is a small world and I can help you with understanding what can be done to feel confident in your decision-making process. I don’t pretend to be the best at anything, I am pretty good at many things, and listening to you is one. You want to experience, adventures and pros and cons of type, size, budget, negotiating stage, crew, you name it, I have dealt with the matter and I love to help you with any question you may have.
Fast Facts
