Adventure
Rebecca Pattinson
Two decades in and with almost 1,000 charters under her belt, Rebecca Pattinson still feels she is living the dream every single day.
“Being on a yacht is all about total and utter freedom, together with ultimate luxury and comfort.” If anyone should know, it’s Rebecca Pattinson. With twenty years of experience as a charter broker, she has helped countless clients get away from it all on a superyacht.
It helps that adventure and exploration are in her blood. As a teenager growing up in the north-west Highlands of Scotland, catching her own dinner or hiking twenty miles to the nearest shop felt like the most natural thing in the world. Running later became a passion and she has since completed gruelling challenges racing across the Sahara and Atacama Deserts as well as the Himalayas. “When I put on my running shoes I can disappear into the mud or the mountains, the sand or the snow, with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company,” she explains.
Such a record of adventurous achievements instills trust in her clients, and as a self-confessed perfectionist, it’s little wonder she is a dab hand at matching the perfect destination to each and every guest. “Through my own adventures I have the confidence to say, ‘trust me John, you will love this itinerary, just do it!’”
This willingness from clients to allow Rebecca to make bold and brave decisions on their behalf often leads them off to destinations they might never have previously considered. Pattinson is quick to point out, however, that it’s not as simple as picking the most remote locations on the planet. “The notion of adventure and exploring is different for everyone,” she explains. “You are exploring when you are in a place you have never been before, regardless of whether anybody else has.”
Whilst Rebecca would happily organise a charter around the uninhabited islands of Burma or send clients off to Antarctica on an ice-breaker, she’s equally happy to find excitement and inspiration closer to home. “If I am really honest, my favourite place is Corsica,” she says. “With its majestic mountains, beautiful coastline, crystal clear seas and tiny fishing villages, I find it to be a world in one country. To see it from the deck of a luxury yacht is heavenly.”
Wherever her clients end up, the priority for Rebecca is always capturing that elusive sense of freedom. “I see how hard my clients work throughout the year. I desperately want to give them that ultimate escape, away from the stresses of modern day living.”
Meanwhile, Rebecca is already planning her own next escape, running 250km across Cambodia. As she puts it, “‘Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” She is certainly a woman of her word.