The Santarelli Marine Difference
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as of 1959

1959

Santarelli Marine's heritage dates back to 1959. It was then that Jean Santarelli Senior left the family business of tanning animal skins in Ajaccio and moved into a small shop on the main street of the imperial city to devote himself fully to his passion for boats and caravans. With little experience and even less money, he and two of his sons, Toussaint and Claude, embarked on a new life. Together, they try to develop and manage this small business named at the time 'Nautique Caravaning'. They started by selling caravans and small boats of 15 to 20 feet.

By watching and listening to his father, Toussaint learned the business from scratch while Claude turned to other horizons.

 

1970

1970 was a milestone for the Santarelli family. Jean Santarelli Senior suffered from diabetes and eventually lost his sight and stopped working.

This was the year Toussaint and his wife Betty purchased a larger establishment on the beach at Ricanto, which they named 'Santarelli Marine'.

This is the year their second child Jean-Christophe was born, 2 years younger than his sister Nathalie.

Toussaint and Betty continued the adventure, selling boats and attending their first boat shows.

The foundations of 'Santarelli Marine' had been laid and somehow this family business not only survived, but began to thrive.

 

Toussaint and Betty passed on their passion for the sea to their children. Jean-Christophe started windsurfing at the age of 8. Gifted in his field, he joined the French team in 1986 and the Olympic team in 1992.

An acute peritonitis will definitively deprive him of the final selection and Jean-Christophe decides to put an end to his career of high level sportsman.

 

1992

In 1992, Jean-Christophe, then 22 years old, joined his father's company and learned the trade with the same passion that drives this family.

 

1997

In September 1997, a disaster occurred, a terrifying fire completely destroyed the hangar and boats. Toussaint is devastated and abandons the company to his son.

Jean-Christophe has only one goal. To rebuild the family company 'Santarelli Marine'.

 

And that is exactly what he did.

 

He worked hard, rebuilt and developed the company to what it is today - one of the most respected marine companies in the world.

 

2010

Nathalie, the eldest of the family, with a passion for travel and discovery, after having worked for Nouvelles Frontières, the Corsican Mediterranean airline, and with the experience of her own events company, joins her brother with the desire to contribute to the building and develops the activity of high-end boat rental and the management of yachts in terms of administration, legal and financial aspects, recruitment and management of crews.

 

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In conclusion,

At Santarelli Marine, Experience rhymes with Excellence:

For three generations, successive descendants and select collaborators have been guided by their passion and attention to detail. Their expertise extends to the sale and purchase of new and used boats and yachts in Corsica.

With a deep entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and capacity for achievement, Jean-Christophe strives to uphold the company's values and commitments of hard work, dedication and humility.
These fundamental principles are crowned with a traditional sense of hospitality specific to Corsica while ensuring the implementation of new techniques and technologies, keeping innovation at the heart of all projects.
The growth and investments made in recent years have enabled Santarelli Marine to surround itself with a loyal, intelligent and highly qualified workforce, and to arm itself with the latest infrastructure and equipment to meet the demand for excellence imposed by the leading yachting destination in the Mediterranean.

The quest for excellence has allowed Santarelli Marine, a leader in the sale, purchase and rental of boats, to acquire the experience that over the years has continued to sharpen and perfect the quality of the various services offered.

 

Santarelli Marine has been selected by Princess Yachts for over 30 years to be the exclusive distributor of the Princess Yachts brand in Corsica. Santarelli Marine has collected many Princess boats in Corsica and offers their owners the opportunity to rent them.


Due to its strategic geographical position in Southern Corsica, Santarelli Marine is the only shipyard in the Mediterranean able to offer Princess Yachts for charter.

The Santarelli Marine Difference

Why are we different ?

We provide seamless support to our clients, 24/7 tailored to each event, each process.

 

Because every situation is different and every ship owner unique, with its own style of life, projects and perspectives.

 

At Santarelli Marine we do not limit ourselves to selling a product or a service. We are relentless in our approach to each individual case and take each of your issues in our stride.

We are committed to finding all solutions in the realm of possibilities and sometimes even making the impossible becoming possible.

 

Owning a boat should be an enjoyable and exciting adventure, not an uncertain path full of pitfalls and bad surprises.

 

Selling or maintaining a boat is within the reach of many brokers and yards. This is not what we are about.

 

Accompanying, advising, serving, and deploying all the means to achieve your goals is our job, our passion.

We do our utmost to systematically respond to all problems related to the nautical field.

It is the essence of our philosophy and the ground of our pride.

 

In addition to the activities of buying and selling new and used boats, renting boats in Corsica and yacht charter with crew, Santarelli Marine provides a complete range of services and interventions on all its sites:

-Sale and purchase of new and used boats, official distributor in Corsica of Princess yachts, Pardo Yachts and Boston Whaler
-Full management of the boat from the signature of the order form, management of transport, delivery, administrative and customs formalities, and the establishment of the flag
-Complete management of charter boats and yachts with crew
-Crew management, concierge services, berths, reservations of all kinds
-Hull cleaning, transport and delivery, handling
-Wintering, storage in hangar and complete overhauls
-Mechanical workshop (overhaul, repairs, maintenance)
-Maintenance, repair of ships on land and in the water
-Complete refit in our workshops: electrical, plumbing and polyester workshops (repair/retouching of fiberglass, gelcoat, antifouling paint), saddlery workshop (cleaning, renovation, replacement of all leathers, vinyls, padding), paint workshop.
-Private pontoon with pontoon service (preparation of your boat, washing, polishing, cleaning of interiors, mooring, provisioning, delivery, breakfasts, reservation of places in port, restaurants etc.)
-Concierge service, laundry service
-etc.


You still have questions? Let us take care of you, our expertise allows us to manage everything, from A to Z.

The Technical and Commercial Department

Our equipment - Our approvals

In 2007, Jean-Christophe Santarelli is purchasing new lands bordering the Ajaccio airport and builds a new facility with a total surface area of 7,500 m², in a fully secured area of 16,000 m².

In 2019, a very large new concrete building of over 2,000m² with a storage volume of 15,000 m3 was added, including new offices, workshops, and the most innovative facilities for boat storage and maintenance.

The entire site allows :
- To winterize indoor open or flybridge units between 6 and 30 meters in full safety.
- To carry out all the necessary technical interventions and ensure the maintenance of the boats and yachts which are entrusted to us.
- The integral management of all yachts.

 

Approvals:


Internationally renowned engine manufacturers such as Mercury, Volvo Penta and Man have approved Santarelli Marine in view of the superior quality of our technical teams, and our concern and policy of permanent training. This is an additional guarantee that we are proud to offer to our customers.

Ideally located on the edge of Ajaccio International Airport, the Cavone site represents the administrative, technical and commercial center of Santarelli Marine, open year round.

Our team of professionals is composed of :
- Staff with a Master's degree and engineering degrees, surrounded by experienced, competent agents who are fully dedicated to assisting you both commercially and in all your administrative formalities.
- Expert technicians and mechanics, highly qualified, able to intervene and solve any technical incident.

In terms of resources, our physical stock of spare parts and shipchandler, combined with decades of exceptional commercial relationships with our suppliers, allow us to optimize and efficiently supply our workshops with all the necessary materials and equipment.

The site also supplies all liferaft support equipment. In fact, as part of our ongoing safety efforts, Santarelli Marine is licensed to check, overhaul and maintain all Bombard brand survival equipment.

 

Boat Rental and Private Pontoon

Specialist in boat rental in Corsica and yacht charter with crew

We operate from two other sites located at the Charles Ornano harbour (also known as Amirauté harbour) to provide all the necessary services to our shipowners and clients wishing to rent a boat in Ajaccio.

The Santarelli Marine agency is located at the center of all activities related to yachting and in addition to its commercial vocation, our agency ensures the rental of yachts in Ajaccio and makes the direct link with the other Santarelli Marine sites.
Open only from Spring to Fall season and located just a few steps from the harbor master's office, the agency allows our clients to easily benefit from each of our services: yacht charter, boat rental, project of purchase of a new or used boat, as well as access to all of our professional services.
In the heart of the boating season, you will always find in the agency, a privileged interlocutor, able to provide a solution and answer your questions.

 

Santarelli Marine's private pontoon is situated a few steps away, at the end of the Margonajo quay.
In the spring of 2009, Jean-Christophe Santarelli designed a private pontoon ideally located at the entrance to the port of Ajaccio, in order to provide mooring for larger boats, up to 40 meters in length.

In addition to accessing our range of services, our customers are guaranteed a berth, which has become a real privilege in the density of the Gulf of Ajaccio.
Our team of dedicated professionals orchestrated by our chief pontoonist is available 24/7 throughout the boating season to assist you in your activities.


Whether it's about booking reservation, mooring, preparing your yacht, washing or provisioning, Santarelli Marine does everything possible to allow you to fullfill your wishes in the greatest serenity. You will have quick and easy access to a range of premium services in an exceptional environment.

 

The luxury yacht charter activity with crew:

Santarelli Marine offers the possibility to yacht charter in Corsica, real luxury boats from the most beautiful ports of Corsica such as Ajaccio, Bonifacio, Porto-Vecchio, Calvi, St Florent, but also the possibility of chartering a yacht in Corsica from Sardinia such as the Costa Smeralda or from the French Riviera and St Tropez.
Take advantage of our over 45 years of experience in the boat rental activity and embark on the cruise of a lifetime in a charter yacht from Porto-Vecchio or Bonifacio, incredible territories between sea and mountains.

Porto Vecchio is the first tourist resort in Corsica for yacht charter. Luxury yacht charter in Porto Vecchio as well as in Bonifacio will lead you to sites of exceptional and incomparable preserved beauty, such as the bay of the mythical Golf of Sperone, the fine sandy beaches of Palombaggia, Santa Giulia and Rondinara, which remain the mecca of yacht charter in Corsica, Porto-Vecchio.

Take the time to visit the picturesque upper town of Porto-Vecchio surrounded by ramparts with a panoramic view of the gulf and its salt marshes.

Let your Captain guide you to a yacht trip to Bonifacio to discover the breathtaking medieval town, its citadel, its marina, its old walled city on the southernmost tip of Corsica, just 2 hours sailing south of Ajaccio, opposite Sardinia.
Continuing the boat trip on a day trip, you will enjoy exceptional panoramic views of Sardinia located at a distance of 9 NM (nautical miles) by boat from Bonifacio.

Continue the adventure to the islands of Lavezzi, Cavallo and make the crossing to La Maddalena, then to the picturesque Marina Dell'Orso at Poltu Quatu and then on to Porto Cervo, Cala di Volpe with its Costa Smeralda and Porto Rotondo...
Admire the incredible view from your yacht at the foot of the cliffs of Bonifacio, its cliffside village overlooking the sea. Allow yourself an extension of your yacht cruise to Ajaccio and its fabulous Sanguinaires islands. You will have plenty of time to contemplate the sumptuous and surreal scenery offered by the beaches of Roccapina and Murtoli.

Renting a yacht in Corsica at Porto-Vecchio or Bonifacio will allow you to glide on the waves to Ajaccio, the historic city of Napoleon Bonaparte, and to continue the visit further north with the Gulf of Porto, Girolata and the wonderful protected reserve of Scandola, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
If night has not yet fallen, your Captain will set course for Calvi which gave birth to the internationally renowned festival 'Calvi on the Rocks', then you will discover the treasures of the salt beach of Saleccia to end your epic journey on the old port of St Florent, capital of the summer festival of 'Porto Latino'.

All our fabulous cities in the south of Corsica such as Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio are easily accessible from Figari international airport by airliner or on board your private jet. Near the commercial port and a marina with 450 moorings that can accommodate our top yachts. With its privileged location between the sea and the mountains, Porto-Vecchio is a region to discover or rediscover on board your yacht charter in Corsica.

Santarelli Marine crews are selected with the greatest care and attention to detail.

At Santarelli Marine, nothing is left to chance. Relax and enjoy the scenery and relaxing charms of Corsica while we strive to fulfill your every wish. So don't hesitate to contact us for your yacht charter in Corsica with skipper and hostess upon request.

Take advantage of our 5 star service with pick up upon arrival for your yacht charter in Corsica.