Latitude Yacht Brokerage

ABOUT US & CONTACT INFORMATION

About Us

Latitude is a Certified Professionally Endorsed Yacht Brokerage (CPYB) firm based in historic Newport, Rhode Island with brokers and offices covering all of New England and Florida. We specialize in the brokerage of select Motor Yachts, Trawlers, and Downeast Style Cruisers as well as Racing, Cruising and Offshore Sailing Yachts.

If your goal is to sell your boat, we have the resources to locate a qualified buyer and represent you in all aspects of the sale, always striving for your satisfaction. If your dream is to find that ideal boat, we are here to support and assist you in realizing that dream. Whether you are a new sailor, a classic boat enthusiast, or a seasoned yachtsman, we anticipate the critical stages of buying, and we will steer you toward the day when you navigate toward open water.

Our goal is to build your confidence and gain your trust as we orchestrate the purchase or sale of your vessel. We are ideally located in the yachting center of the northeast, and will provide you with outstanding service and support.

Please consider us! We won’t disappoint you. To learn more about what Latitude can do for you please visit Our Services.

Our Location

Latitude Yacht Brokerage, llc
Located at:
5 Marina Plaza
(Goat Island Marina)
Newport, RI 02840
401-619-2888
info@latitudeyacht.com

Our Team

Ryan J. Miller, CPYB
Tim Norton, CPYB
Matt Leduc, CPYB
Willie Lynch, Yacht Broker
Gene A. Magnetti, Yacht Broker
Carter Richardson, Yacht Broker
Scott Akerman, Yacht Broker
Sue Gearan, Charter Broker
Kristin Walcott-Matthews, Yacht Broker
Yacht Broker

Ryan J. Miller, CPYB

Ryan has always chosen the water. Whether as a dock hand, launch-boat captain, or sailing coach, Ryan was fully immersed in all things “boating.” He devoted his spare time to volunteering and becoming involved with various sailing nonprofits. These experiences and the professionals he met in the industry provided a valuable introduction to the boating community of New England.

Ryan earned an MBA from Salve Regina University and holds a USCG Master Captain’s License. Being a Certified Professional Yacht Broker (CPYB) as well as Florida licensed and bonded has given Ryan the capability and the know-how to provide the best service to his Clients. He worked for Vanguard Sailboats and Sailing Specialties, where he gained significant experience and achieved awards for top sales. Ryan’s energy, passion, and business sense led to the founding of his own yacht brokerage business in 2009. The success of Latitude Yacht Brokerage, and it’s recognition in the marine industry, is the culmination of his years of commitment to the business of boating. Ryan will coach and advise you, address your concerns, and providing answers to your questions promptly.

Ryan is also dedicated to the community. He is the Past Chair of the City of Newport Waterfront Commission, a position that broadened his knowledge and expertise in the marine industry. He is currently the Vice President of the Newport Maritime Alliance (NMA), where he has a unique opportunity to work with leaders of the business communities of Newport and the surrounding Narragansett Bay. Ryan is a Board Member of Clean Bays, a Rhode Island based non-profit agency that specializes in large debris shoreline cleanup. He is also a member of the New York Yacht Club.

Ryan lives in Newport and is the proud owner of “Hope,” a 32′ Wasque, built in Martha’s Vineyard. He and his wife Monika and two children spend time with family and friends, giving harbor tours of Narragansett Bay and cruising Southern New England. Look for “Hope” and stop to say “Hello!”

To contact Ryan click here.

Yacht Broker, CPYB

Tim Norton

Tim has been a sailor since his childhood in northern New Jersey, where he sailed a Sunfish and a Duster on local inland lakes. After a stint in the Navy and a career in law enforcement and security services, Tim joined Eastern Yacht Sales in Portsmouth, RI. EYS is a multi-location dealer for Catalina, Jeanneau, Bavaria, Island Packet, and Mainship Trawlers. He has also represented a dealer selling Beneteau.

Tim bought his first boat with auxiliary power, an O’Day 25, when he moved to Rhode Island in 1980. Since then, he has sailed an O’Day 28, Nonsuch 30, and Nonsuch 33. His current boat is Consensus, a navy-hulled Moody CC 42. Tim has been a regular ‘club’ racer in Rhode Island and Chicago, and has crewed for several long-distance races aboard a C&C 37 as well as piloting multiple bareboat cruises in the Caribbean. He’s sailed the Atlantic coast as far north as Maine and south to the Virgin Islands. Tim holds a USCG captain’s license and is a certified professional yacht broker.

Tim believes that selling boats is about matching clients with the right boat for their needs. He takes the time to know his customers, their sailing experience, and the features and options they want in a boat. He’s fastidious about the care and maintenance of his sailboat. He’s tried most products for finishing teak, polishing fiberglass, cleaning the bilge and most other sailboat chores. Ask him about his recommendations.

To contact Tim click here.

Yacht Broker

Gene A. Magnetti

Gene heads up Latitude’s new remote Florida office.  With a career in sales, marketing and organizational consulting and as a lifelong boater and sailor, Gene understands the need for information and helpful advice in buying and selling. He has held positions at Xerox Corporation and Exxon Office Products Company, was a Senior VP at a Wall Street mutual fund company, and headed up the Westchester Convention and Visitor’s Bureau as President and CEO. His love of the sea began as a child on his grandfather’s boats in his Long Beach, LI summer home.  His previous homeport was Mamaroneck, NY where he kept his Tartan 33′ sloop and his Boston Whaler Montauk. His new homeport is Vero Beach, FL where he provides services to Latitude clients who seasonally spend time in Florida and well as full time Florida boaters.  Gene has fourteen years of yacht-brokerage experience assisting people to find the right boat at the right price or selling at the best possible market price. He also assists families to quickly find a buyer in estate sales. He is fully Florida Licensed and Bonded.  You can contact Gene at 914-806-3399, or at gene@latitudeyacht.com.  His Latitude Florida mailing address is 505 Beachland Blvd., #252, Vero Beach, FL  32963.

Yacht Broker

Matt Leduc, CPYB

Matt Leduc is a graduate of Mass Maritime Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation. He is a USCG 3rd Mate Unlimited Tonnage – Ocean Certified, CPYB (Certified Professional Yacht Broker), Rhode Island Marine Trades Vice President and a Florida Yacht Salesperson. Matt brings his expansive knowledge and more than 20 years of marine industry experience, and is part of a seasoned team of professionals who exemplify Latitude’s tradition of successfully advising our Clients.

Prior to joining Latitude, Matt sold the most sailboats in the State of RI over the course of five years. Along with this impressive accomplishment, Matt has crossed the Atlantic, the Equator, weathered the North Atlantic and has sailed throughout the Mediterranean. Matt’s expertise, coming up through the industry, has afforded him the ability to guide customers through all aspects of a boat and its systems. Looking for the right boat for you and your family? Matt values your time and will find the boat, that best fits your needs, efficiently.

In his spare time, Matt enjoyed running Middletown Flag Football, is active in his Church community and the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association. He loves spending time on the water fishing, and sailing with his family and friends or heads to the New England outback for some hiking, camping or cutting wood. To his children he is – chauffeur, cook, adviser, trainer, coach, water boy, accountant, fashion consultant, homework helper and biggest fan. He lives in Newport, RI with his wife Shannon and two kids, Zack and Sophie.

To contact Matt click here.

Yacht Broker

Willie Lynch

Willie is originally from Dublin, Ireland and grew up sailing on the Irish Sea. From a young age he competed as much as he could and as a young man crewed in several successful racing programs both in Ireland and abroad. His racing days expanded into boat management, instruction and maintenance that resulted in jobs around the world including Greece, Spain, and Australia before moving to Chicago in the early 2000s.

After a few years with a sailing and charter business in Chicago, Willie began working with a private owner who was passionate about both sailboat and powerboat restorations. Together they restored two Huckins powerboats over several years which led to a new pastime for Willie who has since worked closely with many Huckins owners around the country. To date he has been involved with over ten refits and is one of the most knowledgeable Huckins boaters around.

Willie has sailed tens of thousands of miles between racing, deliveries and cruising, in every role imaginable. His broad boating background guarantees he will be able to understand what any client is looking for and provide first-hand experience and advice on all aspects of boat ownership and management. He knows the benefits and challenges of being a boat owner and will give honest answers to any questions someone may have.

When Willie is not taking care of other people’s boats or talking about boats or reading about boats or thinking about boats, he can be found sailing on his own 38’ sailboat with his wife and two young children. Who, fortunately, also really like boats.

To contact Willie click here.

Yacht Broker

Scott Akerman

Scott grew up in Massachusetts and fell in love with sailing at the age of 10 while attending summer camp. By 14 he was teaching other kids and hooked for life. To be close to the ocean he attended Salve Regina University in Newport, RI where joined the sailing team. While there he also started working at Sail Newport instructing on J22’s and coaching for the Shake-A-Leg non-profit handicapped program. He also assisted with the Olympic sailing trials and spent time aboard the Americas Cup 12 meters Gleam & Northern Light with some famous sailors. After college he moved to Boston and became the head instructor at the Boston Sailing Center. He worked there for 7 years and was named “Best of Boston” by Boston Magazine & the Improper Bostonian.

Scott holds a 100-ton masters license and has clocked over 100,000 miles at sea. He’s run well-known sailing vessels such as the custom built 80’ Goshawk as well many Oyster yachts throughout the US, Caribbean and Europe. For over 10 years he’s been delivering motor yachts and helping owners with training, trip planning and finding the best boat for their wants and needs. With all of this experience he has gained a wealth of knowledge making him invaluable to clients. He is still just as passionate and excited about the boating world now as he was at the age of 10. He currently resides near Portland, Maine with his wife and daughter where they all enjoy boating, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, gardening and cooking together. They love to travel and explore new destinations especially sailing the Caribbean islands.

To contact Scott click here.

Charter Broker

Sue Gearan

Latitude’s partnership with broker Sue Gearan, from Carol Kent Yacht Charters & Global Yacht Concierge, gives us an edge when it comes to selling luxury yacht vacations. Since she has been both a charter broker and a yacht crew since 1996, she understands what it takes to create a flawless experience for our clients. Sue has worked on several charter yachts and for 9 years she was the chief stew/chef/mate aboard a private yacht owned by a high profile businessman.

Her areas of expertise include: New England, Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Sue has traveled to over 80 countries, visiting many of the world’s most desirable cruising spots. With her combined marketing, interpersonal and hospitality skills, she will pair you with the charter of your dreams.

“I’ve experienced various facets of this intriguing business and have learned a lot of valuable things.  Overall, what I realized, is that it’s so specialized you need to work with people that really know the ins & outs of it.  The world today is fast and instant so most things are just one click away.  Yachting is one of those areas where you definitely need a boutique service.  You are spending your hard earned money on a luxury vacation so you need to know you are getting the very best.  I want to ensure that happens!”

To contact Sue click here.

Yacht Broker

Kristin Walcott-Matthews

Kristin has a bachelor’s degree of fine arts and is currently working towards her USCG captain’s license. She is an American Sailing Association instructor with the Narragansett Sailing School in Barrington, RI where she teaches adult sailors ranging from beginner to those preparing for a bareboat charter. Her passion is getting more women on the water and specializes in women’s only classes.  With a foundation in wedding planning and real estate, Kristin prides herself on her patience and easy going spirit. Drawing on her patchwork background, she has extensive knowledge of canvas and sail repair, diesel engine maintenance, boat systems maintenance and passage planning. 

Originally from the Southwest, Kristin has called Rhode Island home since 2005. Beginning as a kid with her family’s ski boat on the small lakes of New Mexico and Colorado, Kristin has always had a passion for being on the water. This love grew exponentially upon moving to New England where she was introduced to the world of sailing in Portland, ME.  A year after her maiden sail, she bought her first sailboat, Persistence, a classic Sabre 28 and now sails Resilience, her Beneteau 38 out of Wickford, RI. She is also an active member of the Edgewood Yacht Club. In her off time, for the experience and the adventure, Kristin has been assisting friends move their 45′ catamaran throughout the Caribbean and is always looking for the opportunity for a sailing adventure.  

To contact Kristin click here.

Yacht Broker

Carter Richardson

Even though he grew up in the deserts of the Southwest, Carter fell in love with sailing as a kid with this family in Maine.  That love continued while he was a student at Tabor, sailing on board their 92’ gaff schooner S.S.V. TABOR BOY and training as a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy on their Navy 44s.

Carter graduated from the Naval Academy with a degree in Engineering and went on to get qualified as a Navy Diver and Surface Warfare Officer.  He served as the Deck Division and Weapons Officers on board the USS COMSTOCK, where he was deployed overseas to the South Pacific and Alaska. Upon leaving the Navy, Carter attended the International Yacht Restoration School and graduated from the Boat Building and Restoration Program in 2004.  Building on the experience that he gained while at IYRS, Carter opened his own wooden boat restoration shop in 2006.  East Passage Boatwrights is a full-service inland boat yard that specializes in the restoration of classic wooden yachts like SONNY and SKYLARK of 1937.  In 2017, East Passage was recognized as a part of the crew awarded Classic Boat’s Restoration of the Year (Sail over 40’) for their contribution towards the restoration of the 1935 Sparkman & Stephens yawl SANTANA. Carter’s experience has brought a wealth of knowledge to Latitude. He looks forward to working with buyers and sellers in the stewardship of classic wooden yachts.

In his free time, Carter enjoys cruising Newport Harbor and teaching his kids how to sail on his Herreshoff 12-1/2, BETTY.

To contact Carter click here.

Contact Us

    Client Testimonials

    Brad RobertsBrad Roberts
    19:58 14 Nov 22
    I had a great experience getting my first boat through Willie. He was very patient with me and my wife as we asked so many questions and constantly changed our minds. He showed us options, discussed pros and cons that we never would have thought of and ultimately made the entire process easy. Unfortunately, I bought the boat in the Fall and now I have to wait till the Spring.
    Matthew BickleyMatthew Bickley
    14:21 26 Sep 22
    Living in Virginia, we worked remotely with Matt Leduc for about 8 months as we searched for, found, and ultimately purchased our first boat. In all facets of the process he provided us excellent advice and support, always available to guide our efforts with patience, flexibility and understanding. I would have preferred to work with him in person. Despite that, I would never buy another boat without a buyer's broker, and in particular if (when?) we are back in the market, I will call Matt Leduc at the start.
    John HeideJohn Heide
    00:52 17 Jul 22
    We had the pleasure of working with Willie Lynch of Latitude Yacht Brokerage this summer and we found our new to us home on the water thanks to his diligence and knowledge. He not only got us our perfect boat, but saved us a lot of money along the way. He was knowledgeable and provided the right amount of guidance to broker a great deal for my wife and myself. He also has numerous finance and insurance connections as well which further maximized our savings and we are forever grateful for his guidance.Thanks Willie, we will be seeing you in Newport soon we hope!
    Steven MartiniSteven Martini
    20:59 15 Jul 22
    We recently purchased a boat through Willie Lynch at Latitude Yachts. Willie was recommended to me by someone else as being an expert in this particular rare boat, which he is. Willie worked for weeks trying to find one off market for me, and he did. Willie is an excellent communicator and his knowledge of boat manufacturers. yachting, navigation is superb. I made the purchase on the West coast and the boat was located on the East Coast near Newport RI. Willie arranged everything for me, found a great surveyor and did a great job negotiating and managing expectations the entire time. I would highly recommend him.
    Skyler LaKoseSkyler LaKose
    19:13 15 Jul 22
    I had the pleasure of working with Matt on the sale of a Leopard 39 catamaran. Having never been a part of a sale of a vessel of this nature, he went above and beyond to help and made the entire process very straightforward and simple. Anytime we spoke he was very transparent and straight to the point. I highly recommend Matt and Latitude Yacht brokerage for any future transactions.
    Patrick CanavanPatrick Canavan
    21:31 28 Sep 21
    Ryan was very professional throughout the process in working with myself (the buyer) and the seller. He was helpful at facilitating the documentation process and was always very responsive. Highly recommend.
    Alex ReisAlex Reis
    16:06 28 Sep 21
    Ryan was extremely helpful through out the process of selling our boat.Very knowledgeable on the field and professional.I would recommend and work again with Ryan at Latitude Yacht Brokerage.
    gary allaingary allain
    00:43 28 Sep 21
    We could not be happier with the experience we had working with Matt Leduc. It was a pleasurable experience from the 1st phone call we made to him, after seeing the boat we wanted to look at in an advertisement, to the closing and quick receipt of the documents after the closing. He was more than accommodating and considerate of us needing to travel 4 hours to see the boat. He help guide us through the process that we have never been through before and provided us with information to get us through the process. Matt was always professional and responsive to calls, texts and emails even during non-business hours. We would recommend Matt to anyone wanting to sell or buy a boat and have already given him one direct reference.
    Peter BrownPeter Brown
    14:45 23 Sep 21
    Matt was a pleasure to work with and highly effective in selling my boat. Very prompt and responsive in communications. He generated a continuous flow of credible, potential buyers. Matt stands out as a real professional amongst so many yacht brokers who view it as a hobby.
    Andrew PotterAndrew Potter
    22:47 14 Aug 21
    Hailey Hock did a superb job in marketing and handling all inquiries (of which there were many..) on my Pearson Triton. A couple of prospects hedged a little, and Hailey was very professional and prompt in handling any outstanding issues or questions. The boat sold sooner than the average listing time, and I was very satisfied with the results. Thank you, Hailey. I would recommend you to all interested parties, and would use your services again, should the opportunity come along.
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