The Santarelli Marine Difference

Tradition & History

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 infrastructures

The technical and commercial hubs

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.

Our agreements: 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 Napoleon Bonaparte 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.

Our two other privileged hubs:

In addition to our 16,000m² of buildings and hangars on the edge of Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte international airport, we have two privileged sites in the heart of Ajaccio:

The port agency and the private pontoon:
These sites, located in the Charles Ornano harbor, enable us to immediately provide all the services required by our shipowner customers who have opted for a privileged place on our private dock, as well as by our customers wishing to rent a boat in Corsica.

-The Santarelli Marine agency is at the heart of all activities related to yachting, and in addition to its commercial vocation, our agency controls yacht charter in Corsica and acts as a direct link with the other Santarelli Marine sites.

Open only in season and located just a few steps from the harbour master's office, it enables our customers to easily benefit from each of our services: personal services, concierge services, boat rental, new or pre-owned boat acquisition projects, as well as access to all our professional services.
At the heart of the summer season, you'll always find an efficient contact at the agency, able to provide an immediate solution to any of your requests.

-Santarelli Marine's private pontoon at the end of Quai Margonajo

In the spring of 2009, Jean-Christophe Santarelli designed and created a secure private pontoon, ideally located at the entrance to Ajaccio harbor, to accommodate larger boats of up to 40 meters.

Whether in season or year-round, the private pontoon is Santarelli Marine's 'Safe Haven', where boats are pampered and our customers are pampered by the little extras and the quality of our services. Your boat is perfectly safe under video surveillance. Access to the pontoon is via a gangway equipped with a digicode, and you have access to wifi, a concierge service, a valet parking service, etc.). Whatever your requirements, we'll meet them with the utmost care.

In addition to access to our 5-star range of services, our customers are guaranteed a berth, which has become a real privilege in the densely populated Gulf of Ajaccio.
Our dedicated team of professionals, orchestrated by our chief pontooner, is available 7 days a week throughout the summer season to assist you in your activities.

From reservations and moorings, to yacht preparation, washing and provisioning, Santarelli Marine does everything in its power to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled with the utmost peace of mind. You'll have quick and easy access to a range of premium services in an exceptional environment.