Our Story

About Pinnacle Yachts

With over 350 Members and over 30 yachts hailing from four Chicago marinas, Pinnacle Yachts is by far the world’s largest and most successful shared-yacht operation. The program has been entirely sold-out prior to the start of the season each-and-every year since inception in 1998. What is it about the program that makes it a such success?

Member Driven

Pinnacle Members are an engaging, educated and affluent bunch, with an average age of about 50. Many have owned a boat in the past, and do the Pinnacle program instead for convenience rather than financial reasons. They are intelligent and eager to offer insights into the program.

The program has evolved over the years, and this evolution has been driven largely by its Members who have heavily influenced the selection of yachts in the fleet, harbor locations, training curricula and scheduling software development.

To Members old and new we send our sincere and many thanks.

Technology Enabled

Some say that Pinnacle Yachts is more of a Tech Company than a boat business. Pinnacle has invested heavily in technology with just about every aspect of the program being handled online.

Scheduling is particularly advanced, allowing the boat to be used for day sailing, weekend trips and week-long excursions while assuring fairness to all Members.

Members report maintenance items, check weather, manage their usage schedules and access other information via the user-friendly system on their computers and smart phones.

All boats in the fleet are tracked continually via satellite, monitoring critical systems and position. All this is connected to Pinnacle internal systems so that staff can manage the operation swiftly, efficiently and safely.

Safety Obsessed

Pinnacle is obsessed with safety, and views Member training and vessel maintenance as two primary safety elements. Every new Member, regardless of past boating experience, must undergo Pinnacle’s extensive on-the-water and online training, demonstrate boat handling skills, and pass a 100-question exam before taking the boat out on their own. All lessons are taught by USCG licensed Masters, many of whom have been teaching at Pinnacle for well over a decade, and who have guided the creation Pinnacle’s training programs.

Pinnacle employs a team of skilled technicians who work on the boats year-round. From stem to stern, this team processes about 300 work orders on each boat during the off-season alone; and services each boat regularly and is on-call seven days a week during the season to assure peak working order.

Community Oriented

Founders

Pinnacle Yachts was founded by Patricia Feracota and Gary Feracota — avid sailors and accomplished business people.