Meet Rich Tighe
Broker Associate, Classic Yachts International
Fort Lauderdale
Toll Free: (877) 527-2778
Phone: (954) 527-2778
Cell: (954) 224-2900

My boating experience goes back to the Finger Lakes area of New York where as a child I started sailing and power boating at the age of ten. After four years in the Navy (on a destroyer out of Mayport, Florida), I then spent time with IBM as an electronics engineer. Becoming hooked on the warm Florida weather, upstate New York became too inclement, so a move to San Diego materialized.

In the late 1970’s I became a yacht broker with George Brokaw Yacht Sales on Shelter Island in San Diego. After two years I become a licensed yacht broker in California and opened my own brokerage firm called Out-Island Yacht Sales. Eight years later a career opportunity in large printing systems sales forced a move to Atlanta. During the next ten years, after several sales management positions with Scitex, Agfa and IBM, I was offered the position of North American Business Manager for the commercial printing division of Barco Graphics.

Wanting to return to the Florida sunshine, Debbie, my wife of 24 years and I, decided to move to South Florida and chose Fort Lauderdale to be home. After the occurrence of 9/11 and a corporate merger that eliminated my position, I decided to pursue my true love of boating and utilize my sales and management expertise and become a full time yacht broker once again.

At first, I spent time with Chas P. Irwin Yacht Brokerage in Fort Lauderdale, primarily involved with brokerage listings and sales. Then I worked at Offshore East as a broker assocate, before joining Hal Jones & Company in July 2004 concurrently with the Offshore dealership moving there.

Today, I am based at the Lauderdale Marina as part of the Classic Yachts International sales team and look forward to assisting clients in locating and purchasing the right yacht for them.