About Henley Sales & Charter

As international yacht brokers Henley Sales and Charter Ltd represents boat owners all over Europe, and works in partnership with many independent and creative boat builders on the Thames and also in different parts of the country including the South West, East Anglia, Cumbria and increasingly now in France, Holland and Switzerland. Our passion is to keep the traditions of our maritime history alive by acting as brokers and advisors to other enthusiasts.

Generally classic boats are cheaper to buy than their modern GRP or steel counterparts. It is true that there are maintenance costs but this means that an owner can personalise their vessel and enjoy being part of the “project”. Within Europe there are some spectacular on the water events to attend where one can meet like-minded individuals. Classic boats are beautiful so there is immense aesthetic pleasure and pride to be gained from ownership.

HSC has excellent under cover premises for boat storage as well as contacts for craning, transport, surveys and associated services. At Beale Park we also have a slipway and direct access to the Thames from a private lake.

When it comes to charter HSC has over 30 years of experience in managing and operating charter boats, whether a slipper stern launch for a wedding party or a stunning Victorian steam boat, our expertise will source the right boat, chef, crew and route for your special river adventure. During the summer the office is open 7 days a week with someone always on call to answer questions and take bookings.

International motor yacht brokerage and expertise

30 years experience
Objective advice
Personalised service
Discretion guaranteed
Extensive network of contacts
Agents for selected boat builders
Custom builds
Extensive indoor boat storage
Thames based workshop
Engineering
Electronics & Electric propulsion conversions
Tuition for new boat owners
Supplying skippers for hire
Luxury river charter on a selection of unique vessels

The Team

Heather Dennett

Owner & Director

Heather took over as a director of Henley Sales and Charter Ltd in autumn 2024 with her husband Steve who is well known to boaters up and down the Thames. Heather was virtually born on the water as her father was a seafaring mariner who bequeathed his Dunkirk Little Ship 'Gay Venturer' to Heather. She had known the boat all her life and enjoys being on board with her three boys and her husband Steve. They met when she brought the boat in for some maintenance work and they quickly discovered their mutual interest! The Dennetts live by the river in Chertsey and often have beautiful classic boats moored outside their kitchen window.

Heather worked for a time at St Katherine’s Dock in central London and subsequently trained as an interior designer giving her skills which are complementary to those of the Dennett’s yard in Chertsey. She recently worked on the interior of Llanthony, a 73 ft Camper and Nicholson sold by HSC to the current owner. Llanthony happens also to be a Dunkirk Little Ship and therefore a member of the prestigious Association of Dunkirk Little Ships where Heather is on the committee as the Hon. Events Secretary. Heather is passionate about classic wooden vessels of all shapes and sizes and is delighted to be the face of HSC at events like the Traditional Boat Festival, Goodwood Revival, St Kats Classic boat festival and above all at the Beale Park boatyard where she works with the maintenance and storage team.

Regine de Frettes

Administrator & Boat Hire Manager

Regine came to work with HSC in spring 2022 initially to manage the charter operation associated with the film Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney and for which HSC was asked to find more than a dozen period craft. She acted as liaison between the various boat owners and the film company, managing the finances, the people and the boats! It was an auspicious beginning which hooked her firmly into the admin helm seat at HSC. In fact she became, and remains, indispensable.

Her upbringing was in Normandy where she sailed as a child and enjoyed the bracing sea air on the coastal waters off Le Havre. Regine says she has always been drawn to the water and as soon as she became a full time member of the team she decided to improve her skills by training as a skipper with Pure Boating.

She is a convert to electric boating and takes every opportunity to drive a boat whether as a task for HSC or for her own pleasure. When on land at the yard Regine converses with customers in two languages (her third language being Russian is rarely required!).

She is the essential link between the yard and the customer, the charterer and the boat owner, while wearing two hats in the summer as yard work eases off and boat hire increases with Pure Boating. She has an intimate knowledge of the various boats for charter through both HSC and PB enabling her to advise customers as to the best option for their special day.

Andrew

Yard Manager & Boatbuilder

Andrew is our experienced HSC boatyard manager and logistics wizard. Andrew joined the team in 2019 and rapidly showed his talent as a project manager with excellent boat trailer towing skills. He has the knack of calm and clear communication which serves him well as a manager and in his customer facing role. He thoroughly enjoyed working alongside Elinor Hillier, our boatbuilder at the yard for five years, who taught him many skills including varnishing preparation and finishing which he in turn has passed on to Alex Simmonds his lovely boatyard assistant.

Andrew was brought up on a lighthouse station off the coast of New Zealand where he lived with his British born parents and his brother Richard. His can-do attitude to everything clearly stems from these formative years as does his love of the countryside. We don’t have raging seas at Beale Park but we often experience flooding when Andrew dons his chest waders and sallies forth undeterred. Andrew also manages logistics for Pure Boating and can often be seen of a summer’s evening, pint in hand, just checking on the crew at the Boathouse pub by Wallingford bridge. He and his family, including two dogs, live in the midst of 4 acres of woodland in the Chiltern Hills.

Gillian Nahum

Founder & Consultant

Founder of Henley Sales & Charter, Gillian Nahum, a Piscean, a water lover and an enthusiast of all forms of classic transport, founded HSC in 1992 with one glorious wooden gentleman’s launch for charter and the boat sales agency for the now defunct Steam and Electric Launch Company.

Henley Sales and Charter is the perfect vehicle for Gillian to combine her personal enthusiasm and boating interests with her professional and commercial vision of a successful, locally based business which gives pleasure and imparts knowledge to like minded boating enthusiasts worldwide.