Yacht investment fund
How the category actually works: the structure, how a fee waterfall orders payments, what the risks are and who is eligible. The Fund's own terms are shown to verified eligible investors.
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What a yacht investment fund is
A yacht investment fund is a pooled investment vehicle that acquires a fleet of yachts, places them with professional charter operators and distributes the net income to its investors, who hold an interest in the fund rather than in any individual vessel and have no personal usage rights.
That last clause is the whole distinction. Fractional ownership and charter management programmes are ways of reducing what a boat costs you. A fund is a way of being paid by the people using the boats. The two are sold in similar language and are structurally opposite: in one, money flows out of your account each year; in the other, the objective is that it flows in.
The structure
- Vehicle
- HelmShare Prime Fund, L.P.A Cayman Islands Exempted Limited Partnership. Investors hold limited partnership interests, not equity or debt securities.
- Jurisdiction
- Cayman IslandsRegistered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority under the Private Funds Act. Registration is not an endorsement of the Fund or its terms.
- General Partner and Investment Manager
- HelmShare LLC (DIFC)Dubai International Financial Centre, DFSA Category 3C licensed. The GP and the Investment Manager are the same entity, which is a structural conflict and is disclosed as such.
- Auditor
- Deloitte (Cayman)
Two entities exist and should not be confused. HelmShare Prime Fund, L.P. is the fund, a Cayman Islands Exempted Limited Partnership issuing limited partnership interests. HelmShare LLC, in the Dubai International Financial Centre and licensed by the DFSA under Category 3C, is the General Partner and Investment Manager. The General Partner and the Investment Manager being the same entity is a structural conflict of interest, and we disclose it as one rather than explain it away. Registration with a regulator is not an endorsement of the Fund, its terms or its prospects.
How a fee waterfall orders payments
A private fund waterfall pays out in a fixed order: contributed capital back to investors first, then distributions up to the preferred return rate, then a general partner catch-up, and only then a share of remaining profits to the manager as carried interest. A preferred return is a queue position, not a promise. It determines the order in which money is paid out when there is money to pay out. It does not create the money. That is the practical meaning of targeted rather than guaranteed.
HelmShare's terms and fee waterfall
The Fund's subscription terms, fee schedule, targeted returns and the full distribution waterfall are available to verified eligible investors.
Where the money goes
The portfolio is built around a fleet of new luxury sailing catamarans operated year round by a professional charter partner, alongside smaller allocations to real estate and listed alternative assets. Operating year round in the Seychelles is a deliberate answer to the seasonality problem set out on our page on yacht charter investment returns, where published operator pricing shows charter rates swinging by as much as 8.8 times between low and high season in a single basin.
On operator commitments
Where a charter operator makes a contractual yield commitment, it is important to be precise about what that is. It is a commitment made to the fund, not to investors. It applies only to the yacht sleeve of a portfolio. And it depends on the operator's own performance and creditworthiness, which is a counterparty risk the fund carries and you should price. The allocation detail and the specific arrangement are published to verified eligible investors.
Who can invest
Interests are offered outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S. United States persons are excluded. Within the permitted markets the tests are jurisdiction specific: professional investors under MiFID II in the EU and EEA, and certified high net worth or sophisticated investors under the Financial Promotion Order in the United Kingdom.
Nothing on this page is an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where that would be unlawful, and nothing on it is investment, legal or tax advice. Final eligibility is verified during onboarding.
What can go wrong
The material risks are concentrated rather than exotic. Interests are illiquid for the full term with no redemption rights, no secondary market and any transfer requiring general partner consent. Charter demand, vessel utilisation, operating cost, insurance and asset value are all variable, and a weak season shows up directly in distributions. A small fund carries proportionally higher fixed costs than a larger vehicle. A charter partner is a single counterparty. The General Partner is also the Investment Manager. Distributions may exceed earnings and therefore return part of your original capital.
Returns are targeted, not guaranteed, and your capital is at risk. Past performance does not predict future results.
Common questions
What is a yacht investment fund?
A yacht investment fund is a pooled investment vehicle that acquires a fleet of yachts, places them with professional charter operators and distributes the net income to its investors. Investors hold an interest in the fund rather than in any individual vessel, and have no personal usage rights. It is an income strategy backed by tangible, insured, revenue-producing assets, not a way of getting access to a boat.
How does HelmShare Prime Fund work?
HelmShare Prime Fund, L.P. is a Cayman Islands Exempted Limited Partnership. Investors subscribe for limited partnership interests, the Fund acquires a fleet of new sailing catamarans plus smaller allocations to real estate and listed alternatives, and net income is distributed to limited partners over a closed term. The specific terms, fees and targeted returns are shown to verified eligible investors.
Is a preferred return guaranteed?
No. A preferred return is targeted, not guaranteed, and capital is at risk. It is a distribution priority in a fund waterfall, meaning investors are paid up to a stated rate before the manager takes any share of profits, not a promise that the money will be there.
What fees does the fund charge?
The full fee schedule, including the management fee, carried interest and the order of the distribution waterfall, is published to verified eligible investors behind the eligibility gate.
Can I get my money out before the end of the term?
No. The Fund is closed-ended with no redemption rights. There is no secondary market for interests and any transfer requires the consent of the General Partner. You should be prepared to hold for the full term.
Who can invest in the fund?
Interests are offered outside the United States under Regulation S to EU and EEA professional investors and to certified high net worth and sophisticated investors in the United Kingdom. US persons are excluded. Eligibility is confirmed through a short self-certification before the Fund's terms are shown, and nothing on this page is an offer in any jurisdiction where that would be unlawful.
Does investing in a yacht fund give me use of a yacht?
No. Investors hold limited partnership interests in a fund that owns a fleet of commercially chartered yachts. There are no personal usage rights of any kind. If access to a vessel is the objective, fractional ownership or a charter is the right product and this is not.
Read further
- Fund facts: how a charter yacht fund works
Charter yield, preferred returns, Cayman ELPs and Regulation S, explained.
- How it works
The investment process from subscription to distribution.
- Investment glossary
Preferred return, waterfall, carried interest, Cayman ELP and Regulation S, defined.
- Fractional yacht ownership versus a yacht fund
The two structures compared on control, cashflow, diversification and exit.
- Yacht charter investment returns
Where the underlying charter income comes from, priced from published rate cards.
- Fractional yacht ownership versus a yacht fund, in full
The long-form comparison, including the governance detail.
Speak to us about the Fund
HelmShare Prime Fund, L.P. is offered outside the United States under Regulation S to eligible professional, qualified and high net worth investors. Confirm your position below to continue.
Investor eligibility
HelmShare Prime Fund, L.P.
Access to fund and investment materials is restricted to eligible non-United States investors in permitted markets. Please confirm the following before continuing.
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Risk and eligibility
Returns are targeted, not guaranteed, and your capital is at risk. Interests are illiquid, there is no secondary market, and you should be prepared to hold for the full term. Past performance does not predict future results.
Interests are offered outside the United States under Regulation S to eligible professional, qualified and high net worth investors. US persons are excluded. Nothing on this page is an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where that would be unlawful.
Full detail is in the risk disclosure and the investment disclosure.
Investor disclosures
Important notice
The information on this website concerns HelmShare Prime Fund, L.P., a Cayman Islands Exempted Limited Partnership, and is provided for information only. It is not an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which, or to any person to whom, such an offer or solicitation would be unlawful, and it is not directed at any United States person. The interests are offered only outside the United States under Regulation S to eligible investors in permitted markets. No regulator has approved the Fund or the interests. An investment in the interests carries a high degree of risk including the risk of total loss of capital, is illiquid, and has no public market. Returns are targeted or projected only and are not guaranteed, fixed, assured, or secure. Nothing on this website is investment, legal, or tax advice. Access to detailed offering materials is restricted to eligible investors who confirm their location and investor category.
This notice is provided for information only and is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Final eligibility is verified during onboarding.