ABOUT

Naos Yachts is the leading sailboat brokerage on the entire West Coast of the United States for a reason - we are passionate about the sport of sailing and boating in general. 

Founded in 2009 by offshore racer Charles-Etienne Devanneaux, whose unbridled enthusiasm and love for sailing is impossible to resist, Naos Yachts has now become the leading seller of Beneteau Yachts, Lagoon Catamarans, Amel Yachts and CNB on the US West Coast. Recently Naos has entered the powerboating universe with Antares, Flyer, Wellcraft and Fourwinns power boats from Beneteau Group.

Charly’s relentless work ethic and business philosophy of treating customers like family has pushed Naos to expand into the successful Sailtime program and offer an excellent American Sailing (ASA) certified sailing school. 

The team at Naos, all experienced sailors, aim to make buying a boat an exciting and pleasurable experience that becomes a cherished memory instead of an obstacle course. 

We understand that this is an important decision, we will help you make the best one. 

Our motto " Life is too short to stay at the docks!

** Naos Yachts has won several awards most recently

2020 "Beneteau America Top Dealer" - 2019 "Best Brand Ambassador" - 2018 "Top dealership sailboats" and ''2nd largest distributors'' 

Charles-Etienne Devanneaux (Charly)

FOUNDER

Born into a sailing family, Charly has effectively been a sailor his entire life. He was a passionate racer in his youth and still is. In 2011, he won the Newport-Cabo Race and in the same year finished second in Transpac on the Beneteau First 40. The following year Charly won the double-handed division of the Pacific Cup (San Francisco to Hawaii) on a Beneteau First 30. In the Pacific Cup 2018. on the new foiling Beneteau Figaro 3, Charly won the ''line honors'' and in 2019 he sailed double-handed on the smallest boat and finished 4th in Division in the Transpac 2019. 

Before founding Naos Yachts in Southern California, Charly was a manager in the marine division of Yamaha Motor Europe. He is a graduate of the UCLA John E. Anderson School of  Management.  

Charly has sailed across oceans and posted podium finishes on catamarans; finishing third in the ARC 2012 across the Atlantic and in the 2016 edition of the race in a Lagoon 400 and Lagoon 42 respectively. 

You may see him cruising on the family Lagoon 52F around Catalina, the Channel Islands or the Sea of Cortez. He is using this ''free time'' to test a lot of new equipments.

Contact Charles

Anne-Cécile Devanneaux (Anne)

CFO and SAILTIME Manager

After 20-years of working in the world of finance for multinational companies, Anne-Cécile found her way into the world of sailing and is loving it. 

At Naos Yachts, which was founded by her husband Charly, Anne-Cécile oversees the financial department, and manages the Sailtime program with Denis Laborderie.

Anne-Cécile enjoys cruising on Clapotis 2, the family Lagoon 52 catamaran, around Catalina and the Channel Islands or in the Sea of Cortez. 

Contact Anne

Gunnar Swanson

BROKER - BENETEAU and LAGOON Specialist - Marina del Rey 

Gunnar grew up in a sailing family in Southern California. His grandfather sailed in the merchant marine and his father was a collegiate sailor. 

Next to enjoying sailing with his family, Gunnar loves nothing more than introducing new people to the sailing life. 

Ask about his second favorite hobby, making nautical leashes for man’s best friend.

Contact Gunnar

Benjamin Morse

BROKER - Marina Del Rey 

Benjamin Morse is a California native and a 4th generation sailor whose family has owned boats since the 1930’s. He has sailed many boats from many points around the world, including Sabots, ancient canoes in Saipan, and long ocean voyages on tall ships.  

A Sociology undergraduate from UCSB and a graduate of the UCLA Anderson School of Management's Executive Program, Benjamin is now following his boating passion full time, helping others find their ideal boat. 

His own sailboat, "Passage," is docked in Port Royal, Redondo Beach, where he lives.    

Contact Ben

Brad Fisher

BROKER - OXNARD OFFICE 

Brad is a true fisherman and powerboat addict. 

He grew-up in Alaska, lived in Hawaii and has a long sailing experience on motor yachts

 

Contact Brad

Young  Gietzen

BROKER - OXNARD OFFICE

Born In Detroit, Michigan, Young has always enjoyed canoeing, fishing and boating around the Great Lakes. 


After purchasing his first boat, a classic Mariner 31 Ketch sailboat, his love for the ocean and boating grew exponentially. It was then he decided to pursue a career in yacht sales and has never looked back. 


As a Board Member of the Anacapa Yacht Club In Channel Islands, he enjoys participating in Wet Wednesday Races and getting boating time in whenever he can.  

Contact Young

John Nelson

SERVICE MANAGER

When John isn’t writing crime novels, he is the go-to, very efficient customer service manager at the Naos office. He has a varied background including motion picture and television production, but mostly spends his days making sure customers have everything they need to sail their new boats without a hitch. 

John Nelson is a US SAILING certified Small Boat Sailing Instructor who taught beginning and advanced dinghy sailing at UCLA's aquatic facility for more than a decade. 

At NAOS Yachts, John interfaces with clients and our service personnel to ensure that warranty and service requests are successfully completed in a timely manner.

Contact John

Denis Laborderie

SAILTIME BASE TECHNICAL MANAGER

Denis got involved in boat building in Southern California after a few years in the French Navy. In 1995 he worked on the refitting of the NIPPON CHALLENGE boat in San Diego and the building of AMERICA 3 for the America's Cup Challenge. In 2000 he built the R33 multihull race boat, a great success among open ocean racers in Southern California.

In addition to boat building, Denis was the skipper on a 90 feet  sloop designed by Ron Holland and Gibbs Research for 10 years. He has also participated in numerous regattas, open ocean races, on boats from 30 feet to 90 feet. 

Denis brings his many years of experience in sailing, navigating, and building boats to the maintenance of our Sailtime fleet.


Contact Denis

Paul Devanneaux

SEA TRIAL MANAGER

Paul started to sail a week after he was born... If his schedule allows, he does all customer seatrials where he can explain how to use an electric winch or turn the wheel to port or starboard. If there’s time and he is in the mood, he can also demonstrate how to build a boat with a Lego or Playmobil.  Paul is usually in the office on Saturdays, training on his Beneteau First 14 but he’s a busy man so he takes no scheduled meetings.

Mike Stevens

SALES - HAWAII OFFICE

A licensed captain, and a lifelong sailor, Mike is a regular in the local Wednesday night beer-can races. He is also an experienced offshore sailor who has crossed the Atlantic four times in both monohulls and catamarans. Today, Mike is one of our most knowledgeable yacht salesmen at the Naos office in Oahu, Hawaii.

Contact Mike