OUR TEAM

Torben Bentsen, Sales

Phone: 510-851-3082
torben.bentsen@passageyachts.com

I grew up sailing opti’s in Denmark many moons ago, and haven’t stopped sailing since!

After 25 years as a sales and marketing executive in the International Furniture Business I exchanged the frequent flyer cards for a Yacht and Ship Salespersons License in 2006.

Having owned boats for over 30 years, I have cruised and raced in lots of different places from Europe to Hawaii and covered over 50,000 NM. 

I am active in the sailing community and presently serving as Staff Commodore of Richmond Yacht Club. I own a Beneteau First 42s7 that serves me and my wife equally well anchored in the Delta or competing double handed in the Ocean Racing Circuit.

I was the recipient of the Beneteau TOP GUN award presented in Paris, France on December 3, 2009, one of only 5 sales people from North America to qualify and join the club ‘The Best of The Best’.

With my broad knowledge of the issues of boat ownership, I can help you define the profile for you dream boat, new or used.

Client References:

April 10, 2008
Re: Torben Bentsen. Passase Yachts Brokcr
Future Yacht Purchaser,
I had the pleasure of working with Torben Bentsen from July 2007 through January 2008
culminating in the purchase of a 2002 Sabre 452. During that time, I have come to know
Torben professionally and personally.
My first encounters with Torben were different than my experiences with past brokers.
He spent most of his time listening to me trying to gain a genuine understanding of what i
was looking for in my "ideal boat". We looked at a wide variety of yachts initially;
Torben seemed much more interested in observing my interaction with the boats, my
likes and dislikes, as opposed to trying to "make a sale".
Torben is passionate and knowledgeable about sail boats. havrng saileci srnce his youth in
Europe. His Ilr"rropean background brought a unique practical perspective to the search.
Torben is detail oriented and throughor,rt the search provided extensive information on
specific boats and sailing in general; well beyond standard industry information. Our
search was confined primarily to the west coast, actively looking at boats from Seattle to
San Diego. although we evaluated many east coast and international options.
Torben is quick and responsive to questions without wasting time on boats that "he'd like
to sell". He always gave the impression of valuing his own time as well as mine. He has
a good sense of humor, balanced perspective and enthusiasm.
Six months later, having selected the'ideal boat'Torben personally facilitated all aspects
of the transition with the San Diego Broker including survey, setting up off shore
delivery, LLC incorporation, yacht insurance and transport to Mexico, etc.
Since the sale he has been frequently, helpful and has remained an interested participant
long after his commission.
In short, I would wholeheartedly recommend Torben for anyone seriously looking to
acquire a yacht; and interested in it being an enjoyable and learning process.
If you have specific questions. feel free to call, Torben has my contact information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ross Golding
590 Eureka Avenue
Reno, Nevada 89512
625 Sierra Rose Drive
Reno, Nevada 8951 '1
f : 175) 323-5083 renodiagnosticcenters.com
F: (775)785-8731 info@renodiagnosticcenters.com



October 22, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to highly recommend the services of Torben Bentsen as a boat broker, especially as
regards the purchasing of sailboats.
There are many facets related to the successful matching of a boat to a client and I have to say
that Torben excels at all of them. In my case he matched up my wife and I with a superb sloop at
a very fair price for both us and the seller. In the end, (now a few months later), it remains a winwin
situation for everyone. This is the measure of a solid transaction.
The areas where I very much appreciated Torben's care and skill include:
- Listening carefully to our boating objectives and list of requirements
- Evaluating the above and honing them to a clear definition
- Finding and selecting appropriate boats to match our criteria
- Providing objective and balanced assessments of the candidate boats, their price,
performance, overall deal, etc.
- Offering, when requested, his own personal opinions based on his extensive ocean and
bay boating experience (i.e. he "walks the walk")
- Knowing a wide range of industry professionals to call upon to support the boat
evaluation and purchase (surveyors, mechanics, yards, captains, loan brokers,
harbormasters, friends, etc.)
- Carefully working the structure of the sales deal to be solid, complete, and agreeable
- Successfully negotiating a good deal with savviness and respect for all parties
- Doing his homework, working hard on our behalf (e.g. doing comparisons, attending the
survey, delivering the boat, working odd hours, etc.), removing obstacles, suggesting
creative solutions
- Being responsive and prompt; always returning phone calls
- All of the above while being neither pushy nor an unctuous gladhander
One often fears of becoming entangled with a questionable broker who only has their own
interest in mind and/or overpaying, getting an ill-matched boat, and/or becoming stuck with a
maintenance nightmare. With Torben I can, without reservation, heartily endorse his honesty,
insightfulness, boating experience, and conscientiousness as our broker. I felt as
if Torben was always working to optimize our new boat purchase.
We are very happy with our new boat and feel fortunate to have had Torben as our broker. He
was truly excellent. Any boaters that find their way to Torben will be the lucky ones.
Feel free to contact me for further details or information.
Sincerely,
Tom Condy
Custom Schumacher 52 Sailing Sloop
Mountain View, CA
408.888.3715
tom@tomcondy.com

December 17th, 2008

This is an account of an extraordinary level of pre and post sales service. My wife Denny and I first met Torben at the Jack London Square boat show last April. We were admiring the Alerion 28 there, but we told Torben that we were really interested in the Alerion 33, and moreover, we would want to take delivery in the British Virgin Islands. The only 33 in California at the time was in LA, so Torben offered to meet me there to see the boat. After making the LA trip at the end of April, Torben and I began discussions about the boat's features and standard sail plan relative to BVI sailing conditions, as well as the logistics of getting the boat to the BVI. Torben and his Pearson Composites (the Alerion builder) colleagues recommended a second set of reef points, a reduced roach, and some other BVI specific specifications, which we agreed made a lot of sense. They also recommended that the boat be shipped to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands by Dockwise Transport, who had a yacht transport vessel scheduled to sail from Newport RI (near where the Alerions are built) around the time the boat could be completed. Torben and his colleagues also checked the option of hiring a skipper to sail the boat to the BVI, however this would have been more expensive and resulted in wear and tear on the boat, and there was also an issue with fresh water capacity for the long over-water leg of the voyage. Throughout the discussions, there was never any sales pressure. So we ordered the boat on May 13th and got into the production queue, and Torben got the boat booked on the Dockwise vessel scheduled to sail from Newport in November. During the production process he introduced us to a local Bay Area firm who handled the U.S. Coast Guard international registration process. He also kept in contact with Pearson and made sure that our boat (we named her Nymph) would be completed in time to meet the Dockwise Newport departure. At the outset of our discussions Torben said that he would meet us in Rhode Island for the commissioning upon completion of production, and that he and his wife Judy would also meet the Dockwise vessel with us in St. Thomas and help us sail Nymph to the BVI. Yeah, sure! Well, he did. We met Torben in Rhode Island for an October 31st tour of the Pearson Composites factory, an introduction to Nymph in the water, and an exciting first sail that day. Denny and I then flew to the BVI and Torben returned to the Bay Area. About ten days later the Bentsen's arrived and chartered a sailboat for a week of BVI sailing. Torben and Judy spent a night with us at our Great Camanoe Island home, and we very much enjoyed their company, now as new friends. After that it was off to St. Thomas for the arrival of the Dockwise Transport vessel and the unloading of Nymph, which was really interesting. The four of us climbed up a ladder to board Nymph which was on stanchions like all of the other boats. The Dockwise vessel is essentially a floating dry-dock, and while it was being flooded for boat offloading, we watched divers remove the stanchions from the boats. Finally it was our turn, and we motored off the vessel and headed into a nearby marina for the night. The next day we sailed from St. Thomas to the BVI, and Torben and Judy were great as instructors. While I have had experience sailing on San Francisco Bay and bare boat chartering in the BVI, the Alerion has some unique features (like the Hoyt jib boom and the twin main sheet setup), and it was very helpful to have Torben and Judy on board. Also, they are experienced blue water sailors (we are not), and they had some useful advice for us about a number of operational and maintenance details. After clearing customs, we dropped Torben and Judy off in Road Town so they could take the ferry back to St. Thomas for their flight home. I took notes during the St. Thomas to BVI voyage, which Torben later reviewed and expanded on for us. To further my Alerion sailing training, yesterday Torben took a friend of mine and me for an Alerion 28 sail on San Francisco Bay. Without any reservations we highly recommend Torben to anyone interested in buying a yacht. Please contact me if you would like to discuss any aspects our experience with Torben. Jim Hoelter, Piedmont, California, 510 547 0638, jehoelter@gmail.com.

AUGUST 4, 2009
I have been dreaming of owning a boat for years. While having chartered boats and sailed with friends I gained a general idea of the type of boat I wanted. But not until I met Torben did I find someone in whom I could trust and feel comfortable that he had my best interests in mind. He showed me many boats and patiently discussed their attributes. I wanted a boat I could sail with my family and friends as well as single hand. I wanted to sail in the bay and delta and be able to take her down the coast. I also wanted to be able to race her around the bay. After looking at a number of boats and exploring the features I wanted he showed me a wonderful Beneteau 37 with all I could want in a boat. Torben negotiated an excellent deal and made the whole process of title, loan, boat check out all very smooth.

Torben is low pressure, a straight-shooter, knowledgeable and responsive- all traits I look for in working with people. But what set Torben apart is his ability to ask the right questions to utilize his knowledge and breadth of sailing experience to guide me in finding the exact boat I was looking for. 

The whole process took about two months and not only did I learn a lot about boats and sailing and buy a boat of my own but I gained a trusted friend. Torben I highly recommend for any boat purchase.

John