Ten years ago, I started Neptune Pirate. There was no office, no fleet, no plan beyond a clear conviction: that the Portuguese boating market deserved something different. Faster, closer, more human. And that the 21st century called for a new way of being in this industry.
This week we’re celebrating a decade of that conviction. So before we get carried away with the next chapter, I wanted to take a moment to look back, to look at where we are, and to share where we go from here.
Where it started.
I started NeptunePirate in 2016 in Madeira Island where I grew up. Some saw it as the periphery. For me, it was always the centre of the ocean, which was a perfect place to start the boat business.
The first big bet was becoming an Exclusive Yamaha Dealer, a partnership that still anchors much of what we do today, and one that taught me a lesson I’ve kept ever since: trust is not bought, it is built. In 2017, we organised the Yamaha Experience in Madeira and ended up running 586 experiences in three days, a number nobody had reached before. That weekend made something obvious. We weren’t selling boats. We were not selling boats. We were building a community.
What followed was a decade of decisions that, in hindsight, all rhyme. In 2019 we became Portugal’s exclusive importer of SEAGAME. In 2021 we crossed to the mainland and opened our Algarve store, debuting at the Vilamoura Boat Show. By 2023, we had made it into the top 5 Yamaha dealers in the country. In 2025 we were appointed European Distributor for Extreme Boats, with our launch at the Düsseldorf Boat Show. And in 2026 we welcomed Nauticolour into the family, launched Salatia Yachts, and brought Skipperi to Portugal.
Where we are.
Ten years on, Neptune Pirate is the most complete boating reference in Portugal. Two stores, twelve exclusive brands, clients across Europe, and a team that, frankly, has grown far beyond anything I imagined in 2016.
But the truth is, the work hasn’t really changed. We still do what we’ve always done: take care of the people who trust us, before the sale, after the sale, always. The portfolio got bigger, the geography got wider, but the obsession with service hasn’t moved an inch.
Where we go from here.
Boating in 2036 won’t look anything like boating in 2016. Propulsion is shifting. Materials are shifting. The way people choose to spend time on the water is shifting, more thoughtful, more flexible, more connected. Most of the industry sees this as a threat. We’ve always seen it as the brief.
Three things will define the next ten years for us. First, sustainable propulsion. Our partnership with Torqeedo points to where we believe the industry has to go. Second, international expansion. Becoming European Distributor for Extreme Boats wasn’t a finish line, it was a starting block. And third, a better experience, end to end. From Skipperi to Neptune Care to Salatia Yachts, we’re rethinking how someone steps into the boating world, lives in it, and keeps coming back.
There’s also one project that deserves its own line: the Atlante Grand Marina, in Olhão. A state-of-the-art dry-stack marina rising on the edge of the Ria Formosa. 660 spots, eight workshops, a sailing school, rentals, refits, a nautical store. Everything under one roof. The same idea that started Neptune Pirate ten years ago, simply at a different scale.
The invitation.
Between the 6th and the 14th of June, we’ll be at the Marina de Vilamoura International Boat Show. In force. With our full lineup, the brands that built this decade with us, and a few surprises we’ve been working on for months. If there’s one thing I’d ask of you after reading this far, it’s this: come find us.
The next ten years won’t be built alone. They’ll be built with the people who decide to come along for the ride. If you’ve made it this far, whether you’re a client, a partner, part of the team, or simply a friend of the brand, thank you for being part of the first decade.
The next one is going to be even better.
Rúben Fernandes
Founder, Neptune Pirate
