Michelle Pritts: From Runway to Monaco, Redefining Luxury Yachting With Resilience

In the rarefied world of luxury yachting, reputations are built on more than gleaming hulls and glamorous sales pitches. Success depends on competence, trust, and adaptability — qualities that Michelle Pritts has cultivated through an unconventional journey spanning modeling, technology, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Today, she’s proving that cross-disciplinary experience can be a competitive edge in one of the world’s most exclusive markets.

Pritts’ career has been anything but linear. From fashion modeling to software and nonprofit work, her eclectic background gave her the adaptability that now defines her success in global yacht brokerage. Her early lessons in seamanship came in the challenging winds of San Francisco Bay and the unpredictable waters of Puerto Rico, where she managed her own boat and confronted the realities of crew mismanagement, financial risk, and operational problem-solving.

“Resilience and decisiveness are what clients truly value,” Pritts notes. “Technical skill alone isn’t enough in this industry.”

Now working with Royal Yacht International (RYI) headquartered in Monaco, with offices in Miami, Dubai, and St. Barth — Pritts plays a role in one of the fastest-growing brokerage firms in luxury yachting. RYI stands out for pairing technology and client service, blending data-driven tools with personalized, high-touch guidance. This hybrid model meets the needs of both seasoned yacht owners and first-time charter clients in an industry that is rapidly evolving toward younger, more tech-savvy buyers.

RYI never asked Pritts to choose between her identity as a model and her career in yachting. This authenticity sets her apart in luxury markets, where personal branding carries weight and originality builds trust. It’s also why she’s been featured as a modern muse in L’Officiel Monaco and L’Officiel Baltic, which spotlight her unique blend of glamour and grit.

Operating out of Monaco, the symbolic capital of luxury yachting, is both a challenge and a validation. Here, competition is intense, client expectations are sky-high, and reputations are tested daily. For Pritts, thriving in this arena proves her adaptability and her ability to anticipate client needs before they’re voiced.

Beyond yachting, Pritts’ story is a testament to resilience. After restarting her career following a traumatic life event in her mid-20s, she learned the importance of letting go of fear and embracing reinvention. That personal history now informs her empathy for clients making high-stakes decisions about lifestyle and investment.

Her advice is straightforward: “Once you stop listening to the voices telling you what you cannot do, you will realize the doors were never really locked.”

From her beginnings as a sailor in San Francisco Bay to her current role as a broker in Monaco, Michelle Pritts has become a case study in how unconventional backgrounds can fuel success in high-value markets. Featured in international magazines and thriving in one of the world’s most competitive luxury industries, she is proving that adaptability is not just a personal trait; it is a competitive advantage.