Ad was practically born on a boat, and spent much of his youth sailing. A yachting career was the natural next step. He started with small jobs after school, first as a yacht cleaner at the Royal Yacht Club, then as boat shop and yard assistant. Later, he worked as a trainee for the high-end broker Anton J. van Kempen, and then with Gerard de Vries Lentsch.  Ad was hugely enthusiastic about his work. In 1975, at the age of 22, he founded Van der Vliet yacht brokers as an incubator for his ideas, all the while studying during the late hours. Five years later he became the youngest yacht broker ever qualified in the Netherlands.  In that same year, 1980, Ad purchased an old 15,000 m² shipyard in Muiden and had it rebuilt into a highly successful combination of a refit yard and European sales marina. This was the beginning of Van der Vliet’s international career. He managed the refit, reconstruction and new builds of many yachts, and set up the marketing for Doggersbank yachts. In the many fruitful years since then, Ad has worked with most major Dutch yards and naval architects. As one of the first brokers on the internet, Ad set up a solid database/IT system. This together with the the down-to-earth mentality has contributed greatly to the success of Van der Vliet, and Ad’s broad knowhow and experience have allowed him to provide much valuable and solid advice over the years. This has resulted in many repeat clients and yachts joining the Van der Vliet family over the long term. EMCI Registered Yachtbroker.