经济学人:共享经济—船只共享新创公司(1)-英语课

时间：2019-02-16 作者：英语课 分类：经济学人商业系列

英语课

　　One of the busiest times of the year at Arzal marina on the coast of western France is a wooden sailing-boat festival in early summer. 初夏时节的木制帆船节是法国西部海岸阿尔扎码头一年中最繁忙的时期。

　　Hundreds of enthusiasts 2 join Breton dances on the quayside, 数百名爱好者加入布列塔尼人的行列在码头周围起舞，
　　but as usual most of the 1,000-or so yachts, catamarans, daysailers and motor-cruisers remain tied to the pontoons. 但和往常一样，约千支游艇、双体船、小帆船和马达巡洋舰中的大部分依然系在了浮舟上。
　　Few boat-owners make regular use of their expensive assets. By one estimate, a French yacht slips its moorings on average for just ten days a year, 少数船主会经常使用他们昂贵的资产。据估计，一支法国游艇平均起航次数一年仅十次，
　　and for America's 12m recreational boats, typical annual usage is two weeks. 美国游艇的年度平均使用次数为两周。
　　Meanwhile, would-be sailors have had few options, beyond pricey short charters. 同时，想要成为水手的人，除了昂贵的短期租赁，几乎没有选择。
　　Marine 4 versions of property-sharer Airbnb or ride-sharer BlaBlaCar are trying to match the two. 房屋共享公司爱彼迎或汽车共享公司BlaBlaCar正设法将两者相整合。
　　In Europe a French firm founded in 2013 by Jeremy Bismuth and Edouard Gorioux sets the pace. 在欧洲，一家由Jeremy Bismuth和Edouard Gorioux于2013年成立的公司起到了带头作用。
　　Click&Boat has 70 staff crammed 5 onto a barge 6, its headquarters, on the Seine in Paris. Click&Boat的总部位于巴黎塞纳河，其总部员工有70人。
　　They manage bookings for a fleet of 22,000 private craft, mostly in Europe. 他们负责管理22,000支私人船只的预定，其工作范围主要在欧洲。
　　Rental 7 costs vary widely but can be remarkably 8 cheap--one eight-berth yacht in Arzal is advertised for just 40 euro a day, for example. 租金浮动范围很大，但也可以相当便宜—例如，阿尔扎一支8锚位游艇的宣传价格仅为40欧元一天。
　　The firm takes a 15% commission and is profitable. Last year bookings were worth 15m euro. 公司收取15%的佣金，利润丰厚。去年客户预定价值为一千五百万欧元。
　　America's leader is six-year-old Boatsetter, based near Miami. 而美国国内的领域领导者则是Boatsetter，该公司位于迈阿密附近。
　　Founded by a sailing enthusiast 1, Jackie Baumgarten, it has raised $17m of venture-capital funding and notched 9 up over 26,000 rentals 10. 该公司由航海爱好者Jackie Baumgarten成立。公司共筹到了一千七百万美元的创业投资基金并创下了高达两万六千多例租赁记录。
　　Ms. Baumgarten sees three broad categories of customer: aspirational 11 types who want to pose on a luxury yacht; Baumgarten女士将客户分为三大类：梦寐以求型—想要豪华游艇；
　　fishing enthusiasts who opt 3 for less glitzy craft; and families. 垂钓爱好者—选择更加朴素的船只；以及家庭出游型。