2018年经济学人 共享经济—船只共享新创公司(2)

 

The business is not all smooth sailing—regulation, for one thing, varies widely.

该行业并非一帆风顺—各国船只管理规定差异很大。

French law allows boatsharing, but in Greece, a tempting¹ market, private owners face more difficulties.

法国法律允许船只共享，但是在希腊这个极具诱惑的市场，私人所有者面临更多的困难。

Renters usually need a boating licence, or must hire skippers. Demand to get on the water is seasonal².

承租人通常需要船只执照或者必须雇用船长。而入海需求是季节性的。

Building up a big fleet of boats takes time. Owners tend to be middle-aged³ and are reachable mainly by word of mouth or at boat shows.

建立大型船只小队是需要时间的。船主多为中年，且主要通过口碑或在船只表演中进行选择。

Undeterred, both firms are trying to scale up, partly by pursuing a flotilla of potential rivals.

这两家公司均试图通过在一定程度上寻求潜在竞争对手的小型船队来扩大其规模。

Click&Boat bought one, Sailsharing, in 2016, to access more craft.

2016年，Click&Boat买下Sailsharing，从而获得了更多船只。

Boatsetter has gobbled up American startups including one last year, Boatbound, that Click&Boat also eyed.

Boatsetter吞并了很多美国创业公司，包括去年并购的Boatbound，Click&Boat也盯上了这家公司。

In April the American company added Smart Charter Ibiza, a conventional charter firm, in Spain, part of a move into the Mediterranean⁴.

四月，该美国公司加入Smart Charter Ibiza（一家西班牙常规租赁特许公司），其业务部分涉及地中海地区。

Boatsetter has also developed an insurance product, with a third party, for peer-to-peer rentals⁵,

Boatsetter也开发了一项保险产品，和第三方一起进行点对点租赁，

and has partnered with Airbnb to offer experiences such as wakeboarding in Miami or eating paella on a boat near Barcelona.

该公司还和爱彼迎合作提供各种体验，比如迈阿密水上滑板或是在巴塞罗纳附近的船只上品尝肉菜饭。

Click&Boat has started a separate site, Click&Yacht,

Click&Boat开设一个独立网站—Click&Yacht,

for chartering luxury craft for thousands of euros a day in places like the Cote d'Azur, for which there is plenty of international demand.

在蓝色海岸等地方提供数千欧元一天的豪华游艇租赁服务，该服务全球需求量很大。

It is one thing to stay in someone else's flat. It's another to captain a superyacht—especially when it looks like you own it.

待在别人的游艇上是一回事儿，但是指挥着一辆超级游艇又是另一回事儿—尤其是这辆游艇看起来就像是自己的一样。

1 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

4 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

5 rentals   

n.租费，租金额( rental的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In some large hotels, the income derived from this source actually exceeds income from room rentals. 有些大旅馆中，这方面的盈利实际上要超过出租客房的盈利。 来自辞典例句
• Clerk: Well, Canadian Gifts is on the lower level. It's across from Prime Time Video Rentals. 噢，礼品店在楼下，在黄金时刻录像出租屋的对面。 来自口语例句