A tale of two shores
“We wanted a global reach. Fraser had no name in Europe but was to make a great impact on our future.” Carlo Agliardi, former president of Fraser Yachts
“Fraser was the first truly transoceanic yacht brokerage company,” Carlo Agliardi tells me. He’s a formidable character; an astute businessman with an instinct for company growth. It’s thanks to Agliardi, and a cast of similar industry heavyweights, that Fraser has become the world-leading firm it is today. Agliardi himself, along with his wife Loredana, Alex Mazzoni and Antonio Pozzi, formed Italyachting in 1983, which then merged with Antoine Althaus’s Althaus International Yachting. Known as United Yachting Monaco, the operation was the backbone of what Fraser has become today. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, David Fraser had been making a name for himself as one of the west coast’s most trustworthy and enthusiastic brokers. Starting his business in 1947, by the 1960s and 70s it had expanded from its humble origins in Newport Beach to San Diego, Sausalito and Seattle and later in Ft. Lauderdale. A contract for a Christensen new build brokered by Carlo bridged the ocean for the two companies and prompted the partners of United Yachting Monaco to seek a slice of the American pie. “We wanted a global reach,” Agliardi explains. “Fraser had no name in Europe but was to make a great impact on our future.”
The Europeans brought a freshness, vitality and passion for yachting that convinced David Fraser to sell his company. In 1993, United Yachting Monaco bought Fraser Yachts Florida, as well as the worldwide rights to use the Fraser name. Fraser Yachts had come into being, setting up the USA headquarters in Fort Lauderdale. Initially different in many ways the two companies learned very quickly that communication was key and this free-flowing transatlantic culture was a contrast to some of the older British brokerage companies who Agliardi says were more tied to their London roots.
Left: Alex Mazzoni, Antonio Pozzi, Loredana and Carlo Agliardi and Antoine Althaus Above: Carlo Agliardi, president of Fraser Yachts 1993-2008 Top right: Authentic original 1950s Fraser Yachts advertising Right: Yacht brokers seated left to right: Clark Sweet, David Fraser and George Michaud, with Don Fraser standing with telephone
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