FRASER XI

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ISSUE 11 2015/2016

Marine Chronometer Manufacture Manufacture chronometer movement with Silicium technology.

Self-winding. Water-resistant to 100 m. 18 ct rose gold case.

Available also on leather strap or gold bracelet.

U LY S S E - N A R D I N . C O M

U LY S S E N A R D I N S A - L e L o c l e - S w i t z e r l a n d T. + 4 1 3 2 9 3 0 7 4 0 0 - i n f o @ u l y s s e - n a r d i n . c h

24 building the dream

Knowing that you would like to build a yacht is one thing, but finding out who will build it to your specifications, on time, on budget, and offer the right advice without any nasty surprises cropping up halfway through can be time consuming, hard to achieve, and for a first time builder, near impossible. Unless, that is, you employ the dream team.

44 Nobody deserves to die at sea

On 7th June 2015, a flotilla of vessels was involved in the rescue of thousands of migrants adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. Alongside the naval and coast guard vessels there was just one private boat – a dedicated search and rescue vessel called Phoenix.

Representing the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, Phoenix was the first boat on site and later coordinated the rescue efforts before heading to Sicily to disembark some 372 people, including 126 women and 62 children.

50 South pacific cruiser 04 silver screen beauty queen

Blue lagoons rich in marine life, white sand beaches adorned with coconut palms, remote, secluded private villas accompanied

by Michelin food and worldclass wine – it’s just another day in paradise at the most exclusive holiday destination to date, the exotic French Polynesian resort, The Brando.

10 A passion for building

For many owners, the building of their yacht is just as enjoyable as the experience of ownership itself. Of those for whom building becomes a passion, most will be content with undertaking new projects throughout their yachting life. However, a few go a step further and invest in a shipyard.

18 The hidden depths of whisky

growing demand for A super premium and ultra rare bottles of whisky has created a fiercely competitive market for the very best Scotch. Now Japan is giving them a run for their money.

living the high life 32

enthouse living has long P been the number one status symbol among the world’s ultra high net worth crowd, but the rise of innovative superyacht design has seen an extraordinary pairing between rooftop serenity and nautical architecture.

“Swimming with humpback whales in Tonga. Cage-diving with great white sharks in South Australia. Flying along the edge of the Great Barrier Reef in a helicopter, watching marlin and sailfish jumping. Finding a shipwreck on a remote atoll near Fiji.

Climbing a live volcano in Vanuatu.” As a lifetime bucket list, this would be pretty ambitious, but Captain Owen How is describing just his top five memories of his six years at the helm of explorer superyacht Ophelia.

40 a cut above the rest

In the bespoke world of haute couture, nothing is impossible. And in the specialist field of Savile Row, a family-owned tailor is cutting out a niche of their very own for royalty, superyacht owners and families alike. Here Ray Stowers, of Stowers Bespoke, speaks of crocodile skin, Michael Jackson’s uniform, and the traditional art of tailoring.

62 It takes two to tandem

We all know that two heads are better than one, and the same often goes when it comes to booking a dream yachting holiday. Known in the industry as a ‘tandem yacht charter’, the idea of booking a duo of yachts for a cruise around the Mediterranean or Caribbean sounds extravagant – but once you look into this option it is easy to see why such pairings have become so popular.

66 Intelligent Aquisition

A collection of articles that celebrate artisanal skill, unparalleled expertise and exceptional beauty by showcasing some of the most highly skilled craftsmen, fashionable handmade objets d’art and accomplished designers and artists the world over.

72 A sense of taste

Ed McLachlan decided at the tender age of 18 that one day he would become a superyacht chef. Ten years on, he’s just won the MYBA Charter Show chef competition: his culinary journey has taken him from rural Devon to remote Asia, using hard graft and an enquiring mind to attain his goal.

78 the importance of belonging

56 The hunter games

Be it the thrill of the hunt, the respect for tradition, or the love of the sport, hunting is as much about the social aspect as it is the passion.

he private members’ club: T a coveted place of solace, a sanctuary or haven for the genteel folk, a slice of privacy away from prying eyes. It’s also a long serving tradition that is now enjoying a new lease of life on a global scale.

Tallisker Distillery Carbost, Loch Harport and the Black Cuillins range at sunrise Page 21

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ISSUE 11 2015/2016

Published by: Aquamarine Consultancy London United Kingdom www.aquamarine-consultancy.com Printed by: CPI Colour © Copyright Fraser Yachts 2015.

All rights reserved.

Cover: A hidden paradise – The Brando Resort. (page 04).

For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact caroline@aquamarine-consultancy.com

Watch a video from the Superyacht Gallery (from page 91) 1. Download the free Aurasma App from the App Store or Google Play

Many thanks to our contributors: Ellie Brade, Julia Brandon, Kate Hubert, Chris Madigan, Dominic Roskrow, Josh Sims and Nigel Tisdall.

2. Search for and “follow” the Fraser Yachts Channel

Special thanks to: Commissioning Editor, Julia Zaltzman Illustrator, James Pouliot and Designer, Neil Townsend

3. Point your device at any image marked by the video icon

see details on inside front cover

4. Watch it come to life (double tap for full screen)

At the time of publication, all the information contained herein is believed to be correct but cannot be guaranteed. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy but neither Fraser Yachts nor the publishers can accept responsibility for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions. Charter rates are quoted on a weekly basis. The rates contained herein are believed to be correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form without permission from Fraser Yachts.

Command the sea

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Silver screen beauty queen Blue lagoons rich in marine life, white sand beaches adorned with coconut palms, remote, secluded private villas accompanied

by Michelin food and world-class wine – it’s just another day in paradise at the most exclusive holiday destination to date, the exotic French Polynesian resort, The Brando.

Words by Julia Brandon

4

silver screen beauty queen

“ Privacy is not something that I'm merely entitled to, it's an absolute prerequisite.”

Marlon Brando

I

t seems strangely apt that someone so publicly adored for his devastating good looks, and often cited as one of the greatest and most influential film actors of all time, should be the person to stumble upon a place of such unspeakable wonder, and make it his mission to preserve it.

Marlon Brando is best known for his AcademyAward winning performances as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront and Vito Corleone in The Godfather, but it was while filming the rather less successful Mutiny on the Bounty that he first visited Tetiaroa.

A private atoll of French Polynesia, it is unadulterated heaven on earth located 30 miles north of Tahiti. Comprising 12 motus (small islets) surrounding a sparkling three-mile wide lagoon, Brando became “immediately smitten with the island’s beauty and the sense it gave of being closer to paradise” and finally bought it in 1967.

Passionate about preserving Tetiaroa’s natural

5

Previous page: The Brando boasts blue lagoons rich in marine life and white sand beaches Left: One of the two bedroom villas at The Brando Opposite page: Top: Michelin food in a paradise setting at The Brando’s main restaurant Bottom: The Brando is located on Onetahi, a motu spanning 193 acres Photography: Tim McKenna

beauty, astonishing biodiversity and cultural richness Brando, with the help of long-time resident of Tahiti Richard Bailey, set about creating the world’s first and foremost post-carbon resort – “an island where innovative new technologies would enable a self-sustaining luxury environment for hotel guests, scientific research and full-time residents”. The eponymous resort, The Brando, which stands there today, is the legacy of that partnership.

With access to the island by private plane or helicopter, the resort features 35 villas on white-sand beaches frequented by sea turtles, manta rays and exotic birds. Each villa has its own pool and secluded beach area, as well as luxurious furnishings and deluxe amenities including large windows that let guests indulge in the sun, the breeze, and lagoon views.

The Brando is located on Onetahi – a motu spanning 193 acres – but all of the motus, which between them contain an abundance of coconut palms, lemon shark nurseries and primitive rainforests are available exclusively to the resort’s guests and visiting researchers to explore. At least 167 fish species have been observed around the atoll, from colorful parrotfish and spotted eagle rays to blacktip sharks and bonefish. Dolphins can sometimes be seen in the months from July to October, and whales 6

have been sighted in the open ocean, behind the reef. Tetiaroa is also a major sea turtle nesting site, and during the nesting season turtles come in their hundreds to lay eggs on the coral sands beneath the trees. In the evenings between the months of November and March, guests can join a guide from Te Mana O Te Moana, a nonprofit foundation that studies the turtles, for the opportunity to witness a sea turtle laying her eggs or a hatchling of baby turtles.

“The Brando is committed to preserving and protecting the natural splendour and precious biodiversity of Tetiaroa,” says Silvio Bion, general manager at The Brando. “We have touched the atoll on which the resort sits as lightly as possible.

Almost all of the atoll is being protected and preserved forever in its native state.”

Tetiaroa is completely private with its own airfield.

Guests are provided with both casual and fine dining experiences – including the cuisine of Guy Martin, chef propriétaire of the three-star Michelin restaurant Le Grand Véfour in Paris – all of which are accompanied by sweeping views, a world-class wine cellar and fresh, organically grown fruits and vegetables sourced from the resort’s orchard and garden.

silver screen beauty queen

In the evenings, guests can take a seat at the aptly named Lagoon View Bar and take in the spectacular sunsets over neighbouring Mo’orea island. A wooden walkway leads to more intimate pockets of tree-level seating. For something a little more rustic, Bob’s bar offers a sand-floor, open-air experience set right on the beach, perfect for that pre-dinner apéritif.

The infinity pool is located on the beach, while the Varua Polynesian spa is set in a lush, tropical oasis and offers the finest holistic treatments inspired by ancient Polynesian traditions coupled with worldclass modern techniques. Cultural activities and excursions to neighbouring motus are available every day, and guests are encouraged to explore spectacular lagoons by Polynesian canoe, kayak, paddleboard, snorkeling or SCUBA diving. As a place to kick back, relax and take a little ‘me’ time, it is nothing short of spectacular.

In addition to the lighter activities available, The Brando also offers its guests the opportunity to venture on Reef Quest, a recreational and educational activity aimed to introduce guests to marine research by putting them in the shoes of marine biologists for a special study mission on Tetiaroa’s coral reef. Supervised by a naturalist guide, guests learn about the different types of corals, species of fish (including each one’s role in the barrier reef ecosystems), along with the study methods of scientist surveys.

“ The Brando is committed to preserving and protecting the natural splendour and precious biodiversity of Tetiaroa”

7

“ It is the complementary mission of The Brando to provide one of the most luxurious, authentic and enriching travel experiences” It is this rare sense of environmental responsibility at the forefront of all that The Brando offers that sets it apart from traditional paradise islands. Using pioneering technology and operating exclusively with renewable and non-fossil energy sources the resort has nearly achieved its goal of being fully self-sustainable. “We believe we are stewards of Tetiaroa,” says Bion. “In pursuit of Marlon Brando’s dream, we have established the Ecostation on the island – a kind of think tank where scientists from around the world can lead research into sustainable interdependence and gather together to help tropical islands everywhere find their own path to sustainable development.”

The Ecostation was built and donated by The Brando to its atoll neighbor, Tetiaroa Society, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to exploring innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues relating to sustainable interdependence.

Current projects being undertaken by Tetiaroa Society include baseline studies on coral reef growth, as well as an initiative supported by local Polynesian fishermen to replenish fish and crustaceans in the protected Tetiaroa lagoon.

8

silver screen beauty queen

Historically, Tetiaroa was once the favoured retreat of Tahitian royalty, and because of its rich history Tetiaroa will forever be charged with meaning for Polynesian people. In protection of this, Marlon Brando dreamed of building a “university” that would “educate others about the many facets of this jewel”, and it is the complementary mission of The Brando to provide one of the most luxurious, authentic and enriching travel experiences available anywhere in the world in an environmentally sensitive, sustainable and culturally rich manner. It’s safe to say that the carefree luxury that it provides nestled in the midst of pristine nature more than achieves this goal.

Left: The pool deck at one of the three bedroom villas Top left: Tetiaroa was once the favoured retreat of Tahitian royalty and will forever be charged with meaning for Polynesian people Top right: The bird’s nest interior at the Varua Polynesian spa Above: Set in a tropical oasis the spa offers the finest holistic treatments inspired by ancient Polynesian traditions

9

a passion for building For many owners, the building of their yacht is just as enjoyable as the experience of ownership itself. Of those for whom building becomes a passion, most will be content with undertaking new projects throughout their yachting life. However, a few go a step further and invest in a shipyard.

Words by Ellie Brade

10

A passion for building

11

Dr Mohammed Al Barwani

T

he rationale behind an owner’s decision to invest in a superyacht shipyard might have several drives. Some owners enjoy the process of building so much that they wish to translate that passion into a business. For others, the decision to found a yard might be borne out of a frustration with what is available on the market, taking matters into their own hands to deliver the end product they envisage. But, for almost every owner-led yard, the secret to their success comes down to channeling their experience and passion for yachting into creating an end product that appeals to clients.

12

One of the biggest and most successful ownerrun shipyards is Dutch yard Oceanco, which was acquired by Dr Mohammed Al Barwani in 2010. In addition to Oceanco Al Barwani also purchased the majority share in Turkish yard Turquoise Yachts (ex Proteksan Turquoise) in 2014. An experienced owner, having owned several yachts over the years, Barwani also has a new build underway. As a businessman, Barwani saw the Oceanco yard as a good investment, with room for growth. “My background is not in yachting although I have always been interested in yachts; I am a businessman with a diversified portfolio of businesses,” says Barwani.

“I acquired Oceanco because I admired the yachts they were building and I believed wholeheartedly in the people, the product and the brand.”

Previous page: 8.75m Alyssa designed

by Tansu Yachts This page: Above: Dr Mohammed Al Barwani bought Dutch yard Oceanco in 2010 Opposite page: Vibrant Curiosity outside the Oceanco shipyard

A passion for building

“ we will continue to push design, construction and technology boundaries to improve the owner’s experience on board."

Understanding how important it is that clients enjoy their yachting experience, from the beginning of construction through to the years of use after launch, Barwani explains that Oceanco’s focus is always on delivering what their clients want.

“We have been investing in Oceanco, expanding its facilities, and making sure that we provide Oceanco owners with world class service to ultimately enjoy their ownership experience,” he says. “We will continue to push design, construction and technology boundaries to improve the owner’s experience on board, ranging from new efficient and reliable operating systems to latest environmental and safety features.”

13

" I’m enjoying the build process as always and can’t wait to put her on the water.”

Riza Tansu

F

or Riza Tansu, owner and designer at Turkish yard Tansu Yachts, his move into yacht construction came after making the decision to build his own yacht to his design. “I’m an industrial designer by profession and wanted to design and build my own yacht after selling my business back in 1996,” he remembers. Tansu credits the yard’s success in selling yachts to the many years he has invested in using and understanding yachts in order to translate this experience into his designs. Tansu has owned three boats himself over the past two decades in order “to experience ownership and see the ups and downs of the design from the owners’ point of view”. It is this experience that has allowed him and the yard to create such appealing designs. “Owning boats allowed me to try our [the yard’s] philosophy on many styles and forms of functional boat design,” he explains.

14

A passion for building

Building yachts that subscribe to the philosophy of ‘open decks, less volume’ and ‘beach house style’, Tansu creates modern, clean designs. Proof of the success of his work includes the quick sale of 36.4m Nomade (now Bartender), brokered by Fraser Yachts’ David Legrand, which sold just weeks after its launch in 2011. The yard is soon to launch 39.3m Cutlass, a refined version of Nomade and Tansu is eagerly awaiting industry response to this new design. “Cutlass is a perfect example of our design philosophy,” he says. “After the huge success of Nomade, we refined the original Nomade design with my dear friend David Legrand and ended up with the Cutlass design. I’m enjoying the build process as always and can’t wait to put her on the water.”

Previous page: Riza Tansu, owner and designer at Tansu Yachts This page: Top and left: Alyssa cruising in the sunshine

15

Slim Bouricha

L

ike Tansu, the journey into yard ownership for Slim Bouricha, owner of Netherlands-based Lynx Yachts, began with a desire to build his own yacht. It was during the search for a yard to build his design, 33.5m Heliad II, that Bouricha made the decision to found a yard. “I went to several shipyards [with the design] but in most cases they did not take the time to understand my vision,” he says. “Rather, they were all keen to have me fit within the mould of their existing recipes.” Deciding to build the yacht himself, Bouricha drew on his background in engineering and built an experienced team to undertake construction of his yacht.

On delivery in 2013, Heliad II garnered praise and, with Bouricha encouraged by the reaction, the long-term vision for Lynx Yachts was born, with the yard building both superyachts and their Yacht X Tender support vessel series. “Because of my background in engineering and construction in oil and gas and previously in a commercial shipyard, and because our team had an outstanding combined expertise, I decided to capitalise on the successful experience,” he explains. “I launched the brand Lynx Yachts for knowledgeable yacht enthusiasts who want to build a yacht and are looking for a shipyard that can provide them with an integrated design and building service, and who can really focus on their requirements.”

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A passion for building

Having personally been an owner on the receiving end of the shipyard tender process, Bouricha determined that the yard’s key point of difference would be their approach to understanding their client’s visions. “We permanently strive to fully understand our clients’ needs and translate them into a design and specification; our yachts are built on this basis,” he says. Complementing this goal is an underlying quest to build quality, seaworthy vessels.

Bouricha’s main involvement with the day-to-day running of the yard is ensuring that the end product will meet the demands of owners, using his own experiences to feed new ideas. “When I am on board a yacht, I do enjoy every bit of quality time, but I also have a feeling of maintaining a permanent lab to enhance the pleasure experience for the next design,” he says. “As a yachting enthusiast, I constantly communicate my feedback about my

Opposite page: Top left: Slim Bouricha, owner of Lynx Yachts

experiences to our team; I believe you have to enjoy yachting if you want to design and build yachts.”

With all three yards, the common thread is the desire of their owners to translate their experiences on the water, and that of other owners, into creating yachts that are both practical and beautiful and perfectly suited to the end user. With such allimportant first-hand experience to draw on, it is no surprise that the yachts they are creating prove to be so popular.

" I believe you have to enjoy yachting if you want to design and build yachts.”

Top right: 33.5 metre Heliad II Left: YXT One receiving her finishing touches This page: Top left: YXT One being placed onto the water Top right: LYNX Yachts has developed a fantastic network in Holland of quality people, sub-contractors and suppliers.

17

The hidden depths of whisky

Words by Dominic Roskrow

W

e’re in a jewellery shop in Mayfair, London, and in front of us is a crystal Lalique decanter, containing rare Macallan whisky.

This is the Lalique Cire Perdue, and it’s at the start of a journey that will take it to Paris, New York, Moscow and Taipei before it is auctioned in Hong Kong. The decanter will eventually fetch £299,000 ($460,000) and within two years another Lalique decanter containing Macallan will be sold for a new record of £408,000 ($628,000).

These are record-breaking releases but they are by no means the only ones valued at tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds. At Harrods, for instance, there is a set of 12 bottles of Dalmore hand crafted by Whyte & Mackay master blender Richard Paterson, and 12 crystal decanters, encased in a bespoke cabinet. The Paterson collection retails for £1 million.

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The hidden depths of whisky

A growing demand for super premium and ultra rare bottles of whisky has created a fiercely competitive market for the very best Scotch.

Now Japan is giving them a run for their money.

19

Meanwhile, hardly a week goes by without the release of a new whisky costing £500 or more. Many barely touch the shelves before they sell out. At a time when the demand for whisky is at an all time high and the Scotch whisky industry is releasing many single malts without indicating how old the malt is (and not all of it of the highest quality), there seems to be an insatiable thirst for old, rare, high quality whisky with provenance and heritage by the bucket load. So who are buying these whiskies, and why now?

David Robertson, founder of Rare Whisky 101, an agency that offers whisky advice, brokerage services and plots price rises across all Scotch whisky through indexes and graphs, says it is a combination of drinkers, collectors and investors - and sometimes all three. “Drinkers seek out the oldest, rarest, highest quality they can afford.

Collectors collect by brand, distillery, age, vintage, flavour style, region or (and this is a growing sector) in particular whisky from closed distilleries,” he says.

20

Super Premium Malts Top priced recently released retail

Dalmore 64 Trinitas

£100,000

Balvenie 50

£26,500

Glenfiddich Gallery 1973

£22,000

Dalmore Constellation 1964

£20,000

Glenlivet 50 Winchester

£18,000

Top distilleries at auction Macallan, Dalmore, Glenfiddich and Kuriazawa

The hidden depths of whisky

Scottish single malt whisky is pretty much made the same way in every distillery in Scotland. It is a combination of malted barley, yeast and water only.

This is made into first beer, and then, when distilled, in to a strong clear spirit. Smoky and peaty whiskies get their flavour from peat fires that are sometimes used in the drying process during barley malting.

The spirit is put into an oak cask for a minimum of three years but normally far longer and it takes the colour and much of the flavour from the cask.

Cruising distilleries Some of Scotland’s best distilleries can be visited by sea, and make for the perfect superyacht cruising itinerary for all whisky loving owners. For a classic malts cruise opt for distilleries such as Oban on the mainland, Lagavulin and Caol Ila on Islay, and Talisker on Skye.

Other coastal distilleries include Bunnahabhain, Ardbeg and Laphroaig on Islay, and Tobermory on Mull. Orkney, Lewis and Arran all have distilleries and Raasay is set to get one soon.

But the fascination stems from the fact that small variances to the process create a myriad different tasting whiskies, and no two casks mature exactly the same way. A skilled whisky maker can bring different casks together to create a single malt masterpiece. And it’s those that drinkers, investors and collectors across the world seek out.

Until relatively recently the rare and valuable category was the exclusive reserve of Scotch whisky, but now Japan is also a big player. Marcin Miller, managing director in Europe of Number One Drinks, points to Karuizawa, a closed Japanese distillery from which he imported malt until it ran out. He says that Japan is quite literally giving Scotland a run for its money.

Previous page: The 64 year old Macallan in a Lalique 'Cire Perdue' crystal decanter Opposite page: Top: David Robertson, founder of Rare Whisky 101 This page: Top: Talisker Distillery, Loch Harport and the Black Cuillins range at sunrise Left: Ardbeg distillery on Islay, Scotland

Fraser Yachts can organise luxury yacht charters off the coast of Scotland.

Contact: yachtcharter@fraseryachts.com

21

“Look at the current auction prices of Karuizawa single cask whisky,” he says. “My understanding is that these releases have actually out-performed the likes of (iconic Scottish closed distillery) Port Ellen in the secondary market.”

So what makes a whisky collectable and potentially a strong investment? Rarity, obviously, but also restricted availability, and often age. But despite the fact that many of the bottles won’t be opened, taste is a main driver too.

“Of course taste is key - it has to be of peerless quality,” says Robertson. “We are seeing much more being paid today for old and rare malts which are, in many cases, better whiskies than the contemporary whiskies released today. Connoisseurs, collectors and investors seek them out!”

Darren Leitch, national retail manager of The Whisky Shop, agrees: “Many of our customers are cash rich but time poor and ask us to spend their money for them. My reputation is on the line and if I’m spending someone else’s money for them it is essential I get it right. Taste is very important indeed.”

Every whisky expert will tell you to seek good advice - there is plenty of it - and to do your research, particularly if you’re thinking of buying at auction. Investment in whisky comes with the same warning as investment anywhere else - all investments carry risk.

“Investment is very simple,” says Miller. “If you can’t afford to lose the money, don’t do it. But if the worst comes to the worst and the bottom falls out of the market, at least you can have a drink.”

How to store whisky on board

“Many of our customers are cash rich but time poor and ask us to spend their money for them."

Top: Whisky is often put into an oak cask for a minimum of three years but normally far longer Above: Darren Leitch, national retail manager of The Whisky Shop

22

When it comes to storing bottles of whisky either at home or on board a superyacht, it is recommended to keep the bottles out of the sunlight and in a cool and dry place. Being stored in direct sunlight can result in the whisky lightening in colour, as well as the all important label fading.

In much older bottlings of Malts, corks were not of the same quality that they are today and sometimes deteriorated over time spoiling the contents of the bottle. Due to the quality of corks used in today’s bottlings there should be no deterioration, and there should be no problem storing the bottle upright as the alcohol vapour in the bottle should be sufficient to keep the cork moist and prevent it from drying out.

With these recommendations being considered, an unopened bottle of single malt whisky should be able to be kept indefinitely.

Once the bottle has been opened, the length of time the whisky inside will retain its character all depends on how much air is in the bottle. The air in the bottle interacts with the remaining whisky and will start to alter its character. Therefore the more whisky that is consumed from the bottle, the faster the deterioration of the character of the remaining whisky in the bottle.

Generations of American Craftsmanship

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Your yacht should be as as you

uniqueness

Experience the of owning a Burger Building a Burger has never been easier.

Contact us to learn more.

+1 920.686.5117 | sales@burgerboat.com | burgerboat.com Proudly built in the USA

Knowing that you would like to build a yacht is one thing, but finding out who will build it to your specifications, on time, on budget, and offer the right advice without any nasty surprises cropping up halfway through can be time consuming, hard to achieve, and for a first time builder, near impossible. Unless, that is, you employ the dream team.

Words by Ellie Brade

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building the dream

B

uilding a new yacht is a unique experience that every yachtsman should take part in at least once in their lifetime. The construction of a large yacht can be a long and complex undertaking, but with the right team of people this can be an extremely rewarding experience. FRASER looks at five key players instrumental to a successful new build.

The

Broker Many owners who opt to work with a broker on a new build project have a long-term relationship with that broker and are therefore making a deliberate choice to work with a trusted partner. “The dayto-day business of a good broker gives him/her invaluable experience, insight and knowledge about yachts and the market. It is this extensive experience, built up over many years in the field, that a client benefits from,� explains Antoine Larricq, sales broker at Fraser Yachts. A broker will often be the one that suggests the option of a new build as a possibility to a client in the first place.

When the client ‘Principal' is ready, the broker will help them understand what they want and define their brief. Once defined, the broker will approach the most suitable yards for that particular project at that particular point in time on behalf of the client.

Knowledge of the yards' key competencies, order book, quality and financial integrity are just a few of the key elements a broker will take into account.

The broker will then work with the client to put together the right team, including legal and technical advisers. The broker will help negotiate the price, contract terms, specification, General Arrangement and design; knowing (from experience) which details to tweak or ignore and the pitfalls to avoid.

It is essential to have checked every detail of the specification and contract clauses before signing the build contract in order to minimise the number of change orders during the construction. Change orders can have a serious impact on the final cost and delivery time.

During the actual building process the broker's position is such that they will step in and out to help the client and the shipyard whenever and however needed. The broker's role is essentially to know the client and the market, and to know where and how to guide the client to achieve a smooth process and the desired end result.

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The

Lawyer A lawyer is a necessity for any high-value deal, yachts included, but use of a specialist marine lawyer will be of particular benefit for a new build. “Lawyers specialising in yacht construction will generally see more projects in a year than any of their clients, giving them a broad range of possible solutions to any problem that may arise,” says Jay Tooker of Holman Fenwick Willan LLP. As yachts increase in size, value and complexity, so yacht contracts become more detailed and sophisticated. “Most yacht construction projects are like a complicated puzzle in which everything has to fit together correctly, and in a legally-enforceable way, if both parties are to get what they want,” says Tooker.

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Tooker cautions against seeing a lawyer as a weapon: “Owners who think they need a lawyer who will kick the shipyard into shape and ‘win’ the contract negotiation are short-sighted. A ‘win’ at this stage may achieve nothing more than a long and bitter relationship between the parties.” Rather, a good lawyer will help agree a structure that works for both sides, whilst anticipating potential problems and practically discussing solutions. “The lawyer an owner really needs is one who can protect him but also find a way to keep the project moving forward.”

building the dream

THE

Project Manager Juggling many responsibilities, the project manager ensures smooth running of the overall build. “A key early job is ensuring that the contract and specification meet the owner’s needs so there are no surprises on completion,” says Chris Semmens, director at VF Yachts, Fraser Yachts’ project management arm. “It is preferable to come into a project from inception to be aware of the owner’s needs and to partner with them during the build process.”

Feadship’s 92m Royal Romance is an example of one project that benefitted from VF Yachts’ involvement. “During the build, VF Yachts managed the owner’s side and were the intermediate between the owners team and ours,” says Bas Nederpelt, commercial director at Feadship. “In this particular project it really helped to streamline communication and being able to talk to someone with solid experience was a bonus as clients do not always bring in a team with the right experience.”

The most important elements of the project manager’s role are the formulation of the specification list and on site supervision to ensure that what has been contracted is delivered. Other crucial jobs include managing the tender process for the shipyard and/or other key suppliers.

Demands of the role dictate that the project manager should be well-versed in both the complexities of a new build and in everyday use of a yacht. “Past experience and support from expert partners are the key things an owner should consider when selecting a project manager,” says Semmens.

Previous page: Feadship launched the world’s largest hybrid yacht 83.50m Savannah at their Aalsmeer yard Opposite page: Yachts lined up at the Benetti shipyard This page: A yacht ready for launch

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THE

Designer Every yacht must have a designer, but choosing the right designer is crucial. “Working closely with the owner to understand their vision is key, says Sander Sinot of Sinot Yacht Design, whose recent projects include the interior of 88.8m Illusion, the biggest yacht under construction in China.

“It is most important that the owner selects a designer with whom they can establish a good dialogue so that the designer can fully interpret their wishes,” he says. “Designers must be able to react to the client’s comments and formulate a common vision rather than simply transplanting a design.

Experience and knowledge of yacht design is also important as this helps us relate fully to the needs of the owner.”

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Probably the most important stage of a designer’s involvement is the initial conversations around design direction. “Once the design direction is set we can then get to work showing clear visualisations of the results to be expected, making the yacht as real as possible in advance,” says Sinot.

Marrying form and function is just as important to ensure the design is actually buildable. “By working within the boundaries of technical infrastructure and classification, we make sure that the design is feasible,” says Sinot. “We monitor this throughout the whole process, from concept development to launch of the yacht.”

building the dream

THE

Shipyard While some owners may have a very clear idea of who they wish to work with, others might put out multiple tenders. The type of project being built can also dictate the choice of yard. “If the owner wishes to have a truly custom project then the shortlist gets shorter because there will be fewer shipyards able to deliver,” says Nederpelt.

Opposite page: A rendering of 115m Estatement designed by Sander Sinot and Pride Mega Yachts This page: A yacht in build at Feadship

Equally, the shipyard should be certain of their ability to deliver what is being asked for. “As a shipyard you should know what you are saying yes to,” says Nederpelt. “Many projects can be a stretch for some yards, both in terms of the complexity and financially – if you cannot deliver, it is likely to

become a stressful and unsatisfactory project for all parties involved.”

Owners should also be sure they are clear what their expectations are. “One of the main questions every owner should ask themselves when building their team is ‘what is my ambition and budget for the project, and how much time do I have to dedicate to it,’” says Nederpelt, stressing that the more custom the project the more time is required of both the owner and their team. For Feadship a main priority to ensure project success is building the right team around the project and allocating resources accordingly.

“We really try to make sure the chemistry of the whole project team is right.”

These are just five roles of many on a new build project and while all are important, one thing is certain.

“The success of a new build never lies with only one person, it requires team work,” says Larricq. Making good decisions on who to work with in a new build will see the best possible end results and investing the time to choose wisely pays in the end. “Keep your core team as small as possible, so decisions can be made, but make sure the people that are there have solid experience and are team players,” concludes Nederpelt.

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Living the

high life Penthouse living has long been the number one status symbol among the world’s ultra-high net worth crowd, but the rise of innovative superyacht design has seen an extraordinary pairing between rooftop serenity and nautical architecture.

Words by Julia Brandon

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living the high life

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T

he beauty of modern day superyacht design is in its organic fluidity and process of evolution. Borrowing from, as well as inspiring, neighbouring sectors such as the automotive industry is what keeps it current, innovative and surprising. Match that with the global demand among the elite for power living, and the result is a rise in penthouse developments that capture both the style and essence of life aboard a superyacht; coveted privacy teamed with unparalleled, progressive design.

There are a few projects that illustrate the influences land-based architecture and superyacht design have had on one another. This is usually best demonstrated by choice of materials and construction techniques, as well as actual design features and aesthetics, such as The Frank Stella Chapelle exhibited at the Venet Foundation, an outdoor exhibition space opened in 2014 set within artist Bernar Venet’s Le Muy estate in Southeastern France. A 15m-wide pavilion designed by superyacht design firm IPI, it is inspired by fluid dynamics and water vortexes and comprises a twisting carbon fibre roof structure with sailcloth infills.

There are also an increasing number of high profile superyacht designers who work with clients on both their residential architecture and yachts, such as Andrew Winch Design, Keech Green and Luiz de Basto. On the flipside are the architects who dabble in yacht-inspired buildings. Enthused by the sinuous curves and sleek dimensions of yachts, The Ocean Resort Residences at Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach are the vision of acclaimed architect, the late Michael Graves. Known internationally for his transformative, humanistic work in architecture and design, Graves’ worldly perspective can be seen throughout the build, in which multifunctional spaces echo life aboard a magnificent yacht.

“We saw the opportunity to improve the layouts of the residential units, and then, at the client’s request, we influenced the character of the building itself,” commented Graves earlier this year. “The sail-like profile of the top of the building and the incredible beachfront location created logical associations with sea-going vessels…The building is not a literal reference of course, but subliminally reflects the fact that this neighbourhood of Fort Lauderdale has developed into the yachting capital of the world.

“ For us, the greatest buildings are those that cannot be imagined anywhere else in the world.” “[At Michael Graves Design] we believe that architecture is inextricably tied to use, place, client aspirations and cultural traditions,” he adds. “For us, the greatest buildings are those that cannot be imagined anywhere else in the world.”

When it comes to unimaginable heights, it is predominantly penthouses that are leading the way.

It’s no longer enough for them to simply be the best apartment at the top of a building. To meet the demands of discerning buyers, developers are building to a level of design sophistication, service, and scale that is unprecedented, and today’s penthouses have elaborate, distinctive features that set them apart.

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living the high life

home to the world’s most expensive penthouse with a price tag of $387 million

Monaco’s Tour Odéon is set to be one of the Mediterranean’s tallest buildings, standing at 557 ft above sea level, and home to the world’s most expensive penthouse with a price tag of $387 million. Soaring above the dazzling, blue, crystal waters of the Côte d’Azur, the four-floored penthouse (featuring a kitchen on every floor) contains five bedrooms, a private home-cinema, sauna and large outdoor swimming pool, which is accessible either from a terrace or a unique slide that extends from several floors up.

Hosting the Monaco Grand Prix, the Monaco Yacht Show and the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters every year, the Principality of Monaco regularly attracts high volume crowds of ultra-high net worth individuals from the international social scene, not to mention those who have made it their primary home, and Tour Odéon, set for completion in September 2015, raises the benchmark for the very best properties across the world’s leading markets.

Previous page: Monaco’s Tour Odéon is set to be one of the Mediterranean’s tallest buildings Opposite page: Top: The Ocean Resort Residences at Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Bottom: The Frank Stella Chapelle exhibited at the Venet Foundation in 2014 This page: Below: The swimming pool of the fourfloored penthouse of the Tour Odéon is accessible either from a terrace or a unique slide.

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By its very nature rooftop living guarantees plenty of natural light thanks to the usual floor to ceiling 360-degree glass walls and high ceilings, which in turn provide unrivalled, breathtaking views of oceans, city landmarks and vast panoramas. More often than not penthouses are found in prime property locations, and boast ever increasing outdoor space. They are usually distinguished by having two or more levels and are equipped with spectacular, luxury amenities both within a development, and the penthouse itself, making them convenient, accessible and fantastic investments.

More importantly for those who can afford them, penthouses, much like superyachts, offer highly valued seclusion, and have therefore become a true status symbol. They are one of the current trendiest concepts in residential living among the elite.

This page: Top: The view from One Blackfriars Right: The residents executive lounge at One Blackfriars

Opposite page: The 1,000 bottle wine cellar at One Blackfriars

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living the high life

“ The uniqueness of my apartment is that you can step outside and see it all.”

“The buyers of these penthouses really just want to protect their privacy, so they outfit their homes with all of their own amenities,” says Mark Zilbert, president and CEO of Zilbert International Realty.

“It’s like they build whole towns within the penthouse - they usually include features like home theatres, gyms, spa rooms, chef’s kitchens, and private pools so that they can enjoy everything without ever having to set foot outside their door.”

One of the most elaborate examples is the triplex penthouse at CitySpire, 150 West 56th Street, New York, which offers the highest terraced residence in the United States. Listed for sale at $100 million, it is set across three floors and includes six bedrooms - the master bedroom occupies the entire 75th floor - nine baths, a private elevator, separate maid quarters, 3,000 sq ft of wraparound terraces, and a 1,000-bottle wine cellar.

“The uniqueness of my apartment is that you can step outside and see it all,” says CitySpire penthouse developer Steven Klar. “What drives people to want penthouses in New York are first and foremost the views.”

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The world is not short of impressive penthouses.

The Spencer Condominium, previously owned by the late Joan Rivers and listed for sale at $29.5 million, sits atop the Upper East Side Mansion.

Once a ballroom it was converted into an opulent neo-French Classic condo by designer Horace Trumbauer equipped with stunning parquet-deVersailles flooring. While the Sydney Harbour Front penthouse is Australia’s most expensive apartment and is located between Circular Quay and the Botanic Gardens. Occupying over 7,500 sq ft it features a private elevator, wine cellar, billiards room, master bedroom suite and a number of dressing rooms all overlooking Sydney’s Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

rooftop penthouse, is planned for development.

Designed by architects Simpson Haugh & Partners and featuring a dynamic double envelope façade with two distinct layers, it takes an unusual curved form inspired by the sail of a yacht. Set to add an expressive, new, nauticalthemed silhouette to the London skyline, this latest slice of expressive architecture promises to reveal yet more artistic design features when the developers unveil their currently-under-wraps plans later on in 2015.

“The buyers of these penthouses really just want to protect their privacy, so they outfit their homes with all of their own amenities.”

And most recently of all, on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge, London, a stunning new riverside quarter, One Blackfriars, equipped with a striking

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Be it tranquility at sea or the urban high-life that most appeals, the parallels between forwardthinking penthouse architecture and boundarypushing superyacht concepts only go to highlight the similarities when it comes to the requirements of the elite, not to mention the multi-faceted aspects of cross-over, interpretative design.

Top left: The City of London skyline Top right: The treatment room at One Blackfriars Below: The swimming pool at One Blackfriars

THE

EMPRESS A MYANMAR TREASURE BEFITTING A QUEEN

FR OM THE HISTOR IC MIN E S IN T H E MO G O K R E G IO N O F MYA N MA R —

the historical mecca for the gem trade and the source of gemstones destined to be worn by royalty—The Empress necklace is befitting a Queen. The journey of these magnificent, rare cornflower blue Burmese sapphires speak volumes of a great adventure, and the collection of these fine gems and exceptional diamonds in one masterpiece makes The Empress a once-in-a-lifetime treasure. After decades of selective acquisition and nearly a year of meticulous craftsmanship by our awardwinning master jewelers, this unforgettable necklace is a highly coveted work of art.

NEWPORT BEACH | PHOENIX | www.blackstarrfrost.com

In the bespoke world of haute couture, nothing is impossible.

And in the specialist field of Savile Row, a family-owned tailor is cutting out a niche of their very own for royalty, superyacht owners and families alike. Here Ray Stowers, of Stowers Bespoke, speaks of crocodile skin, Michael Jackson’s uniform, and the traditional art of tailoring.

Words by Julia Brandon

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a cut above the rest

How did you first start out in the tailoring business?

Back in the day when I left school not many people went to university and pursued traditional careers. In school my passion was drawing and sketching, so when it came to choosing my profession, I thought it would be good to use those talents. I came to the conclusion that a career in tailoring would suit me, and obviously I was right!

What prompted you to establish Stowers Bespoke?

Savile Row has changed dramatically since I started my career 32 years ago. The Row used to be occupied by shops with hundreds of years of tradition, sadly most of these companies are now owned by large international corporations who are turning them into international brands selling ‘inferior’ readymade clothing at the expense of the handmade bespoke clothing.

The traditions, quality and craft are being lost and replaced by factory-made products; the real Savile Row is suffering. I wanted to reverse this trend and create a luxury tailoring company that got back to the true meaning of bespoke.

Do you and your partners, Brian Jeffrey and Brian Pusey, each have clearly defined roles?

We all have defined roles but the nature of the work means we all work closely with the client servicing their needs. Both Brian’s, Lee Webb and Claire (who is married to my son) are all cutters. They all measure, fit and cut the patterns, as well as design the product for the clients.

I generally manage the business and the customers’ requirements, but I also fit and measure the clients when I travel to them.

What do you think is the appeal of Savile Row for both domestic and international clients?

For over 200 years royalty and the landed gentry have frequented Savile Row. Over this time the Row has gained a worldwide reputation for its tailoring skills and quality. Savile Row has always been synonymous with the artistry and craftsmanship of Great British bespoke tailoring. Bespoke tailoring is the haute couture of men’s style and Savile Row has dressed every icon of male elegance from Nelson, Valentino and Astaire to Sinatra, Jagger and Michael Jackson, not to mention crowned heads of state, world leaders and captains of industry.

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What sets Stowers Bespoke apart from other tailors on Savile Row? I would say it is our expertise, and our knowledge is second to none.

Also our willingness to say yes and produce whatever the individual customer desires. Our customer is king (some literally). Most of the older, more traditional shops offer a ‘house’ style or cut and will only produce clothing within their comfort zone. I prefer not to have a house style because I believe you need to offer the customer a blank canvas to allow them to have whatever they want without limitations.

Generally the Savile Row suit construction is quite solid with a shaped silhouette. We, however, produce soft, part constructed and traditional Savile Row fully constructed clothing to suit the varied desires of our clientele. This is why I call my company ‘genuine’ bespoke tailors. Our bespoke range is unlimited and we produce any style, cut or design whether classic or not, including dress wear, formal wear, uniforms, fashion or individually designed pieces for both ladies and gentlemen.

We manage our client’s wardrobes advising them on the correct clothing and styles to meet their individual lifestyle needs.

What types of materials do you work with?

All types and pretty much anything the client requires including wool, cashmere, silk, cotton, linen, leather, crocodile and even fur. The most popular is wool because it comes in so many qualities and weights so it works for most people and climates. We regularly search for something individual to meet the client’s specification.

Tell us about the capsule collections that you create for clients.

My goal is to give them whatever they need to fit with their personal desires, lifestyle and type of work. I want to ensure they are wearing the right clothing for every occasion. In order to do this I need to fully understand the lifestyle, engagements and personality and I can only do this by working very closely with them advising and listening to their individual needs. My aim is always to build a committed, long-term, personal relationship with the client based on trust.

Previous page: Left: Savile Row has always been synonymous with the artistry and craftsmanship of Great British bespoke tailoring Right: All three partners measure, fit and cut the patterns, as well as design the product for the clients

This spread: Top: The Stowers Bespoke showroom at Savile Row Right: All types of material are available to the client depending on what their criteria are Far right: Stowers’ bespoke clothing is limited to only 400 outfits per year

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“Savile Row has always been synonymous with the artistry and craftsmanship of Great British bespoke tailoring”

a cut above the rest

Do you offer seasonal collections?

Yes, but not in the retail clothing sense. Ours are more traditional and lifestyle led. We constantly have new winter, spring and summer fabric ranges, speciality new fabrics and limited edition designs. We introduce these to the client as additions to the wardrobe.

Who is your typical clientele who requires a fully bespoke wardrobe?

Our clients are generally very wealthy and seeking the best that money can buy. They recognise the true value of our products and services.

We do also have clients from all walks of life, from the person who always wanted a Savile Row suit to lawyers and bankers to heads of state. Many of my clients are superyacht owners, Russians and VIPs from across the world, including royalty from the Middle and Far East.

We produce personal clothing for them and also design and manage clothing for the yacht crews, even designing the uniform, badges and insignia to the owner’s design.

Have you ever created a wardrobe for an entire family?

We work with company offices and royal families producing clothing for all members of the family. This includes ladies and sometimes children. We’ve fulfilled requests for uniforms, designing and producing estate tweeds that are personal to the family, and individual clothing for every occasion.

What are the most unusual pieces you have ever been commissioned to make, and who by?

The first uniform for Michael Jackson was quite interesting! We recently made matching his and hers cashmere duffle coats for a husband and wife, and a well-known actor recently commissioned a purple sequined evening jacket with flashing lights inside and matching swimming shorts. Over the years I have made clothing for some interesting and famous people, including those who are no longer with us therefore I can disclose names, such as Princess Diana and King Hussein of Jordan.

What is the typical lifespan of a tailored item of clothing?

Our suits have a life expectancy of anywhere between five and 20 years depending on how they are worn and maintained. Typically a bespoke suit can be made three or four inches bigger in size and is designed and tailored to include room for growth or change and can be remodelled if required. Our aftercare service will last as long as the suit and we will not charge our regular customers for this service.

We limit our bespoke clothing to 400 outfits only per year worldwide.

This allows us to offer our customers the finest quality bespoke clothing whilst offering a first-class service that extends to anywhere in the world, visiting customers on request for fittings or consultations.

Where do you get your fashion inspiration from when designing one-off pieces with a modern twist?

Most of our clothing is quite classic with small personal details such as pocket sizes, lapel shapes, particular types of buttons and linings, etc.

Clients will sometimes bring an idea or shape they have seen and we incorporate this into the clothing, but anything is possible. One of my favourite quotes that we tell new clients is that we build the clothing around you.

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On 7th June 2015, a flotilla of vessels was involved in the rescue of thousands of migrants adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. Alongside the naval and coast guard vessels there was just one private boat – a dedicated search and rescue vessel called Phoenix.

Representing the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, Phoenix was the first boat on site and later coordinated the rescue efforts before heading to Sicily to disembark some 372 people, including 126 women and 62 children.

Words by Kate Hubert

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Nobody deserves to die at sea

No-one deserves to die at sea T

he extraordinary story of how one family were motivated to set up MOAS (the Migrant Offshore Aid Station) began just two years ago. A family cruise from Tunisia to Lampedusa became a life-changing event when the guests, Regina and Christopher Catrambone, noticed a winter coat floating in the water. The captain told them that the owner of the coat would probably be lost at sea, one of the thousands of migrants who attempt the perilous journey from Africa to Europe.

The loss of one life was sad enough, but when the Catrambones arrived in Lampedusa news was breaking of a much greater tragedy making headlines around the globe. Over 400 people had drowned within sight of the shore, focusing the world’s attention on a drama that’s been playing out for decades. Pope Francis visited the scene and implored people to do whatever was in their power to do. Regina tells how the family were moved to action: “All our conventions, all our laws, our humanity tells us that we need to save them – we must save them.”

Their contribution, however, went much further than a simple donation to charity. Instead, they bought a 40-metre (130 ft) expedition vessel, the Phoenix, and set up MOAS, putting together a stellar team: Brig. (Ret’d) Martin Xureb, Malta’s ex-chief of defence became the director, bringing extensive

experience of search-and-rescue missions. Marco Cauchi was put in charge of onboard operations. He spent 20 years in the Maltese military, commanding patrol vessels and working with the coast guard and anti-terrorist agencies.

The first MOAS missions in 2014 saved nearly 3,000 lives in just 60 days. This year, international charity Médecins sans Frontières offered their assistance – a team of five including two doctors and a nurse now joins each voyage. Phoenix saved 1,441 lives during her first voyage in May 2015, and to date has saved a staggering 8,910 lives in total.

The total estimated number of lives lost at sea during this migration crisis has today soared into the tens of thousands, with well over 200,000 migrants having attempted to make the journey in the last year alone.

Although the desire to do something was born of an emotional reaction to terrible suffering, the Catrambone’s and MOAS’ response has been wonderfully pragmatic and effective. They are keen to point out that MOAS is not a ferry service simply carrying migrants from Africa to Europe.

Rather they work under the direction of Rescue Coordination Centres to respond to vessels in distress, rescuing or transporting only as ordered.

Their mission is simple: MOAS’ unofficial motto is ‘no-one deserves to die at sea.’

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All our conventions, all our laws, our humanity tells us that we need to save them – we must save them.

Previous page: Every day hundreds of migrants are being saved while attempting to cross treacherous waters

This spread: Above: Regina Catrambone, founder of MOAS Right: Desperate migrants reach out to help in fear for their lives

Photography: ©MOAS.EU/ Jason Florio, all rights reserved

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The family, and MOAS, are based in Malta and Phoenix’s shoreside agent is Matthew Gusman, general manager of the Alliance Yachting Company, who also runs the Fraser Yachts office in Malta.

“The Mediterranean can be a terrifying place – these people must be really, really desperate to jump into shoddy looking craft and try to cross such a treacherous stretch of sea,” he says. “I knew the same thoughts had gone through Chris and Regina’s minds: ‘no-one is doing anything concrete about this – to hell with it – we’ll do it!’ And they did it. They’ve set a real example.

I hope that other yacht owners will decide to give some money to help keep MOAS going - they understand what it takes to run a 40m vessel!”

Regina continues to be a passionate advocate for MOAS. As well as getting involved in the rescues herself, she’s also promoting the crowdfunding that will literally keep the project afloat. “The future now depends on donations - last year it was funded by my husband and I as a pilot project to prove the concept, but clearly that is not something that can be sustained.”

MOAS needs a lot of specialist equipment, as well as the highspeed RIBs Phoenix deploys when she encounters vessels in distress, there are two heli-cam drones, which have proved to be vital tools. “We undertook seven rescues from 2nd to 20th May this year,” says Regina.

“Five of these were discovered

thanks to the drones, but they are expensive to operate.” The drones dramatically expand the search area as they seek for boats in distress close to the Libyan shore. They can then be assessed and, if needs be, rescued early into their voyages before real disaster strikes. The drones carry regular and thermal-imaging cameras – the latter can find small inflatable boats that are virtually impossible to pick up on RADAR. Regina explains why this is so important. “Many of the tragedies we see are from this type of boat because they deflate and become unstable.

With the drones we can find them and share the footage with the Maritime Coordination Centre so they can set up a search and rescue operation.”

Nobody deserves to die at sea

If Phoenix is asked to take migrants on board, a member of the Catrambone family is often there to help. Regina and her daughter Maria Luisa (who took a gap-year from university to get involved) found that the rescued women would often confide in them about their long journeys from persecution or war at home to Libya and onto the boats. Many have experienced unimaginable horrors. “One woman told me

when she arrived in Libya, they divided the men and women into two rooms,” says Regina.

“Each was only four metres square, with 60 or 70 people crammed in. The traffickers would come into the women’s room and attack them. The woman I spoke to was raped many times – but she tried not to cry or yell too much because she didn’t want her husband in the room next door to hear…”

The first MOAS missions in 2014 saved nearly 3,000 lives in just 60 days.

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The real power of MOAS is that it not only saves lives, it gives the migrants a voice

The real power of MOAS is that it not only saves lives, it gives the migrants a voice and restores their humanity. As Regina says: “I try to put myself in their shoes and realise that I am very lucky because I’m Italian, my husband is American, and we could move to Malta without any problem.

But what if I was from Syria, or Eritrea and I needed to move?

What if there was a war and I wanted a better future for my daughter? These people need to be humanised again. They are not parcels, or cattle. These people are being treated worse than we treat animals.”

The team at MOAS have proved that individuals can make a difference. In order to

This page: Top Left: Regina Catrambone pictured with one of two heli-cam drones Top Right: Desperate migrants are being saved in their hundreds every day

Opposite page: Top: Phoenix requires global financial support if it is to have the funds to continue its life-saving work Bottom: Babies and children are caught up in the crisis

Photography: ©MOAS.EU/Jason Florio, all rights reserved

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continue with their work, they need donations – and that is something that we can all help with. We sail the same sea, albeit in vastly different vessels; the fortunate for pleasure, the desperate as a means of escape.

The final word should go to Regina, an inspirational woman who sees us all as simply humans, no matter our background, colour or creed. “I have always believed that the more luck you have, the more wealth you have, the more responsibility you have. You have responsibility for your own family and for society.

We are not living alone, each of us builds society and each one of us has the power to exercise our free will and improve the situation.”

Nobody deserves to die at sea

How to make a donation to

MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) is a registered Foundation (VO/0939) dedicated to preventing loss of life at sea. Founded on private investment it now depends on public donations in order to continue its mission of saving lives.

If you would like to donate visit the MOAS website at www.moas.eu/donate and follow the instructions given or alternatively fill out the online form on the MOAS Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ migrantoffshoreaidstation.

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c i f i c a P h t Sou r e s i u r c

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South pacific cruiser

“Swimming with humpback whales in Tonga. Cage-diving with great white sharks in South Australia. Flying along the edge of the Great Barrier Reef in a helicopter, watching marlin and sailfish jumping.

Finding a shipwreck on a remote atoll near Fiji. Climbing a live volcano in Vanuatu.” As a lifetime bucket list, this would be pretty ambitious, but Captain Owen How is describing just his top five memories of his six years at the helm of explorer superyacht Ophelia.

Words by Chris Madigan

I

t’s M/Y Ophelia’s capabilities that Captain Owen How credits with affording the owners, guests and crew incredible opportunities; he calls her “the ultimate Pacific cruiser”. It took 18 months of detailed work in consultation with the owners to perfect the design of this expedition-style superyacht before her 2004 launch in Australia. Built by NQEA in Cairns, she is a compact 120ft yacht, yet can comfortably accommodate 18 guests (as well as her five-strong crew) in a master stateroom and four VIP staterooms, a double and a twin cabin and a four-bunk children’s cabin, as well as several spacious decks and lounges.

What makes her such a capable sea-going vessel is her range – a huge 4,000nm, the equivalent of Brisbane to Tonga and back. That’s at 10.5kts but, given the number of superyacht support companies scattered across the South Pacific, refueling is no problem, allowing Ophelia to cruise at 19.5kts and reach her 24kts top speed.

As a result, Ophelia has not only explored the Australian coast extensively but also ventured out among the islands of the South Pacific. Captain How joined the crew as mate and engineer nearly 10 years ago, and was promoted to captain in 2009. He recalls the owners’ trips around Ophelia’s home country: “The owners’ favourite spot is the Wessel islands in the Northern Territory – the white-sand beaches and limestone headlands of the archipelago are untouched and you feel like you’re the first person ever to go there. We’ve cruised down the east coast to the Great Barrier Reef, which has thousands of anchorages; experienced the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney Harbour; and have been in the south in November for the Melbourne Cup, as well as exploring another wonderfully remote spot, the Nuyts archipelago, west of Adelaide. We have also cruised Tasmania and explored the beautiful Bruny Island and one of the best beaches in the world, Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park.”

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Previous spread: (Clockwise) Left page: Whitsunday Islands, lie between the north east coast of Queensland, Australia and the Great Barrier Reef Right page: Top: Ophelia, pictured here in Fiji, is a compact 120ft yacht yet can comfortably accommodate 18 guests in addition to her five-strong crew Middle: Tong beach, located in the beautiful Vava'u Islands Bottom: Pods of whales breaching the water can be seen around the islands of the South Pacific

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South pacific cruiser

Ophelia has not only explored the Australian coast extensively but also ventured out among the islands of the South Pacific Captain How enthuses about the wildlife guests have spotted on various cruises – among them kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, dolphins, whales, sharks, crocodiles, penguins, seals and sea lions. But one type of animal in particular raises heartbeats on-board: game fish. Ophelia is equipped with a custom-made game chair and an arsenal of fishing tackle, as well as an 8m Protector RIB set up for game fishing (in addition to a 6m Nautica RIB Cat, with a drop-down front ramp for getting guests ashore with ease, and a Zodiac inflatable for crew work). Ophelia has landed wahoo, mahi mahi, striped and blue marlin, and various breeds of tuna.

“Our favourite waters to fish are around the Wessel Islands,” he says. “You can catch barramundi in the creeks or fish the tidal passages between the islands for Spanish mackerel. At the right time of year, you’ll even catch sail fish.”

None of this goes to waste: Ophelia’s cockpit is setup for seafood-lovers. Apart from large-volume refrigeration and dry storage, she has two 350-litre live tanks, as well as specialised tanks which can hold up nearly 1,500 fresh oysters. There is also a

seafood boiler, a barbecue and a steamer/smoker for infusing different flavours into the fish. So nobody will go hungry on the crossing from the Australian coast to destinations as far afield as New Zealand, New Caledonia, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu.

Ophelia’s owners have a special affinity with Vanuatu, particularly Maewo Island. Asanvari Bay is a beautiful, sheltered anchorage with a coral reef and a stunning waterfall. After a church there was destroyed, Ophelia’s owner donated the funds to rebuild it. “After the new church was completed, the locals held a special kava ceremony (the tradition of sharing a drink from the root of a sacred tree) where the owner was named Big Chief,” recalls Captain How. Across Vanuatu the welcome is universally friendly and helpful, and there is much to learn about the culture. “In Champagne Bay, in the north of Santo Island, we had a traditional hangi where they cooked a whole pig wrapped in banana leaves in a pit filled with hot coals and rocks for 24 hours – the meat was so tender and flavoursome,” he says.

Opposite page: Top left: A striped Marlin at the King Bank New Zealand Top right: Sea lion playing in South Pacific's tropical waters Bottom: A piece of paradise in the Kingdom of Tonga

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South Pacific fishing rivals the Australian coast, says Captain How: “My first experience of fishing in Vanuatu was with a local guide: he put live bait on my hook, threw it into the water and told me to count to five. I got to three before I was nearly pulled over the back of the boat. Forty-five minutes later, I had landed my first dogtooth tuna – weighing in at 90kg!”

The South Pacific offers other sporting adventures too – with so many coral reefs and the world’s most diverse collection of fish, there are incredible SCUBA opportunities. The captain names the outlying Tongan island of Vava’u as his favourite diving location – “the crystal-clear water gives you amazing 54

visibility” – with Vanuatu a close second because of the wreck of the SS President Coolidge. Given that guests have dived the Great Barrier Reef, that is saying something.

For less demanding fun on the water, Ophelia is equipped with an Aqua Glide towable platform and a Cruiser slide (“for the grandkids,” he says, “and the crew!”). But arguably the most exciting feature on board is the Lloyd’s–approved heli-deck, which can take a 3.6-tonne chopper with 12.5m rotor clearance.

It allows for not only guests to fly in and out of a longer cruise, but exploration of islands that are off the sailing itinerary – for example, the volcano on Vanuatu’s Tanna Island.

Above: A Flying Lorikeet, in the trees of Vanuatu Opposite page: Left: Smiley local children welcoming visitors Top right: One of several scenic waterfalls in the Cooktown area

South pacific cruiser

Of course, it is not mandatory to use Ophelia to her full adventurous capacities. Guests often relax on a sun deck lounger or in the hot tub, being served cocktails from the sky lounge bar and watching the sun set. However, Captain How says that whether based in the southern or northern hemisphere, no superyacht enthusiast should pass up the chance to explore the remote parts of Australia’s coast and the South Pacific. There are high-quality support facilities for the practicalities of airport transfers, provisioning, permits, etc., yet there is nowhere on the planet that offers the escape that this region does.

There are places where you feel like you are the first person to set foot on a beach

“There is an incredible sense of freedom. You can go for weeks without seeing another boat, and there are places where you feel like you are the first person to set foot on a beach, and others where local children haven’t seen a boat or a nonindigenous person before. The look of surprise on their faces turning to a smile is priceless.”

Asia and the South Pacific Charter Special thanks to Superyacht Explorer for providing the images for this article. Superyacht Explorer has been created by the experts in each of the countries of Asia & the South Pacific – the agents that work there.

It creates a series of stepping stones for you with which to explore very different cultures, tastes, smells and sights that each and every stop has to offer. www.superyachtexplorer.com

Ophelia is for sale through Fraser Yachts, for further information please contact: yachtsales@fraseryachts.com

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The

hunter games Be it the thrill of the hunt, the respect for tradition, or the love of the sport, hunting is as much about the social aspect as it is the passion.

Words by Josh Sims

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the hunter games

“Shooting is not really about the shooting,” suggests James Horne, founder of GunsOnPegs. com, the only website for buyers and sellers of sporting guns. “It’s about the bonhomie. The pleasure is really about getting a group of people together for what is simply a very enjoyable day.

Of course, you need a distinct skill set to be any good at the shooting and that, like golf, say, takes practice. However, with no experience, and the right guidance, it’s easy to have a go.”

74,000 and the shoots he runs himself are always booked out. He is even busy in his other capacity as chairman of James Purdey & Sons Ltd, famed sporting gunsmiths known for its very particular bespoke items.

Of course, recognised works of art - such as the decorative fine rose and scroll bouquet engraving found on gun parts of the kind Purdey has been practicing since the 1850s – appeal only to a niche clientele.

Certainly Horne has found that to be the case with his website. Membership is already at some

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Ed Bosarge, is the CEO of Capital Technologies, a company which manages the magnificent 180ft sailing yacht S/Y Marie and is also an avid gun enthusiast. Bosarge's first choice when shooting is normally a pair of Purdeys, but he also likes to fire the antique flintlocks, muskets and canons about S/Y Marie and is partial to shooting the two 18th century French cannons from the yacht on a daily basis. “I shoot all kinds of guns all year,” he says, “including 10 cannons from the garden when we are in Maine, and the two 1796 cannons on board S/Y Marie many times during regattas. I learnt to shoot when I was eight - it’s a very exacting sport but it’s also just very thrilling - and my son and I are very competitive.” he says with a laugh.

Aboard a superyacht may not seem the most likely of set ups for a shoot, but as Bosarge can confirm, shooting at sea can be exciting and wonderfully liberating. Particularly when you have access to one 58

of the world’s largest private arsenals of 17th, 18th and 19th century bronze naval cannons. You needn’t feel restricted when shooting from a yacht due to a lack of prey either. M/Y Atomic, which was launched in 2014, was customised by her sporting owner to incorporate a clay pigeon-shooting machine mounted on the sundeck arch, while laser clay pigeon shooting is becoming increasing popular for many charters.

Established in 1835, Holland & Holland, another London-based gunsmith producing some of the finest and most famous shotguns and rifles in the sport, boasts spectacular shooting grounds at Northwood in London, which offer unrivalled facilities for clay pigeon shooting. The perfect set up for enthusiasts, a range of bespoke events packages are available at the grounds, including the rather unique summer evening shooting for either corporate or private reservations.

the hunter games

Previous page: The secret to country dressing now is to mix up different weights, colours and fabrics Opposite page: A roebuck engraving by Cecile Flohimont on a Holland & Holland sidelock double rifle This page: Shooting is no longer a ‘blue-blooded sport’ but more a relaxing recreation

Holland & Holland are particularly famed for their strikingly beautiful signature ‘Royal’, a classic sideby-side shotgun favoured by keen game shooters.

As well as it being lightweight and boasting enviable balance and handling, its self-opening mechanism is said to greatly assist with rapid loading.

Virtually all elements of a Holland & Holland gun can be customised to a client’s exact specifications too, says Andrew Ambrose, Gunroom sales manager at Holland & Holland: “Aesthetically the client can select from a large number of engraving designs in addition to being able to personally select the walnut blank for the stock of the gun. Other specifications that our clients can decide on is the length of the barrels, the chamber length, the choke constriction and the stock shape of the gun which will include a personal fitting for the gun to make it truly bespoke.”

Don’t be fooled into thinking you require a prestige shotgun to get started on the real thing though.

“You can learn on something much more modest,” notes Horne. “You can buy a gun for £500 and if you point it in the right direction that will do much the same job. It’s like the difference between a cheap golf driver and an expensive one. The latter might help, but it doesn’t make you a better shot.”

Indeed, although controversial if often not well understood, sport shooting - of partridge, grouse and the like - is only rising in popularity: some 600,000 in the UK alone now shoot, spending some £2.5bn a year on goods and services; that’s 10 per cent of all outdoor recreation. Horne argues that the internet, in part, has allowed smaller shooting businesses to grow and introduced more people to the experience, through corporate hospitality in particular. Also assisting the rise in popularity has been a redistribution of wealth, meaning that it is no longer considered “the blueblooded sport” that it used to be, which one had to be lucky enough to be invited to in order to experience. The sport has changed beyond all recognition over the last 10 years.”

Nor is shooting, for all the machismo it might suggest, an exclusively male scene either. “When I first started shooting 14 years ago I was always the only woman in the line, which just made me want to be the best,” says Claire Zambuni, top shot, fieldsports correspondent for Town & Country magazine and a member of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers. “But now shooting is far more mixed.

I love being outside, the places it takes me, the landscapes and good shooting - seeing your accuracy improve - is very rewarding, but it also helps that I love cooking with game at home too.

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he secret T of country dressing now is to mix up the style different weights, colours and fabrics, never the same top to toe.

Above: The appeal of a shoot often lies more in the bonhomie

And if domestic scenes aren’t for you, there is also the fun of wearing traditional shooting clothes.

“Country style is becoming more of a hybrid, which offers more versatility for those who move between the two worlds of country and city,” explains Niels Van Rooyen, artistic director at Holland & Holland.

“The secret of country dressing now is to mix up the style - different weights, colours and fabrics, never the same top to toe. It’s less about huntin’ and shootin’ and more about being quirkily, classically English,” he says.

Of course, there are those that will require more a safari jacket than a Norfolk jacket, who want to think about shooting on a grander scale and in faraway places. “And there is no way - no way - to get closer to nature than hunting on safari,” argues Stuart Anderson Wheeler, gunsmith, safari outfitter and professional hunter, who has recently returned from six months in Tanzania and Mozambique. Anderson Wheeler speaks of the days required to track the right quarry “so one doesn’t rob nature of what it needs to pass on” and of the deep respect one develops for the land and the wildlife alike.

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But he also stresses - contrary to much misconception - what hunting can put back into a social and eco-system when it is done properly: through managing herds, and through the infrastructure required to make a hunt possible.

This all feeds back into local communities, perhaps allowing them to avoid dependence on destructive subsistence farming, but also through funding efforts to keep indiscriminate poaching at bay.

“As with any form of hunting, some people think it’s cool and some people hate it,” he says. “There are people out there who just want to put a trophy on the wall, and not all hunting is done in an ethical manner. I have to spend a lot of time explaining to people why I do what I do at dinner parties.

However, the actual kill is something of an anticlimax. It is all about the hunt and its thrills. It can provide an almost spiritual experience. For me it’s the last great adventure.”

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It takes two to tandem It takes We all know that two heads are better than one, and the same often goes when it comes to booking a dream yachting holiday. Known in the industry as a ‘tandem yacht charter’, the idea of booking a duo of yachts for a cruise around the Mediterranean or Caribbean sounds extravagant – but once you look into this option it is easy to see why such pairings have become so popular.

Words by Nigel Tisdall

The chief reason to double up on yachts when chartering is that it allows large groups of friends, family and colleagues to sail and cruise together on premium vessels while still conforming to the maximum 12-passenger limit required by marine regulations.

While there are larger yachts that can carry as many as 26 passengers, this can lead to a loss of luxury and intimacy. As Robin O’Brien, a Fraser Yachts charter broker based in Fort Lauderdale explains, “although those boats are of great value at times, they have to meet certain standards and you do get into the feeling of more of a cruise ship”.

Unless you are celebrating some landmark occasion, 20 or more passengers would be an awful lot to go on holiday with – in practice tandem charters rarely fill the

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cabins completely. In some cases one client books both yachts, on other occasions it is two separate charterers who choose to voyage together. A typical example of a happy pairing would be to match Rima II, a grey hull with white superstructure 49.5m Benetti motor yacht, with the 37.8m Ferretti Lady Dia. While the first boasts a generously sized sundeck, an owner’s deck and seven cabins with serene, Asian-style interiors, the latter comes with a sleek blue and white hull and a chic, pared-down design featuring five cabins and an attractive private seating area on the foredeck. Both yachts are based in Livorno, Italy, and their respective Namibian and Italian skippers have known each other for three years – a key factor in ensuring a relaxed and sociable ambience on board.

It takes two to tandem

a happy pairing would be to match Rima II, a sparkling 49.5m Benetti motor yacht, with the 37.8m Ferretti Lady Dia.

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A fundamental virtue of going tandem is that you get to enjoy the best of two worlds, and given the ultra-high standards of comfort and service prevailing on today’s top yachts no one feels hard done by should they stay on the smaller vessel. In this case, the greater size and stability of Rima II would make her the smart choice for any guests who are not the best of sailors, while Lady Dia has a neat and stylish feel that would suit younger members of the party.

Although you are sailing à deux to the same anchorage each night, there is a great flexibility in what each yacht can do during the day.

One day some of the party might choose to go ashore for some 64

shopping, hiking or golf, while others may be more inclined to stay on water and play with the toys. And with two yachts to hand, this often amounts to a formidable arsenal of jet-skis, SeaBobs, sea scooters, waterskis, wakeboards and various inflatables including, if you’re lucky, a yellow banana. Add in two tenders and 17 or more crew, and you really do want for nothing. Likewise, in the evening you can then all meet up again for sundowners to hear about the events of the day and laugh at the photos. With two chefs at the ready, it is easy to enjoy a glamorous seated dinner one night on the larger vessel, then an informal buffet and party on the companion yacht the next.

with two yachts to hand, this often amounts to a formidable arsenal of jet-skis, SeaBobs, sea scooters, water-skis, wakeboards and various inflatables including, if you’re lucky, a yellow banana.

It takes two to tandem

Taking two yachts also works well for a multi-generation holiday and for extended families – often one will be principally used by adults while the other is reserved for children and their carers. At other times a client will take a large motor yacht for his/her party while the “supernumeraries” (nannies, security guards, therapists, secretaries) are assigned to a smaller one – a recent example of this was the twinning of the 61.5m Esmeralda with a 28m Sunseeker, arranged

by Fraser Yachts charter broker Florence Xing. And there is no limit to how grand a tandem charter can be – last winter Valeria Alekhina from the Fraser Yachts Monaco office arranged a top-of-the-game uniting of the 68.2m Sycara V with the 58.2m Carpe Diem for a Christmas and New Year extravaganza in St Barths, complete with musicians flown in from St Petersburg.

Having yachts of different sizes also helps where it can be difficult to get into a port. “Last summer Lady Dia teamed up with another 50m yacht to spend a very successful week in St Tropez,” explains her captain, Massimiliano D’Arliano. While the larger yacht stayed at anchor, he tied up in the marina, which made it easy for guests to enjoy the town and beach clubs then escape to the peace of being at sea. Similarly, you might pair a lead yacht such

as the 65m Imagine with the 26.8m Coca VI – having less draft, the latter could go into a private bay where the water would be too shallow for the mother ship.

Some clients prefer to combine a sailing yacht with a motor yacht, using the first for racing and sport and the second as a more luxurious place to stay and entertain. A good match for this would be the 45.7m Ionian Princess and 51.7m Prana. If you really like sailing, then a duo of catamarans makes sense. Or maybe more... “Last winter I arranged a combined charter of four 25-metre catamarans sailing around the BVIs” explains Xing.

“One family took each boat, and it was a very happy week.” In this Caribbean scenario guests have the opportunity to race one another, and to split up to pursue different interests, for example some may go ashore to explore while others have a beach barbecue with the kids.

However you play it, the trick with a tandem charter is to find two or more boats that work really well together. That’s a job for an expert charter broker, who will suggest pairings and deal with the considerable background organisation. Your reward will be a lot of happy guests – and, of course, double the fun.

To charter Rima II, Lady Dia, Imagine, Prana, Ionian Princess, Coca VI or any other charter yacht please contact: yachtcharter@fraseryachts.com

Previous page: Two superyachts side by side on a tandem charter Opposite page: A jet ski ride adding some thrill to the day This page: Left: Tandem charters are the ideal solution for family holidays Right: A Flyboard can add an exciting perspective Photography: ©Thierry Ameller and Stéphane Rodriguez Delavega

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INTELLIGENT ACQUISITION

A collection of articles that celebrate artisanal skill, unparalleled expertise and exceptional beauty by showcasing some of the most highly skilled craftsmen, fashionable handmade objets d’art and accomplished designers and artists the world over.

Words by Julia Brandon

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Intelligent Aquisition

Using the same techniques honed in the crafting of luxury watches and fine jewellery, 18 karat rose gold chosen for its warm, feminine glow is cast using traditional jewellery techniques and polished by hand. The exotic leathers are hand cut and wrapped around the smartphones, while the sapphire glass is machined using high-precious CNC machines and polished to an ultra-bombé shape, which reportedly took a year to develop and refers to the dome of glass that shields the phone screen but sits in perfect alignment with the sweeping lines of the ceramics.

call of beauty

T

he ubiquitous smartphone, it’s impossible for any self-respecting citizen to do without, but not exactly the height of style and fashion. Or is it? Swiss manufacturer Savelli prides itself on having created a range of luxury smartphones specifically designed for women.

Boasting precious jewels elegantly set by skilled craftsmen in sculpted gold cases, and conceived in design much like a dazzling piece of jewellery, the Savelli collection is far more than a piece of modern day technology.

“Each model is fluid in every contour, each curve inspired by the ‘line of grace’,” says founder Alessandro Savelli. “Mine is a timeless concept of beauty and femininity, theorised in the 18th century English artist and philosopher William Hogarth’s book The Analysis of Beauty and reinterpreted by Savelli. The ‘line of grace’ is our trademark: it represents the beauty of nature, and of every Savelli woman.”

Assembled by hand by artisans in Savelli’s atelier in Geneva, the most challenging aspect of the production is the gem setting, says Alessandro.

“Savelli carefully selects each precious stone and our artisans hand-set them using the ‘serti neige’ or ‘snow setting’ technique. Stones of differing diameters sit side-by-side covering the precious metal to enhance the organic curves of each piece.

For me it’s much like haute couture - the passion and the patience of our artisans is the same.”

The Savelli artisans work with a myriad of different materials, and clients are invited to tap into their own artistic flair and customise their Savelli phone.

Choosing from a wide range of exotic leathers, such as iguana, python, alligator and ostrich available in many different colours, clients are then able to select a precious material of their choosing, as well as a range of gem setting options and precious stones, including diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds.

Finally, a personalised engraving can be added to the final product.

“Our design and craftsmanship is the same as in high jewellery,” says Alessandro. “Last year we created a unique piece which was auctioned off at the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) gala in Milan, and we donated the proceeds to the amfAR foundation. It was a beautiful and quite eccentric model, a unique edition of the Savelli Diamond Rain with pink gold, white diamonds and green python leather.”

Recently, Savelli also launched its first two limited edition emerald smartphones in collaboration with gemstone company, Gemfields. The Emerald Night is set with 400 brilliant-cut emeralds and is limited to 19 pieces, while Emerald Insane, set with 4.5 carat baguette-cut emeralds and 12.5 carat brilliant-cut diamonds, is limited to just eight pieces.

Representing luck, wealth, faith and life in many cultures, the emerald is also known as a symbol of nobility, beauty and eternal love, a fitting match for this unusual and alluring range of glittering, bejewelled technology. www.savelli-geneve.com

Opposite Page: Left: Savelli phones are conceived in design like luxury jewellery This page: Top: Artisans hand-set the stones using the ‘serti neige’ or ‘snow setting’ technique Middle: Smartphones specifically designed for women Bottom: Skilled craftsmen set the precious jewels in sculpted gold cases

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then sets about commissioning a head-block to be made from wood.

“Sculpture is one of my interests and is echoed in my contemporary pieces,” she says. “I also include in my collection some of today’s more classic designs. I enjoy experimenting with new fabrics, dyes and feathers and adding a current twist.”

Whilst the men’s hats are not made in the St. James’s Street shop due to the large-scale machinery required, the smaller collections of ladies hats are in fact all made by hand using age-old techniques. Once a head-block has been made, the fabric is then dyed to match the colour swatches and stretched out over the block to form its shape. The fabric is then painstakingly released from the block and shaped by hand into the desired design before embellishments and trims are then added to give further detail. Finally a grosgrain band (a firm, plain weave corded fabric) is sewn into the inside of the hat to ensure the piece sits flush to the woman’s head, and a hat elastic is added and colour matched to the woman’s hair.

Starting her career aged 16 as an apprentice at a couture brand on Bond Street, Sylvia excelled at millinery. Early on in her career she was headhunted by Herbert Johnson to establish its millinery department on Bond Street where she set about carving out a name for herself by creating a catwalk collection for the Parisian fashion house Hermès, as well as pieces for Princess Diana, Princess Anne and Dame Joan Collins.

Recognised today as one of London’s leading milliners she has been producing show-stopping creations at Lock & Co. for over 20 years.

Couture casting

H

igh up in a workroom tucked away in the secluded eaves of a building on London’s St. James’s Street – just down the road from the Fraser Yachts’ London office - sits the vastly talented pool of Lock & Co’s in-house milliners. Responsible for handcrafting all of the ladies coveted occasion collections, from Royal Ascot commissions to Royal weddings, this team of highly skilled workers carries on a tradition first started back in 1676 when James Lock & Co. Ltd was established.

Still located in its original building it remains the oldest hat shop in the world, and is proud to have supplied headwear to many tens of thousands of people over the years, including Sir Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Admiral Lord Nelson and not to mention holding the royal warrants for His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Tradition and heritage exist in the very bricks and mortar that house this industrial force of creativity and design.

But it is the vision and artistic nature of Sylvia Fletcher, the doyenne of couture headwear herself who heads up the in-house milliners, that sets this store apart. Conceiving each and every ladies hat, Sylvia takes inspiration from the architectural world around her. She remains true to her original practices and methods, and begins every creation by sketching a design on paper before choosing colours and fabrics, and

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Creating just two couture collections a year her designs are simple yet exude femininity and modernity. “The most unusual hat I have been commissioned to make was Admiral Lord Nelson’s Union Jack hat by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London for the 2012 Olympics,” she says. Commissioned to produce an iconic hat for London Hatwalk, in celebration of all things British and the London Olympic Games, Sylvia and her team worked around the clock to create a giant Britannia hat that sat atop Lord Admiral Nelson’s head in Trafalgar Square.

Of course, not all of Sylvia’s commissions are for wearing atop of heads: “I was asked to design hats by an American interior designer to be displayed in glass boxes in her client’s LA home, while another artist asked me to produce a piece that would sit on top of a marble plinth, which she threw a party for.”

Respected and revered the world over, Sylvia’s traditional style of millinery, which is paired with skill and imaginative brilliance, is desired on an international level the world over, and is a nod to the many years of craft heritage that goes into each and every one of her designs. www.lockhatters.co.uk

Intelligent Aquisition

that really comes to the fore. Its Legends series of safes comprise highly exclusive antique safes lovingly restored to mint condition. Whether an early 20th century Wilheminian security cabinet, a mid-19th century Napoleonic coffre-fort, or a work commissioned by the last Medici of Milan in 1740, each antique safe is an absolute one-of-a-kind piece.

Safe haven

W

hat does your mind conjure up when you think of safe deposit boxes or vast monumental vaults? Perhaps it’s a world of espionage and intrigue akin to the dramatic lives of James Bond or Jason Bourne? Or the secretive subterranean territory of the New York Federal Reserve Vault, the world’s biggest gold depository?

Or more simply, somewhere secure and discrete to store valuables, documents and sentimental items?

It’s usually not thought of, however, as a thing of beauty. An objet d’art customised to perfection, combining state-of-the-art technology with bespoke craftsmanship. But that is precisely what Döttling have achieved.

Above Left: All of the ladies collections are handcrafted Left: James Lock & Co. Ltd was first established in 1676 Top: A diamond encrusted skull on the Döttling Fusion Top Right: 24 karat yellow gold is used for decorative applications Above: All safe interiors can be customised to client specifications

Producing the finest German handcrafted safes since 1919, Döttling boasts over 15 different types of modern safes within its portfolio, from the monolithic two door, high-security Bel-Air Magnus, to the more ample sized yet astonishingly beautiful Grandcircle, which contains 52 individually controllable watch winders situated around a handmade Naeschke pendulum clock.

And not forgetting the Narcissus, an astounding collaboration between Döttling and Karl Lagerfeld that only reveals itself when it identifies and is activated by its owner, at which point two handcrafted interior cabinets containing watch winders and jewellery drawers emerge from its steel body.

But when it comes to items of beauty, it is the seamless marriage that Döttling has made between historic relics of the past and contemporary style

“The Legends series is our top of the line range, since each safe is a high class antique piece,” says Markus Döttling, managing partner. “That said, we are able to completely customise the newly manufactured interiors, and while the external dimensions are of course fixed, the outer finish can be determined by the client. We use 19 karat rose gold or 24 karat yellow gold for decorative applications and almost any kind of wood or leather for the interiors.”

All work is carried out in-house by a carefully selected team of specialists, from restorers and cabinetmakers to leather craftsmen, polishers, gilders, engravers and metal craftsmen. “For us the mix between innovation and the protection of our main philosophy is the key to success,” says Markus.

“Our main philosophy for almost 100 years has been quality based on passionate craftsmanship by people who love to work with their hands for people who appreciate the artisanal skills of today.”

And the client’s need for a safe is just as variable as the item itself. From collector cabinets to lockable drawers, cocktail bars to built-in humidors, the fitment variations are dictated by the client’s passion and vision alone. Even those commissioned for installation aboard a superyacht are completely open to customisation, allowing only for weight and the ability to mount it safely to the floor. When it comes to innovation and creativity, the mix of Döttling’s expertise and its clients’ dreams have conceived and produced some astonishing results, says Markus.

“One of the most elaborate safes that we have ever been required to produce came from our Bel-Air Magnus series. It was covered with cowhide from the client’s own cattle. He owns a huge ranch in Montana and he wanted to have something personal on his safe that holds his entire collection of antique guns and rifles.” www.doettling.com 69

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A sense of

taste

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A sense of taste

Ed McLachlan decided at the tender age of 18 that one day he would become a superyacht chef. Ten years on, he’s just won the MYBA Charter Show chef competition: his culinary journey has taken him from rural Devon to remote Asia, using hard graft and an enquiring mind to attain his goal.

Words by Kate Hubert

E

d McLachlan’s culinary journey starts even before his 18th birthday. In his mid-teens he took not one but two summer jobs in kitchens, working in a donkey sanctuary café by day and a hotel by night. He kept up with his schoolwork too – and could have gone to university if it wasn’t for an internet search. Keen to have his hard work rewarded, he looked-up well-paid, interesting jobs in cooking online and discovered the role of superyacht chef. Ed is pretty matter-of-fact about such a major decision. “All my friends and family have been through university, but I just love cooking, so I thought I had to give it a go.”

Ed’s chosen path didn’t mean the end of studying, quite the contrary – he embarked on a quest to learn everything he could about cooking, knowing that a superyacht chef is expected to turn their hand to anything. He started work in a kitchen under the guidance of an accredited Master Chef (a member of the Master Chefs of Great Britain), completing diplomas before being named Master Chef Apprentice of the year in 2009. But even this wasn’t enough for young Ed; on his days off he went to work with butchers or bakers, even his local Indian takeaway, to expand his skills. With this sort of drive and determination, it’s no surprise that at the age of just 24 he became the youngest ever member of the Master Chefs of Great Britain.

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When the opportunity arose to become Head Chef of The Galley Restaurant - a 50 cover, multiaward-winning fish and seafood restaurant in Topsham, Devon - he grabbed it with both hands.

“It was a great break, the owner had taken over what was quite a run-down place and trusted me to design the menus, choose the wine, everything.

He wanted the menus to change every day – so that’s what we did.” Business doubled every year and the accolades came flooding in, with sites like TripAdvisor and top newspapers voting it one of the top ten coastal restaurants in the whole of the UK. All this success would have represented a lifetime’s achievement for many chefs, but not Ed – he still felt he could learn more. The ambition that had seen him achieve so much in the UK now propelled him to take on the rest of the world. In 2013 he left The Galley and travelled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia. He learnt to cook his favourite local dishes, taking lessons from anyone from street vendors to Michelin-starred chefs.

Finally he achieved the goal he set himself at 18, and Ed became a superyacht chef on board M/Y Aurelia. After years of anticipation – how did his life change? “The main difference is the hours I work.

I only get a few hours’ sleep a night. In a restaurant the work is intense but in short bursts, while on a yacht it is all-consuming. And Aurelia is a very popular yacht for charter – which is great – but it means lots of hard work.”

Previous page: Ed McLachlan, award-winning chef on board M/Y Aurelia Right: Ed has avoided signature dishes and instead creates new delicious recipes on a daily basis

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A sense of taste

“Every dish I prepare is the very best I can ffer�

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It’s impossible to define Ed by a single signature dish or style. “Every dish I prepare is the very best I can offer,” he says. He’s deliberately set out to become a chef with a wide repertoire of the very highest standards; the opposite of a ‘jack of all trades’, he has mastered them all. Hence guests are happy to let Ed call the culinary shots.

“After I get the preference sheet, I create an adventurous menu. Then I check the guests are happy with what I’ve prepared and so far they’ve said ‘keep doing what you’re doing – and keep surprising us!’”

That means Ed is free to cook pretty much whatever he wants. He understands that the food needs to be light, fresh and reflect local produce – he may be an expert in Indian cuisine but appreciates that those cruising in the Med predominantly want to eat typically local food. And he’s quite happy with that.

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A sense of taste

guests are happy to let Ed call the culinary shots “The Mediterranean has so much to offer – the produce available is amazing and everyone here seems to be passionate about food.” Of course, his thirst for knowledge is undiminished. “I think I’ve learnt even more about food since I’ve been working on yachts than I did when I was travelling!

It’s the quality of ingredients that really excites me. The provisioning companies offer you some amazing things – I’ve recently been using sea grass for the first time.”

For the time being Ed and his wife are happy working on yachts, saving as much money as they can. One day they plan to open their own restaurant – “we just don’t know where yet”. With Ed’s track history of hard work and desire to learn, wherever he goes, it’s sure to be a delicious success.

Taster Menu Cherry Tomato Ga zpacho with Smoked Crab Cocktail

Poached Lobster Tail with Black Olive Ris otto and Citrus Truffle Salad

Confit Duck and Se ared Foie Gras with Jerusalem Ar tichoke Velouté and Blackberry Ju s

Cider-Cured Sea Bass with Spiced Musse l Broth and Garlic Butter Squid

Seared Scallop with Pressed Pork Belly, Butternut Squash Purée, Beetroot and Chick en Jus

Crème Brûlée and Rhubarb with Ginger Milk So rbet, Raspberry Crumble and Spiced Red Wine Syrup

Top Left: Ed has deliberately set out to become a chef with a wide repertoire of the very highest standards Left: It’s the quality and range of ingredients available when on a yacht that really excites Ed

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the importance of

belonging

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the importance of belonging

The private members’ club: a coveted place of solace, a sanctuary or haven for the genteel folk, a slice of privacy away from prying eyes.

It’s also a long serving tradition that is now enjoying a new lease of life on a global scale.

Words by Josh Sims

I

n the world of cutting-edge retail there is the concept of the ‘third space’ - stores less as places to shop, more as places to relax, and then maybe shop. The idea - social hubs that take us out of the home, without the pressures of being in, say, a restaurant or bar - is often presented as radically new. Yet this is what private members’ clubs have been offering for generations now - indeed, it is precisely because metropolitan life is increasingly time-pressured, and the choice of venues bewilderingly endless, that the members’ club is proliferating once again. It offers a go-to sanctum away from the bustle or, if you prefer, towards the kind of bustle you might like with the kind of people you might like.

“Clubs offer their members a certain type of atmosphere and familiarity, a home from home they like being on first name terms with the staff, for instance, or the fact that they can ask the kitchens to cook a dish in a particular way,” says Roger Marris, the CEO of the London Ritz Hotel’s Ritz Club. “There is something personal about a club that you visit regularly that you just don’t find elsewhere. There’s a sense of safety and privacy.

And, of course there is a reassuring sense too of being ‘in the club’. You’re part of an exclusive group.

Certainly our members are not shy to tell us if they think we have members who are inappropriate...”

It was in response to this exclusivity that, fueled by the new egalitarian culture of the 1960s, Peter Cook pointedly named his club The Establishment, despite operating an open door policy. It’s why the club that inspired a wave of new openings during the 1980s, the Groucho, was so wittily named - after Groucho Marx’s joke that he’d never join a club that would have him as a member. And why Tom Wolfe has referred to members’ clubs as still being places to experience those “here-we-all-are” moments.

Yet there is more to meeting with kindred spirits in terms of income, profession and outlook - than the chance to chat over cocktails. In an age in part defined by social media, members’ clubs offer a real life networking opportunity. The venue for powerbroking and history making has changed. When Tony Blair and Gordon Brown cut a deal on the leadership of New Labour, it was over dinner in an Islington restaurant. When, in 2009, however, Rupert Murdoch told David Cameron of plans to switch allegiance to the Conservative Party, it happened in the George, a private members’ club in London’s Mayfair.

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More than this perhaps, clubs today also offer some solace to an acutely contemporary malady.

“Clubs give their members a much needed sense of community, as successful restaurants do too really,” explains Brian Clivaz, one time managing director of the aptly-named Home House and CEO of The Arts Club, now overseeing new London clubs Upstairs at L’Escargot and The Devonshire Club, opening next year. “We live in a more and more anonymous society in which people talk to each other less and less, especially in cities. If you want it, clubs offer the chance for human interaction again.”

Small wonder that this sector of the hospitality industry is now seeing the genesis of a new generation of clubs, and this time making them big business internationally. Over recent years, for example, the Soho House group, owners of Home House, signed a £250 million deal with US retail magnate Ron Burkle to fund its expansion into Asia and the Far East. Nicola Horlick, investment fund manager and chief executive of Bramdean Asset Management, even launched an enterprise investment scheme focused on private members’ clubs, such is her conviction in their potential.

Certainly clubs now run the gamut from Paris’ super-cool Silencio, designed by David Lynch, to New York’s A60, its high life literally atop the 60 Thompson Hotel skyscraper; from Geneva’s Griffin’s Club to Buenos Aries’ Oasis - so private it doesn’t even give out its address unless you’re a member.

Providing you can get an introduction, pass the

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vetting procedure and pay the fees, there is a club for everyone. Few people might be what Samuel Johnson dubbed “unclubbable”, in reference to the lowliest sort who could not gain membership of any club.

That’s progress. The original conception of the members’ club - born in London in the late 17th century - was a strictly upper class male affair.

And demand was huge. Come the 1880s London had over 400 such clubs. Anyone who was someone belonged to at least one and many still survive as

the importance of belonging

Clubs offer their members a certain type of atmosphere and familiarity, a home from home. arguably the most famous examples: the RAC Club, the Chelsea Arts Club, White’s London’s oldest club, dating to 1693 - and the Garrick, the kind of clubs that typically still enforce rigidly formal dress codes, this either being charming or out of pace with the zeitgeist, depending on one’s view.

Back then each club was a magnet for a particular caste: actors or artists, literary sorts, sporty or certain business types, certain nationalities or military men. They were often places to gamble - because then gambling was illegal outside of members’ only clubs - and, as clubs still are, places for people to gather, debate, expound and plan. It was in the Reform Club that Jules Verne had Phileas Fogg accept the bet to travel around the world in 80 days. Or maybe dine, drink or just sit: “The great chair of a full and pleasant town club is, perhaps, the throne of human felicity,” as Johnson reckoned. It’s not for nothing that a comfortable leather-andbuttons upholstered place to park one’s weary bones with a whisky is still called a ‘club chair’.

That progress continues. It doesn’t please all, but the fact is that, while they certainly

remain closed worlds by definition, members’ clubs are becoming less elitist.

Yes, there are those who join a club as a badge of status, as some always have: as the ‘New Quarterly Review’ grumpily noted of the Athenaeum in the late 19th century, “ninety-nine hundredths of this club are people who rather seek to obtain a sort of standing by belonging to the Athenaeum than to give it lustre by the talents of its members.” But today’s era of clubs have seen them evolve to meet both commercial and client demands, letting in guests, hosting functions for outsiders, being as much a place of increasingly mobile work - the office from the office as of convivial relaxation.

“Any club in any big city now is going to draw a huge diversity of people. Today clubs are not built around what school you went to, or what political party you support - nowadays they welcome all walks of life and all strata of society, which makes them better, more dynamic places,” argues Clivaz. “The bottom line is that what makes a good members’ club is what has always made a good members’ club - and that’s good members.”

Previous spread: Stunning art pieces at the Arts Club Opposite page: Top: New London club Upstairs at L’Escargot Bottom: Main gaming floor at The Ritz Club.

This page: Top left: Arts Club bar, ground floor Top right: Arts Club lounge

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NEW ARRIV ALS 2015

Achievements

CHARTER FLEET

On Sunday April 12th 2015, after 3 hours and 44 minutes, Jérôme Bardies, from the Charter Marketing department in Monaco, went through the finish line of the 2015 Paris Schneider Electric Marathon.

One of the biggest marathons in the world with nearly 140 nationalities and 50,000 runners, this 42 km race runs through the streets of the city of lights, taking in the French capital’s most famous avenues, including the Champs Elysées.

Once again the Fraser Yachts Charter Fleet expands with some notable new arrivals; in particular several impressive sailing yachts.

LADY SARA, 57m

OHANA, 49m

ANNAEVA, 56m

BELUGA, 44m

XARIFA, 49m

ALASKA OF GEORGE TOWN, 43m

LATIKO, 43m

ELLEN, 40m

MI VIDA, 42m

MY ZEHAVA, 28m

HUTIANE, 32m

In sailing news, Fraser Yachts Malta based yacht broker Matthew Gusman was part of the crew on board the J/122 Artie, overall winners of the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2014. And what an achievement it is! J/122 Artie crossed the line after 4 days, 13 hours, 35 minutes and 05 seconds of racing. Her nearest rival in class finished 8 hours behind! In the history of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, only George David on board "Rambler" managed one better, that of claiming the RMSR course record.

Rolex Middle Sea Race ©ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo

Fraser Yachts is delighted to announce it is sponsoring Captain James Griffith of M/Y Imagine who is competing in the 2015 Cogs for Cancer bike ride from Barcelona to Antibes. Cogs for Cancer is a charity set up in 2013 and inspired by Adrian Long’s cancer survival story and love of cycling. In its third year, the event sees yachting industry professionals take part in an 850km bike ride backed by numerous sponsors, with the aim to raise money for charities supporting cancer research in France and the UK. For more information on these events and to support Cogs For Cancer please visit: www.rolexmiddlesearace.com www.schneiderelectricparismarathon.com www.cogs4cancer.org 82

Fraser Yachts news

Fraser Yachts expands in Asia Following a successful Singapore Yacht Show where Fraser Yachts had two yachts on display, an agreement was reached to expand into Phuket, Thailand and Kuala Trengganu, West Malaysia. These two offices will deal with enquiries on the full range of Fraser Yachts services across Asia and operate under the guidance of the Singapore office and Julian Chang, Director of Fraser Yachts Asia.

Heading up the Phuket office, Kit Chotithamaporn is a native of Phuket and has travelled extensively in Asia. Kit has represented Horizon Yachts in South East Asia for over ten years, raising the brand to be recognised as a world class builder. With his many years of experience within the yachting industry and intimate knowledge of various local

cultures as well as speaking five languages, Kit is well prepared to handle the Thai and South East Asian markets.

Heading up the West Malaysia office, Diederik Brinkman was born in the Netherlands but has been based in Malaysia for many years.

After a 35 year career in the hospitality industry in positions ranging from Chef-de-Cuisine to Hotel General Manager across 3 different continents he decided to settle in S.E. Asia and follow his life-long passion of sailing by joining the Yachting industry. A sailing enthusiast since a young age, he participated with his team in multiple regattas worldwide and will now focus on the development of yachting in South East Asia, Malaysia in particular.

Fraser Yachts already has a substantial number of clients in the region and a number of yachts regularly cruising the area. These new offices, along with the existing bases in Singapore and Sydney, will help penetrate the Asian market further.

NEW COLLEAGUES Fraser Yachts continues to grow with several new additions to its offices both in Europe and the US. Maarten Ten Holter joined the sales brokerage team in January 2015. An experienced broker, he is well known in the industry for closing numerous large yacht deals. Having worked for Van Der Vliet and De Valk Yacht brokerage between 1987 and 1998 before setting up Vripack Yacht brokerage in 1999, Maarten has been a certified broker in The Netherlands since 1992 and has spent over 27 years in the industry.

In Monaco, Olga Ekiert joined the Charter Management Department in May 2015. Olga has worldwide experience in charter management as well as charter brokerage.

She worked for a number of years with the company MySea in Monaco and afterwards with Dahm International, managing a portfolio of yachts for charter in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean handling all aspects of charters.

In the US, Trevor Carroll joined the Fort Lauderdale team as a sales broker in January 2015. Trevor has worked in the yachting industry for 15 years and has spent the past 11 years building his career as a successful sales broker at Atlantic Yacht and Ship. Prior to working at Atlantic Yacht and Ship, Trevor was an engineer on private yachts.

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aser yachts rthrop & johnson mper & nicholson’s aser yachts rgess mper & nicholson’s Deals representing the buyer

Deals representing the seller

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20

30

aser yachts

40

rthrop & johnson

50

rle wood

2015 started off very strong with Fraser Yachts having 6 closings in the first month, four of which were sold in in-house deals where Fraser Yachts represented both the buyer and seller. In the first six months of 2015 Fraser Yachts closed 33% more deals and sold 25% more yachts than its closest competitor. The numbers really do speak for themselves. Trust The Superyacht Experts.

rle wood

For the last five years Fraser Yachts has consistently sold more yachts than any other brokerage house worldwide and looks to continue this trend for the sixth year in a row, according to data published in Boat International’s “Market Intelligence” report and Fraser Yachts Central Intelligence reports.

The statistics also show that the total number of yachts sold in 2014 increased by almost 20% compared to the number of yachts sold in 2013. Buyer confidence in the U.S. and global markets boosted this trend and led to clients ready to purchase yachts which allowed the year to end on a high note for the industry as a whole.

rgess

Trust The Superyacht Experts

global superyacht sales for the last five years* top 20 brokerage companies

* Total yachts over 24m sold from 1st Jan 2010 – 31th December 2014.

Source: Market Intelligence by Boat International Media Ltd.

VF Yachts officially launched After successfully working together on numerous projects in recent years, Fraser Yachts and V.Delta (the engineering and project management arm of V.Group - the largest independent marine services provider worldwide) have now officially launched a collaboration together under the name of VF Yachts to provide Project Management Services.

VF Yachts offers project management and refit supervision services for superyachts from 40m in length, with particular emphasis on 60m - 140m superyachts. The team is jointly led by Chris Semmens (Technical Manager at Fraser Yachts) and Davide Lajolo (Technical Director at V.Delta).

VF Yachts provides unrivalled expertise and competence in both yachting and operations, with access to the in-house knowledge base of highly-qualified engineers and naval architects. A brokerage

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network with its finger on the pulse of the global market, in valuations and pricing, design trends, shipyard credit ratings – plus a network of reliable service providers completes our technical know-how. Certified ISO quality control and project management systems are also assured.

Fraser Yachts news

Spring Show Round-up This Spring saw the Fraser Yachts team attend a record breaking 9 yacht shows around the world! In the US, the season started with the Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach where Fraser Yachts had Maximus II and On A Roll attending. New to the calendar for Fraser Yachts this year was the Palm Beach International Boat Show, where we had a nice display and six yachts including the stunning 50m Arianna along with Calliope, +Lejos, Kingfish, Maximus II and Indigo.

In June, Fraser Yachts' stunning 39m charter yacht, Far Niente, was the hit of the Newport Charter Yacht Show held in Newport, Rhode Island, sweeping the crew competitions by winning the Best Charter Yacht Chef

competition for vessels 100’ and above, the Healthy Beverage Challenge and the Tablescaping Competition.

Over on the West Coast, Fraser Yachts attended the Newport Beach Boat Show in May and exhibited: Golden Boy II, Uno Mas, The Villa and Miss Lily. In June we had an impressive display of five yachts at the San Diego Boat Show, including Dauntless, C’est La Vie, Miss Molly, Voyager and Miss Lily.

In Europe, the season kicked off in April with a new show in London, The Yacht, Jet and Prestige Car Show, followed by the MYBA charter show at the end of the month, where eight yachts from the Fraser Yachts charter fleet were on display including Aurelia

and new addition My Zehava. Key moments included Chef Ed McLachlan from Aurelia winning the Chef’s competition in the 37 to 46m yachts category. On the other side of the Med, the Palma Superyacht Show featured eight yachts from the sales fleet, including 42.6m Rubeccan and 24.89m sailing yacht Clevelander, on display at the Marina Moll Vell.

Last but not least was the Singapore Yacht Show which took place in April this year.

Fraser Yachts had two yachts on display, the impressive 51m Aldabra and the 34m Azul A, despite heavy downpours throughout the show both yachts received a record number of visits.

Palm Beach International Boat Show

Palma Superyacht Show

Singapore Yacht Show

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Daniela DeMarco and Captain Graham Shorrocks

Roberto Giorgi, Chairman of Fraser Yachts

Debra Blackburn and Captain Russ Grandinetti

the captains' dinner Last year the 2014 Captains’ Dinner moved to the spectacular new Yacht Club de Monaco. The magnificent Ballroom played host to well over 400 Captains and industry professionals celebrating the end of the long summer season. The Dinner is one of the largest and most prestigious events that takes place during the Monaco Yacht Show and rewards the hard work of the crew and Captains and their tireless efforts to satisfy their guests.

Captain Grahame Shorrocks from motor yacht Imagine won Charter Captain of the Year, with the crew of Diamond A winning the Best Charter Crew over 50m and the crew of Muchos Mas winning the under 50m category.

Steve Jackson (MHG) and guest

Chef preparing the buffet

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Following the Awards the guests enjoyed a delicious feast with dishes from all over the world and then the music was pumped up and the dance floor was filled as guests partied the night away until it was time to go home with an over-flowing goodie bag. The generous sponsors included Ulysse Nardin, Mercedes Benz, Pride MegaYachts, Vins Sans Frontiere, Benetti Yacht Masters, Lusben, Vilanova Grand Marina, VBH, Global Marine Travel, Riviera Wine Academy, MHG Insurance, Boutsen Design, Rio Frio Caviar, Sound Purpose and Deco-Flamme.

Captain Maurizio Capitani and friends

Captain Marcel Busse and guest

Samantha Pilepich and Giullio Riggio

Fraser Yachts news

Natalie Ye, Francesca Ragnetti and Paola Caccavallo (Benetti)

Tim Davey and Laurnece Carlier (GMT)

Lisa Peck, Graham Shorrocks and Susanne Hurni (Ulysse Nardin)

Captain Dimitri Liventsov and Inesa Kney Guests arriving at the dinner

Captain Gordon Percy with Anita Griffiths and Susana

Captain Owen Jones of Diamond A

Guests enjoying the balcony

Tim Davey, Lisa Peck and Captain Glen Smith of Muchos Mas

Guests arriving

Guests waving their Pink Ribbon bracelets in support of cancer research

Phillips of Dรถhle Corporate Trust Services

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the annual dockside soirée The annual Dockside Soirée took place at the Fraser Yachts display during the 2014 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, against the backdrop of an impressive line-up of superyachts.

Hosted by Fraser Yachts, the Soirée is an annual invitation-only VIP event for their clients who are in town for the boat show.

Fraser Yachts’ luxury brand partners, Bentley and Ulysse Nardin, also participated in this year’s event and displayed a stunning Bentley Continental V8 S Convertible and a gorgeous collection of luxury watches.

Other luxury brands that sponsored the event included The Macallan, Snow Leopard Vodka, Robb Report and My Father Cigars, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the evening. Special thanks to CAT and bluePhare for supplying the sound system.

Bentley Continental V8 S Convertible

Howard and Robin Schwartz of Bentley

Fraser Yachts display

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Stunning Ulysse Nardin watches

Dennis Frederiksen, Vassilis Fotilas, Jay Tooker and Lisa Peck

Fraser Yachts news

Guests arriving to the event

Event hostesses

Jessica and Mike Busacca

Jody Dunowitz and guest

Event guests

Event guests

Guests enjoying drinks and My Father cigars

Guests make a fashionable entry

Guests viewing yachts

Representatives from Ulysse Nardin

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Croatia Borik

Dalmacija

Mandalina

Montenegro

Black Sea

Dukley

tic ria Ad Gouvia

Aegean Sea

Greece

Turkey

Lefkas Flisvos Zea

a Se ian Ion

Mediterranean Sea

Didim Turgutreis

Gรถcek

SUPERYACHT GALLERY

A selection of the world’s finest yachts available for sale and charter.

motor yachts for sale

69.65m

SHERAKHAN price € 25,950,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

228´06 “

26 13 19 11 knots

builder built beam draft

vuyk en zonen 1965 / 2014 12.05m / 39’06” 4.45m / 14’07 ”

“Impressive yacht with large spa, glass-bottom Jacuzzi and atrium-style dining room.” not for sale to us residents while in us waters.

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motor yachts for sale

52.00m

FELIX price $ 24,900,000

170´07 “

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

10 5 13 12 knots

builder built beam draft

amels 2004 / 2014 9.00m / 29’06” 3.05m / 10’00”

not for sale to us residents while in us waters.

56.00m

ANNAEVA price € 27,900,000 also available for charter

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

183´09“

12 6 13 15 knots

builder built beam draft

benetti 2007 10.40m / 34’01” 3.40m / 11’02” 3

motor yachts for sale

65.00m

IMAGINE price € 69,950,000 also available for charter

212´00“

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

12 7 16 14 knots

builder built beam draft

amels 2011 12.25m / 40’02” 3.86m / 12’08”

see details on inside front cover

not for sale or charter to us residents while in us waters.

51.00m

ALDABRA price € 25,000,000

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specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

167´04“

12 6 10 14 knots

builder built beam draft

codecasa 2011 9.50m / 31’02” 3.50m / 11’06”

motor yachts for sale

“ High Oktane Tranquility”

66.40m

OKTO price € 59,500,000

see details on inside front cover

217´10“

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

11 6 17 16 knots

builder built beam draft

isa 2014 10.50m / 34’05 ” 2.95m / 9’08” 5

motor yachts for sale

36.60m

AFRICAN QUEEN price € 8,500,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

11 5 7 14.5 knots

120´01“

builder built beam draft

benetti 2009 / 2011 7.90m / 25 ’11” 1.96m / 6’05 ”

23.98m

LINMAR price $ 935,000

6

78´08“

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

8 4 4 10 knots

builder built beam draft

new york launch 1932 / 2009 5.61m / 18’05 ” 1.83m / 6’00”

motor yachts for sale

35.60m

FOAM price € 8,500,000

116´10“

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

9 4 5 14 knots

builder built beam draft

admiral tecnomar 2014 6.80m / 22’04” 2.70m / 8’10”

37.44m

ANASTASIA M price € 7,950,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

9 4 6 12 knots

122´10“

builder built beam draft

sanlorenzo 2010 9.19m / 30’02” 2.01m / 6’07 ” 7

motor yachts for sale

43.00m

ECLIPSE price $ 11,950,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

141´00“

12 6 10 12 knots

builder built beam draft

feadship 1993 / 2008 8.41m / 27 ’07 ” 3.00m / 9’ 10”

see details on inside front cover

43.00m

RUBECCAN price € 11,900,000 vat paid

38.60m

SARITA SI price € 6,500,000 also available for charter

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specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

126´08“

12 6 9 11.5 knots

builder built beam draft

crn ancona 1972 / 2009 7.20m / 23’07 ” 2.50m / 8’02”

141´01“

10 5 9 13 knots

builder built beam draft

crn ancona 2009 8.65m / 28’05 ” 2.30m / 7 ’07 ”

motor yachts for sale

47.55m

SEVEN J’S price $ 22,500,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

156´00“

12 5 8 14 knots

builder built beam draft

delta marine 2008 8.71m / 28’07 ” 2.39m / 7 ’10”

53.90m

NOBLE HOUSE price $ 14,000,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

12 6 12 14 knots

176´10“

builder built beam draft

sensation yachts 2005 / 2015 9.75m / 32’00” 3.38m / 11’01”

not for sale to us residents while in us waters.

36.60m

+LEJOS price € 9,500,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

120´01“

12 5 7 12 knots

builder built beam draft

benetti 2010 7.90m / 25 ’11” 1.96m / 6’05 ”

not for sale to us residents while in us waters.

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motor yachts for sale

52.30m

LADY NAG NAG price € 28,000,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

12 6 13 13 knots

171´07 “

builder built beam draft

amels 2008 9.00m / 29’06” 3.35m / 11’00”

not for sale to us residents while in us waters.

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motor yachts for sale

50.00m

MAYRA price € 22,500,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

164´00“

12 5 9 13 knots

builder built beam draft

mayra yachts ltd.

2015 8.53m / 28’00” 2.70m / 8’10”

46.71m

LADY PETRA price € 22,500,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

12 6 9 12 knots

153´03“

builder built beam draft

heesen 2012 8.83m / 29’00” 2.85m / 9’04”

see details on inside front cover

41.90m

GEOSAND price € 14,850,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

137´06 “

12 6 8 15.5 knots

builder built beam draft

baglietto 2011 8.50m / 27 ’11” 2.20m / 7 ’03”

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motor yachts for sale

32.31m

MAXIMUS II price $ 4,795,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

106´00“

6 3 4 14 knots

builder built beam draft

horizon yachts 2005 7.16m / 23’06” 1.98m / 6’06”

28.04m

C’EST LA VIE price $ 3,250,000

30.48m

KEIKI KAI price $ 5,995,000 also available for charter

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

100´00“

8 4 5 14 knots

builder built beam draft

benetti 2005 / 2010 7.14m / 23’05 ” 1.85m / 6’01”

not for sale or charter to us residents while in us waters.

12

6 3 3 18 knots

92´00“

builder built beam draft

horizon yachts 2002 6.55m / 21’06” 1.98m / 6’06”

sailing yachts for sale

58.40m

KOKOMO price €39,750,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

191´07 “

12 5 12 12.5 knots

builder built beam draft (keel up) draft (keel down)

alloy yachts 2010 10.90m / 35 ’09” 4.95m / 16’03” 8.10m / 26’06”

see details on inside front cover

54.86m

MARIE

see details on inside front cover

price poa

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

180´00“

10 4 8 12 knots

builder built beam draft

vitters 2010 9.45m / 31’00” 4.88m / 16’00”

not for sale to us residents while in us waters.

43.44m

VICTORIA price € 9,950,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

142´06 “

1o 5 7 1o knots

builder built beam draft

perini navi 2004 / 2012 9.43m / 30’11” 3.60m / 11’10”

13

motor yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

73.15m

LAUREL price per week summer west med usd $525,000 winter caribbean usd $525,000

240´00“

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

12 6 22 15 knots

builder built beam draft

delta marine 2006 / 2014 12.25m / 40’02” 3.66m / 12’00”

not for charter to us residents while in us waters.

57.00m

LADY SARA price per week summer west med eur €322,000 winter bahamas usd $322,000 14

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

187´00“

12 6 13 16 knots

builder built beam draft

trinity 2012 10.20m / 33’06” 2.44m / 8’00”

motor yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

“ Striking lines and exterior design. Exquisite attention to detail.”

see details on inside front cover

not for charter to us residents while in us waters.

56.00m

JAGUAR price per week summer west med eur €250,000 winter caribbean usd $295,000

183´09“

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

12 6 11 15 knots

builder built beam draft

benetti 2005 / 2010 10.40m / 34’01” 3.57m / 11’09” 15

motor yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

33.50m

HELIAD II price per week summer mediterranean eur €75,000 winter west med eur €75,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

109´11“

12 5 6 11 knots

builder built beam draft

lynx yachts 2013 8.00m / 26’03” 2.30m / 7’07”

63.30m

FORCE BLUE price per week summer mediterranean eur €235,000 winter west med eur €235,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

207´08“

12 6 19 14 knots

builder built beam draft

royal denship 2002 / 2009 11.38m / 37’04” 2.95m / 9’08”

see details on inside front cover

37.30m

AURELIA price per week summer west med eur €105,000 winter west med eur €105,000

16

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

122’05 “

8 4 6 15 knots

builder built beam draft

heesen 2011 / 2013 7.50m / 24’07 ” 2.20m / 7’03”

motor yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

57.30m

DIAMOND A price per week summer west med eur €255,000 winter caribbean usd $255,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

188´00“

12 9 15 16 knots

builder built / refit beam draft

abeking & rasmussen 1998 / 2014 10.29m / 33’09” 3.83m / 12’00”

not for charter to us residents while in us waters.

49.91m

LUMIERE price per week summer west med eur €175,000 winter caribbean usd $175,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

163´09“

12 6 11 13 knots

builder built / refit beam draft

benetti 1999 / 2014 8.90m / 29’02” 2.60m / 8’06”

see details on inside front cover

not for charter to us residents while in us waters.

52.43m

BIG EAGLE price per week summer new england usd $140,000 winter caribbean usd $140,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

172´00“

12 6 10 13 knots

builder built beam draft

mie shipyard 1980 / 2008 7.92m / 26’00” 2.74m / 9’00”

17

motor yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

56.00m

ULYSSES price per week summer west med eur €255,000 winter caribbean usd $270,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

183´09“

12 6 13 14 knots

builder built beam draft

benetti 2012 10.40m / 34’01” 3.80m / 12’06”

also available for sale

see details on inside front cover

18

motor yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

52.00m

LATITUDE price per week summer west med eur €203,000 winter west med eur €203,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

170´07 “

12 6 13 14 knots

builder built beam draft

benetti 2008 10.40 / 34’01” 3.50m / 11’06”

see details on inside front cover

42.75m

MI VIDA price per week summer west med eur €139,000 winter west med eur €139,000

140´03“

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

1o 5 9 11 knots

builder built beam draft

baglietto 2009 8.90m / 29’02” 2.95m / 9’08” 19

motor yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

ALASKA OF GEORGE TOWN price per week summer west med eur € 115,000 winter west med eur € 115,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

9 5 10 13 knots

builder built / refit beam draft

43.90m

144´00“

shipworks brisbane 2004 / 2015 8.61m / 28’03” 2.24m / 7’04”

44.50m

PARTY GIRL specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

price per week summer bahamas usd $169,000 winter caribbean usd $169,000

28.32m

MY ZEHAVA price per week summer west med eur €60,000 winter west med eur €60,000

20

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

92´11“

10 5 5 12 knots

builder built beam draft

benetti 2014 6.73m / 22’01” 1.91m / 6’03”

146´00“

12 6 9 14 knots

builder built beam draft

christensen 2008 8.99m / 29’06” 2.43m / 8’00”

sailing yachts for charter

all prices listed are low rates for that season

32.64m

INUKSHUK price per week summer new england usd $72,000 winter caribbean usd $72,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

107´01“

8 4 4 1o knots

builder built beam draft

baltic yachts 2013 7.43m / 24’05” 4.90m / 16’01”

see details on inside front cover

49.70m

OHANA specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

price per week summer west med eur €150,000 winter caribbean eur €150,000

specifications guests cabins crew cruising speed

1o 5 8 12 knots

builder built beam draft

fitzroy yachts 2012 9.95m / 32’08” 5.60m / 18’04”

31.00m

HUTIANE price per week summer west med eur €60,000 winter west med eur €60,000

163´01“

101´08“

10 4 5 9 knots

builder built beam draft

cuneo marine 2011 / 2015 12.27m / 40’03” 2.20m / 7’03”

21

THE

diary NOVEMBER 2015 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show What: Fort Lauderdale, the ‘Yachting Capital of the World’ will host the 56th annual event, which will exhibit a range from yacht builders and designers to exotic cars and superyachts.

When: November 5-9 Where: Fort Lauderdale, USA www.showmanagement.com

28th Annual Showboats International Boys & Girls Clubs Rendezvous What: The annual event will feature traditional weekend favourites such as the famed ‘Dine Around the Docks’ Yacht Hop, where Rendezvous attendees will board the magnificent yachts and be treated to the ‘good life’. It will also include a Miami Vice Costume Ball on Friday evening with entertainment by Rubix Kube, and a Moon Over Miami themed gala where guests will enjoy entertainment by The Pointer Sisters.

When: November 12-14 Where: Fisher Island, Florida, USA

Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix What: The Yas Marina Circuit hosts a twilight event, where lighting systems smooth the transition from day to night.

Wrapped around the yacht-filled marina and with all grandstands covered, Abu Dhabi rivals Monaco in terms of glamour. Running anti-clockwise, the track features nine right and eleven left turns, with top speeds of 320km/h. Practice and qualifying sessions take place on Friday and Saturday; the main race is on Sunday.

When: November 27-29 Where: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi www.formula1.com

FEBRUARY 2016

73rd Golden Globe Awards

Vienna Opera Ball

What: : The Golden Globe Awards, produced by Dick Clark Productions in association with the HFPA, is viewed in more than 160 countries worldwide and is one of the few awards ceremonies to include both motion picture and television achievements.

When: January 10 Where: The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, CA www.goldenglobes.com

What: The Vienna Opera Ball combines the Viennese lifestyle with global allure and the modern stage management of a traditional event. It opens with a dazzling festival with artists from all over the world taking part, and goes on to include the legendary entrance of the young ladies‘ and gentlemen’s committee, the elegantly appointed ballroom, the exquisitely decorated House on the Ring, and international guests from the world of culture, business, politics, sports and science.

When: February 4 Where: Vienna www.wiener-staatsoper.at

Sundance Film Festival What: Presenting dramatic and documentary feature-length films from emerging and established artists, innovative short films, film-maker forums and panels, live music performances ranging from solo acts to film composer events, cutting-edge media installations and engaging community and student programmes, the Sundance Film Festival brings together the most original storytellers of our time.

When: January 21-31 Where: Park City, Utah, USA www.sundance.org

St Moritz Polo World Cup What: The world’s most prestigious winter polo tournament. Four high-goal teams with handicaps between 15 and 18 goals battle for the coveted trophy on the frozen surface of Lake St. Moritz; a combination of strength, elegance, speed, pride and the traditional British love of fair play.

Where: St Moritz, CH When: January 29-31 www.snowpolo-stmoritz.com

Carnival of Venice What: There is no better time for lovers of romance to discover this enchanting, watery city than during this world-famous carnival.

Just as they have for hundreds of years, Venetians throw a 10-day party celebrating the end of winter and the onset of spring.

Italian aristocrats and international jet-setters throw modesty aside and get dressed up in the full regalia.

When: January 23 - 9 February www.carnevale.venezia.it

www.yachtrendezvous.com

DECEMBER 2015

Global Superyacht Forum

Art Basel

What: The industry’s longest-serving and most professional conference for the world of large yachts. With the tried-andtested formula of breakout sessions, the Superyacht Events team organises smaller group discussions, introducing superyacht owners and knowledgeable personalities in the industry to bring to light those niggling ownership and industry issues that need to be confronted.

When: November 16-18 Where: Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands www.superyachtevents.com

What: The favourite winter meeting place for the international art world, the show presents premier artwork from across the globe. With miles of sandy beaches dotted with classic Art Deco architecture, worldclass art museums and a glittering nightlife, Miami Beach ranks among America’s most iconic cities. During Art Basel, over 267 of the world’s leading galleries participate, drawing over 73,000 visitors to the dynamic, cultural city.

When: December 3-6 Where: Miami Beach, Florida, US www.artbasel.com/miami-beach

112

JANUARY 2016

The 88th Academy Awards What: The Kodak Theatre in Hollywood will once again be the place where the prestigious Oscar trophies will be handed out. To be broadcast live in the US on the ABC network.

When: February 28 Where: Kodak Theatre, Hollywood www.oscars.com

New York Fashion Week What: A whirlwind of style and glamour over eight champagne-fuelled days.

Expect to see autumn/winter collections from the renowned and emerging designers. As you would expect from a 24-hour city like New York, the parties are extravagant and endless.

When: February 11-18 www.nyfw.com

MARCH 2016

Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters What: The Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is the first of three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments played on clay. The tournament is a player and fan favourite due to its magnificent location and long tradition of champions.

When: April 9-17 Where: Monte-Carlo, Monaco www.montecarlotennismasters.com

Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta & Rendezvous What: Bringing together sail and motor yachts during a four-day event for owners, their families and friends. Organised by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda When: March 9-12 Where: Yacht Club Costa Smeralda www.loropianacaribbean superyachtregatta.com

The Cheltenham Festival What: Four days of magic, magnificence and madness, played out by the best horses, jockeys and trainers, on a stage framed by the Cotswold Hills, to a crowd of 230,000 people having the time of their lives. Gold Cup Day is the climax of the festival. Some 20,000 bottles of champagne are served during the festival. Around 20,000 people will sit down each day to a four-course lunch, while the rest tuck into burgers and hot dogs.

When: March 15-18 Where: Cheltenham, Essex, UK www.cheltenhamfestival.net

St Barths Bucket Regatta What: The St Barths Bucket Regatta is a congenial, invitational regatta set in the Corinthian spirit. The regatta is open to yachts over 31 metres LOA, unless invited under the ‘Grandfather Clause’, and spans an exhilarating three days of competitive racing with a disparate fleet featuring sloops, schooners and ketches.

When: March 17-20 Where: St Barths www.bucketregattas.com

Dubai World Cup What: The Dubai International Racing Carnival consists of nine race nights and attracts more than 450 of the finest thoroughbred horses from more than 20 countries. The pinnacle of Dubai’s racing calendar is the Dubai World Cup. Join the best of the international racing fraternity and enjoy the electrifying atmosphere of the world’s richest horse race.

When: March 26 Where: Dubai, Meydan Racecourse, United Arab Emirates www.dubairacingclub.com

www.world-luxury-expo.com

The 9th Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine What: The premier epicurean lifestyle event on the West Coast featuring world-renowned celebrity chefs creating decadent culinary delights paired with exceptional wines.

In addition to cooking demonstrations led by the most talented chefs and vertical tastings from the world’s top wine producers, unique experiences are added each year making this a must-see annual event for culinary enthusiasts and wine aficionados the world over.

When: March 31 - 3 April Where: Pebble Beach, California, US www.pbfw.com

Miami Open What: A two-week annual event showcasing one of the deepest fields of the year, the Sony Ericsson Open has reached the next echelon in presenting an international sports extravaganza. With $6.9 million in prize money, equally distributed to the men and women, and all the top players and media from all corners of the world covering the action every day, the event has earned its place in the world as the fifth largest tennis tournament.

When: March 21 - 3 April Where: Miami Beach, Florida, USA www.miamiopen.com

What: Held in the heart of the City of London, in one of the wealthiest districts in the world, The London Yacht, Jet & Prestige Car Show will present the finest things in life, all at a single, fabulous Thames-side location with majestic views over London. Visitors to this exclusive event will be treated to displays from the world’s leading luxury yacht builders & brokers, yacht & interior designers, private jet manufacturers, jet charter agents, luxury car manufacturers and a whole host of luxury goods and service companies.

When: May 4-6 Where: Old Billingsgate, London, UK www.londonyachtjetand prestigecarshow.com

What: The festival has become one of the best wine events in the US, with some of the finest global wine talent on hand every year.

When: May 18-22 Where: Massachusetts, US www.nantucketwinefestival.com

Top Marques Monaco What: The most exclusive car show in the world, where you’ll also find private jets, private yachts, luxury real estate, private banking, watches, rare wines and unique products of excellence from luxury brands.

When: April 14-17 Where: Grimaldi Forum, 10 Avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco www.topmarquesmonaco.com

Cannes Film Festival What: Movie fans might think the Cannes Film Festival is all about cinema. But most would agree it is the parties that steal the show. For 12 days, the seaside town of Cannes on the south coast of France will transform into a razzle-dazzle party town to mark the 69th anniversary of the festival.

When: May 11-22 Where: Cannes, France www.festival-cannes.fr

Singapore Yacht Show What: The Singapore Yacht Show is your opportunity to discover some of the world’s finest superyacht and international yacht brands in an elite and highly social setting, giving you a chance to enjoy luxury yachting at its finest.

When: April 7-10 Where: Sentosa Cove, Singapore www.singaporeyachtshow.com

april 2016

International Contemporary Furniture Fair

The 21st China (Shanghai) International Boat Show What: The 21st China (Shanghai) International Boat Show will throw its doors open in 2016 to an anticipated 36,000 visitors from over 70 countries with 550 exhibitors, and eight national and regional pavilions showcasing 53 new boat models.

When: April 7-10 Where: Shanghai, China www.boatshowchina.cn

The London Yacht, Jet & Prestige Car Show

20th Annual Nantucket Wine Festival

American Express World Luxury Expo What: Hosted for the fourth year in the spectacular Ritz-Carlton, the American Express World Luxury Expo, Riyadh will showcase the world’s leading luxury brands including fine dining, furniture, travel, art, gems, automobiles and entertainment to an ultra-affluent and highly discerning target audience.

When: March 30 - 1 April Where: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Riyadh

May 2016

Antigua Sailing Week What: A chance to see yachts racing in some of the best sailing conditions in the world, while soaking up the party atmosphere in the historic English Harbour.

When: April 23-29 Where: Antigua www.sailingweek.com

What: The 28th annual fair is set to turn New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre into a global summit for what is best and what is next in design. The event will host more than 500 exhibitors from more than 30 countries in categories from accessories to wall coverings.

When: May 14-17 Where: New York, US www.icff.com

Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix

Art Basel

Monte Carlo Red Cross Gala Ball

73rd Venice Film Festival

What: The Monaco F1 Grand Prix is widely considered to be one of the most significant and famous automobile races in the world.

From Casino Square to the world’s most famous hairpin, through the tunnel and past the luxurious yachts, Monte Carlo is a circuit of legendary corners seeped in history.

When: May 26-29 Where: Monte Carlo, Monaco www.formula1.com

What: The world’s premier international art show for modern and contemporary works, Art Basel features nearly 300 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa showcasing the highest-quality paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, video and editioned works.

When: June 16-19 Where: Basel, Switzerland www.artbasel.com

What: The Sporting d’Eté Club is the prestigious venue for this important fundraiser, which attracts ball gown-clad celebrities in their droves.

When: July 23 Where: Monte-Carlo, Monaco www.monte-carlo.world-guides.com

What: An event that raises the awareness and promotes international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and tolerance.

Where: Venice, Italy www.labiennale.org

June 2016

Aspen Food and Wine Classic

The Cartier Queen’s Cup What: Cartier will once again bring their unique blend of glamour, style and elegance to this world-famous, high-goal polo competition. Attracting the sport’s leading players from across the globe, the team sheet reads like a who’s who of polo and each game is so important that if the players are not in action on the field, they can be found watching the games intensely, keeping a close eye on their rivals’ tactics.

When: June Where: London, UK

What: Experience a pleasure-packed weekend of cooking demonstrations, food samplings and wine tasting.

When: June 17-19 Where: Aspen, Colorado, US www.foodandwine.com

Wimbledon Championships

www.guardspoloclub.com

What: Dating back to 1880 Wimbledon is the most prestigious tennis event on the UK calendar where the sporting elite come to battle it out for first place under the canopy of British weather, on the tricky grass courts.

When: June 27 - 10 July Where: All England Club, London www.wimbledon.com

Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic

Masterpiece London

What: One of the highlights of the US social season, the event takes place on Governors Island; one of the most historic and iconic locations in New York. The charity match has since become a major draw for the hip crowd and UK royals too. Madonna, Kate Hudson, Marc Jacobs, Chloe Sevigny and Prince Harry are just a few of the celebrities who have attended in recent years. Money raised from the match goes towards the American Friends Sentebale, which supports at-risk children in Lesotho, Africa.

Where: Manhattan, New York www.thepoloclassic.com

What: Perfectly situated at the peak of the capital’s summer season, Masterpiece London brings together exhibitors from across the world renowned for specialising in art, antiques, and design of the highest calibre.

When: June 30 - 6 July Where: Royal Hospital Chelsea, London www.masterpiecefair.com

August 2016 Polo Masters St Tropez What: The tournaments of the Saint-Tropez Polo Club, sponsored by the two Gracida brothers, have attracted the world’s best players since 1998.

Among the crowds cheering you may be lucky enough to spot The Queen of Sweden, Princess Anni-Frid Reuss, or Prince Talal of Jordan.

Where: St Tropez, France www.polo-master.com

Cowes Week What: A fusion of exciting competitive sailing and social events, Cowes Week now stages up to 40 daily races for more than 1,000 boats and is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world. The 8,500 competitors range from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors.

When: August 6-13 Where: Cowes, Isle of Wight www.aamcowesweek.co.uk

September 2016 Salon Privé Concours D’elegance What: A celebration of some of the world’s most exclusive brands for a grand threeday event in celebration of everything that epitomises luxury. Browse the finest brands from designer clothing to exclusive properties, jewellery, yachts and aviation, as well as vintage, classic and super cars.

When: September Where: London, UK www.salonprivelondon.com

Cannes Boat Show What: The first gathering of the autumn season, the show brings together the key players in pleasure boating and international luxury yachting between two ports – Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto in Cannes in the heart of the French Riviera. This year the show promises more than 500 boats, 450 exhibitors, 150 vessels on show for the first time and 130 boats more than 20m in length.

Where: Cannes, France www.salonnautiquecannes.com

Goodwood Revival What: For those who love the romance of the fifties and sixties, this event is a must.

The Goodwood Revival is the world’s most popular historic car race meeting, recreating the golden era of motor sport, in the heart of the English countryside Where: West Sussex, UK www.goodwood.co.uk

July 2016 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race What: The annual one-day yacht race, a 50nm course around the Isle of Wight, an island situated off the south coast of England, attracts more than 1,700 boats and around 16,000 sailors, making it one of the largest yacht races in the world.

When: July 2 Where: Isle of Wight, UK www.roundtheisland.org.uk

108th Race to Mackinac

Royal Ascot What: With a rich heritage of more than 300 years, Royal Ascot has established itself as a national institution and the centrepiece of the British social calendar, as well as being the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world.

When: June 15-18 Where: Ascot, UK www.ascot.co.uk

64th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

What: Since 1921, the Veuve Clicquotsponsored Race to Mackinac has run every year, remaining the longest annual freshwater distance race and recognised as one of the most prestigious sailing races in the world.

When: July 23 Where: Chicago, US www.cycracetomackinac.com

What: Tyre meets turf and transformation each year as 200 of the most prized collector cars and motorcycles in the world roll on to what is often called the best finishing hole in golf – the 18th Fairway at Pebble Beach.

When: August 24 Where: Pebble Beach, US www.pebblebeachconcours.net

Audi International Polo

Newport Bucket Regatta

What: Known in polo circles as the ‘world’s greatest spectator polo day’, the highlight is definitely the afternoon Coronation Cup match featuring the best English players.

Where: Surrey, UK www.guardspoloclub.com

What: An annual regatta where the emphasis is more upon wholesome fun than about winning.

When: August 26-28 Where: Newport, Rhode Island, US www.bucketregattas.com

Monaco Yacht Show What: With over 30,000 professional and private visitors expected over four days, the event is considered the most prestigious pleasure boat show in the world with the exhibition of 500 major companies from the luxury yachting industry and over 100 superyachts afloat.

Where: Port Hercules, Monaco www.monacoyachtshow.com