EXPERT APPROVAL FOR MONTE CARLO YACHTS

As the owner of Royal Phuket Marina, and with five yachts in his personal fleet, it’s fair to say that businessman Gulu Lavani knows a thing or two about yachts. Since buying his first boat in the 1970s he has traded up every few years, but for his next yacht he wanted something different. He wanted to find a yacht with something distinctive about it, a touch that would set her apart from all the others. He wanted to get excited about a yacht once again.

He spent months visiting shipyards, meeting with designers, traveling to boat shows, whatever he had to do to assure himself he had seen all the options. “Nobody had come up with a new hull design in 10-12 years. Everything else was different, but the hulls were all the same, nothing more than cosmetic modifications. Boring.” he says.

Then he discovered Monte Carlo Yachts. “It was beautiful and very well built but that’s not what excited me. That happened when we got underway and I walked around the boat, up to the bow and discovered an immense entertainment area that seats 10-12 people. The ride was incredible. I felt like I was on a superyacht,” he recalls. He found that Monte Carlo Yachts had designed this vessel from the keel up and the fantastic ride came from an innovative hull design.

The very large flybridge, with its opening carbon fibre tee top, not found on other production yachts, was a big draw too.

Lalvani decided on the MCY 70, as he feels that 70’ is the perfect size for day cruising and to spend weekends aboard with family or friends. He didn’t care much that the boat won the Cannes Boat Show “Best Design” Trophy in 2012. What was important to him was for the yacht to be a winner in his eyes.

There are so many options to choose on the MCY 70 that his wife met with the designers twice to finalise all the decisions on colours and materials for the Armani Casa and Rubeli interior.

Mr. Gulu’s MCY 70 berthed at the Royal Phuket Marina

“With the Silver Phantom it took a while to catch on because it was different. But now it is the most popular Rolls Royce ever. Monte Carlo Yachts has that potential too..” – Gulu Lavani, Monte Carlo Yacht 70 owner

The new yacht will take pride of place in his Royal Phuket Marina, where his villa on the water has James Bond style boat garages under the house. He says, “With that convenience it is just too easy to get out on this beautiful water. I often go out three or four times a week.” He believes Phuket is by far the best yachting destination in Asia. “There are 32 different islands within one hour from my villa, sometimes I even make it out five times a week. It’s so beautiful to relax by the sea here,” he continues. “Like many others have over the years, I’ve kept my yachts in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean but my new MCY 70 lives with me at Royal Phuket Marina. Phuket has become a yachting destination for Asia like the south of France has for Europe.” And who wouldn’t keep their best yacht in the best cruising grounds?