Jim Evans on the good, bad and ugly of yacht brokingopinion Rob Hodgetts 15 Mar 24 0Jim Evans knew the game was up when the captain took him aside. “You’re too clumsy, too rubbish to be a deckhand. You should be… Read more
Why tea and biscuits can beat AI yacht surveysopinion Rob Hodgetts 8 Mar 24 0Plain or covered in chocolate? That’s a choice you don’t get with artificial intelligence (AI) but you do with deluxe oat biscuits such as Hobnobs.… Read more
American ‘pysche’ sparks US sales optimismopinion Rob Hodgetts 29 Feb 24 0Maybe it’s the Taylor Swift factor – most things are these days – but the US superyacht market seems to be heading into 2024 with irresistible… Read more
Ian Petts on the whims of the rich & finance ‘headaches’opinion Rob Hodgetts 29 Feb 24 0His dream is to become the second person in his family to develop a British royal yacht, but Ian Petts says he hasn’t “found someone crazy enough to… Read more
Briton dies in Antigua superyacht accidentnews Rob Hodgetts 28 Feb 24 0A British crew member has died after reportedly being electrocuted on the 62m superyacht Baton Rouge in English Harbour, Antigua. Chief engineer Roy Temme, 47,… Read more
Poor leadership part of ongoing mental health issues in crewnews Rob Hodgetts 27 Feb 24 0Poor leadership is being cited as one of the key reasons behind ongoing mental health issues in superyacht crews, according to a study by Quay Crew. … Read more
Ferretti Group ends 2023 with strong revenue growthnews Rob Hodgetts 19 Feb 24 0Italian yacht builder Ferretti Group weathered economic headwinds in 2023, charting a course for success with an 11.5% year-over-year (YoY) surge in revenue to reach… Read more
Alfa sells, with asking price of €67mnews Rob Hodgetts 15 Feb 24 0Award-winning superyacht Alfa has been sold and will be managed and chartered by Ocean Independence. The 70-metre Benetti, built in 2020, was sold by Vassilis… Read more
Sanlorenzo results chart steady course in 2023 as revenue risesnews Rob Hodgetts 12 Feb 24 0Italian yacht builder Sanlorenzo delivered impressive year-end results for 2023, propelled by double-digit revenue growth and surging profitability. “The performance of the year is substantiated… Read more
Relationships, time & playing the long gameopinion Rob Hodgetts 2 Feb 24 0Time in the market, not timing the market is the old investment adage but it could equally apply to building relationships in the superyacht world.… Read more
IYC’s Sauleau on ultra running and the art of the CEOopinion Rob Hodgetts 26 Jan 24 0Endurance athletes need a goal, a plan, discipline and determination, and the flexibility to react to hardship along the way. The same is true of… Read more
MarineMax results underwhelm as margins shrinknews Rob Hodgetts 26 Jan 24 0MarineMax reported earnings per share (EPS) of $0.19 for the first quarter of 2024 compared with $1.24 from a year ago, lower than expectations. The… Read more
Sales market predictions for 2024opinion Rob Hodgetts 18 Jan 24 0It’s mid-January and the year is steaming ahead at pace, but the consensus among superyacht brokers is that the sales market will settle back to… Read more
Christie on the art of a deal, slow burns & bear marketsopinion Rob Hodgetts 11 Jan 24 0For a man who hates losing, broker Will Christie is in no rush to sell you a yacht. The Briton has been busy since setting… Read more
N&J’s Coote on ‘dream job’, US elections and carrotsopinion Rob Hodgetts 21 Dec 23 0His schoolfriends stuck pictures of Pamela Anderson or Harley-Davidson motorcycles on their bedroom walls, but Patrick Coote only had eyes for superyachts. A trip to… Read more
Burgess’ Craven-Smith on painting, prospecting and the trials of a brokeropinion Rob Hodgetts 14 Dec 23 0His love of procedure made Henry Craven-Smith lay newspaper on the chalet floor before painting. That’s when he saw it. The cryptic advert that changed… Read more
Instability breeds uncertainty for marketsopinion Rob Hodgetts 7 Dec 23 0Financial markets might be looking forward to a Santa rally but global instability continues to cast an air of caution over the superyacht industry. War in… Read more
How serious is yachting about sustainability?opinion Rob Hodgetts 30 Nov 23 0Just as turkeys are famously unlikely to vote for Christmas, so the superyacht industry is unlikely to downplay its progress in sustainability. The mood music… Read more
6 brokers on headwinds facing the industryopinion Rob Hodgetts 22 Nov 23 0The superyacht industry is used to weathering storms and even came out of the pandemic with increased forward momentum. But there are always headwinds on… Read more
Sales market suffers hangover from triple cocktailopinion Rob Hodgetts 16 Nov 23 0It’s a potent cocktail and is making the superyacht sales market a touch dazed and confused. The triple mixture of post-Covid party comedown, inflation and… Read more
