Opinions Archive | Superyacht Investor

Opinions

Opinion pieces from Superyacht Investor

Berkay Yilmaz is the commercial director of Bilgin Yachts in Turkey.

Bilgin eyes connections to ‘feed our souls’

Rob Hodgetts

13 Oct 25

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His client was close to signing the contract for his 12th and perhaps last yacht, but he needed to see the merchandise first. The Central…

Heesen leadership team: (from left to right) Laurens Last, Lyam Last, Jeroen van der Meer, Ruud van der Stroom, Mike Rouse.

Heesen owner: Ice, ice baby

Rob Hodgetts

6 Oct 25

0

He’s a fan of ice baths, dancing all night and extreme sports but Heesen owner Laurens Last is also driven by a need to be…

The Monaco Yacht Show has parallels with the Ryder Cup, taking place at Bethpage Black on Long Island, New York.

Monaco matches Ryder Cup for US-Euro rivalry

Rob Hodgetts

29 Sep 25

0

Golf’s Ryder Cup between the might of the USA versus the best of Europe teed off today in what will be a feverish, partisan atmosphere…

Cruise miss: “I’ll never let that happen again”

Rob Hodgetts

19 Sep 25

0

The next time Hollywood mega stars come knocking, Oyster Yachts plans to be ready. They don’t come much more mega than Tom Cruise, but when…

Superyachts in Port Hercule, Monaco at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Buying at Monaco: The critical role of Letters of Intent

Rob Hodgetts

18 Sep 25

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As the yachting world converges on the Monaco Yacht Show, buyers are presented with an extraordinary opportunity: the chance to step aboard, compare and potentially…

Aerial view of the Cannes Yachting Festival.

Handshakes and hot buyers – the view from Cannes

Rob Hodgetts

15 Sep 25

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A warm but weary smile creases his face as he stretches out his hand. Vasco Buonpensiere has just stepped off his yard’s 45m full custom…

The Feadship Hampshire is for sale with Cecil Wright.

Off-market FOMO and a ‘changing’ landscape

Rob Hodgetts

8 Sep 25

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It is reasonable to assume all yacht brokers have FOMO (fear of missing out). They must do with all the talk of off-market deals flying…

Alfa Nero was seized by the Antigua government in 2022.

‘Scaremongering’ over seized yachts damaging

Rob Hodgetts

1 Sep 25

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He’s an old hand at buying and selling yachts with chequered histories but Richard Higgins says “scaremongering” about possible implications is damaging the industry. The Northrop…

Raven is a Baltic Yachts foil-assisted 34m sailing superyacht.

Baltic Yachts’ Hawkins on risk and ‘blunt’ talking

Rob Hodgetts

29 Aug 25

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When the client came to see Baltic Yachts, he challenged the team: “Why should I build a boat with you?” The Baltic representatives gave a typically…

Barbara Amerio is the co-CEO of Amer Yachts with brother Rodolfo.

‘Life is short’: Amer Yachts co-CEO opens up

Rob Hodgetts

6 Aug 25

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She had dreams of becoming an archaeologist or a journalist and took a job on a golf magazine in Milan, but for Barbara Amerio the…

Moravia Yachting broker Sam Tucker speaks at Superyacht Investor London.

Broking’s Catch-22 & endangered species: Tucker

Rob Hodgetts

4 Aug 25

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In the Catch-22 of the famous novel, you couldn’t fly if you were crazy, but you had to be crazy to keep flying. If you…

Francesco Carbone is general manager of Palumbo Superyachts based in Ancona.

Refit a ‘critical asset’ for Palumbo Superyachts

Rob Hodgetts

22 Jul 25

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It might only be about 15% of the business but refit is a “critical asset” for Palumbo Superyachts, according to general manager Francesco Carbone. Refit remains “more resilient” in…

Mathieu Bardon is managing partner Europe, Worth Avenue Yachts.

The Middle East, markets, mantras: Worth Avenue’s Bardon

Rob Hodgetts

14 Jul 25

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Being multilingual is a handy skill but just as important is fluency in deciphering different cultures, says Mathieu Bardon, managing partner Europe, Worth Avenue Yachts.…

Boomer Jousma is sales director for the Italian Yacht Group.

Talking Italian with IYG’s Boomer Jousma

Rob Hodgetts

4 Jul 25

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He got his taste for selling “real” yachts when a captain walked up out of the blue at the Miami Boat Show. Boomer Jousma was showing an…

Superyacht broker James Hall of TWW Yachts sold 37m Benetti Never Say Never Again.

Live and let’s sell – broker Hall on ‘living the deal’

Rob Hodgetts

30 Jun 25

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The name’s Hall. James Hall. Licence to sell. It’s a neat intro for the broker who recently sold the 37m yacht Never Say Never Again.…

Nautor Swan's first Swan 128 is set to be commissioned for its owner.

Swapping ‘Goose’ for a Swan

Rob Hodgetts

23 Jun 25

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Order a new Swan 128 now and it will likely be delivered in spring 2028. It will be finished sooner, but the sea ice will…

Ocean Alexander's Dan Mundy is looking beyond trade wars and tariffs.

Ocean Alexander: Mundy on momentum, risk-reward and legacy

Rob Hodgetts

16 Jun 25

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He describes himself as a marathon runner, not a sprinter which is why Dan Mundy is looking beyond the turmoil of trade wars and tariff…

Tristan Mortlock, founder, Mortlock Yachts, is a broker, captain and YouTube star.

Broker, captain, YouTube star – Mortlock’s triple threat

Rob Hodgetts

9 Jun 25

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Yacht brokers are always looking for an edge, an angle that will secure the business or get the deal done. They all have their unique…

Heesen and Feadship's decision to opt out of the Monaco Yacht Show highlights growing trend for 'client centricity'.

Monaco opt-outs spotlight quest for ‘client centricity’

Rob Hodgetts

2 Jun 25

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If you’re short of a buzzword, try chucking “client-centric” into a few conversations. It’s certainly à la mode in marketing and was cited as the…

'Managing pre-purchase surveys' at Superyacht Investor London.

Dancing with defects: managing pre-purchase surveys

Rob Hodgetts

19 May 25

0

In superyacht deals the dance between buyer and seller can be tense, like a transactional tango. And if there is one moment prone to a…

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