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Opinions

Opinion pieces from Superyacht Investor
Richard Higgins, yacht broker at Northrop & Johnson, represented the buyer of Alfa Nero.

Alfa Nero: ‘Not everyone can land a blue whale deal’

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
25 Jul 24
0

She's a celebrity with a notorious backstory but one buyer was willing to take the risk.

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Habacoa is a planned superyacht marina in South Abaco, Bahamas. (Photo: Design by Zaha Hadid Architects, rendering by Flyingarchitecture)

The ‘$1bn marina’ hoping to address an ‘acute crisis’

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
19 Jul 24
0

He describes it as a “billion-dollar plus” project but Ra’anan Ben-Zur insists the “overwhelming” demand for his planned Habacoa superyacht marina in the Bahamas will answer an “acute crisis”.…

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Bob Denison, president, Denison Yachting.

‘I wasn’t a great yacht broker’ – Bob Denison

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
15 Jul 24
0

He was a reluctant yacht broker, but his father insisted. He quickly realised he wasn’t much good at it either, despite an illustrious yachting name.…

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Chris Andreason, Edmiston; Marianne Danissen, Camper & Nichsolson; Franc Jansen, JMS Yachting discuss yacht management.

‘The word yacht management is completely misunderstood’

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
8 Jul 24
0

The world of yacht management needs an overhaul to better educate owners and ensure the experience matches their dreams, according to a panel of industry…

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Simon Goldsworthy, senior broker, Edmiston.

Goldsworthy: ‘I thought I’d been absolutely brilliant’

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
5 Jul 24
0

He thought yacht broking was an “absolute doddle”. It had to be. Four months in the game and he had already landed his first sale,…

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AJ Blackmon, CEO, Ikonic Yachts.

Feeling the fear, doing it anyway – Ikonic rises

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
21 Jun 24
0

Clambering over the guard rail of the Perrine bridge 500ft above the Snake River, every nerve ending screamed at him not to do it. This…

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Engel de Boer of Lloyd's Register talks about the nuclear power as Giedo Loeff of Feadship watches on.

Why nuclear could be the viable nuclear option

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
14 Jun 24
0

A nuclear option is an extreme and unlikely course of action, but in superyachts the future could be, well, nuclear. It might induce a cold…

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Brokers panel: Tim Davis, Burgess (centre).

Why yacht brokers are braced for revolution

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
7 Jun 24
0

Antiquated industry ripe for disruption or relationship business reliant on human connections? Superyacht brokerage could be at an inflexion point, but change might not come…

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Bankers on a superyacht finance panel at Superyacht Investor London 2024.

Bankers spy ‘green shoots’ for yacht finance

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
3 Jun 24
0

Yacht finance has come through a “bumpy” period but there are “green shoots” of recovery according to bankers speaking on a panel at Superyacht Investor…

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Experts discuss risks with new builds at Superyacht Investor London 2024

Why openness with innovation can change attitudes

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
28 May 24
0

New-build innovation could spark a seismic shift in the public perception of superyachts but only if old-school practices of secrecy and silos are swept away.…

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Jamie Edmiston, CEO, Edmiston with Alasdair Whyte, founder Superyacht Investor.

Edmiston’s advice and market snapshot

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
20 May 24
0

Buying a superyacht that you can’t afford to give away is not the smartest plan for an investor, according to Jamie Edmiston. “There is zero…

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Owner Erik Vonk has converted a trawler into 45.6m explorer yacht Scintilla Maris.

Owner Vonk’s journey to net his dream yacht

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
10 May 24
0

Erik Vonk puts much of it down to Dutch stubbornness. It helped him drive through his decades-long dream to convert a North Sea fishing trawler…

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Aldo Manna, partner and sales director, Antonini Navi.

Manna seeks ‘eccellenza’ at Antonini Navi

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
3 May 24
0

The Italians call it “eccellenza”. In English it means “excellence”, but it doesn’t sound as cool. For Aldo Manna, partner and sales director of Antonini…

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Eleonora Pitasso, sales broker, Burgess

Pitasso: ‘There’s always a buyer somewhere on the planet’

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
26 Apr 24
0

Ignoring Eleonora Pitasso won’t work. She’s just not the kind of person to take “no” for an answer. “I like to open doors. If I…

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Vincent McCartney, CEO, Camper and Nicholsons Corporate Services.

McCartney’s ticket to ride brings breakfast with movie star

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
19 Apr 24
0

He’s no stranger to the uber rich but even Vincent McCartney was starstruck when he was invited to have breakfast with a movie legend. McCartney,…

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The 70m Benetti Alfa was bought by a client of Anton Foord.

Alfa: Why investing in time reaps biggest rewards

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
12 Apr 24
0

As an investor in time, Anton Foord hopes to reap perpetual rewards. Foord, of Ocean Independence, has recently represented the buyer in the purchase of…

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Lee Stevenson co-founded new-build consultancy Occam Marine.

Why new-builds need operational design input

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
8 Apr 24
0

A dive at Belize’s famous Blue Hole was to be the crowning moment of the owner’s trip but captain Lee Stevenson had a serious issue.…

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Robert Drontmann, sales director, Heesen Yachts.

Heesen’s Drontmann bullish despite headwinds

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
2 Apr 24
0

Spring is a time for fresh hope and green shoots, tempered by the knowledge that storms are still possible. That certainly seems to be the…

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Jim Evans, MD SuperYachtsMonaco.

Jim Evans on the good, bad and ugly of yacht broking

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
15 Mar 24
0

Jim 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…

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Could AI and machine learning replace the human touch in yacht surveys?

Why tea and biscuits can beat AI yacht surveys

opinion
Rob Hodgetts
8 Mar 24
0

Plain 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.…

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Latest news
MarineMax owns superyacht brands Fraser Yachts and Northrop & Johnson.

MarineMax refinances $1.49bn in credit facilities

1 July 2026
Leon Batchelor joins JB Capital Group.

Batchelor joins JB Capital Group as partner

19 June 2026

Wave Expandary buys stake in Camper & Nicholsons

1 June 2026
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