Boating: Slinging for Singapore

PHUKET: A host of Phuket’s leading brokerages and charter companies are preparing to hoist anchor to join the Singapore Yacht Show (SYS) at the ONEº 15 Marina Club at Sentosa from April 23-26.

Phuket-based companies alone will have hundreds of millions of baht worth of boats on display at the show.

The key attraction for joining the event is the reach the show offers to the prospective international clientele throughout Southeast Asia, explained Bert van Muylwijk, resident director and sales broker at the Northrop & Johnson office at Phuket’s Boat Lagoon Marina.

“The SYS is by far the most important show in the region, attracting large numbers of punters that can indulge in viewing yachts in all sizes and sorts,” he said.

“Like every year since the inception of SYS, Northrop & Johnson Asia participates both in water and on land. This year’s line-up of yachts under the N&J Asia banner is quite impressive.”

He’s not kidding. The N&J lineup includes the brand-new 52-meter power superyacht Jade 959, the 2009-launched 34m custom sailing superyacht Ocean Runner, the Sparkman & Stephens 28m sailing superyacht Letizia and the 20m first solar-assisted power catamaran Heliotrope.

Heliotrope and the 20m Monte Carlo power yacht Norma, also to go on show in Singapore, were present at Phuket’s PIMEX expo earlier this year.

“Northrop & Johnson Asia has its head office in Hong Kong with other offices in Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand,” explained Mr van Muylwijk.

“As part of the global N&J company, there is an office network across the globe giving sellers maximum exposure and buyers maximum opportunity to find the right yacht… and all Asian offices will be at the SYS, and various non-Asian based brokers and the global N&J Cheif Operations Officer will also attend.”

Dockside at the show, the exhibits at the N&J Asia kiosk will be presented alongside those presented by the renowned Royal Huisman Shipyard from the Netherlands.

Rico Stapel, marketing and charter manager of Princess Yachts South East Asia, also based in Phuket, will be taking an estimated 15 boats to the show, including the stunning 88 MY, as well as the new 52, 56 and 68 models.

“These boats represent the newest developments from Princess, and were built using the latest technologies available, including the new resin hull infusion system and the latest interior designs,” Mr Stapel told the Phuket Gazette.

“These yachts are a good match for our clientele, and we have had strong interest from people throughout the region for these developments.”

The interest in Princess yachts from throughout Southeast Asia is on the move, from the ‘more affordable models’ to the ‘upper middle-class luxury yachts’, he added.

“The focus is moving to the higher end of the range of yachts we offer, and now include the 32m and the 40m ‘M Class’, which are the largest luxury yachts that Princess makes,” he said.

“Essentially, these boats are the ‘entry level’ to the bigger superyacht class.”

Mr Stapel strongly agreed that Singapore was the right venue to display the Princess range.

“The SYS is the largest show in the area and we always have very high exposure there,” he said. “We always receive good feedback from the show, and it provides exposure to the right clientele in the regional market.”

And the “right clientele” is exactly what Singapore is predicted to become home to. Global property firm Knight Frank forecast in its latest annual wealth report, released earlier this month, that the city-state is set to have the world’s fastest growth in the number of super-rich individuals within the next 10 years.

Between 2014 and 2024, the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) – who have a net US$30 million (9.87bn baht) in assets – will rise by another 1,752, the report said.

Looking to gain a foothold in that realm is Australian boatbuilders Multihull Solutions.

Andrew de Bruin, Multihull Solutions’ Asia general manager, based at Boat Lagoon in Phuket, will be presenting the impressive Fountaine Pajot flagship motor yacht, Queensland 55, at the show.

“The yacht on display is a very late model in showroom condition and will be available for immediate sale,” Mr de Bruin told the Gazette.

“We represent Fountaine Pajot and other selected multihull dealerships throughout Southeast Asia and, while we always give support to PIMEX as our head office local boat show, the Singapore Yacht Show attracts visitors from across the region and therefore covers a good percentage of our market at the one show.”

The Queensland 55 will be looking to bridge the gap from the traditional preconception of a luxury cruiser being a powered monohull, to a fully-endowed catamaran.

“The 55 is a large, roomy power catamaran with great long-range cruising ability and is very economical to run. We believe this boat is perfectly suited to the SYS market,” he said.

As Phuket, for now, attracts a smaller percentage of international visitors, Mr de Bruin noted, Singapore remains the place to be seen.

“The Singapore show is far bigger, so these clients prefer to travel to Singapore, where they are exposed to a larger choice of yachts,” he said.

For more information about the Singapore Yacht Show, visit SingaporeYachtShow.com

— Chris Husted