Bill Gates charters Fincantieri built Yacht “Serene”

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Summer 2014 Microsoft founder Bill Gates goes on vacation with his family as a billionaire of his calibre should.

The NY Daily News captured some images of Microsoft tycoon aboard “The Serene,” a $330 million dollar yacht that according to the newspaper Gates and his family are renting for $5 million per week. To us this value sounds like wrong information as the Serene is listed at prices that are well below 2.5$ million per week [2.2 $ to be exact]

M/Y Serene is a Fincantieri built 133 meter yacht designed by Espen Oeino and launched in 2011. With a cruise speed of 15 knots and top speed around 20 knots The Serene has the following interesting interior features which we assume were appealing to Mr Gates as a discerning client

  • Indoor climbing wall
  • Dedicated children’s playroom
  • Two helicopter landing pads
  • Fully-equipped health spa and beach club
  • Multiple swimming pools [saltwater]
  • Underwater viewing room
  • Full conference room

Gates as you might imagine doesn’t own “The Serene.” He’s chartering it from Stolichnaya vodka distributor Yuri Scheffler. The Russia-born Scheffler is an interesting figure himself, who became famous for battling with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Putin’s attempt to nationalize and “redistribute” Stolichnaya’s wealth.

Though he does not own a yacht himself, Gates seems to be a fan of them. In 1994, he was married about a yacht belonging to his fellow Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Allen famous Octopus was built a few years ago with an approximate budget of $200 million by German builder Lurssen Yachts.

Even if Gates doesn’t own his own yacht, although he clearly could, a clear sign of how the most solid representative of the U-HNWI group is often opting for chartering rather than yacht owning.

According to the Daily News, Bill Gates and his family regularly make use of the Serene’s on board helicopter to travel for tennis matches at the “billionaire’s playground” nearby Porto Cervo in Sardenia, while the boat is stationed off the coast. And like Allen’s yacht, the Serene also comes with its own submarine, which in the amenities and toy categories is slowly increasing in popularity.

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Super Yacht Market Study 2014

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After Cannes boat show while just approaching from the Monaco Yacht Show 2014 the RC team is matching the Super Yacht Market Study 2014 forecasts with industry experts and shipyard owners and managers opinion together while cross matching Yacht launches with the yacht registries around the world for yachts over 80 feet.

The industry is no longer shy to attack new emerging markets and areas where we have identified the highest growth in wealth in terms of volume and in terms of number of HNWI (high net worth individuals) and billionaires.

In order to give more support to our clients we have added the following elements to our Super Yacht Market Study for 2014 and cross matched our forecasts with a variaty of sources in order to assure maximum reliability.

Furthermore, after several custom requests we have also elaborated specific drill-in on products like antifouling paints and many other specific components that are fundamental in for the life of a vessel.

Here are some elements extracted from the latest version:

Power Super Yacht evolution backlog by length

Power Super Yacht evolution backlog by product type

Power Super Yacht evolution backlog for construction materials

Sail Super Yacht evolution backlog by length

Sail Super Yacht evolution backlog for construction materials

Evolution of the Super Yacht Market Volume

Super Yacht Market Evolution cathergorized by business macro segments

Power Super Yacht Market Evolution by length

Power Super Yacht Market Evolution by product type

Sail Super Yacht Market Evolution by length

Super Yacht Market Evolution for main geographical areas

New Deliveries Evolution vs. Destock and pre-owned Market

Evolution of the Market Value of Super Yachts

Identifying the drivers of the market for Super Yachts

Trend number of HNWI by geographical areas

HNWI population Evolution 2005-14

HNWI wealth Trend by geographical areas

HNWI wealth Evolution 2005-14

Population Ranking HNWI for geographical areas

HNWI wealth Breakdown

HNWI allocation “Investments of Passion”/Vanity Investments

HNWI population age distribution

HNWI Population Sex allocation

Sizing the number of Billionaires by Macro geographical areas (2012-13-14)

Top 10 Countries in terms of number of Billionaires (2012-13-14)

Top 10 Countries in terms of average growth in the number of Billionaires (2013-14)

Market Evolution for Marine and Luxury products vs. No. of HNWI’s And Billionaires

Correlation analysis of the Market with business drivers

Super Yacht Market Forecasts

Power Super Yacht Market Forecast

Sail Super Yacht Market Forecast

Super Yacht Market Forecast classified by geographical areas

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Abu Dhabi Yacht Show – 1st edition –

Rodriquez Consulting Ltd advised and planned the participation of one of the few Italian SuperYacht builders (currently a corporate client) at the 1st Abu Dhabi Yacht Show. Few of the major competitors believed in ADYS and for those exhibitors who did, or were rightly advised to, the results were significant.

The choice to skip Dubai International Boat Show, which suffered a bit more from the credit crunch, and focus instead on the Invitation Only- over 100ft- ADYS ‘09 was risky but overall a positive one.

The quality rather than quantity of visitors was solid, mainly Sheiks from different royal families including the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, who thanks to a selective environment was able to comfortably stop by most exhibitors stands and appreciate the details of such complex vessels. Furthermore, an interesting participation of HNWIs (high net worth inviduals) from India was also noteworthy.

The numbers are there, Abu Dhabi is indeed backed up by its 625 billion USD Sovereign Wealth Fund (3 times the Russian and 2 times the Norwegian one), which helped quite substantially to put together a great 1st edition with help from the well-established Informa Group owner of Monaco Yacht Show, and the powerful Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

ADYS ‘09 can take pride from the presence of well-known Superyachts such as “Silver” “WallyPower 118?”, “Lauren L”, “Dubawi” etc..

For more info on RC services and strategic business development: info@RodriquezConsulting.com

Date: March 27, 2009

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Brazil’s Economic Growth and the Maritime Sector

With natural attractive conditions conditions for the marine industry, Brazil had 2 main factors that bounded the develop of the sector until 2007: the tax system and the lack of appropriate infrastructure. Following the approval of the plan to accelerate internal growth, new policies that benefits private investors reducing taxation and bureaucratic barriers are being implemented. Also the country infrastructure is being reinforced with actions in logistic, energy and social or urban structures. Roads and rail system are being drastically implemented, in an effort to connect the inside country with the natural ports and harbors on the coast. This effort is related mainly to the necessity of connecting the yields to the shipping facility, however creates a world of opportunities to explore the brazilian abundance in mineral, including hydrocarbons for the Yacht industry. The high costs of transportation will be slashed, and opportunities in the Yacht

construction industry will become even more attractive in the end of the implementation. Adding to the scene the new Pre-salt oil reserves, the commitment with social development, sustainability, qualified work force and the potential of the maritime tourism, Brazil is a market aiming to receive new investments and ready to repay with real opportunities.

written by Ana Biavatti for Rodriquez Consulting Ltd

Date: December 22, 2008

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Brazil Emerging Market

Investing in Brazil: Overview

Since 2007, the Brazilian Government has worked to set the country as a leader in regional and international integration, promoting diplomatic meetings and mediating South American controversies. In the economic sphere, the objective has been to improve the macroeconomic stability and international credit. Brazil objectives are to abandon the condition of an emerging market to consolidate its position of credible international interlocutor. In order to reach this objective, in april 2007 it was approved the “PAC” – Plano de Aceleração do Crescimento – a plan to accelerate the country’s growth focused on internal infrastructure, enforcing investments and rebuilding the fiscal system. The results could be seen in the end of 2007: PIL of 1.323 billion dollars and 10th player among the world economies, according to the the World Bank. For the second year sustaining a real growth rate of 5%, Brazil is facing the actual world crisis serenely, investing in sustainable projects and attracting more foreign investors than ever

written by Ana Biavatti for Rodirquez Consulting

Date: December 22, 2008

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Yacht Market Research 2013 – 2014

Although we are only at the very beggining of 2014 at Rodriquez Consulting we have been working on a new comprehensive Yacht Market Research 2013-2014. Thanks to the requests that came from several new Yachting industry players and private equity funds willing to invest in the industry on its way to regaining strenght and competitiveness, RC decided to start the works on a new research and related forecasts for 2016. At Rodriquez Consulting we can confidendtly say that we have a track record of supplying reliable data and most importantly solid forecasts thanks to our team experience in the industry which exceeds 100 years in total.

Some highlights of the main topics of the research:

1.1
Current market size
Sizing and trends of the last ten years, segmented by geographical area, yacht types (sail, motor, flybridge open etc), and length range : Volume, Value and Average prices
2.2
SuperYacht Focus
SuperYachts Specific Focus: building technologies segmentation, hull shapes, materials and production approach (custom steel construction VS fiberglass semi custom construction)
2.3
Geography and Market Forecasts
Size segmentation and geographic segmentation Yacht Market Forecasts 2016: Geographical areas, Yacht Sizes and Types
2.4
The Yacht Service Market
Sizing and Trends by business lines (e.g.: refit vs maintenance) competitive landscape of the Yacht Service Market main players by geographical area
2.5
Yacht Charter Industry
Yacht Charter Industry segmented into type yachts and sizes by geographical area of interest, plus trends and forecasts by geographical area

At Rodriquez Consulting we usually tailor our research material to our client specific business focus, please contact us for more information: Market@RodriquezConsulting.com

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Luxury Yacht Market Research and Forecasts 2014

As every year at Rodriquez Consulting we are working to satisfy our clients need for reliable data on the Global Yacht Market. Unlike a few reasonably reliable researchers and data providers that focus solely on the Super Yacht segment (24mt or 30mt and above) we take into account the whole of the boating industry. Althought the word yacht sounds to be referring to only the very large boats we believe yachting starts at as little as 8 meters, furthermore, given the volume of units that the smaller size segments can reach we believe it is of utmost importance to provide reliable data on these smaller size segments.

Our Yacht Market Research for 2014 will include 2 years forecasts to 2016, and the market drivers. The global Yacht Market is driven by the macro segment of HNWI (high net worth individuals) , however, we sub-segment this macro cathegory into 5 more cathegories to give a much more useful indication to yacht manufacturers on their specific target market. At Rodriquez Consulting we take into account the Affluent segment with a reference price of yachts in the 3 million euros, the Entry HNWIs, Very HNWIs with a reference price of yachts in the 5 to 30 million euros range and the Ultra HNWIs and Billionaires. The latter segment accounts for approximately 15% of the total market value of the Yachting industry with a reference price per yacht above 35 Million euros

In our 2014 research we will also be researching in details the private marinas, the yacht charter market with a double focus on both the sail yachts and the motor yachts but also the component suppliers and the repair and maintanace businesses.

In 2013 we have established business relationships with some of the industry players of the global Yachting and Marine Anti-fouling paint industry, which has allowed us to develop a substabtial expertise in the coating industry.

If you would like to receive more information regarding our Yacht Market Research 2014 and the forecarst please don’t hesitate to email us at MARKET@RodriquezConsulting.com or give us a call +44 7445 30 86 22

If you would like to see a sample of previous work please click here on this Super Yacht Market Report Sample

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Taiwan Yacht builders appeal to put an end to luxury tax

A delegation of yacht builders meets with national legislators

A delegation of yacht builders has requested to President Ma Ying-jeou to stop listing yachts as luxury items. The Taipei Times reports that the delegation, headed by Taiwan Yacht Industry Association president John Lu, yesterday visited the Legislative Yuan.

“Yachts should be considered a consumer product rather than a property or a luxury product that can be used for speculative profit. Most importantly, the industry creates jobs and could be an integral part of Taiwan’s development of the recreational marine industry,” Lu said in a written statement.

Furthermore, the delegation met with leaders of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng.

Lu stated that the government’s policy of backing the recreational marine industry was being countered by a 10 percent luxury tax on boats over NT$3m (US$100,000).

Legislators were told that the tax has not only damaged boat manufacturing in Taiwan, but has also lowered overall employment numbers.

Lu said the government has only collected NT$5m in luxury taxes from yacht buyers. “However, every order for a new yacht could create 100 jobs,” he added.

Taxation Agency Deputy Director-General Hsu Tzu-mei told the paper that the Ministry of Finance is reviewing the luxury tax. But Hsu said that the tax does not hurt local business prospects because a majority of Taiwan-made yachts are sold to foreign customers.

According to TYIA, Taiwan is the sixth-largest yacht manufacturer in the world, with annual revenues of US$250m.

For further information on the Yachting Industry and Yacht market in Asia please contact us at Market@RodriquezConsulting.com

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The Global Ultra Wealth Report

The global recovery continues to show signs of weakness. Heightened Eurozone financial market and sovereign distress, stuttering recovery in the U.S. and slower than expected growth in major emerging market economies are the main drivers behind the IMF’s recent adjustment of its forecast for global growth downwards to 3.5% for 2012 and 3.9% for 2013. The two main assumptions that the forecast is founded upon are policy action in the Eurozone that allows financial conditions to ease gradually and recent monetary policy changes in emerging market economies gaining traction.

The continual recurrence of financial market distress leading to sovereign distress and bailout packages that provide temporary relief in the Eurozone heightens the potential for uncontrolled default and Euro exits. Both these scenarios will certainly have a severe impact on global economic growth prospects and wealth growth.

WEALTH TRENDS

Investment

UHNW investors are shifting their wealth into private companies, real estate and commodities.

Risk aversion is largely reflected in the shift away from speculative financial investments to hard assets.

Professionals and institutions engaging with UHNWIs should consider strategies and approaches that address the current concerns and focus of these clients.

Reduction in Tax Exposure

As governments around the world look to revive state finances through higher and stricter taxation regimes, UHNWIs look to reduce their tax exposure through a shift to territories with beneficial tax regimes. Professionals engaging with the ultra wealthy need to consider strategies that reduce tax exposure and address their clients’ concerns.

WEALTH CURRENTS

2012 at present has been a year of shifting wealth currents, with the broad direction for wealth flows going eastwards. Eurozone UHNWIs, concerned over volatility and distress in sovereign and financial markets, have shifted wealth away from the periphery towards core economies with Germany and Switzerland as favored destinations on the Continent. Other beneficiaries include the United Kingdom, the US, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The shift in wealth growth to emerging economies poses a challenge for wealth management firms based in the U.S. and Europe, who need to convince clients of their long term viability. In contrast, finding and keeping talent in developing markets is a key success factor as wealth management firms need to invest in human capital to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the shift.

STATE OF WORLD’S UHNW POPULATION

· The global UHNW population stands at 187,380 with a combined wealth of US$25.8 trillion. Combined wealth attributable to this segment shrank by 1.8% from a year ago. The decrease was largely driven by the Eurozone crisis and a slowdown in emerging economies.

· Oceania saw the greatest growth in UHNW population, with an increase of 5.9%, largely driven by the continued growth of Australia.

· Asia, in contrast, saw the largest percentage reduction in UHNW population amongst the regions. The 2.1% reduction in UHNW population is a result of poor equity performance, particularly in Japan, China and India.

· Combined wealth loss was highest in Asia as Hong Kong, China and Japan led wealth loss across the region.

· The U.S. leads in terms of real growth in UHNW population numbers, with 2,250 UHNWIs joining the ranks of the ultra wealthy. The combined total wealth of the U.S. UHNW population expanded by US$ 265 billion.

or For more information or to receive a copy of our complete Wealth Report or our most recent Yachting Industry Market Analysis please contact us Market@RodriquezConsulting.com

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Yacht Market Study 2012 and Special Focuses

As we are approaching the Yacht Show season 2012, at Rodriquez Consulting we have elaborated the Yacht Market Study consolidated with 2012 numbers, to support our clients in acquiring fundamental information and plan their business operations accordingly.

The topics of our focus include Marine Accessories, Coatings and Anti-Fouling products, the yacht charter industry and its price dynamics and the yacht service industry segmented by yacht size categories. As far as Yacht buyers are concerned, we have as usual gone an extra mile in our research, segmenting the High Net Worth Individuals group into the subgroups of Affluent, HNWIs, Very-HNWIs, Ultra-HNWIs and Billionaires. The RC team has analyzed HNWIs group current asset allocation pattern, the growth rate and trend in the several established and emerging markets, their specific interest in the so-called ‘investments of passion’ to which Yachts belong.

The RC forecasts for the years 2009-2010 proved to be very accurate. We always work meticulously to sharpen our forecasting skills, taking into account a broad range of variables. To avoid the risk of a merely mathematical model of forecasts, we carefully cross-match the mathematical models with cultural factors, expert interviews, national and international financial occurrences, getting to a degree of expertise and accuracy that we can proudly state to have no comparison in the specific industries in which we operate.

As per our company policy we will not be distributing our research material limtilessly over the Internet in order to preserve our clients’ acquired competitive advantage.

Therefore, please contact us to to discuss your specific company needs and proceed with a customize order of our Yacht Market Study 2012: Market@RodriquezConsulting.com

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