Yachting Industry news that are interesting from our point of view and for our readers. At times some news might not be reported in mainstream yachting or general publishers.

On 30th of July 2018 we received an order for our Yacht Charter Business Plan + Consultation package, and we immediately scheduled a consultation with Maya Gabeira, a pretty exceptional client.

Maya told us about her Social Media following and her life in the Big Wave surfing but also about her accident that could have costed her life and from which she was luckily recovering.

We admit we do not have that many clients who happen to be ladies, yachts and ships seem to be a mostly male-oriented business. However, there are some exceptional people that break the routine of our business, and we are very glad of that. Yacht charter is welcoming more and more women in the business and with great success stories. 

The Biggest Wave Record

Biggest Wave Ever Surfed

On February 11 in the 2020 Nazare Challenge in Portugal

 

Maya Gabeira Surf VIDEO

 

Maya Gabeira Surfing 

Maya started surfing when she was 14y/old in Brazil and much like most of us, marine industry professionals, she has kept her passion alive and dedicated her life to it. 

We are very glad to be able to call her a client of ours and we are all pleased with her achievements on which we congratulate her.  Go Maya! 

Maya Gabeira Bikini

So you were considering to enjoy the Amalfi coast this summer ? Or maybe the Aeolian islands or the north of the Italian coast but you are scared of the current Corona Virus emergency.

Well however you were planning to go to Italy there sure is a safer way to enjoy the country with a much lower risk of being exposed to the virus and that is: Sailing.

Indeed, what most medical authorities are trying to avoid is to have large groups of people cramped in crowded places, and guess what on the Amalfi coast in the summer any beach is pretty much like that. Unless, you are not coming from land but you are enjoying the coastline from a the comfort and privacy of a yacht.

Big or small yachting will provide the clean air and enough distance for people to be enjoying their holidays even in the most crowded months without ever needing to be going through crowded places. If you are coming from the UK you can very well drive your own car and get on a charter yacht anywhere you like well avoiding airports and train stations.

The Global Yacht charter Market is expected to grow of 5.8% [CAGR] over the forecast period of 2017-2024. We would not be surprised to see the yacht charter market numbers for this upcoming season to double up to 12% for most of the mediterranean. [If you are interested in the topic also read “Is Investing in Yacht Charter profitable?“]

But let us see a map of Italy and maybe choose destinations and onboarding location that are less affected by the COVID-19 (corona virus).

Areas that are safer are more towards the south of Italy as you can see from the map below

Italy COVID-19 map

The one below is a map published by the NY times about the risk levels.

In 2018 the the Mediterranean region represented the biggest portion of around 41 % of yacht charter requests let’s see what if this virus will really impact this figures.

 

We always get quite excited about a new foiling boat being presented for the first time.

We all know how successful the Moths have been in introducing a relatively large number of sailors to foil-sailing (or foiling). What it was missing was a vessel that made it easier to start your foiling career because the flying months aren’t exactly the easiest boats to start with.

So here it is a new foiling boat called the Flying Mantis built entirely in the UK. In our opinion a great learning boat for novice foilers.  (Watch the video Below)

As a matter of fact, if we were to imagine a foiling school for those who want to learn foiling/foil-sailing, it would be hard to imagine a more suitable boat than this new foiling boat.  It is also important to mention that the Flying Mantis can actually be used as a trimaran without the foils for a slower sailing session (maybe with your 5-year old child onboard). It is indeed somewhat of a dual purpose vessel. You could say the same about a foiling catamaran by taking the foils off of it, however, I would personally find a foiling catamaran as safe as the flying mantis if I were to bring 5 year old nephews aboard for a slower sailing session.

We had a long chat with the owner and founder of the company that designed and built this new foiling boat. While chatting with Simon, not surprisingly, we did notice the enthusiasm and accuracy needed to build and sell these types of vessels.

Variable Pitch Foiling boat

The Foil variable pitch (flaps) mechanism is very similar to those you’ll find on a moth

 

The central foil has flaps that dynamically regulate the pitch of the foil itself using a sensor stick at bow, that is very similar to those use on flying moths.

Foiling Boat - The Flying Mantis

The central foil of The Flying Mantis

The shape of the foils is particularly interesting from an hydrodynamic point of view and seems to be very well designed and solidly built with a masterful use of carbon fibre. We did particularly like the water piercing edge to it which would serve the foil well to reduce the load and increasing the foil lifespan.

Flying Mantis at London Boat Show 2018

A smart small feature to keep the till in place and avoid sudden movements for increased safety while foiling

It might look like a trivial little detail but it is a very very crucial one. The elastic the keeps the tiller centred is crucial to avoid sudden movements at high speed while foiling which could cause harmful unwanted capsizing of the boat. Very well thought. We have no doubt this comes from several tests that were carried out with the boat before presenting it at London Boat Show 2018. 

 

The Royal Yachting Association has already tried the boat do have a look at the video they have produced.

The price and opportunity

Currently priced slightly below £40,000 we believe it is very well worth looking at.  We also see potential for a Foiling/Sailing School with this new foiling boat, maybe the first of its kind. If you would like to build a fast business plan go ahead and download our excel business plan model tailored for boat rentals.

If you would like to know more or explore the a business opportunities with new foiling boats like the flying mantis in your area don’t hesitate to contact us  

The Flying Mantis will also be showcased on the 10th – 12th May at the  https://londononwater.com/

 

 

Sailing sustainably has become quite the thing. No surprise then when Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team, LandRover BAR, selected Aethic as its official sunscreen supplier.

Here is a company that tested candidate ingredients on coral and having rejected those that were harmful, only used those that left coral intact. It then made a product and tested this again in its entirety; The very first Eco-compatible sunscreen to protect your skin while sparing marine life.

This scientific work, carried out by one of the world’s leading marine scientists (who discovered the problem to start with), was submitted for a patent. The European Patent Office approved it.

Did you know most sunscreens we use accidentally kill corals ?


Volvo Ocean Race Contender

Vestas Vendee Globe


Meanwhile, other sailing teams soon selected this product too. Artemis Racing, Conrad Colman taking part in the Vendée Globe and now Vestas 11th Hour Racing in the Volvo Ocean Race all use Aethic Sôvée. They all prize it for its great protective qualities which three sun filters and the fact that it has Vitamin E and only food grade preservatives.

Aethic Eco-compatible Sunscreen 50 SPF

Aethic Eco-compatible Sunscreen 50 SPF

So that’s a great start in protecting skin properly and combating the damage wrought by most sunscreens on coral and marine life.

It is estimated that 14,000 tons of sunscreen hit the ocean annually and that they account for 10% of annual coral decimation.

And biodegradable, while sounding nice, is irrelevant. Just because ingredients degrade, dissolve or dilute, doesn’t mean that they do no harm. It takes only one particle to set off a viral epidemic in coral which can kill an entire reef.

Coral reef

Problem: Coral reef gets damaged by most sunscreen we use

Did you know that Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide have been found to damage phyto-plankton, which is another life-supporting pillar of marine life?

So-called Mineral, natural and organic ingredients, notably Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide,  aren’t necessarily the answer either. Firstly, let’s be clear, all sun filters are still man made. So calling these natural or organic is a stretch. Secondly, Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide have been found to damage phyto-plankton, which is another life-supporting pillar of marine life – alongside coral. When it comes to ‘organic’, well, crude oil is organic – when left under hundreds of metres of bedrock it does no harm. Pour millions of gallons into the Mexican Gulf and….. Come to mention it, Arsenic is organic….

The real point is compatibility. As is the case of so many things in life. Sunscreen ingredients need to be compatible with marine life. That’s the point.

So maybe when Aethic scientifically proved that their short, simple, ingredient list was ecocompatible, and had this evidence confirmed by peer scientific review, and had the patent approved, it proved too much for one major competitor.

The Nivea-giant Beiersdorf opposed the patent a few days short of the nine month opposition deadline. And Aethic now has to fend it off by countering their opposition at the European Patent Office.

It’s gotten nasty out there in the fight to protect skin and save the ocean. And one large company is not making it easier for Aethic to continue in its mission.

We decided to support Aethic in raising the legal fees to fend off Beiersdorf. If you believe that good products should not be crashed by other companies simply because they have the financial resources to do it, take action now and donate. www.fundaethic.com

The fight is on and you can make a great difference. Fund Aethic or choose Aethic as your skincare product of choice when you go at sea.

 

This very recent Moody 54 namely Tangaroa, can be identified from hull number DEMOO54019I415 or from the engine serial number Volvo D3 150 nr.A332780.

It’s a Dixon design with a raised deck salon as you can see from the pictures in this post.

The vessel was stolen in Italy in Marina di Aregai between 18,30 and 20.00 of Sunday, November the 5th.

Please do share this article with friends on social media and with those you might know sailing during this period of the year. The vessel is rather big to be hauled in an indoor shipyard and therefore is very likely to be sailing or at anchor somewhere.

The technical specs of the vessel are as follow:

54ft Moody gets stolen in the Med

Length overall                 17,10 m.
Beam                                 5,20 m.
Draft                                  2,65 m. / 2,25 m.
Displacement                  24,50 t. circa
Main Sail                         81,50 sqm circa
Jib                                     65,00 sqm circa
Designed by: Dixon Yacht Design

Whereas the total growth of Luxury goods in 2016 grew only of 4% according to Bain and Co.. Preliminary estimates we are making see the growth of the global yachting industry at 19-20% for 2017 and we believe it is very likely, given the general sentiment of the boat show season, that this yacht market growth will be sustained for the year 2018.

The size segment of Yachts above 30 meter in length as tracked by Super Yacht Intelligence shows a significant growth as well.

Note that the RED represents (orders) the LIGHT BLUE represents yachts under construction and the GREEN represents delivered/launched vesselsSuperyacht Orders vs Delivery

It is also interesting to notice even the average size of large yachts has grown from 47.8 meters in 2013 to 51.6 meters in 2017.

Avg Size of SuperYacht growth 2017

Of the overall yacht market 86% is the share of motorboats whereas the sailboat market has a market share of 12% and the remaining 2% is represented by rigid inflatable boats also referred to as RIBs.

The refit and repairs market is well over 1 billion euros in value worldwide.

The top 10 countries in terms of number of boats per 1000 citizens is shown in the graph (source: DELOITTE) below and is topped by northern European countries that have a strong nautical culture and a solid GDP per capita.

 

Boat Ownership:1000

 

 

The production of yacht going in 2017-18 will be distributed largely as in the previous years.

World Production Of Yacht 2017

 

 

The fleet of supeyacht is set to grow significantly towards 2022 with a related growth of the whole yachting economic system that is driven by large yachts.

Superyacht unit growth by 2022

It is important to note that because the average size of super yachts is growing the number of deliveries could be decreasing.

 

I am sure I am not the only one who has noticed this; the ups and downs of the yachting industry of the past 15 years have cleared the market from improvised market players and have consolidated the positions of other players. Generally speaking, those yachting industry players who are 15 years or older that are still trading in 2017 know what they are doing.

I’m confident it hasn’t been easy for any of the market players in the industry to go through the above mentioned ups and downs, however, it surely was more challenging for those who play a numbers game more than for others. In other words, those players whose business is based less on the historical relationships with a handful of U-HNWI owners to buy and sell their vessels over and over again and more on the lion share of the yachting industry market the mid-high level charter (12m-45m yachts).

BoatBookings.com

Among these players I had the pleasure to meet with the team of BoatBookings.com. The internet is surely where the focus has been in the last 5-6 years with all the “I wanna-be the Airbnb of boats” coming up and investing in UX, and Web development  [FYI: if you want to work with us never tell me You want to be the airbnb of boats please unless you have 30 million euros hanging you don’t know what to do with ok? or I’ll just leave without saying goodbye], but BoatBookings.com is over 10 years old and that makes them a pioneer among the yachting players online. With traffic in the millions of viewers every year they serve from the bareboat charter clients to the 50 meter super yacht charter clients and they do it very well in the sense that each broker is very competent and knows very well what makes a charter a successful one despite the wide variety of client types they serve.

It’s not surprising BoatBookings has a competent and dynamic CEO – Mrs DeValle – who takes great care of her whole team beyond their business training all the way to their physical wellness with scheduled fitness sessions at their office in Cannes.

A valuable and competent CEO, would not be able to do well for its business without a great team and if you hop on their LiveChat on BoatBookings.com to ask some information regarding a yacht charter trip that you are planning, regardless of your budget, you will realise immediately you are NOT talking with an outsourced contact center in a low cost country but with real brokers with hundreds of hours of training and thousands of nautical miles of yachting from their Cannes office. 

Boatbookings.com great strengths are their speed, with almost immediate response on all yacht availability, their competence in advising both expert sailors as well as newcomers and their first hand knowledge of  itineraries and vessels to best suit the needs of a diverse global clientele.

Maybe some of you are thinking, oh that is easy to do and it’s a broker should be doing, well if you are thinking that you have probably never tried to do it or were extremely lucky with all your yacht charters. Trust me, it’s not easy to deliver a service as BoatBookings.com does.

If you are passionate about Yachting and would like to become affiliated to boatbookings.com here is the link to their affiliate program

If you are a yacht owner a former owner or you are simply looking to try your first yacht holiday these guys know what they are doing, give them the opportunity to prove it to you. Those of you who have experience in the business and decide to speak to Boatbookings.com will know the quality of the people you are speaking with in the first 2 minutes of conversation.

Do you want to start Yacht Charter operations with your boat?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the Americas Cup and the associated media exposure, it seems that ,at last, the world of leisure boats and yachting is ready to start considering hydrofoil technology as a viable technology. We could not be happier as the Rodriquez family pioneered hydrofoils more than 65 years ago (see History). Indeed, in 1951 when Carlo Rodriquez was building the first commercial hydrofoil for passenger transportation purposes no marine transportation company was farsighted enough to see the future which was being written. Carlo, had to start his own high speed transportation company(SNAV) to prove to his shipyard’s prospective clients that hydrofoils were not a dream but a solid reality. The company was SNAV (Società Navigazione Alta Velocità) and it was effectively raising the bar by an average 20-25 knots in every-day marine passenger transportation.

The model was the Pt20 which was travelling at with 70 passengers at 30 knots cruise speed powered by one 1350hp engine built on specs by Mercedes marine (now MTU).

Only in the 70s a yacht version of the Pt20 built by Rodriquez was used by the James Bond’s movie Thunderball (See footage below)

Many years later the now super famous company Hobie Cat headed by Greg Ketterman  applied hydrofoil technology to build the world’s fastest production sailboat, namely the Trifoiler. Then noticed that the market wasn’t yet ready to enjoy this speeds as hydrofoils were yet not considered safe enough.

In 2013-2015 it seems that the time is finally right for the boaters to start foiling and quite a few shipyards are moving the first steps around this technology. One example in the sailing world is Gun Boats (https://www.gunboat.com) with their

G4 foiled catamaran.Sailing hydrofoil Gunboat g4

We are not sure that catamaran are the safest route to take when hydrofoil technology is applied for the general public outside of the insanity of the race boats of the Americas cup, however, it’s certainly through experimenting that innovative solutions and control systems will be developed and implemented in the leisure boat industry.

Hydrofoil technology is essentially aimed at maximising the efficiency and lowering consumption and we did not have to wait to long to see the first few examples of electric hydrofoils for private use such as the Quadrofoil. (image below)

Quadrofoil- electric hydrofoil

In mid-sized power catamaran there are mild applications of foil technology (Foil assisted boats) like the on of South Africa based company  Hysucraft (www.hysucraft.com).

Even in the world of board sports the trend seem to have exploded with foiled kite surf, windsurfs, regular surf board.

In 2015, we actually stumbled upon an event dedicated to hydrofoil technology called the Foiling Week (www.foilingweek.com) and we plan on getting more information on the topic and keep you up to date.

The trend on hydrofoil technology is doubtlessly here and most probably it’s here to stay and will be be significantly boosted by the media exposure of the Americas Cup.

At Rodriquez Consulting we hope that this trend will not be taken lightly from a technical point of view. It would be best to avoid the ‘Just add foils’ type of attitude of shipyards venturing in this technology. After all when the Rodriquez shipyards started building hydrofoils those were operated and maintained by professionals and the R&D behind each project was significant. A professional, serious approach to hydrofoil technology guaranteed many decades of safe operations (some of the earliest hydrofoils are still moving passengers around the world).

The hydrofoil technology implemented on pleasure boats requires an even more thoughtful technical process to avoid vessels that are not technically sound to go out on the market to non-experienced pleasure boaters.

If your company is considering investing or is already developing a hydrofoil project, go ahead and contact us for technical and strategic support.  Hydrofoils[@]RodriquezConsulting.com  or use the contact us form

Upyacht.com

In the world of the sharing economy some companies have come out trying to shake up the yachting industry but in our view all of them have not really cracked the fundamentals that would really enable them to do so.

A lot of the companies we have seen that position themselves towards the Airbnb of boating have done a very good job in listing boats and trying to simplify the booking process for renting a boat. One of the few issues we have seen is that very few of them have truly understood that boating is not the process of renting an asset but rather that of delivering an experience.

In the the difference between renting out assets (boats/yachts) and delivering and experience lays the recent success of companies like The Yacht Week which in truth haven’t revolutionised the market but have identified a target and have made a great job at delivering to a specific 20-somthing target market that essentially requires a alcohol-loaded boating experience.

UPyacht has caught our attention because of its unique membership model which isn’t a share of ownership on a specific boat which would inevitably come with liability and maintenance costs, but simply credit to enjoy boating experiences or boat-time to do whatever one decides to do. Membership makes very much sense in this business because, let’s face it, going on a yacht by yourself isn’t much fun unless you are solo-sailor doing The Race. So here they come with a fresh new concept and from what we have seen a solid set-up.

We have looked into their founding membership offer (agreement and T&C) which seems to be a limited offer that does make a lot of sense to us: In brief a one-time fee of £15000 gives you access to £5000 per year for 3 years worth of yachting with vessels ranging from 30 to 75feet (9-21 meters), their charter rate are published and this level of membership gives you 20% off of their listed price (including the high season) giving customers the possibility to choose their itinerary, share it with other members and friends. All their Yacht are skippered and experiences are from what we see orientated to a wide variety of customers, ultimately it makes sense for a family or even a company to purchase this kind of memberships where the credit can be used for a family holidays on a sailing catamaran or a wakeboarding weekend for the youngsters.  

For more information go to Upyacht.com and let us have your comment if you book a holiday with them.

On June 30th 2015 in Hamburg, Germany, our managing director Leopoldo Rodriquez will be the opening speaker and co-chairman of the Superyacht Interior international conference. He was asked to speak about the future of the superyacht industry, market data and trends. 

The presentation will touch upon some key elements of the super yacht market and its buyers. Leopoldo will speak about the hard data of the prospective global spending on superyachts by 2020 and also about the changing characteristics of the UHNWI target group towards 2020.

For a copy of his presentation please subscibe to our email newsletter it will be available for download after the conference.