Leaders

Azimut S6 Owner Zhuang Zhouwen: Making Dreams Come True

Leaders / yachtstyle2020

Azimut S6 Owner Zhuang Zhouwen: Making Dreams Come True

September 5, 2019
4:13 am

From a “hard life” growing up in southern Taiwan, Zhuang Zhouwen has become a successful businessman, enabling him to buy the first Azimut S6 in Asia.

In blazing sunshine, Zhuang Zhouwen recently welcomed his Azimut S6 motor yacht at a lively handover ceremony at the new Argo Yacht Club in Tainan City, where he and his wife followed traditions by smashing a champagne bottle, over an aft handrail.

Zhuang Zhouwen, Chairman of Xinliwang International Holding Group, with his new Azimut S6 in Taiwan

Zhuang is Chairman of Xinliwang International Holding Group, and named his new motor yacht after the company, which has expanded from being a real estate developer to a multi-national, cross-industry conglomerate.

Yet Zhuang, who also owns multiple supercars, didn’t always move in such high-flying circles, having grown up in a household of modest means in Taiwan’s southernmost county of Pingtung, which neighbours the yacht-building hub of Kaohsiung, just south of Tainan.

“I grew up in the earthiest place in Taiwan and lived a hard life during childhood,” said Zhuang, who is of Malaysian-Chinese descent, and holds both Taiwanese and Malaysian passports.

However, Zhuang held a strong ambition to rise up the corporate ladder, while retaining his strong affinity to the sea and fishing in particular.

“I learnt to swim at the age of seven and the first time I went sea fishing was on a bamboo raft. It did not have an engine so we had to rely on manpower, pushing it with bamboo poles,” he recalls.

Zhuang Zhouwen is a happy man at the handover of his Azimut S6, the model’s first unit into Asia

“Since I was young, I had a dream that after I succeeded in business, I would own a large farm with a huge lake and go fishing every day.”

Due to his family’s lack of finances, Zhuang had to start earning at a young age and developed an entrepreneurial spirit that has served him well.

“Because I’m the eldest son and eldest grandson in my family, I had to take on the family burden and responsibility at an early age. From the age of 10, I started to sell fish, sold meatballs at 13 and entered the buffet business at 16,” he says.

“When I was 18, I decided to persuade my mum to let me go out and enter the business world. Even though my mum was reluctant, she understood and encouraged me. I had the determination to succeed, by just working harder and harder.”

FISHING, BOATING AND SUPERCARS

Zhuang soon rose up the corporate ladder and 15 years ago bought a fishing boat, which he transformed into a diving boat, having developed a strong interest in scuba diving. The more he used the boat, the more his passion for yachting grew.

Zhuang with his wife and daughter

“I bought my first boat because I like fishing, the sea and sports. I learnt diving because it’s an attractive sport that can exercise all parts of the body, including internally, and gradually I developed my love for yachting,” says Zhuang, who also bought a sailing boat recently.

However, his latest acquisition, an Azimut S6, has put him in the rarefied world of luxury yacht owners. It followed both a growing familiarity with premium brands that he saw at various boat shows but also his interest in supercars, inspired by his son, who uploaded supercar videos on YouTube.

Zhuang now owns two Koenigsegg high-speed supercars , as the exclusive Swedish manufacturer is represented in Taiwan by the same dealer that represents Lamborghini, a brand he has a strong relationship with.

“Because of my son, I slowly started to know about supercars and realised that buying limited-edition supercars can also make money,” said Zhuang. “A really good supercar is not only for making money but also a status symbol.”

SPEED, LUXURY AND PREMIER STATUS

A passion for speed and dynamic design led to Zhuang’s decision to buy Azimut’s new S6, a streamline 18m, three-cabin model unveiled to the public at last year’s Cannes Yachting Festival.

The couple smash a champagne bottle at the handover ceremony; Zhuang plans to use the boat around Tainan, Kaohsiung and the Penghu Islands

Zhuang was introduced to the sleek 59-footer by Azimut Yachts Taiwan, which is a subsidiary of Marine Italia, the Italian builder’s dealer for Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern China and Singapore.

The S6 is designed by Azimut’s long-time exterior designer Stefano Righini, while Francesco Guida handled the interior in only his second project with the shipyard. The S6 features extensive use of carbon-fibre and three Volvo Penta IPS units that can propel it to 35 knots.

“I like to buy the best products, so I wanted to buy one of the best, most expensive yachts. The Azimut Taiwan team recommended Azimut, the number one yacht brand in the world, so I decided to buy the S6,” Zhuang says.

“I chose the S6 as I like speed, and wanted a yacht that combines speed and luxury. The Azimut S6 and my supercars are both very quick and very luxurious. The S6 has the best , most luxurious interior and I’m honoured to have the first one in Asia.”

The S6 at the new Argo Yacht Club in Tainan in southwest Taiwan

Zhuang plans to use the yacht around southern Taiwan, as both Tainan and neighbouring Kaohsiung have Argo Yacht Club marinas, while there are also yachting facilities in the beautiful Penghu Islands, west of Tainan.

“When I have time, I’ll take my family to enjoy fishing, diving and watersports. Both my parents and my son love the sea, and we often go out together as a family,” he says.

“Kaohsiung, Penghu and Tainan offer very good cruising routes and there’s a diving centre in Penghu. The S6 is fast, so saves time going out and back. If I have the chance in the future, I’ll also explore other places in Asia.”

www.azimutyachts.com

www.azimutyachts.hk

The original article appears in Yacht Style Issue 49. Email subscribe@lux-inc.com for print subscription enquiries or subscribe to the Magzter version at: www.magzter.com/SG/Lux-Inc-Media/Yacht-Style/Fashion/

Tommy Ho: The Rising Son of Yacht Insurance in Asia

Leaders / yachtstyle2020

Tommy Ho: The Rising Son of Yacht Insurance in Asia

August 7, 2019
4:58 am

Yacht Style profiles TOMMY HO, Founder and CEO of Voyager Risk Solutions, who manages insurance for many of Hong Kong’s new luxury yachts and is starting to expand across Asia.

Tommy Ho Wai-lok is well known in Hong Kong’s yachting circles, but plenty still know him as the third son of Ho Sai-lo, who retired in June 2018 after 35 years managing the boat yard at Club Marina Cove.

Tommy Ho with Kara Yeung, Executive Director of HKCYIA, at the signing ceremony of the MOU for Hong Kong’s new Superyacht Management Services Centre

Tommy still frequently attends events at Marina Cove as the Sai Kung venue regularly hosts private events for many of the world’s leading luxury yacht brands, including Ferretti Group, Azimut, Sunseeker, Fairline, Monte Carlo Yachts and Prestige from April through June.

In June, Voyager co-hosted the Family Days weekend at the end of the nine-day Ferretti Group Itinerary Show and Tommy found himself fielding more questions about his father than himself.

“When I go to Marina Cove, lots of friends and familiar faces come up to me, but they all ask about my Dad, like how’s Sai-lo enjoying retirement, how’s his health,” laughs Tommy during an interview with his father and mother, Susie Lei, who’s still involved with the family’s yacht repair business at Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

“When I go to events, a lot of people know me because of my parents and in fact, we generated business at that event. It’s great I’m also in boating like my parents, because we can always talk about boats, whether one’s good or bad, its design, the quality, so on.”

However, what’s surprising is how often Tommy’s surprised when hearing stories from his parents, who both grew up working on the water, his father initially crewing on sailing boats and his mother a leader of one of the famous ‘side party’ groups of sampan women who cleaned the hulls of military ships.

AROUND THE WORLD

In the early 1960s, Ho senior responded to an advert from an American, Vad Jelton, who was recruiting two crew for a long cruise with his wife on a 55ft sailing yacht.

Susie Lei and Ho Sai-lo with Tommy Ho, their third son

Sai-lo recalls: “I saw the advert recruiting for crew, so I went for an interview. At that time, my salary was HK$160 per month…”

Tommy’s eyes widen in shock – “Wah, so little” – before his father continues.

“Then the American offered me HK$700 per month, so it was an easy decision. The boat stopped in a lot of places so it took a long time, almost two years. We eventually finished working in San Francisco.”

“He did it for the money,” smirks Susie, who married Sai-lo after he returned to Hong Kong in late 1965.

Sai-lo said the most alarming episode was when the owner’s wife started screaming as she thought the boat was going to sink.

“The wife was steering, but she was hungry, so she asked me to take over at the wheel while she went to get some food. When she got down to the galley, she found the whole place was flooded and started crying out. A hole in the pump was leaking and flooded the whole deck. We stopped the boat, found out where the leak was, then repaired it.”

Tommy Ho’s mother, Susie Lei (on left), with Prime Minister Edward Heath at the 1971 London Boat Show, with the photo appearing in the South China Morning Post

As Sai-lo continued to work as crew on boats on his return to Hong Kong, Susie continued her sampan-based work, which included managing her side party brigade, cleaning the sides of Royal Navy ships at HMS Tamar, chipping off rust and repainting them.

“They didn’t pay me,” she says. “They’d give us old rope, wires, anything we could either use or sell.”

Tommy knows about his mother’s participation in the 1971 London International Boat Show at Earl’s Court when ‘The boats and water-people of Hong Kong’ was a theme and she was one of two ladies, along with Annie Ho, selected to represent the then-colony.

“They wanted to promote Hong Kong and they sent two sampans to London for the show. I had been working with the Royal Navy ships for a long time, since I was very young, and they chose two of us. Rowing a sampan is quite a skill because there’s only one paddle to power and steer,” Susie says.

“I flew there on December 31, 1970, but arrived on New Year’s Day in 1971. It was the coldest place I’d been. Then, for the opening ceremony, I rowed the sampan for the British Prime Minister, [Edward] Heath.”

Tommy is again in shock, his head flicking back, eyes wide open. “I didn’t know that!”

“A lot of people came up to me for autographs,” Susie continues. “What for? I didn’t understand what they wanted.”

BACK IN HONG KONG

In the early 1970s, Sai-lo became a foreman at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club before setting up his own family-named repair service operation onsite in 1977 with Susie, who has helped manage the operation for over four decades, although she has recently handed most responsibility to Tommy’s second-eldest brother.

Tommy Ho (middle) with his brothers on the family boat in Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter

In 1983, Sai-lo left the new family business to join the new Club Marina Cove, which Henderson Land had developed from a fishing farm into a marina and residences. In fact, Sai-lo was recruited by Grantham Sharkey, Tommy’s godfather and the former marina manager of Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, who was hired by Marina Cove.

When Tommy was young, the family spent time living on a junk in the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter by Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and he has fond memories of this period of his life (featured in COLUMN, Issue 46), although there were hardships, such as showering with no hot water.

As a schoolboy, Tommy joined his father at Marina Cove each Sunday, helping yacht owners with their belongings, cleaning yachts and doing other odd jobs.

“I needed to make some pocket money,” says Tommy, who has a younger sister as well as two elder brothers. “I remember owners in those days were very generous. A Coca-Cola was HK$2 and the owners would give me HK$20 tips.”

After finishing his studies, Tommy worked for the local dealer of Musto sailing apparel and also distributed other sailing gear and even jetskis, selling over 100 in a year. However, when the effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis took effect, he had to close his shop and found himself in debt.

Tommy Ho in the background at June’s Family Days weekend at Marina Cove, co-organised by Ferretti Group and Voyager

Tommy started working at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club,  where he met Colin Dawson, who thought the youngster’s extensive experience in boating would prove an asset in insurance, so asked him to join him at Heath Lambert.

Tommy’s first day in insurance was September 10, 2001, a day ahead of the infamous 9/11 attacks. Despite the inauspicious start, he worked at Heath Lambert until 2006 and then spent 12 years at Aon until founding Voyager last year.

THE VOYAGE CONTINUES

With strong financial backing and Tommy’s now 18 years in the industry, Voyager has made strong inroads into the local yacht insurance market in a short time. “I’d say 80 per cent of the boat dealers in Hong Kong are using our services,” he says.

Recent high-profile contracts include those for the first-ever Pershing 140, which could arrive in Hong Kong in September, and Ferretti Group models from Riva, Custom Line and Ferretti Yachts. Others include an Azimut Grande 32 Metri and Sunseekers like the 74 Predator set to arrive in July and 76 Yacht that arrived earlier this year.

Voyager is managing the insurance for the first-ever Pershing 140, coming to Hong Kong

Voyager has also signed an MOU with the Hong Kong Cruise and Yacht Industry Association (HKCYIA) to provide risk-management and insurance consultation services for the upcoming Superyacht Management Services Centre, which is a redevelopment of the Yiu Lian and Euroasia Dockyards in Tsing Yi, and set to open in 2020.

Along with his team’s insurance expertise, Tommy is confident of Voyager’s well-rounded offerings due to his and his family’s vast experience of working on yachts and with the many key suppliers, yacht clubs and marinas in the city.

“This is where we show our expertise. I know whether any repair claim is reasonable or if a supplier is overcharging. I can also call shipyards to prioritise urgent repairs. I’ve even helped prevent yachts from sinking by making phone calls to the right people,” he says.

“I’m also a boat owner, so I know what owners need to look out for and how they think. There’s no other insurance broker with my connections in Hong Kong, plus I also have a good network in China, Taiwan, Philippines and so on.”

In fact, one of Tommy’s next ambitions is to expand Voyager across Asia and the move has already begun with a representative office in Singapore. He’s looking for opportunities to expand in the likes of Taiwan, Philippines and Thailand.

Tommy Ho’s famliarity with so many aspects of the yachting industry is due in large to his parents

Yachting makes up the vast majority of Voyager’s business, so his other ambition is to expand business in non-yachting sectors, which already includes automobiles, art, wine, jewellery, financial, even kidnapping and ransom, and now professional indemnity insurance.

“We know everyone in yachting in Hong Kong, so we can improve here, but not by a great amount. However, we definitely can increase a lot in the other sectors in the coming years.”

Tommy remains upbeat about his city’s own yachting market, which has slowed due to a lack of berths. He believes there’s potential money and interest in growing infrastructure in the city, but that government approval remains an obstacle.

“For one, Discovery Bay is being redeveloped, while I’ve been speaking to some tycoons and they’re interested in investing in and building marinas. They’re even asking where they can buy land for this, but building a marina needs approval from many different government departments.”

Tommy Ho may be among the most connected people in Hong Kong boating circles, but he’s well aware of who gave him the start in the industry and provided him with the network and support to be one of the region’s rising stars in yacht insurance.

“Tycoons won’t do business with you unless they know you, who you are, like some family history or connections.” And for that, he knows who to thank.

The original article appears in Yacht Style Issue 48. Email subscribe@lux-inc.com for print subscription enquiries or subscribe to the Magzter version at: www.magzter.com/SG/Lux-Inc-Media/Yacht-Style/Fashion/

Yacht Style 48: The 2019 Charter Issue Out Now!
Yacht Style 48: The 2019 Charter Issue Out Now! SHARE Share on facebook Share on linkedin Yacht Style's annual Charter Issue covers Asia's greatest getaways, the 2019-20 racing calendar, and yachts...

Aquila, Lagoon Owner: Malaysia’s Nadzmi Salleh Loves Cats

Leaders / yachtstyle2020

Aquila, Lagoon Owner: Malaysia’s Nadzmi Salleh Loves Cats

June 24, 2019
1:17 am

Having bought his first catamaran at the age of 55, Malaysian father of six NADZMI SALLEH now has an Aquila 36 powercat to complement his Lagoon 620

When Tan Sri Nadzmi Bin Mohd Salleh was considering his new Aquila 36 powercat, he made sure it had plenty of space for cooking. After all, cooking has been a passion of his since he was a Boy Scout, camping in the jungles around the Kelantan River in northeast Malaysia.

Tan Sri Dr Mohd Nadzmi Bin Mohd Salleh on his new Aquila 36 at the Singapore Yacht Show

Each boy in the troop had his turn preparing meals, but Salleh’s dishes proved the most popular and his friends soon asked him to cook each time as others helped prepare the meals and wash up.

More than 50 years on and little has changed for Salleh, who still enjoys cooking at home and at sea, particularly the fish he and his family catch while cruising the waters of Malaysia and Thailand.

“I love cooking. My stepmother was a very good cook, so during school holidays, she would give me RM20-30 and we’d go to the market to buy ingredients then cook with her, mainly Malaysian food but also Chinese and Indian. Then when I studied in the US, I started cooking Western cuisines including Italian,” says Salleh, Founder and Executive Chairman of Nadicorp Holdings and a Board Director at several other companies.

“These days, I have two chefs at home and sometimes on my boats, but when we go cruising, most of the time they just prepare the food and I cook. Other people do the prep and washing up, and I cook. It’s great.”

Salleh, who celebrated his 65th birthday on May 1, only bought his first yacht a decade ago, but has been intrigued by the water since growing up in Kota Bharu as the son of a District Officer.

“We lived in a large house beside the Kelantan River and I was always fascinated with the water and the boats,” says Salleh, who has six children, four working with him at Nadi and two at university in Melbourne.

Fishing with his sons Omar and Hariz

In the US, Salleh became passionate about fishing after winning a scholarship to study at Ohio University, where he simultaneously obtained both a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Mathematics.

“I did a lot of lake fishing in the States. I was a student and didn’t have the money to buy a boat, and was too busy anyway, doing two degrees with multiple Majors.”

After graduating in 1978, he spent two years obtaining a Master of Arts Degree in Economics and Statistics from Miami University, then returned to Malaysia to embark on a hugely successful career that included separate roles as CEO and Chairman of Proton.

FIRST-TIME BOAT BUYER

Salleh admits to enjoying “fast cars and motorbikes in my younger days”, but only bought his first yacht at the age of 55, prompted by a friend who owned a Dean catamaran from South Africa.

“A friend of mine, a very successful lawyer, influenced me. He said, ‘Tan Sri, you have money and you never know when you’ll kick the bucket, so you should enjoy yourself’,” says Salleh, who was honoured with the title Tan Sri in 2014.

“At 55, I had already made it in business, made some money. I was a leader in the industry. I had been working all the time and even when I was a student, I was doing four Majors, so I thought it was time for me to relax. I decided to learn sailing.”

Salleh celebrated his 65th birthday this year

Salleh wasn’t sold on his friend’s catamaran, especially as it didn’t have air-conditioning, but his eyes lit up when he came across Lagoon, the world leader in cruising catamarans. He bought a pre-owned Lagoon 390 – then the smallest model by the French yard – through Simon Theseira, Simpson Marine’s Country Sales Manager.

“It didn’t cost much, about RM1 million, but you’re never satisfied with a smaller boat. I wanted to upgrade because for me there’s limited space to cook on the 39,” he says.

“We also like to fish, so you need space for that, especially if you’re then going to cook them on board. If it was just my wife and me, maybe, but we have so many children.”

Salleh remained loyal to Lagoon and initially ordered the next-biggest model, a 45. However, Theseira then showed him a 560, so he cancelled the booking and ordered the larger model.

After later meeting Theseira at a boat show on a 620, he cancelled again and changed his order to what was then Lagoon’s largest sailing yacht.

“When we had a meeting on the 620, I told Simon I wanted a boat of this size, especially because it has such a spacious galley,” says Salleh, whose new yacht arrived in 2011.

Salleh, pictured with his son Omar, enjoys sailing his Lagoon 620 to southern Thailand

“I like Lagoon catamarans because they’re spacious and  the exterior design is good, so they look good from the outside. Catamarans are not as sexy as monohulls, but the Lagoon design is quite balanced, nice for a catamaran.”

Despite initial problems with an engine that was quickly replaced, Salleh remains enamoured with his 620, which he sails regularly between Langkawi and Port Dickson to the south and Phuket to the north.

“It’s amazing on fuel consumption. From Langkawi to Port Dickson, it costs me less than RM2,000 on fuel. You can’t get that kind of economy on motoryachts,” says Salleh.

“A lot of my friends are excited the first year they get a boat, but in the second year they become conscious of how much fuel they spend each time they go out and get tired of it. It puts them off. For me, it’s the opposite. You’ve spent the money buying it, so it becomes more worthwhile the more you use it.”

ADDING SOME POWER

Salleh’s reason for ordering his newly acquired Aquila 36 evolved after he built a resort house in Kota Bharu and was looking for a boat to be based there, a smaller model yet one that was easy to walk around, bearing in mind that he has a limp.

“I enjoy the 620, but you need a Captain and crew. I was looking for a boat that doesn’t need a Captain, yet something still quite spacious especially because I have a problem walking,” he says.

Salleh and his sons at the Aquila 36 handover ceremony with Simpson Marine founder Mike Simpson, Francois Sebire (left) and Simon Theseira (third right)

“I needed a multi-purpose boat, for cruising, for fishing, for entertaining in the evening near my house. I wanted to invite friends, maybe 10, so it couldn’t be too small.”

As he only plans to be at the house once every few weeks or couple of months, Salleh was initially considering a pre-owned yacht, but was swayed at a boat show when he saw an Aquila 36.

The flush deck and central walkway all the way to the foredeck – rather than narrow, sloping side decks – were among appealing features, along with multiple seating areas, an open galley and two double cabins.

Furthermore, he was able to select the Fishing and Diving version, which replaces the aft seating with bulkheads for live bait, dive tanks and rod holders, ideal for his family.

“I thought this was perfect, then we had a sea trial and I was impressed. The stability is good and it has a great top speed. I was also impressed with the finishing as I’m very detail oriented. When I compared this with others in terms of space, quality and pricing, it’s a smart buy,” says Salleh, whose model has twin 350hp Mercury engines and a top speed of 36 knots.

Salleh relaxing on his Aquila 36 with Mike Simpson

“Then I thought it was quite expensive for a boat I’ll only keep at my resort house, but when I saw the boat again, I was convinced. It’s also easy to dock because of the joystick – I took most of the options. I buy high-spec.”

In fact, Salleh has since changed his plans for the Aquila, which he will keep in Port Dickson or Langkawi and use alongside or instead of his 620 on occasions.

“I don’t really have the facility to dock this by my Kota Bharu house. I’m not there most of the time and my children have said they want to use the boat as they go diving a lot. When we take it out, my kids will do most of the work, but I’ll drive.”

However, Salleh is not finished yet with catamarans. Although he plans to continue working for the next five years while mentoring his children in the family-owned business, he’s keeping an eye out for a possible upgrade to Lagoon’s flagship sailing model, which already has two hulls in Asia following its 2016 debut.

“Lagoon keeps improving. I’ve seen the Seventy7, which is way ahead in terms of quality,” says Salleh. “I have interest, but not just yet. I can’t buy a boat every year!”

The original article appears in Yacht Style Issue 47. Email subscribe@lux-inc.com for print subscription enquiries or subscribe to the Magzter version at: www.magzter.com/SG/Lux-Inc-Media/Yacht-Style/Fashion/

Yacht Style #47: The Multihulls Issue - Today's Choices, Sail to Power
Yacht Style Issue #47 highlights the growing range of power and sail catamaran options, and profiles yachts, owners, leaders and destinations across Asia.

Wally Widens Appeal of Ferretti Group Portfolio: Stefano De Vivo

Leaders / yachtstyle2020

Wally Widens Appeal of Ferretti Group Portfolio: Stefano De Vivo

April 18, 2019
1:25 am

Ferretti Group CCO Stefano De Vivo talks about the year of Pershing, the success of Custom Line and Riva, and why he pushed for Wally to join the fast-growing conglomerate

Stefano De Vivo, Chief Commercial Officer of Ferretti Group

With Wally on board, Ferretti Group has grown to eight yacht brands. Which are the biggest earners?

Riva and Custom Line are the two biggest brands right now in terms of revenues. If we’re talking about serial and semi custom production – so fibreglass – Riva and Custom Line are one step ahead of Ferretti Yachts and then Pershing and Itama.

Riva is the only brand we have that spans from runabouts to megayachts. It has a lot more product and it’s the only brand that can actually do that. That’s why it has much bigger numbers than Ferretti Yachts. Custom Line is in larger yachts, so it’s easy to push up the revenues.

Alberto Galassi has even called Custom Line the Ferretti Group’s most important brand. 

It’s the most important because although it’s not as famous as Riva or Ferretti Yachts or Pershing, it’s the Group’s biggest revenue generator because of the size of the yachts. That’s why it has become the most important.

The sixth Navetta 33 leaves Custom Line, which has established itself as a financial leader among the Ferretti Group brands

A lot of Mr Galassi’s experience on these boats comes from being a user, because one problem of a shipyard is that although we have technical knowledge, very few workers use the product. Sometimes the salespeople go on board with the clients because they’re invited, but no one is really using them.

Ferretti Group also has Piero Ferrari as a shareholder and head of the Strategic Product Committee, which designs or looks upon all of the products. Any product that comes out, Mr Ferrari has been following every single design, from design to layout and so on.

Having people in the company that really use the yachts makes a difference, because that’s when they say, ‘Hey, don’t forget to put a plug inside the mirror because you need to have that for an electric toothbrush’. Or don’t put this here because when you roll out of bed, you step on it. It’s the details.

Everybody makes nice boats nowadays, but it’s the details that really make the difference – and that’s why Custom Line has become so important in the Group.

Ferretti Group has stated that 2019 is ‘the year of Pershing’, which so far has included the world premiere of the 8X at Boot Dusseldorf and the launch of the flagship 140 in Ancona. Why the big push?

We’ve also been pushing in the past years. The reality is that the 8X was slightly late. It should have been at the Cannes Yachting Festival (in September 2018).

De Vivo at the world premiere of the Pershing 8X

Also, Pershing is so highly technological and complex, not to own and use but to build, so with the new limits we’re trying to push – and when you factor in the performance of a Pershing with the design of a Pershing – it took a little bit longer. Pershing is the hardest beast we have to tame, and nobody can tame Pershing.

So that’s why the 8X ended up coming out this year and we took it advantage of this by making a huge investment to bring the boat to Düsseldorf, where we have a very good pool of clients that visit the show from the northern and eastern parts of Europe.

Then there’s the 140 and that’s definitely a technological and technical feat, and why it proves even more that this is the year for Pershing. But it’s not that we decided this year we were going to push. We try to push on every brand every year.

It looks like being a big year in Asia for Ferretti Group, with a Pershing 140, Riva 90’ Argo and 110’ Dolcevita, and a Custom Line Navetta 33 among expected arrivals. How important is Asia to your business?

The demand is actually across the spectrum of yacht sizes and I  think Asia as a whole is growing steadily, at least at the same pace of the company. When I joined in 2014, Asia was 15 per cent of the revenues. Today, it’s about 18 per cent and the company has more than doubled its revenue. That means it has been growing nicely.

I think Asia is coming along the right way instead of companies just sending over tonnes of product that got old, which was a mistake the industry was starting to make in 2005, 2006, except for Hong Kong, which was much more established. Now, I think all the companies are doing things properly and achieving nice growth without exaggerating.

Mr Galassi credited you with the leading role in the Wally acquisition, over 15 months. 

Actually, a big team worked on it. I think Mr Galassi was trying to say it has been a long journey. It hasn’t been easy. There has been a big team of advisors behind it because it’s very complicated.

The Wally class at the 2017 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup; Photo: Carlo Borlenghi

Mr Galassi also said this because every time he didn’t know why the deal wasn’t closed and questioned if it was going ahead, I was always the one to say yes. He knows it’s because I have a big sailing heart!

I’m glad and happy. It’s recognition of all the work I’ve done with my team, strategically, for the Ferretti Group. I think I needed something new to stay on top of my game. We need our motivations and I think he feels the same himself. Wally is a great challenge we’d like to take up – and I especially want to take up.

The sailing part is important, but the power side will be the biggest revenue generator. Wally has done some amazing things on the power side, but then sailing is my heart and I have to listen to my heart, finally, after 20 years in the business with motor yacht brands.

What are Luca Bassani’s hopes for this partnership?

He was looking for the next step because he wants Wally to live past himself. And I think what he has already started doing, and what we’re working together to do, is to ensure is that this DNA is taken out of him and put into a format, and systems put into place, so there will always be Wally and it will always be 20 years ahead because of his genius.

He’s 62 and one day I hope he’s going to retire. I think only very clever men realise that what they’ve done is nothing unless it lasts beyond their own involvement.

The 48 WallyTender will be on display at September’s Cannes Yachting Festival

Ferrari was one of these people. Carlo Riva was one of these people that thought, I need to make sure this company I’ve created, this myth, this beauty, this iconic brand, lives past me. I think Ferrari and Riva have demonstrated that this can be done, and the people that have managed this are working with us.

What was Wally’s production situation when you announced your acquisition? 

The reality is that Wally was only producing sailing boats and will keep on building them. We need to learn about building sailing yachts, so Luca needs to teach us.

For powerboats, we need to move the production. In the last few years, because of low volumes, Wally was producing a few in the north of France, north of Italy, Tunisia, so we want to give Wally a house to build their projects.

Have you discussed scaling up the Wally motor yacht side again?

Do you know what an atomic battery is? It’s made with plutonium and when you start it, it basically never stops. That’s Mr Galassi. Now, we’ve been joined by a volcano, Luca Bassani, so I have to deal with an atomic battery that never sleeps and never stops, and a volcano!

So, yes, we’ve definitely started working on new things, bigger things, any size, from sailing to motor boats to ships. You name it, we have already started thinking about it. We have a strategy and have started working on a few models.

Note: The full version of the interview appears in Yacht Style Issue 46

Ferretti Group, C&N Sell Custom Line 120' New Build to Asian Client
Ferretti Group, C&N Sell Custom Line 120' New Build to Asian Client SHARE Share on facebook Share on linkedin Ferretti Group and Camper & Nicholsons have sold a Custom Line 120' new build t...

Solaris Owner: Cynthia Wong Sailing for Leisure and Sport

Leaders / yachtstyle2020

Solaris Owner: Cynthia Wong Sailing for Leisure and Sport

April 18, 2019
1:21 am

Yacht Style magazine kicks off its Owner series by talking to Cynthia Wong, a sailing and environmental advocate awaiting the arrival of a Solaris 47

By her own, admission Cynthia Wong is not a typical sailing yacht owner. As an Asian woman, she was certainly in the minority among the skippers at last year’s Solaris Cup in Sardinia.

Cynthia Wong on her Dehler 42, Daydream

Wong has been skippering sailing yachts since she bought a no-frills Archambault A35 racer-cruiser from France that was gradually developed into far more of a racer than a cruiser.

Her family then supported the purchase of a more cruising-focused Dehler 42 from the Hanse shipyard in Germany, with the Hong Kong-based mother of four still managing to gain some credible results on this elegant yacht.

However, Wong admits that her petite frame can work against her in the physical world of short-handed sailing, so has ordered a Solaris 47 EZC – designed for easy sailing – that’s set to arrive later this year.

“Strength is my major obstacle in sailing. I only have one electric winch for the halyard and when I did my single-handed race, after each tack I found it hard to sheet in the jib to maximum trim because I don’t have enough strength to grind,” she admits. “I either have to do some weight training or take the easy way out, with all electric winches.”

Wong’s decision to order a fully automated Solaris may be the ‘easy way out’ in her own words, but her background in sailing doesn’t suggest a weak-willed personality.

Wong skippering the Solaris One 44 GioiA in the 2018 Solaris Cup in Italy

“Sailing is a pleasure. Sailing is for anyone as long as they have the courage to learn something new. I often tell my lady friends, ‘Look at me. I don’t look strong at all and if I can skipper a boat, you can’. It’s all in the mind,” she says.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ve introduced a friend who can’t swim to sailing. I just told her she must wear a lifejacket at all times on deck until she can swim.”

FAST LEARNER

Wong was introduced to water sports in 2003 when she took up wakeboarding, followed by waterskiing and wakesurfing, but it was when she started windsurfing in 2007 that her interest in sailing began. Two years later she bought a Hobie, then larger sailing boats followed.

“I enjoyed windsurfing and sailing a lot more because you’re free and don’t need to follow a speedboat. Motor sports do not give me the pleasure that sailing has to offer.”

Wong started to sail seriously after she and some friends decided to buy a sailboat together for cruising. After doing some research and testing some boats, Wong then sought advice from within her own family before making a final decision.

“When I asked my mother if I should choose the faster boat or the one with a nicer interior, her advice was to buy the fastest boat with the same amount of money, so we bought an Archambault A35, even though she only has a very basic interior.”

Wong sailing her Archambault A35, Andiamo

Although the yacht, Andiamo, was intended for cruising, Wong finished third in her first race, the ABC (Aberdeen Boat Club) Opening Regatta, after only two months with the boat.

Wong said she felt comfortable skippering the yacht ‘within a few months’ and quickly gained in confidence as she and her team competed and won regularly, with the A35 gradually modified to become more of a racer.

“Although I’m mostly on the helm, I’ve learnt every job on the boat so I can give orders to my crew as to what they should do to make a boat sail faster.”

As the A35 became a competitive boat, Wong’s family urged her to buy a Dehler 42, a good-sized family cruiser, although again the racing bug bit fairly quickly after Daydream arrived.

“She’s easy to control and I can sail her single-handed. I finished third in a single-handed race with her.”

Wong may be a capable and competitive sailor, but admits there are a couple of aspects of yachting she’s never quite mastered. “The most difficult aspect of owning a boat is to deal with the engine and electronics. I have taken lessons, but never seem to be able to master it!”

SAILING ON THE SOUTH SIDE

Wong has derived immense pleasure from sailing, even encouraging friends who own motor yachts to switch to sailing “because it’s much more environmentally friendly”.

“I’m really happy knowing that while I’m sailing, I’m not polluting, because I really respect and care for the environment, in particular the sea. Sailing boats burn a little fuel getting in and out of marinas, but it’s so important we reduce carbon emissions.

As an Asian woman, Wong was in the minority among skippers at the Solaris Cup

“Over the past decade, I’ve seen Hong Kong’s waters becoming more and more polluted. Plastic pollution in the sea is increasing in a dramatic way, so it’s time we all started to do what must be done to reduce pollution and clean up as much as possible. We have a duty to leave a better world for future generations.”

She most often sails around the south side of Hong Kong island, making the most of the many islands and bays where she can anchor.

On weekdays, she often takes the Dehler out to practise racing skills including starts, tacking, jibing on the gennaker, furling the kite or code zero, mark rounding, trimming and so on.

Saturdays are often for racing, while Sundays are for sailing with the family, including her three daughters and son, her youngest, who all sail competitively.

“I like the freedom of owning a boat. In the morning, if there isn’t enough wind to windsurf, I’ll call my boat boy to say I’ll go sailing in 30 minutes and the boat is prepared for me to go. I can then sail for a half day nearby,” says Wong, a proficient piano player who enjoys listening to the likes of Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Beethoven and Schubert while sailing.

“If I’m with friends, I like to take them to seafood lunches either at Lamma or Po Toi, Cheung Chau or Po Toi O. I just love the sound of the wind and the water, and spending time with family and friends. I also love the romance of sailing and listening to beautiful music while I’m at sea.”

For all her love of sailing, Wong has had a couple of frights at sea, including her “most scary episode” when, after sailing back from Sai Kung, she looked set to crash into Beaufort Island near Stanley.

“We had the gennaker on, but the wind got stronger so I decided to drop the kite. My crew was unable to pull the sock so we had to drop without the sock. Somehow, the kite went in the water and we were unable to retrieve it with only two of us on board,” she recalls.

“We were very close to Beaufort. I decided to drop the mainsail as well, so at least the boat could stop moving. The boat was drifting towards Beaufort, but we just managed to finish pulling up the kite in time.”

EASY SAILING WITH SOLARIS

In light of such episodes, it’s all the more understandable that Wong has chosen the fully automated Solaris 47, EZC (Easy Sailing Concept) for her next yacht, as it will take away much of the stress and muscle required to handle a sailing yacht.

Wong first noticed the high-end Italian brand when a Solaris One 48 appeared on the same pontoon as her own yacht.

“I wondered what this beautiful blue boat was,” said Wong, who made enquiries and went on to sail the 48-footer several times with the brand’s Asia Representative, Enrico Zanella.

The GioiA crew including Enrico Zanella (far left) were a lively presence at Yacht Club Porto Rotondo

As her interest in the brand and its models increased, Wong was invited to Italy last summer to do sea-trials during the Solaris Days, held in the stunning Costa Smeralda waters off Sardinia.

She then put that experience into practice at the following two- day Solaris Cup, skippering a Solaris One 44 model, supported by an experienced crew, including several from Hong Kong.

For her own boat of choice, she settled on a Solaris 47 a fast cruiser named Saphira that’s currently under construction and is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong in the fourth quarter of the year.

“I really enjoyed the Solaris Cup. The Costa Smeralda waters are so beautiful and unique. The colours are simply amazing and during our first training day we were welcomed by three dolphins. We had delicious food and fun events at Yacht Club Porto Rotondo, which is a lovely, welcoming club,” said Wong, who said she plans to return for this year’s Solaris Cup.

“The racing was fun, with over 30 yachts. In some ways, it was similar to Hong Kong in terms of islands and the sailing courses. The wind and weather was good. Our yacht GioiA was the first One 44 in a group of four and we passed a few boats with good teamwork.”

Leaving aside the many attractions of sailing in Italy, Wong believes the Solaris 47 EZC makes a lot of sense for someone looking to focus more on the pleasures of sailing than the challenges.

“The Easy Sailing Concept is exactly what I’m looking for. The furling boom, the self-tacking jib and all-electric winches make life so much easier for ladies like me and for people who want to enjoy sailing, but don’t want to deal with the physical hardship of grinding or pulling the lines,” she says.

“It’s about using technologies to make sailing easier and safer. I can sail the boat by myself, while my family and friends relax and enjoy the journey. The boat is very fast and yet it’s still comfortable for the people on board.

“Italy has the best design and there’s great attention to detail and beauty. It’s also a top-quality build. It’s a very sturdy, oceangoing boat because of the hull design and construction.”

Zanella also provides training to ensure owners and prospective buyers quickly become accustomed to using a Solaris and how to get the most out of this boutique brand, which produces only a limited number of yachts per year.

Wong has ordered a white-hulled Solaris 47 that will arrive in Hong Kong in late 2019

“The emphasis of the Easy Sailing Concept is on making everything easy so even the training should be easy,” Wong says. “However, you must put in the time to learn. You just need a few lessons to familiarise yourself with the boat, on top of normal sailing training.”

A LIFESTYLE AND A SPORT

Zanella himself believes there’s a misconception in mainland China and other parts of Asia that sailing is only a sport, revolving around races and regattas.

He’s determined for more people to realise the widespread appeal of cruising, and Wong herself has always been a strong supporter of both.

“Sailing is not only a sport, it’s a lifestyle. Racing is exciting, while cruising is almost meditative, calming the mind, relaxing the body,” she says.

“Whether you’re a novice or an experienced skipper, anyone can enjoy sailing in their own ways. It can be with many friends, with a full crew, or just one or two on board.

“Unlike sports like football or tennis when a player can only have a fair game with people of similar skill, sailing is for everyone – as long as you don’t get seasick!”

Even in Hong Kong, Wong is in somewhat of a minority as an Asian female owning and skippering sailing yachts and in her own quiet way, is breaking through a few barriers and proving that anyone can sail.

As such, she genuinely hopes that the sport will continue to grow in popularity in the city she calls home and elsewhere in the region, where the spectacular cruising grounds are still very much underappreciated and underused compared to what she has seen in the Mediterranean.

“The water is beautiful and clean in the Med, and sailing is very popular there. In Hong Kong and some other Asian countries, motor yachts are more popular. On a motor yacht, people want to quickly arrive at their destination, drop the anchor and stay put, whereas in sailing, people enjoy the journey. In fact, I often sail without a fixed destination – I go where the wind takes me,” she says.

“This difference has more to do with the value system of Asians versus Europeans. Asians are generally more results-oriented whereas people in the Med are process-oriented. If Hong Kong people can take a step back, empty the mind, enjoy the freedom, we can also enjoy nature. Hong Kong has many beautiful islands. We just need to reach out and enjoy them.”

Sunseeker 76 Yacht Owner: On Board with Kenneth Lai

Leaders / yachtstyle2020

Sunseeker 76 Yacht Owner: On Board with Kenneth Lai

April 9, 2019
4:01 pm

Proud owner of a new Sunseeker 76 Yacht, Prizm Group Director KENNETH LAI splits the use of his boat between business meetings and personal time with his family and friends, exploring the islands around Hong Kong. By Lindsay Varty.

Kenneth Lai prefers his business meetings outdoors – on board his boat. And his new Sunseeker 76 Yacht is the latest luxury platform to host Prizm Group’s clients and prospects, or senior management’s weekend brainstorming sessions.

Lai on the flybridge of his Sunseeker 76 Yacht as it cruises away from the Aberdeen Boat Club, past the Jumbo Floating Restaurant

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Lai attended Wah Yan College in Wanchai before heading to New Zealand in his teenage years, eventually completing a degree at Auckland University.

As a typical Hong Kong kid growing up in the 1980s, Lai enjoyed socialising with friends after school and viewed boating as a luxury that only few people could experience. He certainly never thought about owning a boat himself.

“Back then, I thought boating was something for other people,” says Lai, now a member of both Aberdeen Boat Club and Aberdeen Marina Club. “It was not a reality for us, whereas now it’s easy to go on a boat even if you don’t own one. You can rent a junk boat, go on a boat party that you book on Facebook, but not back then.”

After graduating from university, he returned to Hong Kong and decided to set up his own tech company.

“It was a really bad time for the economy and hard to find jobs, so I started my own venture. I had a computer science background and some good friends looking for jobs. We started to hang out and think about what we could do with our skills,” Lai recalls.

Lai’s Sunseeker 76 Yacht (pictured) is an upgrade from his previous Sunseeker, a Manhattan 55

“We started off doing e-commerce development and providing payment solutions to websites. We were lucky to enter the industry in the so-called ‘pioneer’ time. Since then, e-commerce has become more and more popular with businesses and merchants paying more attention to it, so business started picking up.”

Now 38, Lai is Director of Prizm Group, which provides information technology and integrated marketing solutions to customers worldwide. The company has over 200 employees across five global offices including Hong Kong, China, New Zealand and Canada.

FIRST LOVE, FIRST BOAT

Despite achieving success in the business world, it wasn’t until he met his future wife that he considered buying his first boat, an Azimut 42, a decade ago.

“I was still dating my now-wife at the time and it was always her dream. My wife is Canadian-Chinese. She grew up in Edmonton and she had a more Western mentality than me. At that time, most of my friends were locals living the big-city lifestyle, but she just treasured the sun, the outdoors, open water. So, to fulfil her dream, I had to purchase my first boat!”

Aboard the Azimut 42 – his first to be named Tory after the town his wife grew up in – Lai and his wife enjoyed many quiet weekends away from their hectic office jobs, exploring Hong Kong’s islands and meeting new friends along the way.

Lai, who has two sons, at the wheel of Tory

“Before we had kids, it became a passion to go around islands we hadn’t seen before and check them out. We didn’t even know the names as there was no Google Maps. We met a lot of great people, tourists, expats or backpackers hiking on the islands, seeing what they could find beyond all the parties and drinking in Lan Kwai Fong.”

Lai decided to purchase his second boat, a Sunseeker Manhattan 55, after being persuaded it was time for an upgrade by Gordon Hui, Chairman of Sunseeker Asia.

“Gordon and I would always talk about boats because he is the king of Sunseekers! I had always liked them for their James Bond look. He introduced me to his friends who were also yacht owners and we talked a lot about our shared passions. Also, we had just found out that our first child (now five) was on the way, so we had good reason to want a boat with a bit more space,” he laughs.

FAMILY TIME

More recently, Lai, who already owns two Lamborghinis, was tempted to get a new supercar after a ride in his friend’s Bugatti, but his wife steered him towards a bigger yacht. His Sunseeker 76 Yacht, his third boat to be named Tory, arrived earlier this year, after the arrival of their second son.

Lai’s second boat was a Sunseeker Manhattan 55, also named Tory

“We wanted to upgrade again to create an activity that we could share with our family and also friends, who also have kids – more than we have! We moved the kitchen from the main deck to the lower one, so there’s more space for kids to run around.”

Lai takes his wife and two boys out on Tory most weekends and is happy when his eldest son asks to go for a day out on the boat rather than a shopping mall. “My boy says to me, ‘Daddy, I have more fun going to the beach than Toys”R”Us.”

And it’s exactly these values that Lai and his wife try to instil in their children. That enjoying the great outdoors – as they were lucky enough to do in New Zealand and Canada – is just as important as enjoying city life.

OUTDOOR OFFICE

Lai also loves to entertain his clients on his boat, often inviting them for a cruise after meetings in Prizm Group’s headquarters in Kwun Tong.

Lai and Prizm Group employees on board the Sunseeker 76 Yacht, Tory, in Kwun Tong

“It has become a routine for our foreign clients that come to Hong Kong. We have a good meeting in the office, then we walk one minute to the boat and just cruise around Victoria Harbour. I think it gives them a good memory and a good impression. We joke that if they don’t sign a contract, we throw them overboard!”

It’s not just new clients that get the star treatment either. Lai makes it a ritual to take senior management fishing every two weeks, to clear their minds and talk business.

“Going fishing has become our senior management brainstorming session! Every alternate weekend they join me on the boat very early in the morning to go fishing. It gives us time to have a clear mind.

“We talk a bit about business, a bit about the road map of the company, and anything else we need to discuss. We normally finish around 10am and go back home to spend the weekend with our families. And we bring fish!”

Yacht Style 48: The 2019 Charter Issue Out Now!
Yacht Style 48: The 2019 Charter Issue Out Now! SHARE Share on facebook Share on linkedin Yacht Style's annual Charter Issue covers Asia's greatest getaways, the 2019-20 racing calendar, and yachts...