Palma the charmer spotlights niche in marketopinion Rob Hodgetts 6 May 25 0He pats the bronze-plated block and points out the shining brass work as he recounts the tale of how the 37m wooden sailing yacht Cassiopeia evolved from a… Read more
‘Turn right when others turn left’ – disrupting yachtingopinion Rob Hodgetts 28 Apr 25 0There’s an old gag about a tourist in Ireland who stops to ask a farmer for directions. The farmer peers at the tourist, scratches his… Read more
‘Mediator, translator, educator’ – the value-add of owners’ repsopinion Rob Hodgetts 24 Apr 25 0It’s far easier to move a line on paper than it is to move a bulkhead in steel. It sounds obvious on a computer screen,… Read more
Brokers on blagging and the art of the dealopinion Rob Hodgetts 14 Apr 25 0Blagging to a billionaire is likely to end in tears. Not actual ones, although it’s a possibility when you lose that deal because they’ve seen… Read more
How Trumponomics could spark ‘bucking of trend’opinion Rob Hodgetts 31 Mar 25 0Some people like their coffee black. Others with a splash of milk. Or lots. Or cream. Some like the whole coffee scene but not so… Read more
Beach to boardroom – London callingopinion Rob Hodgetts 22 Mar 25 0Palm Beach might be sunny and glamorous but no less star-spangled is next week’s Superyacht Investor London conference. Our annual jamboree will bring together the… Read more
GX: From Slovenia with love – and silenceopinion Rob Hodgetts 10 Mar 25 0Building superyachts in the heart of the Slovenian mountains might seem an odd choice but for Vladimir Zinchenko it makes sense. Or it would, if… Read more
Denison’s Clarke on reputation, mentors and mantrasopinion Rob Hodgetts 4 Mar 25 0He can still remember the early days, working late and sleeping in the office, mentally banking cheques before the contract is signed, suffering disappointments and… Read more
Kryptonite, shrimps & the 15-minute rule: tales of a yacht manageropinion Rob Hodgetts 24 Feb 25 0One of her maxims is the 15-minute rule. That’s the window Barrett Wright allows to get back to a client’s question. Any longer and you… Read more
Stagflation threatens brokerage marketopinion Rob Hodgetts 14 Feb 25 0Cutting through the geopolitical noise and trade tantrums, there could be a more latent threat lapping at the superyacht sales market. The spectre of stagflation… Read more
Abramovich tale fires warning to gamers of the systemopinion Rob Hodgetts 6 Feb 25 0Revelations into alleged attempts by Roman Abramovich to dodge tax due on his fleet of superyachts could be causing quiet alarm and sending out shockwaves… Read more
Brokers on ‘two-speed market’, resilience and straight talkingopinion Rob Hodgetts 28 Jan 25 0The superyacht market is much like a chocolate orange; it is all about the segments. But in yachting’s case, the segments can be very different.… Read more
Dynamiq disrupting with ‘top technology for great price’opinion Rob Hodgetts 20 Jan 25 0He likens it to trying to win English football’s Premier League. You need a blend of top players from a host of nations to excel.… Read more
Dunya: King Benji builder rides Turkish waveopinion Rob Hodgetts 9 Jan 25 0It would be easy to jump on the groundswell of goodwill lifting Turkish yachting, but Dunya Yachts is selective about which wave to catch. The… Read more
Edmiston: ‘Does this make the car go faster?’opinion Rob Hodgetts 9 Dec 24 0“Does this make the car go faster?” It’s simple, straight to the point and a question Jamie Edmiston often asks, although he tweaks it. The chief… Read more
‘Trump bump’ boosts US yacht-timismopinion Rob Hodgetts 2 Dec 24 0Wall Street’s ‘Trump bump’ in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential election win is showing signs of spreading to yachting, according to Raphael Sauleau, CEO,… Read more
Cantiere delle Marche aims to beat Stairway to Heavenopinion Rob Hodgetts 26 Nov 24 0Losing the family fortune could lead to ruin for some, but Vasco Buonpensiere says he is thankful for it. His family was wealthy and privileged,… Read more
Prospecting for white gold in Aspenopinion Rob Hodgetts 15 Nov 24 0He knew he was on to a good thing when one of his brokers got chatting to someone in a restaurant while waiting to pick… Read more
Why ‘cherry picking’ is on the horizon for insurersopinion Rob Hodgetts 12 Nov 24 0Superyacht incidents of fire, groundings and sinkings were a narrative of this northern hemisphere summer causing speculation that insurance premiums will skyrocket next year. A… Read more
Abeking & Rasmussen: The ’boutique’ yard on ‘full power’opinion Rob Hodgetts 31 Oct 24 0It sounds like the first line of a joke: “What starts with the management and ends with the welder?” But for Björn Benecke, sales manager… Read more