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Written by Diane M. Byrne
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Wednesday, 28 November 2007 02:31 |
 Usually when someone tells you the “engines are in pieces,” it’s time to panic. But not when the engines in question are part of a laundry list of items being refurbished for the next several months.
That’s what I learned reading the blog written by the crew aboard the classic megayacht Talitha G. She’s in Hamburg right now for some extensive yard work that should last through springtime. Considering she was launched in 1930 and completely rebuilt in 1994, a long yard period isn’t out of the question. Her masts and forward funnel, the latter of which cleverly hides some of her modern-day electronics and communications equipment, were removed earlier this month. Judging from the recent posts on the blog, some of which are uproariously funny, they’re having a good time in town, despite still getting used to the chilly temperatures. (Then again, chasing sunny skies and warm seas around the globe can do that to a person.)
And judging from the rest of the yacht’s excellent Web site, the crew has a great sense of humor overall, whether hosting their hundredth (yes, hundredth) charter of the year or going about other business. Click on their profiles, and not only will you be (pleasantly?) surprised to see that Fozzie the Bear and members of the Powerpuff Girls cartoon series work aboard, but that “despite having a poofy name,” one of the deckhands is “a grand feller.” You’ll also learn that the first officer, who had served aboard a few years prior and left, returned “after rather pointlessly attempting to make it in the real world without us. And very glad we are to have him back, as he’s not as grumpy as he looks. An avid cross dresser, Daan has often been mistaken for Carmen Miranda.” (I’ll take bets he makes one heckuva fruit basket.)
I’ve now added Talitha G’s crew blog to my “Links I Love” list, along the left side of this page. And hopefully you’ll bookmark it as a favorite, too. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 August 2008 11:36 |
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Written by Diane M. Byrne
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Monday, 19 November 2007 03:10 |
I recently wrote about how the International Superyacht Society bestowed a Lifetime Achievement award on Don Patton. I’ve been remiss in failing to mention that at the same gala, George Nicholson of Camper & Nicholsons (CNI) was honored with the annual Leadership Award.
To say that “Mr. Nicholson,” as many of his employees call him, was and still is a leader in the megayacht business is an understatement if there ever was one. He earned a degree in marine engineering and ended up pioneering new directions in the yacht business, all the while still taking time to personally enjoy boats of various kinds. He created CNI in 1961, providing, among other things, sales and after-sales service to yachtsmen in the South of France while also persuading them to take their yachts to the family yard, Nicholsons, back in England for refit work. In the decades that followed, Nicholson added charter and new-construction consultation to the CNI repertoire. Among the many famous yachts he had a hand in seeing come to life was Nabila (now Kingdom 5KR); as the story goes, Nicholson and the late designer Jon Bannenberg, also a good friend, had a special office in the back of a bar in Viareggio, Italy, where they planned the yacht.
Rather than retell his amazing accomplishments in my words and paraphrase his gracious acceptance, I’ll let his words speak for themselves:
“I think I have been one of the luckiest and happiest people in this business. I have covered both sail and powerboats and have raced extensively under sail too. Some of the high points in my professional life have to be:
sailing for Great Britain in the 1960 Olympic Games
selling Prince Rainier of Monaco’s almost new yacht Albecaro to Sheik Shakbut, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, in 1964--the first used yacht to top 1 million dollars.
crossing the Atlantic in Eco using the gas turbine all the way and refueling in mid-Atlantic from our own tanker, the Eco Supporter, and averaging some 25 knots for the crossing
sailing in Adix from Sydney to Hobart and then from Hobart to Auckland, New Zealand; and then the following year cruising all of Southern Chile, landing on Cape Horn Island and signing the book, followed by 10 days in the ice in the Antarctic
some 20 years of cruising with my great friend, the late Emilio Azcarraga, on a variety of motor yachts, probably covering some 300,000 miles and very many different places.
Who could ask for more?” Who could indeed. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 26 May 2009 13:56 |
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Written by Diane M. Byrne
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Wednesday, 14 November 2007 02:34 |
Sad news to pass along: Carole Manto, a crew-placement agent and the wife of Richard Manto, the founder and owner of the bunkering firm Global Yacht Fuel, died Monday morning. She had been suffering from emphysema, but she died peacefully and without drugs. While I didn’t know Carole, Shannon Webster, one of her best friends and the founder and owner of Shannon Webster Yacht Charters, described her as a “beautifully elegant and feisty woman."
A gathering will be held this Monday at 2 p.m. at Forest Lawn Funeral Home, located at 200 West Copans Road in Pompano Beach, (954) 523-6700. A memorial service follows at 3 o’clock, and the Manto home will host people after that. If you cannot make it, flowers are welcome, as are donations in Carole’s name to either the American Lung Association or the Humane Society.
If anyone wishes to send a card to Richard, please e-mail me (click “Contact Us” at top left to get my address), and I will give you his home address. You can also share your comments here, and I will make sure he gets them. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 25 August 2008 07:44 |
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Written by Diane M. Byrne
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Tuesday, 06 November 2007 02:36 |
If you subscribe to news alerts about yachts and megayachts, you’ve probably been bombarded over the past 24 hours like I have with headlines like, “Tom Perkins 'embarrassed' by yacht.” He appeared on “60 Minutes” over the weekend, promoting his autobiography and showing reporter Lesley Stahl around the magnificent Maltese Falcon. Most of the media latched onto one sentence in which he says what he spent on his yacht (which he didn’t specify) would have done wonders for charitable causes.
The implication, at least in the minds of the writers and editors of these stories, was that Perkins regrets purchasing his lavish 289-foot Perini Navi. But not so fast. Read the following excerpt from the program:
“Why don’t, why won’t you tell us? You’ve told us everything else. You don’t seem to be embarrassed about everything else?” Stahl says. “I’m embarrassed about that,” Perkins admits. Asked why, Perkins says, “There’s the homeless and charity and there’s lots of things you could do with that money that would improve the world, right?”
“Oh, good point. That you bring up yourself?” Stahl asks.
“Yeah,” Perkins says. "So, you know, 'How selfish is this guy?' is, I guess, is the criticism. So the answer’s pretty selfish, but I’m just not gonna put a number on it.”
Why did it have to be the biggest boat?
“Lesley, I could give you some technical reasons on why it really has got to be big to work right. But I just wanted the biggest boat. Let’s admit it,” he says.
“It’s ego,” Stahl remarks.
“Do I have an ego? Yes,” Perkins admits. “Is it big? Yes.”
So, in reality Perkins doesn’t regret the yacht. In fact, I was struck by how refreshingly honest he was about how it all comes down to ego. As many of the megayacht industry’s representatives will tell you--and even as owners themselves will reveal, though usually not so publicly--people buy yachts not because they need them, they want them. And as I’ve told many a reporter who’s inquired about the continuing boom in megayacht construction, while some people spend their money on cars, jets, or homes, others like yachts.
If anyone still wants to cast a stone Perkins’ way, consider this first: Remember the last time you dreamt of winning a multimillion-dollar jackpot and going to town with the money--on things you want, don’t need? Of course you do. I do, too.
People will always criticize conspicuous consumption; sometimes understandably so. But as long as they're as honest as Perkins in answering questions like the one above, maybe they'll begin to realize we're not all so different after all. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 27 July 2009 13:22 |
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Written by Diane M. Byrne
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Tuesday, 30 October 2007 02:38 |
Last week at the International Superyacht Society (ISS) awards gala, the organization handed out a new honor, called the Lifetime Achievement Award. The recipient: Don Patton.
For those of you who’ve never heard of him, let’s just say that Norma Trease, one of ISS’ directors, wasn’t exaggerating when she told the assembled guests that Patton’s “fearless honesty” is what makes his opinions on everything from new construction to refits so valuable. When he speaks, yacht yards, designers, captains, and owners listen.
Why? Over the past 59 years, Patton has surveyed more than 8,000 yachts, from production boats to megayachts exceeding 400 feet, and he’s helped launch the careers of many others in the marine business. On the personal front, he’s a sailor and former captain and has owned and sold boats, too.
And Patton’s not finished yet. Indeed, his firm is presently involved in nearly two dozen new-construction projects. And in response to the rumors that he’s been ready to scale back his workload for some time, “I’m not about to retire.” Patton added, “If you think about how many people make their living, it doesn’t compare to ours.” |
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Last Updated on Monday, 27 July 2009 12:58 |
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