Just add water
You will often see the beautiful S/Y Thalia moored up in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour flying the flag of Waiwera Water from her masts. Ellie Brade was invited on board to watch the Volvo fleet race on the final day of its Auckland stopover and talk to owner Mikhail Khimich about his love of Thalia and for Waiwera.…
Walking down in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour, more often than not you will see the beautiful S/Y Thalia moored up with the flag of Waiwera Water flying from her masts. Her Russian owner, Mikhail Khimich, purchased the kiwi company Waiwera Water in 2009 and is now re-igniting the brand with the intention of making the artesian water known throughout the world. Ellie Brade was invited aboard to watch the Volvo fleet race on the final day of its Auckland stopover and chat to Khimich about his love of Thalia and for Waiwera.
An experienced owner, Khimich built the 25.5m Moonen 82 Aurora in 2004. Eventually, he wanted something bigger but despite commissioning a 45m design, was unsure whether he wanted another motoryacht. Chartering the 40m Alloy Yachts Victoria of Strathearn made him realise that it was time to start sailing for pleasure. “It was clear that a sailing yacht would bring me more pleasure and I had had enough of the Med,” he says. “It was time for somewhere different.”
Having then made the decision to build a sailing yacht, Khimich was in Cannes in 2008 when Thalia, built by Vitters in 1994, was pointed out to him. “I took a quick look and arranged a visit,” he says. That visit was enough for him to fall in love with Thalia, and, shelving his plans to build a yacht, Khimich agreed to buy her. With the purchase complete, the yacht left the Med and began a world tour, along the way stopping for refit work at Orams Marine in Auckland. Here, fate played a hand. Khimich was in town to see how the refit was progressing and on a second night out for dinner in the Viaduct Harbour, the restaurant was unable to supply him with the New Zealand-sourced mineral water he had greatly enjoyed the night before. That water was Waiwera water, and after some investigation into the then-struggling company, Khimich went on to buy a 60 per cent share in Waiwera Water and the accompanying Thermal Resort, which is based just north of Auckland. Thalia never continued on her world tour, and although she makes ventures out of New Zealand from time to time, she is now permanently based in Auckland. Khimich divides his time between Russia and Auckland, where he lives on board Thalia, running the business – which he now owns completely – and driving it forwards.
Even though the water itself is the main product around which the business revolves, it is just the beginning in a long-term development plan. The next step is to develop a range of high-end spirits that will be made using the water, and promoted under the Waiwera brand. The new spirits range will naturally being targeted at a global market, but will be launched at the Auckland Boat Show in September. “It is a New Zealand based product, so it is very important to launch it here,” says Khimich.
Khimich is heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the business, together with his ‘Team Waiwera’, as he refers to it, and names them all as an important part in the success of the business. Khmich places great stock in the value of the right people in an organisation and the same extends to Thalia, which is crewed by a tight-knit and loyal crew.
Although finding and buying Thalia halted his new build plans, Khimich still wants to build a sailing yacht of his own some day, and he has a design already drawn up and waiting for when the time is right. Knowing that there are still owners who are committed to the market long-term is news that will no doubt attract a big ‘Na zdorovye’ from the industry. Whether he will be able to bring himself to part with Thalia on building that yacht, remains to be seen.
You can read the full interview with Mikhail Khimich in issue 3 of The Superyacht Owner.
An experienced owner, Khimich built the 25.5m Moonen 82 Aurora in 2004. Eventually, he wanted something bigger but despite commissioning a 45m design, was unsure whether he wanted another motoryacht. Chartering the 40m Alloy Yachts Victoria of Strathearn made him realise that it was time to start sailing for pleasure. “It was clear that a sailing yacht would bring me more pleasure and I had had enough of the Med,” he says. “It was time for somewhere different.”
S/Y Thalia
Having then made the decision to build a sailing yacht, Khimich was in Cannes in 2008 when Thalia, built by Vitters in 1994, was pointed out to him. “I took a quick look and arranged a visit,” he says. That visit was enough for him to fall in love with Thalia, and, shelving his plans to build a yacht, Khimich agreed to buy her. With the purchase complete, the yacht left the Med and began a world tour, along the way stopping for refit work at Orams Marine in Auckland. Here, fate played a hand. Khimich was in town to see how the refit was progressing and on a second night out for dinner in the Viaduct Harbour, the restaurant was unable to supply him with the New Zealand-sourced mineral water he had greatly enjoyed the night before. That water was Waiwera water, and after some investigation into the then-struggling company, Khimich went on to buy a 60 per cent share in Waiwera Water and the accompanying Thermal Resort, which is based just north of Auckland. Thalia never continued on her world tour, and although she makes ventures out of New Zealand from time to time, she is now permanently based in Auckland. Khimich divides his time between Russia and Auckland, where he lives on board Thalia, running the business – which he now owns completely – and driving it forwards.
Mikhail Khimich with Team Waiwera
“It was clear that a sailing yacht would bring me more pleasure and I had had enough of the Med,” he says “It was time for somewhere different.”
Even though the water itself is the main product around which the business revolves, it is just the beginning in a long-term development plan. The next step is to develop a range of high-end spirits that will be made using the water, and promoted under the Waiwera brand. The new spirits range will naturally being targeted at a global market, but will be launched at the Auckland Boat Show in September. “It is a New Zealand based product, so it is very important to launch it here,” says Khimich.
Thalia's owner, Mikhail Khimich
Khimich is heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the business, together with his ‘Team Waiwera’, as he refers to it, and names them all as an important part in the success of the business. Khmich places great stock in the value of the right people in an organisation and the same extends to Thalia, which is crewed by a tight-knit and loyal crew.
Khimich with members of his crew at a Dragon Class event
Although finding and buying Thalia halted his new build plans, Khimich still wants to build a sailing yacht of his own some day, and he has a design already drawn up and waiting for when the time is right. Knowing that there are still owners who are committed to the market long-term is news that will no doubt attract a big ‘Na zdorovye’ from the industry. Whether he will be able to bring himself to part with Thalia on building that yacht, remains to be seen.
You can read the full interview with Mikhail Khimich in issue 3 of The Superyacht Owner.
NEW: Sign up for SuperyachtNewsweek!
Get the latest weekly news, in-depth reports, intelligence, and strategic insights, delivered directly from The Superyacht Group's editors and market analysts.
Stay at the forefront of the superyacht industry with SuperyachtNewsweek
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
NEW: Sign up for
SuperyachtNewsweek!
Get the latest weekly news, in-depth reports, intelligence, and strategic insights, delivered directly from The Superyacht Group's editors and market analysts.
Stay at the forefront of the superyacht industry with SuperyachtNewsweek
