The mad, passionate and inspired journeys of superyacht owners

An owner who likens superyacht ownership to a form of madness close to genius, a financier whose return to his native Italy signalled the unearthing of a latent talent in racing, and a third, whose 70m new build Perini Navi has no project manager or build captain, but himself.

These are some of the fascinating and inspirational stories in the sixth issue of The Superyacht Owner, now available. Offering serious, practical and theoretical advice, alongside very real experiences from owners, the magazine continues to deliver indispensable reading for those new to ownership, or for existing owners.

Bill Duker, who we’re delighted to feature on this issue’s cover, is owner of 70m Perini Navi Sybaris, due for launch in 2015. Passionate about the build process as much as he is excited for the end result, Duker dispensed with traditional representatives or build captains, and appointed himself as decision maker, working closely with the Italian sailing yacht specialists to craft "the best boat [Perini] has ever built."

Lady Kathryn V’s owners speak of a similarly perfectionist approach. With five superyachts owned, the couple have refined and improved upon their visions each time, leading to the construction of their current and ultimate superyacht.


Gérard Naigeon, French owner of 32m sailing yacht Marama, lets his musings on ownership thread entrancingly through an account of how he came to transform an unfinished aluminium hull, found abandoned in France, into a seaworthy racer. Previously the joint owner of classic sailing yachts, he has a refreshing take on  ownership: “We are just the temporary minders of these vessels,” he riffs.

Alessandro Rombelli is a relative newcomer to superyacht racing. Discovering a latent skill and passion for sailing at the age of 47, he became a World Racing champion in 2008 and built Mini Maxi Stig, a dashing competitor on last year's racing circuit.



Other owners’ stories include owner of ex-crabber shadow vessel SuRi. A year-long refit extending her mid body by 10.9m afforded the owner and his family the extra space they needed. Australian based owner of 37m Tango, Joshua Berger, is investing into the industry with a company that builds yachts on spec for sale and two owners argue the case for going private or chartering. Finally, Martin Lanting proposes a radical new business model for ownership, which affords the owner more privacy and control.



The stories supplement advice and serious features from industry commentators, including a ‘win win’ business model for chartering; a clear exposition of the new rules governing charter yachts, coming into force this year; what to consider when putting a security plan in place; and a 'behind-the-scenes' take on a communications network installation on a major superyacht.

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