Covid-19 creates a new marine industry paradigm - Australian MarineBusinessWorld newsletter
by Peter Rendle 9 Jul 2020 15:05 PDT
The Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival course © Pacific Sailing School
There is no doubt that the Covid-19 virus has changed the way companies do business and the marine industry is no exception.
The Pacific Sailing School in Sydney's eastern suburbs has moved quickly to change the way it conducts their sailing courses. Due to the challenges that the pandemic has placed on a number of aspects of Sail Training, the Australian Sailing Safety and Sea Survival course, and revalidation, are now available to complete through a flexible e-Learning course. Following the completion of the e-Learning course, participants can then choose to schedule the practical exercises at a time and location that is convenient for them. With the creation of the e-Learning course, the Safety & Sea Survival course is now a fantastic blended learning opportunity. Participants will still get to experience the practical wet drills - which include launching and boarding a life raft, setting off flares, and deploying an inflatable lifejacket in water - and the face-to-face time commitment has now been reduced from two days to just one.
With the cancellation of boat shows nationally, boat dealers have had to find new ways of reaching potential buyers. Multihull Solutions has announced a special "Open-For-Inspection" event for New Zealand cruising enthusiasts on Sunday 2 August providing a great chance to inspect two of the world's most popular catamarans. The event, run in conjunction with Ownaship, will be held at the Multihull Solutions Auckland Sales Centre in Westhaven and will showcase the brand-new model of the MY 40 power catamaran by Fountaine Pajot Motor Yachts as well as the hugely popular Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40 sailing catamaran.
In Australia leading Gold Coast-based brokerage, BMS, plans to stage a carefully-managed boutique boat show at the Sanctuary Cove International Resort on July 10 to 12 featuring more than $20 million in sleek new vessels. BMS Sales Manager Justin Thorpe said the show will give boat enthusiasts the opportunity to view some of the latest creations from luxury boat manufacturer Maritimo and also some high-quality brokerage boats being represented by BMS. "We have a unique opportunity coming up where a number of brand-new latest models from Maritimo are ready to be handed over to their new owners, but are still here on the Gold Coast and available to view," he said.
Maritimo have also appointed a new dealer in Europe. The company has strengthened its sales and marketing initiatives in the European continent as part of its international strategic expansion and brand awareness enhancement. Earlier this year Maritimo engaged one of the most successful and experienced boating sector operatives in Spain, Eric Zobel, to head up Maritimo Europe's sales network. For Zobel it is a return to working with Bill Barry-Cotter having represented him in Europe previously over 20 years ago. "The appointment earlier this year has been an exciting step forward for Maritimo as we believe our collective efforts will greatly enhance our presence and support in Europe," said Maritimo CEO Garth Corbitt.
While an Australian company increases its oversees exposure an Italian company has expanded into Australia. CMC Marine stabilization systems continue their unstoppable global success story with the Italian company's recent signing of an agreement with Stella Marine, the authorised sales and assistance centre operating across Australia. CMC Marine announced an important partnership agreement concluded a few weeks ago with Stella Marine, the well-established Australian provider of integrated engineering, installation and construction solutions for private and commercial yachts. As a result, the Australian company established in 2003 joins numerous other service centres worldwide as a sales and assistance point for CMC Marine products.
In the sailing world, renowned international sailor Iain Murray AM and Australian Sailing have today announced that the 2008 Olympian and reigning Etchells World Champion will continue with the Australian Sailing Team through to the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The new deal will see Murray remain with the team and increase his focus on the Tokyo campaign, highlighted by his appointment to the newly created role of Australian Sailing Director - Tokyo 2020 Olympic Campaign. The role will allow Murray to focus his energies on managing the campaign for Tokyo, one which has become increasingly complex with the postponement of the Games. "I am delighted to be able to extend my role with Australian Sailing and move ahead with the job I was brought here to do - help our team win gold medals at the Olympic Games," said Murray.
Staying with sailing: a new product from electronics giant Navico. B&G®, the world's leading sailing navigation and instrument specialist, has announced the launch of the new Zeus3S multifunction display system, boasting unrivalled performance, features and connectivity. Designed just for sailing, the new Zeus3S chartplotters offer super-fast response times, providing all the information you need, when you need it. These easy to use displays come with B&G's unique sailing features and make it simple to navigate, plot routes, add waypoints and see all the key sailing or racing information at the touch of a button, or the screen.
Stay safe,
Peter Rendle peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com