Christmas Greetings - photo © Sailing Raceboats
Dear Recipient Name
As we approach the New Year, we can only hope that the worst of the pandemic is over. With a global record of doubled vaccinated residents, Australia looks well-placed to be able to live with the virus and continue to operate within sensible restrictions. In the meantime, we wish every one of our readers a peaceful Christmas and prosperous New Year. This sentiment is reflected in news received from a number of companies.
At Sailing Raceboats it has been an incredible ride since the outbreak of Covid. At the start things went abysmally quiet with very little in the way of sales or enquiries for boats or sailing clothing. However, things started to pick up from about July 2020 and strong demand has continued ever since. Sailing Raceboats are currently busier than they have ever been, and say, "many, many thanks to all our customers both new and returning."
A good example of this growth is the RS Aero. There are just over two hundred sailing around Australia but over one hundred of these boats have been acquired since July 2020. Likewise with the RS Quest where there have been seventy boats sold since July 2020 to add to the one hundred plus already being sailed in Australia. This reflects on the evidence we are seeing that sailing clubs are seeing rapid growth in memberships and there is an appetite for local, fun and family friendly sailing.
The year of 2021 will go down as truly momentous for leading Australian luxury motor yacht manufacturer, Maritimo, with a myriad of major milestones, countless number of achievements, and most importantly, many excited new owners welcomed into the World of Maritimo. 2021 is Maritimo's most successful year in its near 20-year history.
At the beginning of the year they boldly announced plans to unveil eight new models in the calendar year. Maritimo's completely in-house, Australian-based design and new product development team is set to deliver on those plans with the global reveal of the brand's new flagship M75 Flybridge Motor Yacht today marking the seventh reveal, with one more exciting model announcement still to be teased before year's end. Tom Barry-Cotter said that the eight new model announcements were a significant milestone for the brand, and that the level of new product development in 2021 had been unprecedented in the company's history.
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From Greenline: Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Greenline Yachts is closing 2021 with a record in yacht deliveries and earnings. They have seen strong demand from environmentally conscious and technologically demanding customers, particularly looking for larger models. While the percentage of larger yachts made up only 40% in 2018, boats of 12+ meters already contributed 50% to group revenues this year. By 2022 this segment will account for two-thirds of sales.
Greenline Yachts focuses on sustainable propulsion systems, particularly on hybrid technology. The share of hybrid yachts has been rising steadily over the past year. The company has just launched its sixth hybrid generation "6G" with a multi-connection clutch, that allows the drive to be connected to any engine. Today, every second yacht leaving the shipyard is equipped with hybrid propulsion. The current order book indicates a mid-term hybrid share of around 70% across the entire product range.
Horizon Yacht Australia has wrapped up 2021 with record sales: $150 million in new models and millions more in Horizon brokerage vessels as owners move up in the brand. "It has been our biggest year to date with over 14 new vessels sold, three stock boats arriving and 45 brokerage boats sold," reports Managing Director, Mark Western, adding that an appetite for boats over the pandemic, combined with quality product that has struck a chord with boaties formed the "perfect storm".
At the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May, Horizon recorded the first sale of the show, selling the Horizon RP100 for $12.9 million to a local Gold Coast buyer. Since then, 95 percent of sales have been in the FD (Fast Displacement) range, according to Mark who has been with Horizon since 2004.
Next year will see the return of boat shows after a two-year hiatus for most organisers. Australians can expect a fleet of National Boat Shows to start rolling out in 2022 with today's announcement of a partnership between the Boating Industry Association (BIA) and Mulpha Events Australia, owner-operator of the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show. Mulpha Australia has signed an agreement with BIA to be its Event Delivery Partner for the major boat shows across Australia. BIA President Darren Vaux and Mulpha Australia CEO Greg Shaw announced the partnership of the two industry heavyweights in Darling Harbour, home of the Sydney International Boat Show.
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Staying with the seasonal flavour, Santa is set to hit record timing with the Christmas run this year thanks to his new rig: the Quintrex 430 Fishabout. Whilst the sleigh is down for repairs the Quintrex team has stepped in to help the jolly man out, partnering with St Nick to help deliver Christmas joy to Aussies across the country in true down-under fashion: on a boat with the wind lapping through his beard. With over 75-years under its belt and having fine tuned the art of quality aluminium boat building, there's no better vessel to take the reins and do the job.
Santa has shared the Christmas spirit early with dozens of local kids as he took to the water towards Paradise Point on the Gold Coast in his mighty Fishabout. The magic of Christmas was felt by all with gleeful squeals resounding across the beach, smiles stretching from ear to ear left and a sugar hit thanks to Santa sharing a festive sweet.
And congratulations to the team at The Boat Works. On Tuesday 21 December, The Boat Works' extended family spread some much-needed cheer and practical donations to charitable organisations supporting the families and individuals in need on the Gold Coast. Coming together in the spirit of the season, the staff, tenants, business owners and customers of the boatyard and marina have raised funds and collected 36 boxes of food & goods, twelve boxes of toiletries and a box of baby items to assist several local charities.
The Boat Works Christmas Drive is spearheaded by Michele Robinson, who has been in senior management at TBW for twelve years and who, with her husband is founder of "The Pride of Bettermen and Lionesses" whose aim is to support Gold Coast charities with fundraising and events.
We will continue to bring you the industry news over the Christmas and New Year period so between those festive moments if you feel inclined to send us your news do so knowing someone will be here to receive it.
Stay safe and well,
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com
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