One on lightweight carbon structures specialised Finnish shipyard invited a limited number of yacht journalists to its halls to write about the construction progress of one of the most extraordinary high-tech sailing yachts of recent years. The day was well timed, the discussions with the project managers extremely interesting and the dinner with the shipyard tour and the captain entertaining. One of the topics of conversation: The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull had been spewing its ash far into the sky for days, making the outward flight to the north of Scandinavia a gamble. In the meantime, all airports in the UK and Norway had cancelled all flights, and the hope that my flight to Helsinki and from there to Hamburg would take off regularly the next morning was dwindling by the minute.
The next morning, the certainty. No aeroplane would be taking off anywhere in Scandinavia for at least 48 hours. The only sensible alternative: by train to Helsinki, on the Finnlines ferry to Travemünde and from there home by rail. For three of my colleagues and me, this was the only chance to get back to our desks as quickly as possible. Good plan, but obviously we weren't the only ones looking for a way out of Finland by ferry. After a five-hour train journey plus taxi ride, a frustrating arrival at the Finnlines terminal, from which a kilometre-long line of people snaked out. Hopeless. Fortunately, our saviour was standing in front of us: a German businessman who had got hold of the last VIP cabin on the next cargo ferry, which was designed for four people, for a horrendous price. He had no objection to sharing the cabin with three of our group in order to minimise his costs. A stroke of luck. Our English colleague decided against it, as he wouldn't have been able to get a connecting flight to the UK from Germany either. As a motley crew, we spent the 28-hour crossing in the rather comfortable cabin or in the on-board restaurant. This was followed by a two-hour train journey before I happily arrived home after an eventful 40-hour return journey.
The christening of a yacht is the day of the days, a nail-biting event for the shipyard, suppliers, stylists and event managers. The trade press often flies in from all over the world for such an event, not without effort. At the christening of a 50-metre motor yacht in Italy, which was celebrated by hundreds of elegant guests in festively decorated shipyard halls with finger food, a band and fireworks, the journey was in vain. The tour of the yacht was postponed from hour to hour and finally cancelled completely. Fierce exchanges between the owner's and shipyard's representatives at the gangway of the flagged yacht did not lead to a solution and the brand new yacht was not allowed to be boarded. Two days lost, for the colleagues from overseas more....
A flight, this time not to the Mediterraneanbut to Bergen. The new building from a Dutch shipyard will present itself picturesquely against the backdrop of the Norwegian harbour town. After an extensive photo shoot in the Sognefjord, the yacht should be moored in front of our hotel in the morning. However, it is not there, but a bus is waiting. It has broken down somewhere in the fjord with engine damage. She had made the many nautical mile journey from Holland in perfect condition. The bus journey to the yacht through the Norwegian rocky landscape on narrow roads, through tunnels and over bridges takes a long time, the return journey to Bergen even longer. The colleagues know each other, they talk and laugh. And back in Bergen, everyone is well informed about everything that's going on. It is only at dinner, when whale meat is on the menu, that the mood is dampened....
A Dutch shipyard and its enterprising German general representative had invited owners to a yacht rally in Menorca. Mahon was the starting harbour, the bay of Fornells in the east of the island was the destination. The dictionary defines a "rally" as a "motorsport rally", but the French word is also commonly used to mean a "gathering". This rally was exclusively about sailing yachts. In fact, a dozen of the large two-masters found their way to the harbour in Mahon, where they shared a berth right next to the ferry terminal. The organisers thought that a rally without cars was really only half a rally and they wanted to offer their well-heeled clientele something more than a sailing regatta along the coast. On the day of the start, wonderful weather, wind and sunshine, the mainland ferry docked. The hatch opened and one, two, three...and finally ten brand new Bentleys rolled onto the quay. The eleventh car was a Rolls-Royce. As soon as the fleet was anchored in Fornells, the crews disembarked and boarded the Bentley-Rolls-Royce fleet for a rally across the island. There are shipyards that really think of everything.
A beautiful invitation: "Come round and we'll take you for a spin. You'll be surprised." That sounds exciting and dangerous at the same time. We're talking about the Sunseeker XS 2000: almost twelve metres long with a width of a good two metres and plenty of power for over 60 knots. We arrange to meet in a marina in the south of Mallorca. The time frame seems tight, but the broker promises us an exciting hour. At the jetty, we see an endless foredeck, a cockpit with aggressive fittings, driver and passenger seats and a stern bench for guests. Aft above the engine, the shipyard has provided a sunbathing area with three cushions. We climb aboard, hum out of the marina at creep speed and I take off my glasses as the SOG display rises above 20 knots. At 40 knots, the hobbling over the gentle wave turns into a veritable cross-country event with chattering teeth, and by the time the XS 2000's speed instrument leaves the 60-knot mark behind, we are travelling in the air for more than half the time. A glance at the clock. We have to go back. In the marina, we realise that the three cushions have taken on a life of their own. The light swell at two Beaufort shows no whitecaps. That's why three white dots are clearly visible just below the horizon. Into the boat. Time is of the essence. Lever forwards. After a few minutes we have stowed the cushions in the foredeck and after a short flight time we finally moor. Speed matters.
Who was therewill probably never forget this presentation by Wally and Hermès. Gathered in a shipyard hall in Ancona: potential owners, the entire management of the Hermès Group and journalists from all over the world. After a brief introduction to the so-called "WHY" concept, a huge curtain falls at the side of the auditorium and the two partners unveil a 1:1 mock-up of the "WHY", 58 metres long and 38 metres wide. No one has ever seen anything like it! Everyone is allowed to explore the model, all the rooms are built in their original size. Suitably energised, the guests board the charter plane to Nice, where the Monaco Yacht Show will begin the following day. A friendly, older gentleman takes a seat next to the reporter, who asks exactly what the reporter thinks of the project, which other yachts he would like and what opportunities the second-hand yacht market would currently offer. Shortly before landing, they exchange cards - Monsieur Hermès was sitting next to the reporter at the time.
You can find many more experiences from the BOOTE EXCLUSIV editors and reporters in issue 4/13, which has been on newsstands since 3 July.
