BOAT Briefing

In this week’s BOAT Briefing, Online Editor Holly Margerrison and Travel & Charter Editor Georgia Boscawen preview the standout yachts expected to make an appearance at the Cannes Yachting Festival, where the 50-metre-plus segment makes its long-awaited return. They unpack the latest boat show data, before Holly quizzes Georgia on her top travel tips for Cannes. The conversation then turns to the...

As autumn and the boat show season approach, we examine some of the big superyacht stories that have been making headlines this summer, from Oceanco's sale to Gabe Newell and the new America's Cup protocol to Phi's continuing incarceration in London and the US Coast Guard report into the Titan submersible disaster. Georgia also looks ahead to winter season, after interrogating the charter communit...

What happens when a seasoned sailor with Parkinson’s, his daughter and a plucky 24-metre yacht set off across the Atlantic? In this Big BOAT Interview, we follow Joe and Amy Leitch aboard On Liberty - the first Outer Reef to cross the Atlantic on its own bottom - as they journey from the U.S. to Sweden via ice fields, open seas and long stretches of remote coastline. But this isn’t just a story of...

Laurens Last bought Heesen Yachts with his eyes wide open to the challenges ahead. As the owner of a superyacht built by another Dutch brand, he understands the ins and outs of an industry that can leave many outsiders scratching their heads – for instance, how most shipyards can survive only making a sliver of profit on each build. Last wants to change that and secure Heesen's future by introduci...

Two hours from LA, down the legendary Highway 1, there's a place where the mountains kiss the turquoise sea where property developer Owen Perry says “Palm Springs meets the Pacific.” A Rhode Island native turned real estate maven, Perry stumbled onto a piece of huge tract of uninhabited land on the Sea of Cortez during a cruise on his yacht around 16 years ago and saw something no one else did. An...

Heesen Yachts CEO Niels Vaasen and US sales director Thom Conboy share candid stories and behind-the-scenes insights — from the legendary founder Frans Heesen to the company’s exciting new Dutch shareholder. Thom vividly recalls the electric moment 30 years ago when the 35-meter Tropic Sea (now Sea Axis) stole the spotlight at Bahia Mar — a defining memory for Frans, who felt “like King Kong.” Tha...

After four decades, Henk de Vries has stepped down from his day-to-day duties as a director of Feadship and CEO of De Vries. In this interview, he charts his rise to the top of the world of superyachting, and how and why he has decided now to take on a more supporting role at the company. Henk has seen some extreme highs and lows in his 40-year boatbuilding career, many of which he discusses in th...

In the third of our three-part series celebrating Ocean Talks 2025 on 12 June, Lucy Dunn sits down with speaker Dr Camilla Floros, a marine scientist with over 20 years of experience in marine conservation across the Western Indian Ocean. In a case of her career coming full circle, Floros is now working in the same place she visited as a child  - which means she is in the best place to understand...

Continuing our three-part series celebrating Ocean Talks 2025 on 12 June, Caroline White sits down with Nicolas Rochat, CEO of Mover, the world’s first one hundred per cent plastic free sportswear brand. The pair discuss the environmental problems caused by synthetic apparel, the company’s high-tech approach to natural fabrics that is changing the game, plus a recent collaboration with Sail GP, as...

To kick off our three-part series celebrating Ocean Talks 2025 on 12 June, Lucy Dunn sits down with keynote speaker, conservationist and producer Colin Butfield to discuss his latest film project, Ocean with David Attenborough and companion book, Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness . The two discuss Attenborough's handwritten archives, octopus gardens and the ocean’s remarkable propensity to bounce bac...

In this week's episode, we dig into the recently published Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) interim report into the sinking of the 56-metre superyacht Bayesian in August last year, resulting in the loss of seven lives. For the first time, the narrative of what happened that night can be disclosed, and we also review the MAIB's comments on the weather conditions that fateful evening and...

In this interview, Stewart sits down with Bruce Brakenhoff, executive director at Edmiston, in the cockpit of 56-metre Rosehearty, to talk about his long career in superyachting. After starting out working for his father, Bruce joined Perini Navi and went on to sell some of the best known sailing yachts in the world. He joined Edmiston as few years ago and continues to be involved in some of the b...

After a spectacular ceremony in Venice, let us take you through all the winners from this year's World Superyacht Awards. Caroline and Stewart discuss each winner and bring you the judges' comments about each one. BOAT Pro: https://boatint.com/zg Subscribe: https://boatint.com/zh Contact us: podcast@boatinternationalmedia.com

Jeff Summers, senior designer for Scout Boats in South Carolina, walks us through the story of building the American boat builder’s flagship, the LXS 670 670, a $6.8 million, five-outboard powered, 60mph, 20.35 metre yacht, created with superyacht designers Harrison Eidsgaard. Summers, a graduate of a car design school, interned with Heesen Yachts where he got an understanding for superyacht desig...

This week, we remember two legends of the superyacht industry – Frans Heesen and Eddie Jordan. Heesen has also been in the news due to a recent change of ownership and the release of some very positive financial results. We dig into both stories in the podcast. Our travel editor, Georgia, meanwhile, tells us why Nova Scotia is one of the most exciting new destinations for food, drink and superyach...

In his 30 years of cruising the world in his 51-metre Feadship Double Haven, there aren't many places Merle Hinrich hasn't been. He has circled the globe three times in his yacht, which was built as one of the original explorers (complete with bullet proof windows). Double Haven was commissioned for adventure, and Merle and his family have seen plenty of that. Don't miss this rare opportunity to s...

This week we catch up with Christian Truter (CT), captain of the groundbreaking 106.7m DynaRig sailing yacht Black Pearl. The yacht was in St Barths for the Bucket, where we caught up with CT to discuss Black Pearl's extraordinarily ornate interiors, why the spirit of her owner lives on, and what the future holds for one of the most technically advanced boats ever built. BOAT Pro: https://boatint....

In this episode of BOAT Briefing, Caroline sits down with BOAT’s business editor Gabrielle Lazaridis to discuss the fate of sanctioned superyacht Amadea , after a US judge dismissed an attempt to halt the vessel’s forfeiture to the US Justice Department. They also touch on Trump’s recently enacted steel and aluminium tariffs, and how this is expected to disrupt the yachting industry, along with a...

In this episode of BOAT Briefing, Stewart and Caroline discuss the latter’s recent visit to Norway to explore the 194.9-metre research vessel-cum-superyacht REV Ocean. They reveal the latest news and mind-blowing facilities of this historic project, as well as serving up the inside scoop on its mysterious two-year hiatus. The team also dive into the rollicking history of the upcoming St Barths Buc...

In this week’s episode of BOAT Briefing, Charlotte catches up with Tobias Reichmuth, owner of the 45m yach t Prometej . On March 1st, Tobias will embark on a journey around the world, stopping in everywhere from Greece to Costa Rica and Japan, all in a quest to discover the secret to a longer life. Those onboard won’t be charter guests, but people he’s invited specifically because they share his c...

Charlotte and Cecile announce the winners of the prestigious Design and Innovation Awards, in this episode of BOAT Briefing. They also give the inside scoop on the most hotly contested categories, and share their top tips for those hoping to claim victory next year. Explore the winners here: https://boatint.com/dy BOAT Pro: https://www.boatinternational.com/boat-pro Subscribe: https://www.boatinte...

Josh Golder, the owner of yacht King Benji, is a disruptor. He doesn’t call himself that but his unusual approach to charter marketing is raising eyebrows. He named King Benji, a 47 metre custom yacht he commissioned as his largest boat to date, after his dog, and from there built a brand and charter program. From being imaged as his personal home on the water, King Benji has become one of the bes...

In this issue of BOAT Briefing, Charlotte and Katia discuss the cover yacht of our latest issue, Maverick , and where she plans to cruise this year; an exciting (and top secret) new collaboration from Vripack and Oceanco; and scrutinise what makes the perfect – and most genteel – guest. They also take a look at this week’s hottest news stories, while the data report focuses on the impressive yacht...

In this week's podcast we look back on a busy year, with lots of events and travel – and plenty of highlights and lowlights. Just in time for Christmas, we examine the travels of the superyacht fleet and bring you the top five most travelled yachts in 2024. We also take a look at the fleet's migration, seeing where some of the world's most spectacular yachts are spending Christmas and New Year. La...

In this week's podcast, Caroline and Georgia discuss Georgia’s trip to the Antigua Charter Yacht Show and visits onboard some of the most spectacular yachts in attendance. News this week reveals new details about 142-metre Lürssen Dragonfly , the keel laying of Heesen’s Project Grace and a mysterious press release from Abeking & Rasmussen. Data this week is a sneak peek at the eagerly anticipa...