Fishing Frenzy

Amongst those shipyards represented at the Dubai Boat Show were Luerssen, who enjoyed a strong client base in the region, Sanlorenzo, who handed over a 40 Alloy to Dubai's ruler just days before the show, and Heesen, who have recently signed a representative agreement for the region with the loyal yacht and services company, Al Futtaim Marine. Fincantieri, who was the partnership in Abu Dhabi based Etihad Shipyard, Feadship, who have sold several notable yachts in the region and Beneitti, who have also just opened an office in Dubai were also exibiting.

And what is going on in Singapore, 21-year incumbent Boat Asia and upstart Singapore Yacht Show are being held over the same late April dates? Phuket Boat Show in Thailand began proceedings, but a heat wave made walking the docks a real challenge.

American and European yards continued their love affair with Hainan Rendez-Vous, a luxury brands get-together in Sanya, China's southern-most city, which also features a business jets display. This was a fourth of an initial five events planned, and already there is talk of big changes and new strategies for the years ahead.

At the Hainan Rendez-Vouz bot show, a formidable 130 vessels of various lengths and models were still shown at Visun Royal Yacht Club in Sanya, at 18 degree North of China's southern-most city, on this very large island in the tropics that is often dubbed as "Oriental Hawaii", or alternatively for Europeans, "China's Riviera".

An anvil sun and temperatures in the mid 30's tested exibitors and visitors alike at the 10th Phuket Boat Show in Thailand, opening the Asian season, which nowadays sees myriad events mostly clustered in March-April an October-November.

A Po Grand Marina on Phukat, a more recent facility quite near The Yacht Haven, took up some of the superyacht slack by accommodating august visitors such as the recently launched 187' Royal Huisman Derick Van Deventer told us Ao Po, although, still lacking a mooted breakwater, also has ambitious plans to increase its berthing capability, build a yacht club, and erect villas ashore. As the 50 per cent shareholder in this project, is Ital-Thai, one of Thailand's largest developers, there seems every chance that the plans will become a reality by next season.

For 4 days at the Hainan Renez-Vous boat show, visitors and guests indulged in business breakfasts, luncheons, wine tastings, cocktail parties, gala dinners and dance parties that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning.

Both Treadwell and Boat Asia's Herman Ho "did the rounds" at the Phuket boat show. The Thia expo, confusingly known as PIMEX, was held at Royal Phuket Marina, an had one row of Princess and Sunseeker yachts bookended by a small display from Phuket's biggest broker lee Marine, which is located next-door in the Boat Lagoon, and Guild Craft, with a Majesty and two outboard fishing boats.