Editor's Note: A Snapshot of America's Most Vital Era

America is in the global spotlight this week as Donald J. Trump becomes the next President of the United States. We spoke to the superyacht industry about the elections during the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and, regardless of candidate, positivity was clear and a focus on the future was strong.

Our American Market Run Down is easily one of my favourite tasks of the year, speaking with a handful of experts regarding the activity surrounding the US owner and the demand surrounding inventory.

This year was the most important snapshot of an entire community we have ever taken, just days before a global superpower elected a new leader.

 “There’s been a lot of people elected that we were alarmed that if they were ever elected, we were all going to be out on the streets with bowls in our hands begging for food, and that hasn’t happened,” explains Bob Denison of Denison Yacht Sales. “That’s not only due to the strength of a free market economy and the guts of what makes America happen […] No matter who’s elected, America is going to remain a great economy and a great place to go buy boats.”

 “I don’t think the demand is in jeopardy at all," adds Rob Bowman, Marketing Director of HMY Yachts. "I feel like the demand this year has been strong and, even though that you might consider a lot of the American public being quite jaded in this election, we haven’t seen it affect our business.

“I’ve run into a number of customers here at the show with an ‘I Voted Early’ sticker,” explains Darren Plymale, Vice President of Galati Yacht Sales. “[The] responses were ‘Hey, I voted early and I wanted to get it off my plate and move on.’ I thought that said a lot about the customer today, and the fact that you know what, ‘let’s put all that aside and find the boat for me so I can go out and enjoy the water with my family’.”

The superyacht market in America has an undeniable strength, and one it has maintained since our first market feature noting the resurgence of the American Dream.

Now, a new era has dawned and only time can tell if the measures of calm around the American market will stay that way or if consumer confidence in the UHNWI market will stagger, or soar.