Editors Comments: Week Ending 22/05/2015

Last week I spoke, at some digressional length, about the evolution of design and the new generation of both concepts and designers emerging into the industry at some pace. This week, I had the pleasure of publishing an interview with Owner and Creative Director of H2 Yacht Design, Jonny Horsfield, for the second edition of the Superyachts.com Master Class Series.

H2 Yacht Design has come into focus as of late thanks to their latest work on a 125 metre yacht at the Lurssen facilities in Germany. Jonny Horsfield could not confirm any details about the Lurssen project, but did say: “getting the scale of the exterior right was the hardest thing, and I know a lot of people say ‘you can’t scale up a Sunseeker to that size’ but we thought, you know what, you can. So, we went against all the rules, and consequently the level of detail and the surfacing features are dramatic and more like a 60 metre.”

The exterior style is a development of H2’s stillborn Mars concept from 2008, and this superyacht is a something of a departure from most new large yachts current conservative approach and a fantastic addition to the future deliveries of the Lurssen Yachts shipyard.

Read more about the work of H2 here, however as the week went on, we managed to gain an insight into not only the world of design, but an excellent look at the summer charter season with bluewater. With the Cannes Film Festival behind us and the Monaco Grand Prix approaching, we spoke to bluewater Charter Broker, Alice Wring, to get a better idea of what charter locations are heating up this summer.

“The destinations are becoming more and more varied,” explains Charter Broker Alice Wring, “The Balearics are starting to open up as a destination, but we also have charters around Montenegro, Turkey, Greece as well as the more classic Italian and French Riviera destinations. The Monaco to St Tropez area remains as popular as ever with the islands of Corsica, Sicily and Sardinia also lovely destinations with great nightlife but also perfect locations for a fun family adventure.”

While the old favourites may remain, more and more destinations are benefitting from new infrastructure and becoming part of the usual summer charter wishlist. The bluewater team spoke to us about the importance of understanding that charter isn’t all about the location.

“Our team of brokers take the time to understand our clients’ expectations from their charter,” adds Alice Wring. “Whether they are looking for a family friendly trip, a romantic getaway, an adventurous and sporty holiday or an appropriate setting for business negotiations, the bluewater team spend time researching the best locations and activities. We have a wide range of contacts with intimate local knowledge in locations all over the world on which we draw in order to offer clients something different; the hidden gems away from the beaten track.”

Keep an eye on Superyachts.com as we look further into the charter season and bring you more updates regarding new launches, latest designs and superyacht news from across the world.