Nick Stratton on Sanlorenzo Asia’s growing family

Sat at my desk in Hong Kong after returning from the Sanlorenzo shipyards in Italy, I was reminded of the joy in being able to travel again, to see familiar faces and spend some wonderful days with clients doing what we do best – looking at and helping design some incredible yachts for use in Asia and beyond.

The pandemic days appear to be behind us, borders are open, and it has been great to feel the excitement of our owners and future owners wanting to visit our facilities in Italy and to enjoy their yachts outside of their home countries.

Recently in Thailand, I was fortunate to be enjoying coffee on board a stunning Sanlorenzo envisaging what will be a very busy year ahead with numerous exciting deliveries, new projects under construction, and further growth for Sanlorenzo and Bluegame across the Asia-Pacific region.

Sanlorenzo SD90

This will be an action-packed year, with a record number of deliveries into the region and the same to be said for new yachts under construction. In the first quarter of 2023, we witnessed the delivery of nine yachts from across the range including units from the SD, SX and SL lines plus Bluegame yachts.

Our service and commissioning teams are in full swing, and our management division is busy recruiting crew, arranging berthing and getting organised for a busy season ahead. We’re very thankful to our owners who have entrusted us with building their yachts and are committed to investing in the market wherever we can to improve infrastructure and support.

CAPTAINS WORKSHOP

In March, we hosted our first Sanlorenzo and Bluegame Captains Workshop in Hong Kong (click for article), which is home to a significant percentage of our Sanlorenzo fleet.

Sanlorenzo Asia Captains Workshop

Organised in collaboration with the shipyard’s own aftersales team, the Captains Workshop is intended to raise the standard of our captains by giving them access to a pool of professionals to learn from, while also allowing our Sanlorenzo team from Italy to gain more experience of our local markets, cruising conditions and infrastructure.

The Captains Workshop is exclusively available to Sanlorenzo and Bluegame captains, and we will extend the initiative to Southeast Asia in 2024 as our fleet of yachts grows across the region.

SD SERIES SUCCESS

Sanlorenzo has launched many new models in recent years and one that has been particularly successful is the Sanlorenzo SD118 (click for Review, Yacht Style Issue 66). A trideck with a volume of 298GT, she was a success from the day she was launched, with deliveries of orders now well into 2026.

We will shortly see three of these yachts cruising in Asia, with the first hull to be delivered this summer. All three have very different interior designs, but all will be used for the same purpose – to explore.

Sanlorenzo SD118

With a range exceeding 3,000nm, these yachts won’t be spending much time in their home ports and it’s always exciting for us to see where they cruise. We expect to see itineraries including the Maldives, Bali, Raja Ampat, Taiwan, Japan and many other parts of the region.

The not-so-little sisters to the SD118 include the huge-volume SD96, which has a semi-enclosed upper deck and is ideal for all-weather cruising, and the new SD90 (click for Review in Issue 70), which was premiered at last year’s Cannes Yachting Festival and is already sold out well into 2024.

SD96 units are already cruising extensively in the region, with more under construction, while an SD90 sold to this region is on schedule for a summer delivery in 2024.

ARTISTIC CONNECTIONS

Sanlorenzo’s close relationship with the art world continues and is something our team always enjoys and draws a lot of inspiration from. The shipyard presents art projects and installations at art and design events around the globe, such as Paris+ by Art Basel, Milan Design Week and Venice Biennale. It also supports selected modern art galleries and institutions throughout the world.

Since 2018, Sanlorenzo has partnered with Art Basel on its events in Hong Kong, Basel and Miami Beach, and is proud to continue to be the official global yacht partner. This year’s edition of Art Basel Hong Kong was held in late March, with Sanlorenzo Asia hosting an exclusive Collectors Lounge (click for article).

Chinese artist Li Qing at Art Basel Hong Kong

Art Basel is an opportunity to present the shipyard to like-minded individuals and to share inspiration and ideas for future projects.

As we get busier in the region with more yachts delivered, it’s important for us to stay true to our values on low production numbers, high quality, superior service and bespoke design. Our relationship with the art world is a representation of this commitment and allows our team to draw fresh perspectives.

With numerous projects in build and many more in the pipeline, we remain committed to supporting our owners in their yachting journey. This year will mark further investment in the region and an expansion of our presence into territories still new for Sanlorenzo.

We will be delivering yachts across the region, supported by in our in-house team of experts, while our sales team will be travelling, meeting clients and attending yacht shows. We thank all those that support the growth of Sanlorenzo and Bluegame across Asia- Pacific. We have high expectations for the market and are excited to start new journeys with new owners to build their dream yacht.

NICK STRATTON

Having joined Simpson Marine in 2010, Stratton has been the Sales Manager for the Sanlorenzo Asia division since 2017 and Sales Manager for Bluegame Asia after the regional dealer started representing Sanlorenzo’s sister brand in 2020. Formerly the company’s Country Manager for Singapore, Stratton has sold more than 200 yachts in Asia. Before moving to the region, he worked in the yachting industry in the UK.

nick.stratton@simpsonmarine.com

www.simpsonmarine.com