VP Yachts hands over Leopard 42

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Vivian Chan of VP Yachts with the Leopard 42 owner

VP Yachts staged a lively handover of a Leopard 42 to its owner, who invited his long-time friends from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for the special occasion. The Leopard 42 had its world premiere at this year’s Palm Beach International Boat Show in March and is the owner’s first sailing catamaran, having previously owned two boats including a 45ft motor yacht.

Chan with the owner, his friends and broker Ben Chung (far right)

Vivian Chan, founder and Director of VP Yachts, staged the handover at Ap Lei Chau, where the owner, friends, crew and associates also took a sail on the new Leopard model, which will be based in Tai Po.

Champagne time!

Before the group took a sail, the handover included a presentation of the yacht, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a champagne celebration and even a video chat with Phuket-based Kit Chotithamaporn, Asia Regional Manager for Leopard Catamarans, and Brian Zhuang of Shenzhen-based dealer Omnia Marine, who had ordered the stock boat.

The owner has a video call with Leopard’s Kit Chotithamaporn

The unit arrived in Hong Kong in October and Chan said the sale was very swift. The eventual owner was the first prospect to view the yacht after being introduced by broker Ben Chung from Sun Yachts, who attended the handover.

The owner with friends from his university days

Chan, working in cooperation with Omnia Marine, said: “This was my fastest deal ever. It took a total of four days from when the owner first saw the boat, as all parties were all very proactive throughout the whole deal.

The group gathers for photos ahead of the cruise

“The client was the first person to view the yacht. He had looked around at other sailing catamaran models, then Ben (his broker) saw that the Leopard 42 was immediately available. He’s such a nice client and the whole process from viewing to handover was an awesome experience.”

The Leopard 42 debuted in early 2021

Yacht Style sea trialled the Leopard 42 during its Asia-Pacific premiere at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in Australia in May. The Review featured in Issue 61 ahead of its appearance at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival.

The Leopard 42 is the owner’s first sailing cat

The yacht was designed by Dutch studio Simonis Voogd and built by South Africa’s Robertson & Caine in Cape Town. The 42 has Leopard signatures like the foredeck door, a starboard helm connected to the cockpit and an upper lounge, while the unit in Hong Kong features a large master suite among three guest cabins.

Making the most of the upper lounge

“We collected the Leopard 42 from the ship in October and our workers were really impressed with the design and the build quality,” said Chan, who also works as General Manager of the Sun Hing Shipyard owned by her family.