A Book of My—Our—Own

April 20, 2018 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

When I was in college, a professor of mine told me I should write a book.

I looked at him as if he had six heads. “Me? No way,” I thought. I was focused on becoming a great newspaper reporter. You know, being part of a newsroom where I’d learn of breaking news, run out to get the facts, and rush back to write the article in time for the next edition. Writing a book took months of work just to find a publisher who’d accept me. And frankly, since I wasn’t a celebrity or other high-profile person (read: a guaranteed money maker), the chances of succeeding were thin. That was the reality of the big professional publishing companies three decades ago.

It’s still the reality today. Funny enough, my professor’s words have never left my mind.

While I’ve contributed to two books, I’ve often thought over the years of writing a book of my own. In the 25 years I’ve spent in yachting, I’ve learned incredible stories, and seen some spectacular superyachts. The interiors are especially spectacular. Jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, even head-scratching… the list of adjectives goes on and on. Regardless of whether I share the owners’ tastes, I appreciate the creativity that goes into the design. Furthermore, just when I think I’ve seen it all, another yacht comes along to prove me wrong. It’s the most fun I could ever imagine having in my job.

Therefore, I’m pleased to say I’m writing a book featuring some of the most spectacular superyacht interiors afloat. Superyacht Storytellers will, of course, be the publisher. You’ll get a chance not only to see it, but to buy it, too, when we release it this fall.

What’s inside? Nearly 200 photos of saloons, staterooms, spas, beach clubs, and more. The styles range from Art Deco to over the top, from period-authentic to pink perfection. We’ll share more as the publishing date draws close.

The Art of Cabinetry—and Publishing

March 12, 2018 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

A number of articles these days tout self-publishing for books. And rightfully so: Self-publishing makes it possible for people from all walks of life, not just famous authors, to create something more memorable and tangible. The challenge, though, is the “self” part. You’re expected to be the writer as well as the copy editor, the proofreader, the designer, and the Photoshop artist, just to name a few.

To be clear, we applaud making publishing more accessible! But, it’s not more accessible if you have to do far more work. So, we do that work for you. Even with our boutique nature, we handle everything. More to the point, we select skilled writers, editors, designers, illustrators, and other professionals accustomed to working on one project, with one person, at a time.

Interestingly, the Superyacht Storytellers approach to publishing is akin to that of custom craftsmanship. More to the point, it’s akin to that of custom cabinetry. For proof, there’s an excellent article in the newspaper The Guardian on this very subject. The author, a professional journalist, decided to collaborate with a full-service book publisher after exploring self-publishing options. Her analogy hits the nail on the head:

Imagine you are a cabinet maker. You look at a few cabinets, you read a few books about how to make a cabinet, you practice the technicalities of things like dovetail joints. Then, with hope in your heart and breakfast in your sawing arm, you grab some wood and set to work. But because you are new at this, your tools are a starter set. In your ignorance, you chose wood that wasn’t properly seasoned. Wow, those dovetail joints take some precision, don’t they? This cabinet-making thing is hard! Nevertheless, with persistence and effort you complete your cabinet. It wobbles a bit. The drawers stick. The finish isn’t perfect. Buy hey, it’s a cabinet! You try to sell it to several furniture shops and they all politely decline. So are you going to sell it yourself? Or heave a sigh, make another cabinet, and see if you can make a better one?

At the end of the day, if you’re really a publisher at heart, go for it! But if you’re like most people, more interested in having a beautiful book that captures your thoughts, tastes, and style in a polished, professional way, then collaborate with our craftspeople. We will make it happen.

Sharing Your Story: Where Do You Start?

February 14, 2018 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

Many of our—and, surely, your—favorite storybooks begin with a simple line: “Once upon a time….” If you’ve considered commissioning a book about your yachting life, you might wonder how your story should start.

The good news is, you don’t need to be a wordsmith. Our talented group of professional journalists and book authors will interview you and capture your “voice” for the words to go down on each page. But, we also recognize that some of you like to be prepared. You might even fancy yourself an author in the making. So, here are a few tips for sharing your story.

Keep a travel journal. Whether you regularly cruise the same places or are setting off for never-before-seen locales, your daily experiences are worth their weight in gold. You can buy a true travel journal, similar to a diary, or just a simple notebook. Either way, take a few minutes each night to jot down what happened that day. Did you encounter pods of porpoises? Did your kids take their first solo spins on the PWCs? Did you linger on the aft deck long after midnight looking at the stars? Oftentimes, seemingly simple and even silly memories make the best recollections.
Get your friends and family involved. No need for you to be the only record keeper onboard. Have your kids take turns recording their thoughts, and what they enjoyed the most about their trips. Turn the traditional guestbook into a full-fledged record of everyone’s adventures and favorite tales.
Collect photos in one central place. Our yachts are as high-tech as our houses are these days, with Wi-Fi and more. When you and your fellow shutterbugs take pictures during your cruises, take the time each night to download the images. If you wait until you return home, you know what will happen: The photos won’t ever leave your camera or smartphone. Sign up for a free online service like Flickr, Google Photos, Photobucket, or Shutterfly. Good pay-based options include SmugMug. Regardless of your choice, you can log in from anywhere.

A Deeper Story Behind Every Picture

January 30, 2018 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

At Superyacht Storytellers, we’re big believers in the power of a picture to tell a story—and a series of photos to tell an even bigger story. It turns out that the team behind the Google Pixel 2 has something in common with us.

This week, the company began running the 30-second commercial below. It’s remarkable in how dramatically different it is from every other ad out there. It’s not video.

In fact, except for the promo for the mobile phone’s camera at the end, there isn’t a single moving frame. Instead, the commercial features nearly 30 individual snapshots… all taken, naturally, with the phone.

The tagline for the ad, part of a series featuring just photos: “There’s a deeper story behind every picture.” To simply see a picture of these young men, or with the horses, doesn’t even scratch the surface of their story. Neither does simply seeing the pictures in the series’ other ads, all of which again are real photos from real people. While cultural commentary plays a major role in the commercials, a simple message stands above all else. Pictures provoke us to learn about compelling stories.

While we’re superyacht book publishers, not phone sellers, we relate strongly to this business approach. Stop and think about your own photos for a moment. How many times have you shared a picture with a friend or family member, eager to explain the deeper story behind it? Whether a heartfelt tale or a belly buster, that story deserved sharing. That’s why clients like you come to us. We sit down and listen to you tell the stories behind your pictures, and then bring the full, complete story to a whole new, vivid life. Ultimately, while Superyacht Storytellers publishes the book, we’re simply a conduit. You’re the focus. You’re the story. And your story deserves to be told, and shared, with generations to come.

Finding Inspiration

January 7, 2018 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

In August last year, I visited Norway for the first time. The day I landed, it was pouring buckets of rain. Actually, it was more like a fire hose of rain, thanks to near-constant wind. You’d never know it from this photo, though.

Every time I think of the trip, I think of this. My second full day in Norway, the sun came out, just as I cruised into the world-famous fjords. This, in a single shutter click, is Norway. This is the reason I consider the country the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. This, to another extent, is one of the reasons why Superyacht Storytellers exists.

How so? In the moments before taking the photo, I was awestruck. I feel the same way every time I look at it. This photo couldn’t possibly sit on my camera’s card or on my computer, forgotten amid so many others. No, this was special. This had to be shared. I had to inspire other people to go.

Though it’s in the early stages of planning, this is the cover for a book about the world’s most beautiful superyacht cruising grounds. Some are well-known and well-traveled, like Monaco and the South of France. Others are lesser-known and lesser-traveled, like Norway and the South Pacific. All, regardless, are spectacular.

This is the inspiration for that entire book. The book won’t just be for me, though. It’s something to share with people like you, and for you to share with your own friends and family. After all, it just might be the inspiration you need to go somewhere new… be just as awestruck… and find your own inspiration.

Superyacht Chefs Are Super Indeed

November 28, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

Of all the experiences that superyacht owners and guests rave about, it’s often the meals served onboard. And no wonder. Superyacht chefs are at the top of their game, professionals who’ve worked in some of the best hotels and restaurants worldwide, and for some of the most demanding clientele. As much as yacht galleys have top-of-the-line equipment, they’re never big enough, or have enough storage. Despite that, superyacht chefs cater to restricted diets, fads, and food allergies with grace. They have extensive knowledge of seasonal and geographic influences on food. They can walk into a seemingly ramshackle market and, despite the limited availability of produce, find what’s needed to create a magical meal onboard.

Simply put, their repertoire of skills is extraordinary. Combined with terrific tales of how they created their recipes or adapted ones to suit limited ingredient supply, they are masterful storytellers, too. Their stories, and recipes, could—and should—fill a book. A book that together, you can give to close friends and family, charter guests, and more.

Why? The question should be, why not? Walk into any bookstore or log on to Amazon.com, and you’ll find hundreds of cookbooks. They’re written by celebrity chefs, mom chefs, you name it. Superyacht chefs are just as super, and superb.

Several years ago, I met a superyacht chef whose flourless chocolate cake had me practically licking my fork clean. No tasteless brick this; rich, smooth-as-silk chocolate melted in my mouth. I’d tasted plenty of flourless chocolate cakes before, prepared by some truly talented pastry chefs, but this was heaven on a plate. Similarly, five (!) other desserts he prepared the same day were extraordinary. As I sat with him in the galley, we talked about his background. Australia-born, he fell in love with food at a young age. In fact, while boys his age were dreaming of becoming football stars, he had visions of fried this and sautéed that dancing in his head. He went on to attend culinary school, and then landed a few jobs in restaurants. In his mid-2os, he was living the life he’d imagined… until a fellow foodie friend landed a job aboard a yacht. He’d never heard of the superyacht lifestyle before, but was fascinated. A few inquiries later, and he was in his first galley. And he’s never looked back.

Though I spent just about an hour or so with this chef, clearly I’ve never forgotten him.

Your chef is just as unforgettable. Let’s tell his or her stories, and share the great recipes, together.

Open and Honest

September 13, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

Somehow over the years, the behavior of being open and honest has become associated with delivering bad news. Being in the business of helping people convey their innermost thoughts and feelings through pictures and words, we see being open and honest as a positive thing. Sincerity and authenticity are to be celebrated!

It was a pleasant surprise, then, when the following open letter hit out inbox this week. It’s from Terry Giles, who with his wife Kalli own the yacht Kalliente. Kalliente is a 92-foot (28-meter) motoryacht that they took delivery of a short few months ago, in fact. They wasted no time in putting the yacht to good use, as you’ll read. What really struck us, though, is how candidly Terry discusses Kalli’s susceptibility to motion sickness. They embarked upon the construction of the yacht knowing it could be an issue. To their delight—and, no doubt, that of Dominator Yachts, the builder—it wasn’t.

Terry further candidly discusses why they’re building an entirely new yacht, a 125-footer (38-meter), and selling Kalliente. Here, too, his openness surprised, particularly because one particular factor is anything but happy.

What follows is Terry’s open letter:

This summer my wife, Kalli, and I experienced a dream I have long had – periods over the summer off the coast of France in a magnificent yacht. The extensive sea trials, related to both the new design and the innovative technology on board the Ilumen, gave us a chance to see if Kalli enjoyed yachting and whether her motion sickness would make boating impossible. I was anxious to see how the Ilumen 28 performed and whether it fit our lifestyle.

First, Kalli loved every minute of it and between the stabilizers and a great captain who watched the weather reports and took no chances, she was great. She cannot ride as a passenger in the backseat of a car without getting ill, but on the Ilumen she never once was sea sick.

From my standpoint, I loved the boat. The performance and special feel of comfort and elegance was spectacular. Together, Kalli and I could not have been more pleased.

There were only two issues. (1) We have owned a hotel (Chateau Eza in Eze Village) in the South of France for 28 years and we have already explored a lot of the Med. Additionally, we have now received an offer for the hotel, which we just cannot refuse. As a result, we prefer our yacht be stationed in North America. (2) We loved the Ilumen so much, and Kalli was so excited, that we realized we want to make yachting a bigger part of our life. So we have entered into an agreement to buy an Ilumen 38M Tri-Deck from Dominator. We are working now on the plans for this special model that Dominator is designing to fit our unique needs, which includes being equipped for U.S. waters.

It is also important to mention that Kalli and I live in Houston, Texas. Our home was completely flooded at the end of August by hurricane Harvey. The rebuild will take 18-24 months and will require our full time effort. Therefore, we have been freeing Dominator and Bluewater up to sell M/Y Kalliente to a new customer, while allowing us to upgrade into a new construction of the Ilumen 38M Tri-Deck.

Like I said, that last factor is anything but happy. Yet, Terry and Kalli sincerely see a silver lining on the horizon. Even though their story is not yet over, it already is writing its own happy ending.

Da!

July 24, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

From the time we’re small, we’re all taught the basics of being polite. Saying “please” and “thank you” are probably the earliest words we learn in that regard. Those remain in our vocabulary throughout our lives, too, even when we are well beyond our formal schooling years.

Well, it’s never too late to learn. At least we think so. Which is why we’d like to say “Spasibo!” (“Thank you!”) to the editors of Motor Boat & Yachting Russia.

The magazine just published a wonderful piece about us in its latest issue. If you’re fluent in Russian, you can read it below. For those of you who are like us, with all of two or three Russian words in our vocabulary, it’s a brief overview of how we work with clients like you to customize a book that tells your unique story.

Since we announced ourselves to the world in March, the story behind Superyacht Storytellers has hit every corner of the globe. And we’re grateful for the enormous interest. We’ve spoken with yacht designers in The Netherlands, yacht owners in the United States and South Pacific, and shipyards from Italy to Taiwan. We’ve discussed super-size tomes chronicling the remarkable histories of companies and photo-driven projects meant to market brands to broader audiences.

With every conversation, we’ve learned a few things, too. Primarily, though, we’ve learned that no matter where you live in this great big world, and no matter what language you speak, sharing stories is universal.

So, to the magazine’s staff: Spasibo, editors—bolshoe spasibo!

Or, in their Cyrillic script: Спасибо!

The Conductor and the Orchestra

July 5, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

“We’ve all pulled together to produce something which I think is a credit to us all. It’s kind of like the client is the grand conductor, and we’re all members of the orchestra. And we’ve…created a beautiful piece of music.”

That statement, by the renowned designer Tim Heywood, comes about four minutes into this five-minute video. It’s worth the wait.

The music analogy is certainly appropriate for this superyacht, Here Comes the Sun. (One of the owners is a big Beatles fan.) But it’s even more appropriate considering the way Heywood talks about the yacht. Or rather, the way he doesn’t talk about the yacht.

Heywood does mention the yacht’s operations, the robust construction, and even how he penned the lines. But, he makes an equal point of speaking about the owner, and how important it was for Here Comes the Sun to meet that owner’s personal needs. “Personal” is key. Heywood doesn’t talk about precious pillows, or lovely linens, or other materials. He hardly talks about the yacht as a product—the problem with so many yacht builders and designers! Heywood beautifully, and subtly, tells the overall story behind Here Comes the Sun. He understands that yachts are an experience.

Just as you don’t simply hear music, you don’t simply step aboard a yacht.

“I hope the client gets as much enjoyment out of the project, of owning the boat, as we have in building it,” Heywood concludes. We couldn’t agree with him more.

Remembering Vic Edelbrock

June 12, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

Vic Edelbrock, Jr. was every journalists’ dream. He was polite, giving of his time, and willingly answered question after question. Actually, he was more than willing. He seemed to genuinely enjoy answering questions as much as the journalist on the other end of the phone line enjoyed hearing the answers.

I count myself lucky to have been on that other end not once, but twice. Even though the last interview was more than a decade ago, I remember the conversation as clear as day. In fact, a story he told me then remains, hands down, my favorite of all time.

Edelbrock was recounting the happenings of his 66^th birthday. The day started out normally enough. He and his wife Nancy were spending time on Catalina Island, California, a place they loved visiting. They’d been active boaters for a while, most recently cruising aboard an 89-footer that Edelbrock had taken delivery of three years prior. He even designed the interior of that yacht mostly himself, to the point of having the galley pick up the distinctive checkerboard flooring of his retail stores, along with the equally distinctive red color of his company. However, the seemingly normal day took quite a distinctive turn—a happy one—when Nancy handed him a large rolled-up sheet of paper. Wrapped up in a big red, white, and blue bow, it was his birthday present. Edelbrock unrolled it to find a rendering of yacht that looked just like VictorE, the 89-footer.

“Oh, that’s nice, I’ll frame it and hang it,” he said.

“No, Vic, take a closer look,” Nancy prodded.

So he did. It wasn’t VictorE after all. It was a 110-footer whose lines were purposely similar. Turns out that Nancy and their captain had been secretly working with Edwin Monk & Son, which designed VictorE, to design a larger yacht as a birthday surprise.

And what a surprise! Edelbrock was delighted, even thrilled. His mind started racing with the possibilities. Then, a thought struck him: “How are we going to pay for this?” he asked Nancy.

“I don’t know, that’s your problem,” she quipped.

Suffice it to say, the problem was resolved. Quickly. And gleefully. Victorious was delivered in 2006, remaining a treasured part of their lives for years to come.

I’ve interviewed a lot of owners in my yachting career. I’ve tremendously enjoyed the range of conversations we’ve had. But Edelbrock was different. Special. It’s hard to describe in words, but he had a way of making you feel so comfortable, as if you’d been neighbors for years. You weren’t interviewing him as much as you were chatting together. It was as if you were sitting right next to him, too, instead of literally on the other side of the nation, connected through some miracle of circuits and copper wires.

Vic Edelbrock, Jr. died a few days ago, following complications from a cold. His family reports he passed peacefully, surrounded by them. He was 80 years old.

A decade ago, the majority of my readers knew, even revered, Edelbrock as the aftermarket automotive parts giant he was. I knew him as a gentleman, and a genuine man.

Vic Edelbrock, Jr. was one in a million. In so many ways.