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.

3 Ways Superyacht Storytellers Is Like Superyacht Design

August 2, 2017 By Superyacht Storytellers staff Leave a Comment

Nearly two years ago, our copywriting director, Diane M. Byrne, played yacht owner for a day. Well, to be more accurate, she played soon-to-be yacht owner. Thanks to an invitation extended by a naval architecture and design studio, she learned first-hand what it’s like to commission a yacht. Interestingly, the experience was a lot like what you’ll have in working with us at Superyacht Storytellers on a book.

In fact, here are 3 ways that Superyacht Storytellers is similar to the superyacht design process:

It all starts with a vision—your vision. The first question a naval architect or designer asks you is, “What do you want to do?” They ask this many times, in many forms: “Where do you want to travel?” “How do you like to live?” “Are you planning private cruising or some charter?” All of these help the designers get to the heart of your vision. We ask that same initial question many times, in many forms, too. “What kind of books do you like?” “What do you want your book to be about?” “Do you want more of a photography book, or do you want to retell the wonderful and wacky adventures you’ve had?”
If you don’t know, don’t worry. No design team expects you to say, “I want a 161-foot yacht with a beam of 28 feet and a gross tonnage of 475.” In fact, they know you don’t have all the answers. Their job is to find the right technical solutions for you, to support the creative vision. Similarly, we don’t expect you to say, “I want a cover with an image wrap and a large-landscape format, with 100-pound paper stock.” Through our initial conversations with you, we’ll match your tastes with the right materials to make it come to life.
You get what you want. Sure, you can go to a production boatbuilder and take delivery of a yacht in less than a year. But it won’t be your boat, fully reflective of your ideas. That’s why you turned to a superyacht designer in the first place, right? By that same argument, you can tap the power of countless self-publishing companies and e-book publishers. But they have fixed formats and offer little flexibility. Superyacht Storytellers tailors the entire book, from cover to cover and from first word to last, around you.

Ultimately, your yacht is your personal expression. Shouldn’t your book be the same? We think so.

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.

The Visual Art of Storytelling

June 7, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

It occurred to me this week that I’m now in my 24^th year in yachting. It’s an extraordinary amount of time, especially considering I’m just 29 years old.

All kidding aside, a lot has changed in the world in those 24 years. Marketing, for example, is a lot more sophisticated. The other day, I laughed out loud during a commercial for auto insurance. Auto insurance! It depicts a hilarious scenario wherein a teenage boy tells his parents about a “very minor fender-bender in an unreasonably narrow fast-food drive-through lane.” The word insurance isn’t even mentioned. Not once.

Yachting is different, too. Twenty-four years ago, print advertising was the only advertising, and nearly every ad had a yacht—a yacht cruising left, a yacht cruising right, or occasionally, one going straight up the middle of the page. Now, yacht managers, builders, and charter brokers have expanded into everything from social media to books recounting their histories and accomplishments. They’re beautiful, polished productions with a yacht cruising left, a yacht cruising right…

superyacht storytellers superyacht Titania — PHOTO: Facebook

Oh. Wait a minute.

OK, maybe I’m exaggerating. But just a little. Far too many companies are doing the same thing they’ve always done. The few who “get” it, get it right.

Take the superyacht Titania, for example. If you visit her dedicated Facebook page, you’ll find pictures like the ones here. Note the stew artfully making swans out of bath towels, and guests flying down the giant slide. Dozens of happy faces. A few beauty shots of the yacht, too. But more about the experience of life onboard.

That’s what it’s all about. That’s the story of Titania. She’s so much more than a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, with a bunch of glossy wood and polished marble. Why sell her story short?

What’s in a Name? Plenty, for Remember When

May 9, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

Oftentimes, the way a yacht gets her name is a story in and of itself. I particularly like the creative way some owners combine initials of family members. The owners of JeMaSa named the yacht for their children, for example. Then there’s the former Vajoliroja, named for the mom (“Va” for “Vanessa”), the dad (“jo” for “Johnny”), and their two kids (“liro,” for Lily Rose, and “ja” for “Jack”). But, one of my all-time favorite stories is how the 162-foot Remember When got her name. While it doesn’t mention any single person, it does recall all those who the owner has shared times with on the water.

Months before delivery in 2010, that owner, John Rosatti, was stumped. He was having a devil of a time coming up with a name for the new yacht. Well, all wasn’t lost. He knew he wanted something that reflected the idea of the easygoing cruising experience. That’s why his three previous yachts used “Easy” in their nameboards. In fact, two were Take It Easy, and the third was Nice N Easy. But this time around, “Easy” just wasn’t cutting it, whether in combination with other words or on its own.

Inspiration struck, when he least expected it. (Funny how that happens.) Rosatti was sitting on the aft deck of Nice N Easy one day with a group of friends, talking about their travels together. “Remember when we did…” commented one friend, to which everyone smiled and nodded and began contributing memories. “Remember when we…” chimed in another. Then another. And then another.

And suddenly, Rosatti knew.

Tripping down memory lane, he virtually stumbled upon the name for his new yacht.

On a related side note, “Remember When” happens also to be the title of a song by one of Rosatti’s favorite performers, Alan Jackson. In addressing the ups and downs of their life together, Jackson sings to his wife, “Remember when 30 seemed old? Now lookin’ back it’s just a stepping stone to where we are, where we’ve been. Said we’d do it all again. Remember when.”

If you see Remember When get underway, keep your ears open: Her horns play a few bars of the song.

Superyacht Storytellers