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.

Storytelling: a Brand Essential

April 17, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

Each year for the past decade, I’ve been chairing and presenting seminars for yachting-industry professionals. Lately, I’ve talked a good deal about improving brand awareness. I find companies are really good at describing what they do. But, they fall short at communicating why: why they do what they do. After reading a recent article penned by Sir Richard Branson of Virgin, I knew I’d found a kindred spirit.

Virgin is one of the most successful businesses across the globe. Interestingly, it’s not just focused on promoting its own offerings. In fact, every day—sometimes a few times a day—it posts articles for entrepreneurs, tech-trend followers, and more on its website. Related to this, each article adheres to a theme, with each month dedicated to a different theme. For all of March, and partly into April, Virgin featured a series on storytelling. The posts commanded attention with call-to-action headlines like, “Tell a Different Story to Get the Edge Over Competitors.”

My favorite, though, was one by Branson, titled, “Storytelling Is as Old as the Campfire.” Here’s an excerpt:

We’ve spent a fair few nights around the beautiful campfire on Necker Island swapping stories recently. Every time we’re sat down by the flames, I am reminded of a line I scribbled down in my notebook a few years ago: Storytelling is as old as the campfire, and as young as a tweet. Regardless of the medium – in person, on social media, through old fashioned letters, on the phone or via email – there is nothing more effective and affecting than storytelling.

Spot on. Storytelling captivates an audience. Simultaneously, it engages that audience. And, that audience is as much a thousand-person-strong client list as it is a three-person family. You, as the storyteller, invite your audience to become part of the tale you’re telling. They imagine in their mind’s eye the scenes you describe. They delight in the triumphs, and, if they’re the right target, identify and connect with you emotionally, and intellectually.

So, what’s your story? Are you ready to share it? You should be. You have powerful connections to make.

Do It Now

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

“Live life to the limit, every moment of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.”

These words might as well be the mantra of Jo Ellard. That’s her pictured at top right. Jo is a woman who knows what she wants and when she wants it. She’s also a yacht owner who knows how to get the most out of cruising. About 40 years ago, she and her husband bought their first boat, a 33-foot Chris-Craft. She was so excited that she enrolled in boat-handling classes—and took the helm every time (yes, every time) they went out on the water. Fast forward a few years, and Jo wanted to stop doing all the driving and start relaxing. So, they purchased a 64-footer. For the next two decades, Jo and her husband cruised all over the Gulf Coast. (“She’s still out there, and lookin’ great!” Jo says, with a Texas drawl.)

Just before her husband died seven years ago, Jo says he told her, “We need to get you another boat.” Despite looking at 15 different brokerage boats from five different builders, Jo couldn’t find what she wanted. Why was it so hard to find an open flying bridge, three staterooms, and a few other creature comforts all on the same boat?

It wasn’t, when someone told her about a Horizon 76 located in Key Largo, Florida. “I knew in five minutes on the boat that it was right!” Jo asserts. “I’m not a big changer; I know what I want and how I want it.”

Jo owned that yacht for six years. When she says, “We had so much fun!” you know it’s an understatement. The only reason she doesn’t own the yacht now is because she sold it, to take delivery of a new-build Horizon 98. The name? Do It Now, of course—the same name as the 76, and the words she lives by.

Those words, along with the rest of the quote at top, are on a plaque mounted in the galley aboard Do It Now. They’re from the late Pope John Paul VI, who wrote that we’d be far more motivated to live life to the fullest if we knew from the start that we won’t live forever.

Whatever your stage, whatever your age, do what Jo does: Do It Now.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

March 3, 2017 By Superyacht Storytellers staff Leave a Comment

Back in 2007, Superyacht Storytellers’ Diane M. Byrne visited the Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda. A favorite of many a yacht owner and guest, the resort is a relaxing getaway from the rat race. One afternoon, this cloud came into view out on the water. While wispy trails of other clouds were scattered about, this colossus was on its own.

Fascinated, Diane grabbed her camera and pointed the lens toward it. Her friends thought she was crazy. “What are you pointing at? There’s nothing there!” commented one person. Diane thought they were the crazy ones. “Don’t you see it? Check out that cloud! It’s amazing!” It struck her as being so powerful yet so serene. It was a towering pile of billowy white, set atop a flat base and hovering virtually just above the water’s surface.

Diane hadn’t noticed the dinghy motoring along until after she took the shot. A serendipitous moment that made the cloud’s dimensions all the more impressive.

Every time she looks at this picture, Diane fondly recalls the sense of serenity that the Bitter End Yacht Club, and the BVIs in general, made her feel.

The point: A picture tells a thousand words. Even a seemingly mundane cloud can call up a multitude of memories.

Levi’s Big Bold Journey

February 24, 2017 By Superyacht Storytellers staff Leave a Comment

Meet Levi. Levi is among the most well-traveled dogs you’ll ever meet. He’s been to Tahiti, New Zealand, Fiji, French Moorea, and more. All aboard a superyacht, no less. Basically, name a South Pacific country, and he’s set foot (well, paws) on it.

About three years ago, Superyacht Storytellers’ Diane M. Byrne learned about the extraordinary adventures of Levi and his owners, the Mayer family. It started when husband and wife Tony and Delisa Mayer bought an expedition yacht in 2012. Following a 15-month refit, they christened the yacht The Big Blue. Then, they and their three children (plus Levi) embarked on a cruise around the world.

Diane retold their adventures for MegayachtNews.com and Yachting magazine. Readers were impressed with how The Big Blue had an onboard classroom, how Tony flew the onboard helicopter, and how everyone went diving in shark cages among great whites. For Diane, though, Levi was equally captivating, and charming. Just look at him: It’s as if he knew just to pose for the camera.

The Mayers wouldn’t have dreamed of taking this journey without Levi. They hired a veterinarian who specialized not just in proper vaccinations and paperwork for globetrotting furry friends, but also in their nutritional needs. This, in turn, led to further stories about the famous Superyacht Vet.

Sometimes, it’s the stories within the stories that deserve to be told, too.

Why Superyacht Storytellers?

February 10, 2017 By Diane M. Byrne Leave a Comment

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful yacht, whose decks gave life to magical memories around the world for her owners and guests. They experienced many special times onboard:

Seeing the famous “green flash” in the Caribbean from the sundeck
Waking up to see the sunrise over a secluded anchorage
Being surprised on their anniversary with an extraordinary dessert made by the chef
Seeing a vibrant coral reef during a snorkeling trip (and nearly swallowing water in excitement)
Being serenaded by the crew, in full party regalia, on their birthday.

Does any of this sound familiar? More than one scenario might, if you’re like most yacht owners. After all, yachting is chockfull of people with amazing stories to tell. Also like most yacht owners, you have dozens upon dozens of photos documenting the merriment and marvels. The problem is, those photos are all sitting on your home computer—or worse, on your camera’s memory card.

It’s okay. We’ve met a lot of people with this problem. We’ve even experienced it ourselves.

All of this is why we created Superyacht Storytellers. We’ve spent our entire careers interviewing people from all walks of life, helping them take what’s in their head and get it down on paper to inspire others. We’ve assembled their photos alongside the written words in artistically appealing ways to amplify their amazing stories.

What could be better than sitting down, literally, with your family and friends again and again, sharing your experiences in a truly special way?

If you just built a custom yacht, we can capture its journey from initial concept sketches to launch and completion. If you’re an avid cruiser, we can re-create the voyages you’ve taken around the world. We can do a lot, and have a lot of fun, together.

Let’s tell your story together. Let’s tell your Happily Ever After.

Terms & Conditions

February 1, 2017 By Superyacht Storytellers staff Leave a Comment

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