The Fog Warning Blog

Triple Crown Owners

I. The Limits of Marketing.

I have a client, the owner of a global company (you all know his name) who told me something last week that brought me right out of my chair:

“Marketing is just a tax on unremarkable products.”

I asked him if learned that at Harvard Business School. You’re going to love his answer: “Just spell it out – H.B.S. is 2/3’s B.S.”

Which is exactly my feeling about marketing in the yachting industry. While some of it is excellent BS, in the end it’s still BS (albeit with great photography). Which is why (despite what my LinkedIn profile says) I don’t see myself as a marketer.

I sell yachts. That’s all I do. And because I only sell yachts that I genuinely believe in, I truly love my job. Which means, to connect the Harvard Business School dots, I only sell remarkable yachts. And I do that simply by telling their stories with as much substance and clarity as I can, and let the chips fall where they may.

Today’s chips fall upon Triple Crown Owners. Not this Triple Crown owner (although remarkable is remarkable, whether it wins on four legs and 31 lengths, or with two engines and 31 knots):

“Triple crown owners” for me today means clients who have owned three of my fine yachts in a row. To my mind, that kind of endorsement transcends anything a Harvard-trained marketer could come up with, because in large part,

Remarkable yachts sell themselves.

Which is exactly why there have been more “three-peat” Vicem owners than there have been “three-peat” NBA teams. And I have two examples of that for you today.

II. Three-peat #1

First out of the gate today is this 2022 Vicem 82 Flybridge, splashed just last month, and seen here for the very first time anywhere!

She was ordered by a truly knowledgable yachtsman, one who used all he learned at sea aboard his two previous Vicems. Her interior design brief was straightforward:

An overall interior volume that approaches what Vicem achieves with their Cruiser designs;
She was to have three cabins, any one of which would exceed the true master on most similarly sized boats;
Like the larger Cruisers, a full-beam Master Cabin that used every inch of it’s 20 foot beam;
A VIP cabin who’s bed effortlessly slides on rails, converting from a king into two full-size guest beds; and,
Spectacular custom inlays on her interior finish:

I was particularly happy to see her more contemporary interior woodwork, because it reminds me of an earlier Vicem build (their first IPS drive) that still blows me away – the Bahama Bay 61:

Her exterior design brief was about:

Maximizing luxury entertainment space for 20+ guests;
Providing maximum (hydraulic!) dockside access; but without,
Compromising her graceful Vicem-Classic looks:

And finally, that this yacht excel in the design and execution of those hidden places most guests never see. Specifically, that her engine room, supporting machinery spaces and her crew cabin surpass anything that Vicem had done before, right up to and including their 107 Cruiser.

As an aside, these days there are some superyachts – mostly Dutch – that are equal in size to cruise ships. But you may be surprised to learn that these private yachts cost 20% more than cruise ships of similar size. The reason? All the effort that goes into building a luxury presentation into areas of the boat most people never see: Engine rooms, mechanical spaces, and crew quarters.

Particular attention on the V82 was paid to the crew quarters. Why, you may ask? Well, a client (and current Vicem owner) once gave me some wise words to live by:

“Happy wife? Happy life!

My yachting corollary is:

“Happy crews? Happy cruise !”

I will be in Istanbul this month to sea trial this amazing yacht, and I’d be delighted to schedule you in as well. Until then, here are her basic specifications:

As always, here is where you can Design, Price and Schedule your Vicem build. As an entirely custom build the V82 is not yet on that platform, you can call me for the exciting details of how you can build your own. Meanwhile, if you have the time, I certainly have the pix! Here is the entire photo array:

III. Three-peat #2

Long Island Yachts, while a smaller and younger yard than Vicem, now has it’s own Triple Crown Owner, and this presents a very rare (and still unpublicized) opportunity for you, my loyal clients. That would be this brokerage 2012 40 Runabout, which I had the delight of running in St. Tropez last summer:

She has been brought back to the Rotterdam factory for a complete refurbishing before she officially enters the brokerage market. The owner (who first moved up from a 25 Runabout):

is now moving down to his new 29 Runabout.

These 40R photos were taken just last week:

The project includes all new batteries, new refrigerators, new cushions, a full hull and stainless polish, and complete IPS engine services.

Her asking price is $449,000, less than half her new-build price.

Holland re-opened to vaccinated Americans just this week. If you would like to see her, I’d love to show her to you. And from there it’s not too far to Istanbul if you’d like the full Vicem treatment.

Launch a flare for all details, including shipping options from Holland to your very dock. And if you would like to design, price and schedule your Long Island Yacht, you know the drill….

IV. A Vicem Two-peat Opportunity – A Six-Figure Price Reduction!

Speaking of brokerage boats, I have an update for you on this thrilling 2020 fiberglass Vicem IPS 50:

If you loved this barely used 2020 model at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show last fall at her then-asking price of $1,245,000, you will positively flip over her at this week’s reduced price of $1,145,000.

I’ve been asked about the functional size difference between the Vicem 50 and her larger sibling, the Vicem 55. You’ll see here that it’s all about the cockpit –

This brokerage 50 is in St. Petersburg, and her about-to-be-two-Vicem owner very much wants her sold before his next yacht arrives. So don’t hesitate to launch a flare, lest you find yourself on the wrong end of one of my too-bad, so-sad snoozagrams.

V. Ciao for Now…

… loyal clients. Trust me, much more to come, including news of Vicem’s race ahead to her next splash, an entirely new, reimagined V65 Classic design: