For the first time ever superyacht owners took to the platform to share their personal experiences of creating, managing and delivering complex and ground breaking new build projects which today are recognised as some of the world’s most magnificent yachts.

The select gathering of 170 delegates for the two day event comprised of:

Many superyacht owners including Tom Perkins of S/Y Maltese Falcon, Kim Vibe-Petersen of S/Y Parsifal III, Jan-Eric Österlund of S/Y Adele, Eric Wittouck of M/Y Exuma and Michael Bradfield.

A dozen yacht designers including Ed Dubois, Martin Francis , Ron Holland, Bill Tripp, William Collier GL Watson and Sparkman & Stephens, members of RINA and the 2008 Winner of The Camper & Nicholson Young Designer Award, Fadi Pataq.

International Shipyards represented included Giancarlo Ragnetti – CEO Perini Navi, Tony Hambrook of Alloy Yachts, Alice Huisman of Royal Huisman, Jay Miner of Delta Marine, Wim Koersvelt of ICON, Timur Mohamed of Palmer Johnson, along with representatives from Blohm & Voss, Fincantieri Yachts, Burger Boat Company, Raffles Yacht Builder, and SYBASS.

Senior industry spokesmen from High Modulus, Delta Marine, Standard Hydrogen and Rolls Royce evoked hot debate and questions as they discussed issues in construction and design that will unquestionably shape the future of the superyacht industry.

Following the champagne networking cocktail at Harold Pratt House, the sponsor and speaker dinner at the pre-opening of Rouge Tomate gave guests the opportunity to meet in a relaxed environment after a busy day.

“All the things they talked about yesterday afternoon; we’ve ticked off all those boxes,”. “I was really chuffed.” Michael Bradfield, Superyacht Owner

“A perfectly organized symposium where I know you dedicated strong efforts on the organisation. I have to say that such appointments are really useful for all us in the business.” Giancarlo Ragnetti – CEO Perini Navi

“I was very surprised to find so many senior people attending, it is of great interest to me to meet so many new owners. I benefit by learning about different owner’s needs and demands when considering a new yacht.” Philippe Briand – Designer Vitruvius project

Bradfield announced that he and his wife are building a 57.5-metre sailing yacht with Royal Huisman Shipyard. He appreciated the opportunity the Superyacht Design Symposium gave him to confirm his ideas for the new build with fellow yacht owners like Jan-Eric Österlund and Eric Wittouck, who presented a session on “Building the Perfect World Explorer” on Day 1. “All the things they talked about yesterday afternoon; we’ve ticked off all those boxes,” Bradfield said. “I was really chuffed.”

The future of superyacht design and technology was a focus of several of the Symposium sessions on Day 2. Michael Eaglen of High Modulus and Jay Miner of Delta Marine conducted a “myth-busting” session in defense of building large yachts in composite materials. Calling steel “the metal of the Industrial Revolution,” Eaglen declared, “You all know that composites are the future, but something is holding you back.”

If there was one thing everyone attending the Superyacht Design Symposium agreed upon, it was that yachts of the future will have to be “greener”. Naval Architect Ed Dubois and Jan Bokxem of Royal Huisman Shipyard gave attendees an inside look at the alternative solutions they evaluated in developing the new Ethereal project for an owner whose brief was to build a truly environmentally friendly yacht that is not dependent on fossil fuels. “The rule was that there were no rules,” Bokxem said. “Our instructions were that we had to think outside the box.”

Dubois hit the nail on the head when he remarked to his fellow yacht designers in the room, including Philippe Briand, Martin Francis, Ron Holland and Bill Tripp: “Our job has changed beyond all recognition from the days when we were trying to win the America’s Cup.”

The fact that passionate yacht owners are driving the future of superyacht technology was abundantly clear from the day’s presentations and the conversations taking place during networking sessions held over coffee and luncheon in the Harold Pratt House, the Symposium’s elegant venue. “I think the owners are getting new ideas and confirming their own ideas with owners who are doing much the same thing. And they are talking with the industry about what they think is important,” said Roger Lean-Vercoe, chairman of the Superyacht Design Symposium and Superyacht Editor for Boat International Media, which hosted the event. “We look forward to providing many more forums like this one in future.”

“The depth of knowledge of the presenters was unprecedented as experienced owners took to the floor and sparked in-depth discussions with the audience,” said Amanda McCracken, editor of Boat International. “Owners are already talking about the topics we can put forth for the next Symposium.”

In his introductory remarks to the conference, Tony Harris, CEO of Boat International Media, which hosted the event, said that one of the goals of the annual Symposium was to, “Give the microphone back to the owners.” That goal was soon realized as several owners took the stage on the first day and others in the audience questioned them about their yachts and their experiences.

The theme of the first annual Superyacht Design Symposium was “Designing the Impossible”, so it was entirely appropriate that the first speaker was Tom Perkins, owner of three-masted Perini Navi schooner The Maltese Falcon. He gave the audience a step-by-step look at the challenge of minimizing risk while designing and building the yacht’s revolutionary new “Dyna Rig” spars and rigging. “It was as if the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk said, “Let’s not do this box kite with a motor – let’s do a 747,” he said.

Perkins was followed by an informative talk from Kim Vibe-Petersen on how he turned his Perini Navi sailing yacht Parsifal III into a successful luxury charter operation. Inevitably, this meant sacrifice for Vibe-Petersen and his family as they gave up sought-after weeks aboard the yacht to charted clients. “Christmas this year has been summer – the family is trying to live with that” he said. His strategies have paid off, however, as he reported a 60- to 65-percent repeat client rate and 25 weeks of charter this season.

Owners Jan-Eric Osterlund, first owner of Adèle treated the audience to a spellbinding slide show of photos of his recent voyages, along with an authoritative look at the key lessons learned from a two year intensive around the world cruise successful. The motor yacht side of the equation was taken up by Eric Wittouck, owner of Exuma C, accompanied by designer Philippe Briand, who created Wittouck’s new Vitruvius project, being built by Perini Navi, with a design brief of “long lean and light.”

Gracious social events were not neglected during the Symposium as attendees enjoyed luncheon in the library of the Harold Pratt House. Afternoon tea accompanied by the launch of the Silverlining – The Art of Furniture, a coffee table book published by the British yacht furniture designer and builder. The day was rounded out by an elegant cocktail party that gave participants a chance to network, exchange stories – and perhaps design that new yacht on a cocktail napkin.

“The design, construction, maintenance, support and operation of superyachts has become a significant global industry that employs hundreds of thousands of workers. Whole communities, as far apart as Auckland and Vlissingen, have been built around the creation of these wonders of technology and design. The importance of owners who are prepared to take risks with custom new build projects should not be underestimated, for without them the industry would not move forward,” said Tony Harris, CEO of Boat International Media – organisers of the Symposium.

For the first time ever superyacht owners will take to the platform to share their personal experiences of creating, managing and delivering complex and ground breaking new build projects which today are recognised as some of the world’s most magnificent yachts.

Owners who are sharing their expertise include Tom Perkins of S/Y Maltese Falcon, Kim Vibe-Petersen of S/Y Parsifal, Parsifal II and Parsifal III, Jan-Eric österlund of S/Y Adele, Eric Wittouck of M/Y Exuma and Michael Bradfield.

Presentations will also be given by many of the world’s top yacht designers including Ron Holland, Martin Francis, Philippe Briand and Ed Dubois. Senior industry spokesmen from High Modulus, Delta Marine, Standard Hydrogen and Rolls Royce will discuss the increasing use of high technology composites in superyacht design and construction as well as what the future holds for propulsion; issues that will unquestionably shape the future of the superyacht industry.

Valued sponsors supporting this inaugural annual event are: CRS Yachts, Silver Lining Furniture, Inmarsat, G.L Watson, Delta Marine, Döhle Yachts, Abu Dhabi Mar, Yachting Partners International and Rouge Tomate Group.

Full coverage of the event can be found in all Boat International Media Magazines

Subjects under discussion will include:

• Minimising Risk in Advanced Technology Projects
• The Introduction of High Efficiency into Superyacht Construction
• Achieving Yacht Quality for Large Yacht Projects in Commercial or Self-Established Shipyards
• Building Perfection – Achieving High Reliability from Launch
• The Ultimate Charter Yacht – Building Profit into the Equation
• Minimising the Environmental Impact of Large Yachts
• The Construction of Large Composite Structures
• Building the Perfect World Explorer – Power and Sail
• The future – A briefing on issues that will have significant impact on the superyacht industry

Owners Tom Perkins, Jan-Eric Österlund and Michael Bradfield will be speaking as well as leading figures from the industry including Ron Holland from Ron Holland Design, Michael Eaglen from High Modulus, Wim Koersvelt from ICON Yachts, and Jay Miner from Delta Marine.

The first of the symposiums will be held in New York City, at the Harold Pratt House, on the 27th and 28th October 2008.

This will be an essential event for superyacht owners, designers, naval architects, project managers and captains who have an interest in new build projects.

By sharing detailed information of their own personal experiences of new build projects, the speakers will assist those involved in new build projects to save time, money, and to reduce the risks associated with high cost or high technology custom build projects.

The programme for this event has been put together by the conference chairman, Roger Lean-Vercoe, editor of The Superyachts and chairman of the World Superyacht Awards.

A series of presentations and discussion groups will cover the following subjects:

• Minimising Risk in Advanced Technology Projects
• The Introduction of High Efficiency into Superyacht Construction
• Achieving Yacht Quality for Large Yacht Projects in Commercial or Self-Established Shipyards
• Building Perfection – Achieving High Reliability from Launch
• The Ultimate Charter Yacht – Building Profit into the Equation
• The Global Industry – Managing a Worldwide Project Team
• Minimising the Environmental Impact of Large Yachts
• The Construction of Large Composite Structures
• Building the Perfect World Explorer – Power and Sail

So far the confirmed speakers presenting will include high profile successful yachtsmen and serial superyacht owners:

Mr. Tom Perkins
Mr. Michael Bradfield
Mr. Jan-Eric Osterlund

More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The symposium will also provide ample opportunities for networking and a high quality social occasion of the type for which Boat International Media is renowned.

Members of New York Yacht Club, Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) and Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) will receive a discounted delegate fee.

Further details will be published in next month’s magazine, but reserve the space in your diary right now.