Thomas Woo of Hong Kong dealership Absolute Marine will never forget his overwhelming first impressions when he visited the then-new Absolute 45 Fly at the 2013 Cannes Yachting Festival. “I was really amazed,” Woo enthusiastically recalls. “I couldn’t believe how much room there was in a small boat – it was designed to be very functional. I fell in love with that flybridge 45.”
After examining the boat, Woo immediately went to meet Cesare Mastroianni, then Sales Manager for Absolute and now the company’s Chief Commercial Officer and Vice-President of Sales.
“I told him that I thought such a beautiful boat with a great use of space would be very suitable for Hong Kong,” Woo says.
Woo ordered the 45 Fly as a stock boat to sell in Hong Kong, an inspired step that would ultimately lead to him becoming the brand’s exclusive dealer in the city and beyond.
When Woo took delivery in 2014, having been on a long waiting list for the popular new model, he quickly attracted interest from would-be owners. They started placing orders in the same year and he established Absolute Marine after he was appointed the sole distributor for Greater China.
A LIFE AQUATIC FROM A YOUNG AGE
No stranger to boating, Woo had taken his first foray into motoryacht ownership at the age of 25, while studying computer science at university in the US. He bought a 28ft Chris-Craft stern-drive cabin cruiser.
“It had two 230hp gasoline engines which gave me lots of problems. I couldn’t afford to get help, but was quite technically minded, so I learned to solve these and do other repairs over a few years and that made me more interested in how boats work. It had inboard engines, there was air-con and a generator, all things found on bigger boats.”
Bu hikaye Yacht Style dergisinin Issue 55 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Yacht Style dergisinin Issue 55 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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Yacht Style provides an overview of this year’s exciting new models, with most on display at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival and/or Monaco Yacht Show, some having shown earlier in the year and a couple making their debuts in other autumn shows around Europe.
Déjà Vu In Denmark
Halfway into SailGP’s second season, a familiar pattern begins to emerge. Australia, runaway winners of the first series, again top the table, despite having to sit out one of the four events held so far with gear failure.
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With Hong Kong welcoming its first Galeon 640 Fly and 325 GTO this year and Asia’s latest 500 Fly arriving in Singapore, Yacht Style looks at the builder’s 20-year relationship with Tony Castro that has resulted in some of the world’s most innovative production motor yachts.
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Johanna Monange founded Maison 21G in Singapore to offer customised scents for all clients and all occasions. The personal approach is proving popular, with growing understanding of how to build a ‘scent wardrobe’ and more boutiques opening around the city.
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Fierce sou’west winds gusting 30 knots greeted 337 yachts starting the Rolex Fastnet Race, as the 49th edition of this famous offshore classic set off not for Plymouth as usual, but for Cherbourg in France, via Ireland’s Fastnet Rock.
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As founder and Director of VP Yachts, Vivian Chan is quickly making a name for herself as the Hong Kong dealer for Italian builder Sessa, even if it appears a world away from her other role as General Manager of her family’s Sun Hing Shipyard.
From Pollution To Purpose
Former Singapore Idol finalist and TV producer Mathilda D’silva explains how the Ocean Purpose Project evolved from what she saw on and around her hometown beach in Pasir Ris.
TECH GIANT
Camper & Nicholsons’ recent achievements include selling the 105m Lady Moura and adding the 126m Octopus to its charter and management fleets, but CEO Paolo Casani is most excited about the company’s focus on proprietary technology to engage clients in the new era.
