Patience is a virtue - MarineBusinessWorld.com Oceania newsletter
by Peter Rendle 19 Aug 2021 23:00 BST
Rivergate Marina and Shipyard © Rivergate Marina and Shipyard
Growing up I was always reminded, on numerous occasions, that patience was a virtue. At the moment the whole country is having to be virtuous as the Delta variant of the Covid virus continues to seek out new victims seemingly unabated. However, vaccine numbers are increasing exponentially and signs are that the current lockdown restrictions will be eased over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, the boating industry continues to forge ahead and from reports internationally the problem for a surge in new boat production is the supply chains that are holding up the completion rates and delaying future delivery times.
Leading the charge in Australia is Rivergate Marina in Brisbane which is on the crest of a marine industry apprentice boom with a new wave of opportunities expected from a proposed Trade Centre of Excellence at Rivergate Marina and Shipyard. The state-of-the-art facility would position Australia as a world leader in training and skilling a global marine workforce as well as significantly enhancing the services on offer across the country.
It would provide marine courses and practical, customised hands-on learning, together with research and development activities, all in one central location. As a Covid-inspired boating boom hits full throttle in Australia, there will be an unprecedented demand for quality tradespeople to conduct vital refit, repair and maintenance work on luxury private vessels, including superyachts.
Also, an indication of current buyer interest is a statement from Benetti. The world's leading shipyard and superyacht company, Benetti have been rewarded for their keen focus on the Asia Pacific region with record new yacht sales to Australian buyers in the last three years. The first of these brand new Benetti yachts is slated for arrival in late 2022.
Established in 1873, Benetti is renowned for delivering many of the world's most iconic superyachts (24+ metres), megayachts (45+ metres) and gigayachts (80+ metres). Peter Mahony, Asia Pacific General Manager says Benetti has had three record years of sales in the Asia Pacific region making it the leading region for Benetti worldwide and accounting for around a quarter of the Company's global sales with the region contributing over 260EUR million of sales during that time.
Assisting with its contribution to global marine communications and its second major announcement in two weeks, Inmarsat recently unveiled Inmarsat ELERA; a global narrowband network that is ideally suited to the rapidly evolving world of the Internet of Things (IoT) and for global mobility customers, including aviation, maritime, governments and select enterprises. "ELERA is perfectly suited to the needs of the connected IoT world," said Rajeev Suri, CEO, Inmarsat. "Global reach, extraordinary resilience, faster speeds, smaller and lower cost terminals are all part of ensuring that we remain ahead of others in meeting the needs of our customers.
"ELERA is a further sign of a company with true momentum and one that is delivering new innovations and strong performance," continued Suri. "I expect that Inmarsat will grow strongly in 2021 compared to the previous year, and that growth will span most of our business units. Our progress was evident in the first half, where we saw strong growth in revenue and EBITDA and robust cash flow. We have sharpened our strategy to focus on driving growth, accelerate decision making, launch new innovations, and are creating a more commercially focused, customer-centric culture."
Two new manuals that will be of interest to industry members were released this week. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority National Compliance Plan 2021-22 provides practical guidance and a clear view of AMSA's five compliance focus areas over the next year, and the third edition of the Marina Operations Manual is now available. The manual is intended to provide owners, managers and employees with an instrument that will help them develop their business into a highly efficient marina.
Sailors can take solace that the SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week returns to the sailing calendar in September, and Townsville Yacht Club and its organising committee are looking forward to hosting this essential event for the community, and those entrants who are able to join in this year. Of the 80 plus originally entered, 68 boats will be at 'Maggie Island' from 2-8 September, for what is traditionally the end of the northern circuit of major regattas and also heralds the first of spring racing. "We feel fortunate to be able to hold SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week after cancelling last year due to Covid and the associated lockdowns. Unfortunately, Covid persists, and we commiserate with those who were entered but can no longer join us because of current lockdown restrictions," Event Chairman and TYC Vice Commodore, Mike Steel said.
"We know the effort that boat owners, their crews, family and friends make to travel up here and support Race Week. We hope you put your hands up again next year and we look forward to welcoming you then," he said. Fortunately, some entrants had arrived from out of state before lockdowns occurred, meaning the contingent of Queensland entries has again been bolstered by entries from Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and even a handful of NSW boats.
And for racing sailors globally, the 2022 Yacht Racing forum to take place in Malta. This will be an exceptional event, bringing together the key players from all sectors of competitive sailing for two days of networking, business and an exciting social calendar. Members of the yacht racing community and sailing industry from all over the world can look forward to an exceptional edition of the Yacht Racing Forum in November 2022 in Malta. The Yacht Racing Forum is the leading annual conference for the business of sailing and yacht racing. Organised by MaxComm and hosted by Yachting Malta, the event will reassemble the sports' key personalities from all over the world for two days of conferences, debates and business, not to mention an attractive social calendar.
"We are delighted to see the end of a long tunnel and to announce that the annual B2B meeting of the yacht racing community will take place in 2022 in an exceptional venue, with the support of a very dedicated and committed community", says Bernard Schopfer, the event organiser. "Our partners in Malta support the Yacht Racing Forum with passion and they understand the commercial value of the event. They are determined to make it the best edition of the Forum ever, and to use it to showcase what their Island has to offer to the international sailing community. We will ensure that we deliver a high-quality event at affordable prices for all enthusiasts and professionals in the world of competitive sailing."
Finally, this week we make mention of a very useful safety device. On average, each year at least 23 people drown as a result of boating accidents in Australia, and 20 people in New Zealand - with the key demographic being males aged 50-75. While failure to wear a lifejacket is one of the leading causes of drowning, another crucial risk-factor is an inability to communicate with emergency contacts when an accident happens. This is why Mercury has developed 1st Mate, the world's first engine-integrated "man overboard" monitoring and warning system.
The 1st Mate Marine Safety and Security System uses wearable technology for up to eight people. It's designed to turn off the engine and sound an alarm during "man overboard" events and send distress messages to the captain's emergency contacts. The technology is designed with all boat-lovers in mind, creating confidence for a captain, their passengers and their family and friends at home. Composed of an intelligent hub, a set of wearable devices, and a mobile app, it ensures direct integration between 1st Mate and the vessel's propulsion system.
Stay safe, stay patient!
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com