Greetings from the land of Vicem.
I’m about to depart on an extended circling of planet Vicem next week (Dubai, China, Palm Beach) and I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for blog postings. So I hope this rather long one tides you over awhile. Many different chapters here:
I. Vicem returns to Manhattan!
Big news, this. After much thought we have decided to close our Newport office and relocate operations to Manhattan. We will be keeping our boats at Dennis Connor’s North Cove Marina, right underneath Freedom Tower.
North Cove Marina – Battery Park
Why the move, you might ask? Two reasons:
First, this new job of mine is keeping me hopping. And the managerial span of control was proving a little too long from Newport. I decided I needed to be in a more central location, closer to an international airport.
Secondly, two years ago we kept a V54 (briefly!) in Manhattan, over at Chelsea Piers on the Hudson. Briefly, because it sold in just five weeks. So there is something to be said for Manhattan. Which reminds me – Long ago in a galaxy far, far, away, I went to law school. On day one of our Contracts class, the professor said:
“The three most important words in any contract are ….. Location, Location, Location!
Hard to beat the Wall Street area for location.
The plan at the moment is to put our V52 there if she doesn’t sell at the Palm Beach Show (more on that below). Look at this picture, and you tell me what the odds are of her making it all the way to NY!
2008 V52 – Our Trade. See her at the PB show.
I will miss Newport, deeply. Why, you may ask? Well, this picture says it all:
Sunset at Tiverton, un-retouched!
Admittedly I can’t cry too much. I bought a nice little one bedroom on East 78th street and I am looking forward to haunting NY’s jazz clubs till last call. Any jazz fans out there?
II. Our Latest ad
Here is our latest ad, running in the usual places in the April issues. Note the latest addition to the last ad – Saga, an incredible Vicem 65 in France. And of course our prime yacht in the pole position – Truant:
No Snooze, No Lose!
III. The Palm Beach Boat Show
This show, always one of our most successful, runs from Thursday, March 22nd through Sunday the 25th. Please let me know if you need tickets..
In a sense, we will be displaying two yachts there. First, the V52 mentioned above:
Our single best idea ever – the Vicem open galley.
We just took this fine yacht in trade. Which means in theory I should be open to taking yet another trade as part of an attractive deal. You can see the full listing at:
And a cool virtual tour at:
And our other star attraction is Essence, the unequalled Vicem 85:
V85 – $150,000 Price Reduction
My favorite Vicem pic.
Essence has just had a $150,000 price reduction. Her two boat owner is asking $3,850,000. She will be right across the ICW from the Palm Beach Show, and her captain can pick you up in her tender for a scheduled viewing. Please call me for the details. The full listing can be seen at:
Wait, I couldn’t resist. Here is one more picture:
Did you know George Clooney slept in this bed? Yup, its true. You can call me for the full story.
IV. The Dubai Boat Show
As mentioned above, I’m off to Dubai to show the wonderful Vicem 78 Cruiser at the Dubai Boat Show, which runs from March 13th through the 17th:
It is our first show there, and you can imagine how pumped I am. I have at least one client making the trip over, and if you can too, let me know and I will provide the visa details. Here’s our queen:
Yes, George Clooney really did sleep in that 85 bed.
Take the ride at: Vicem 78 Cruiser Virtual Tour
V. The Vicem 107 Cruiser
Ladies and Gentlemen, the 107 Cruiser has left the building!
Here she is getting her hardtop lifted into position.
I’ve ben doing this long enough to remember when we used to lift these hardtops into place manually, using a dozen very strong Turkish gentlemen I know.
She goes in the water in less than two weeks. Please stand by for pix.
By the way, you may remember that I mentioned last week that she is available for charter. We already have received one request.
VI. A Great Little Boat
Loyal readers know that when I run across superior examples of work in the marine industry, I feel obligated to share and comment. I don’t have time to comment upon industry problems, but I have promised to make time for the winners. My clients deserve no less.
So recently I went to visit Vanquish Yachts in RI. Morgan Huntley is building some of the finest small boats I have ever seen. So fine, that If Vicem was in the small boat biz, I’d probably remain mute.
It wasn’t just his boats that impressed. His factory was clean, well organized, and productive. His engineering is impressive.
The 24 he showed me is a Doug Zurn design (enough said), and is built with Vinylester epoxy and a foam core. My good friend Michael ran her, and he reports she is light and fast (the hull is just 800 pounds right out of the mold!). With a prop pocket she draws just 19 inches.
Here are some more pix:
While I wish it weren’t so, the truth is I don’t really have time to own a boat (I just sold my sailboat a few months ago, and it still hurts). But if I did have the time, I would seriously consider buying a Vanquish. After all, it starts with a “V”. Morgan’s website is at:
Both he and his wife are great young people, and I should disclose, objectively and parenthetically, generous supporters of my school in Haiti. Give him a call and ask him about the cool custom 21 he is building.
VI. The Latest Bahama Bay
Quite the buzz came out of Europe last week, where our new Bahama Bay 61 was unveiled to the public at the Istanbul Boat show. Like her sister the 54 Bahama Bay, she is an IPS boat. I am looking forward to running her myself on my next trip to Turkey this June. Here is just some of the great press:
BB FRA_ActuNautique.com feb 12 bb61 art[1]
BB FRA_YACHT-CLUB FRANCE 24 feb 12[2]
And here is the boat:
On the subject of IPS boats, I have enjoyed the back and forth on Yachting Magazine’s Reader’s Forum about the pros and cons of IPS drives. I really like Yachting’s forum, as I find the technical quality of the conversation quite high. You can follow this discussion at:
Yachting Magazine Forum on IPS
VII. Vicem in a Museum?
OK, I have kept you waiting long enough. Is it true? Yup. Here’s the deal: You will remember that a couple of blog postings ago I mentioned that I was putting all the best Vicem videos on a single YouTube Channel. One of those videos covered our cold molded construction process. Well, a museum designer/curator saw it, and he is developing exhibits for a new museum on Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. One of the exhibits explores Franklin’s “Maritime Observations”. It turns out the alternating and rotating diagonal planking method we use was a concept first imagined by Franklin!
So the exhibit will juxtapose Franklin’s original idea with our current process. Not only that,the exhibition is to go on the road, perhaps to a museum near you.
As I never get tired of saying, sincerely, I am so proud of my company! Stand by for details as they come in.
VIII. Ta Ta For Now
This posting went even longer than I planned. Thanks for sticking with me. Here’s a closing pic for you. Our publicists (The Sand People, of Milan) are really tops in the industry. They have, on their own accord, been trying to spread the word that I’m the hardest working guy in the industry. They wouldn’t want this pic of me “working” on the 92 Cruiser to get out:
WAIT! Do they let you drink beer in Dubai?
See ya when I see ya.
Thanks, and enjoy.
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