SUPERSIZE YOUR LIFESTYLE
TUSEDAY 1ST DECEMBER 2015
If you could design a superyacht, what features would it include?
Superyacht Broker Chris Cecil-Wright reveals what is on his wish list.
“A superyacht is perhaps the most glamorous way to live,” says Chris Cecil-Wright. “Owners can create a replica of their home and then add every conceivable luxury on board whether it is a fully serviced office and boardroom, a water slide from the top deck into the sea, a helicopter hanger which turns into a squash court or a state-of-the-art gym. Many superyachts have beauty salons, cinemas, bars and nightclubs. They can be perfect for entertaining, a floating paradise, but, above all, a superyacht offers total privacy, flexibility and a sense of adventure and freedom, which is priceless.”
Chris should know. He is the founder of Cecil Wright & Partners, a boutique yacht brokerage specialising in the purchase, sale, build and charter of superyachts.
“Owning a superyacht provides many thrills. It enables people to travel to unbelievable destinations with the highest levels of comfort. We have clients who enjoy chartering in the Mediterranean, however we also have many clients who wish to venture further afield and incorporate elements of extreme sports and adventure into their travels. Many now use superyachts as a base for family holidays.”
He continues, “There is something truly majestic about arriving on a superyacht. Not only does arrival by sea offer a completely different perspective on any destination, it also gives a real sense of discovery. Seeing the full glory of somewhere from the sea is magical, whether it is the vast expanse of turquoise sea and white beach during the day or the twinkling lights at night.
“Ultra high-net-worth individuals enjoy not only the freedom that life on the water brings, but also the privacy that a superyacht offers. As demand for the highest levels of luxury and the ultimate facilities on board has developed, superyachts can often effectively amalgamate a place of work and leisure. Many of the yachts that have for charter have both boardroom and business facilities.”
Many clients charter a few times before buying or building a superyacht which Chris considers a great way to try different options. Others decide they want to own a superyacht having initially chartered. “Chartering gives clients a taste of reality that being on a superyacht brings, and it is very enticing! They often become hooked on the undoubted allure of owning a superyacht.”
Chris has a passion for the superyacht lifestyle. He established his business two years ago after identifying a gap in the market for a truly bespoke, very discreet and personal approach to superyacht ownership. With over 20 years yacht brokerage experience, including being a Director with Edmiston (one of the world’s leading yacht companies), Chris know his stuff.
“Knowing about superyachts is a necessity, but the most important aspect of our business is understanding people, not boats,” he explains. “Yachting is essentially about people. When a client is considering buying or building (or even chartering) a boat, they will often think they know what they want. Our job is to make sure it really is what they want and will enjoy in different contexts.
“What suits a client can be very different from what the client though was needed at the start,” Chris continues, “Size is not everything. Our aim is to delivery exactly what the client requires. For certain clients bigger is better, but for many it is the finer details, the technology on board and the design of the exterior which matter.
“Buying or building a yacht is one of the single biggest expenditures that an individual can commit to, so it is important to get it right.”
Key to his role is getting to know his clients as that is what yields the best results.
This comes easily to Chris. He likes people, particularly people who like boards. “I just like people who like yachts – builders, designers, captains, owners – I love the business.”
He enjoys meeting his interesting clients and dipping into their extraordinary lives, even participating in his clients’ activites when he visits them – for example heli-skiing in Canada. Like his clients, Chris appreciates the thrill of adventure. He trained at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and served in the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards before training in the Army AirCorps as a helicopter pilot – only leaving the army after breaking his back paragliding.
Undeterred, he continues to push himself physically. He runs marathons, competes in triathlons and has even walked to the North and South Poles. He also has a house on the beach in Hampshire where he spends part of the summer as a keen sailor, dinghy racer and general yachtie.
“I race a dinghy called a Lymington Scow – it is about the smallest and most pire adult racing dinghy available. It is a one design class so the winner is the best sailor, it is rarely me, but when it is it feels great!”
He also enjoys chartering a yacht during the summer himself. So what would Chris’ dream superyacht include? On his wish list would be a helipad, water-level gym/spa, log-burning fireplace in the main saloon, an outdoor cinema, deck-mounted sailing yacht, a limo tender and two sports tenders and an aft beach club…
And what have been the strangest requests from clients with regard to on board facilities?
“A Lot of the requests I have had may seem a little strange to most people, but I have built glass-backed squash courts, hydraulically-operated heli hangers, internal water slides, snow rooms, tightrope walking facilities, open air night clubs, car lifts with air-conditioned garaging, moon pools in mahogany wine cellars, on deck waterfalls and dry ice falls…”
