Centre Of The Universe

The UK Superyacht industry is a lot bigger than you might think. But, does that make the UK the “centre of the universe” as far as yachting is concerned? Let’s see.

It’s a very British thing!

Yachting has always been a very British thing. After all, it’s a maritime nation and an island; nobody had a choice. We had to learn to sail! The Aristocracy sailed and had various racing yachts, then came the wealthy entrepreneurs of their day. This was all cemented in history by the most famous Yachting event of them all, The America’s Cup or “Hundred Guineas cup” as it was originally called, first took place around the Isle of Wight in 1851. The rest, they say, is Yachting history.

The UK Superyacht industry

Today, just like it was through the developing years of the industry, most Superyacht businesses have offices in the UK. Here are a few examples;

Yacht management

• Burgess
• Edmiston
• Y.CO
• Fraser Yachts
• McMaster Yachts
• Manta Maritime
• West Nautical

London is still the insurance centre of the universe too. Meaning the Superyacht industry has a lot of insurance heavyweights based there: Sturge Taylor, CRS Yachts and Willis Towers Watson, to name but three.

Who else is based in the UK?

Well, it might be easier to ask who isn’t based in the UK as the list of UK Superyacht industry companies is long. Here are a few more examples;

• Pendennis Shipyard
• Ribeye Tenders
• MGMT Group
• Refit international
• Warsash Maritime Academy
• Wilson Halligan
• Superyacht Content
• Crew Family Office
• Sunseeker
• Global Services
• The MCA
• ………And many more.

This list is just the tip of the iceberg. A huge amount of Superyacht businesses have either their head office or satellite office in the UK, and for a good reason. London is one of the world’s financial capitals and, therefore, the city where many Superyacht owners and potential owners either live, do business, or both. Therefore, it makes sense to have an office where many of your potential clients spend their time.

Add to this the up-and-coming popularity of the UK as a Superyacht destination, and you could soon see more companies opening offices in the UK to support their clients whilst here.

Over the winter, we will focus more on these businesses. We will look at what they do, why they are based in the UK and where they see the UK Superyacht industry going in the next few years.

Next, we will look at Superyacht destinations in the UK and why their diversity attracts so many new visitors.

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