Power & Motoryacht – June 2017

SOUTHPORT

44 POWER & MOTORYACHT / JUNE 2017 WWW.PMYMAG.COM

me. “When considering the purchase of a Vicem, our readers are go-

ing to want to know, so I’m going to ask, is one of your boats a good in-

vestment, given the turmoil we’re seeing in your country and region?”

“Politics is politics and I’m someone you don’t want to discuss poli-

tics with,” said Ozbakir, with a smile that implied he knew this ques-

tion was coming. “As a Turkish citizen I will defend my country in

a political argument. [Th e political climate] doesn’t aff ect us at all.

What’s more, in late 2016 the Turkish government made this rule

that it will back up every Turkish company that thinks it can com-

pete in the world economy. For yacht and shipbuilders, the govern-

ment is backing 75 percent of our investments. How good is this?

“So yes, there is a chaos. When you turn on Fox or CNN, you

think, Oh my God, this isn’t a country I want to live in or even visit.

But what you’re seeing is happening on our borders, far from Istan-

bul. It’s like if something bad is happening in Chicago and you call

your nephew in Miami to tell him, ‘Do not leave your house. Stay

inside!’ ‘What, why?’ he would ask you. ‘Th ere’s a fi ght going on in a

bar in Chicago!’” Ozbakir laughed before recounting his recent trip

to Istanbul with his three young children. He went on to explain that

Vicem is aggressively creating a warranty and construction-insur-

ance policy for American buyers with the help of premier maritime

lawyers in South Florida. His plan is to off er build customers peace

of mind by allowing U.S. clients to keep their investments partially

here in the States.

Before long, Ozbakir’s phone calls hit critical mass, so he had to re-

turn to the offi ce. It was a short test, and a quick lunch, but both the

46IPS and Vicem’s ambitious new leader left me with a very positive

impression. Th ey both may just help to write the next chapter in what

has been nothing short of an odyssey for this Middle Eastern builder. U

Vicem Yachts, 954 462 8828; vicemyachts.net

RPM KNOTS GPH RANGE dB(A)

600 4.1 5.0 369 56

1000 6.3 5.0 567 58

1500 8.9 5.4 742 62

2000 10.9 11.0 446 65

2500 17.1 19.0 405 71

3000 21.9 33.0 299 75

3400 24.7 35.0 318 78

TEST CONDITONS:

Air temperature: 75°F; humidity: 40%; seas: 2'; wind: 10 knots;

load: 200 gal. fuel, 40 gal. water, 5 persons. Speeds are two-way

averages measured w/ Garmin GPS. GPH taken via Volvo Penta

display. Range is based on 90% of advertised fuel capacity. Sound

levels measured at the lower helm. 65 dB(A) is the level of normal

conversation.

As the 46IPS returned to Palm Beach, we saw a number of superyacht crews snapping photos of the striking 46IPS—and they know beautiful boats.