http://www.boatinternational.com | May 2018The owners of the newest Westport 112 picked meticulously through seashells
to choose the ones that would be imprinted into the glass of their custom
dining table. This attention to detail was just the shallow end of a deep
involvement that ran all the way through the design and construction of their
latest yacht. In fact, the scale of their goals and freshness of their ideas
contributed to the launch of a brand new look for the successful series.
The arrival of hull No 7758, the newLyons Pride, coincides with the 20th
anniversary of the Westport 112. The 34 metre raised pilothouse model has
evolved since it first hit the waters of the Pacific in 1998, including
a significant exterior update in 2002, but this is the most important styling
change since. Slick and contemporary, the boat
competed for attention with new offerings from
European builders at February’s Miami Yacht Show,
where it made its debut.
It’s the second Westport 112 for experienced
boaters, a husband and wife team: Michael (his
middle name is Lyons) and Anne Marie Lord.
Michael, an engineer by training, came to motor
yachts via sailing – his earliest memory is of bobbing
on a small boat off the coast of Baja California,
Mexico, when he was 10.
When he met Westport broker Andrew Miles
back in 2012, he greeted him with detailed
information on models from European, British and
US builders he’d been considering for his next boat.
He liked the engineering side of Westport, he told
Miles, who had flown to the owners’ home to discuss
the potential build, but the yachts’ appearance was
not quite to his taste. He favoured a bit more pizzazz.
As the discussion progressed, Miles marked up
the drawings he’d brought with a red marker,
denoting changes and additions that Lord wanted
to make: skylights above the galley and VIP, a full-
height wine cooler, moving bulkheads and
increasing the size of the foyer. He wanted more
modern joinery, and features on the overheads.It kicked the Westport 112 up a few notches and the builder went ahead,
delivering in late 2013 hull No 7750, the Lords’ first Westport.
They had the boat for two and a half years and enjoyed it until their
broker presented them with an ofer they could not refuse. Miles had shown
the yacht, as an example of Westport’s skill, to a younger client who wanted
to buy it –Lyons Pridehad not even been for sale. “That got Westport perked
up a bit and they must have decided my ideas weren’t so bad,” Lord says.
A few months after the sale of his first 112, the Westport team was again
working with him on a newLyons Pride. He intended to push them further.
From his perspective, the first time around Westport had allowed him only
“to tinker a bit with the design”. “We hadquite a few meetings with that
design team and started exploring what we could do to update the boat,” Lord
says. Westport’s team was open-minded about it, even as it became clear the
updates would require making a new mould for the popular model.
“This is truly a collaborative efort,” Westport’s marketing director Ron
Nugent says. “Michael knew of Westport’s capabilities and we liked his ideas,
so we worked together.” The fact that the builder was moving in that direction
for its newer models (the 125 now launched, and a 45 metre and flagship 65
metre currently in the works) was coincidental, he says, but the new Westport
112 dovetailed very nicely with the company’s overall strategy.
Lord, who had looked at the new Westport 125, ruled it out in favour of
another 112 – he wanted a boat of a size that he could operate himself – but“This is truly a collaborative effort.
Michael knew of Westport’s capabilities
andwelikedhisideas,soweworked
together.” The new Westport 112
dovetailed very nicely with the
company’s overall strategyPHOTOGRAPHY: MAURIZIO PARADISI