Boat International US Edition — February 2018

(Kiana) #1

PHOTOGRAPHY: STUART PEARCE; GETTY IMAGES


WWW.BOATINTERNATIONAL.COM FEBRUARY 2018

OWNERS’ CLUB

Speed or style
Style. It’s an age thing. If you’re
younger you want speed. When you
get older you want comfort and style

Chef or chauffeur
Chef, by a long shot

Favorite watch
We’re very serious
watch people.
If I had to choose,
my Audemars
are amazing

Favorite beach
When we were small it was our beach
in Tampico, Mexico. We haven’t seen
another beach like that anywhere in
the world. Very big, beautiful water
and we could get there without
cars. There was nothing and that
was amazing

Favorite car
We have a lot of cars. I’m a Ferrari
man, but Elsa prefers Bentleys. She
has those and I have my Ferraris and
my Rollers, plus a couple of others.
My favorite is a Ferrari GT,
or a Bentley Bentayga

Drink on board
White tequila – Casa
Dragones. A tequila
a day will keep the
doctor away!

QUICKFIRE

Bruce
The most overt expression of the Grossmans’ Grossman
on-water ethos is written down, in a list of rules
entitled The Forever One Way and handed to each crew
member on employment. The general themes are
teamwork and kindness, and the word “respect” is used
four times, in relation to how the owners feel towards
the crew as well as how the crew should feel towards
the owners. “We help the crew members out with their
estate planning, their salary compensation is pretty
good and we have full rotation for most of the crew.
They get to relax and go home. We treat them like a
family,” says Bruce.
With a cruising schedule like the Grossmans’, that’s
certainly a good thing. They know the Med’s hotspots
inside out, and the rotation of holiday
snaps on the salon movie theater screen
runs through thunder in Capri and
rainbows in Porto Cervo, but Greece is the
favorite. “Sometimes we tie up for days on
the rocks,” says Bruce. “This year we did
the Sporades in the north-east, the first
time for us. Amazing.”
Two years ago they ventured up the Kiel
Canal into Denmark, Sweden and Norway
for the fjords. They loved it so much
they’re planning a return visit this year –
and this yacht, with its indoor nooks
as well as al fresco lounges and bars,
seems the perfect vehicle to do it in, come
rain or shine (or blizzard). Hopefully,
though, they’ll be sitting in the sun at one
of their bars, sipping Dragones and
admiring the view that they can change
any time they like.B

Above: Bruce and
Elsa Grossman
hated each other
as children – but
fell in love as adults

A return visit is
being planned to the
fjords of Norway
(below), Denmark
and Sweden after a
successful cruise
there two years ago

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