I once read that ownership is the most intimate
relationship a person can have with an object.
To paraphrase,thisisnotbecausetheobject
comes alive, but because the owner does.
I have met many a collector who would agree.
One serial charterer I know has one of the
largest private piano collections in the country.
To watchhimglidefromkeyboardtokeyboard,
centurytocentury,asheplaysmusictomatch
the piano’s age, is truly to watch art come alive.
On another occasion, it was only when showing
me his art collection that a shy superyacht
owner really opened up. Money plays only
a smallpartincollecting,whichwehope
becomesclearwhenreadingourpagesdevoted
to it. Patience,knowledgeandalittlebitofluck
are morevaluable–butknowledgeisthekey.
As François Curiel, head of Christie’s global
luxury division, points out (see page 62): a five
carat sapphirecanbeworthanythingbetween
$15,000and$1million.Youneedtounderstand
the difference.After shock and sympathy, the most common
feeling after a natural disaster strikes is
helplessness. What can you do – and how? It was
something felt by many regular visitors to the
Caribbean watching the news late last summer.
The region is still picking itself up after the twin
onslaughts of hurricanes Irma and Maria, but it’s
a process that’s going a little quicker thanks to
an unlikely source – superyachts. There are some
fantastic organisations out there working with the
yachting community that spring into action
immediately after (and even before) a disaster.
If you’re an owner who’s ever looked on, feeling
helpless, read our feature on page 168 and get
involved. I’m aware it’s a cliché for an editor to
say “there’s so much more packed into this issue”
but you’ll have to forgive me. From the Millennium
Cup and the worthy winners of our Design
& Innovation Awards to our exclusive feature on
98m Aviva and our 16-page charter special, this
is a true feast of an issue. We hope you enjoy it.PHOTOGRAPHY: OLIVER HOLMS. SACHA IS WEARING LEAF-CREPE DRESS BY ALEXAEDITOR-IN-CHIEF ITOR
NDER MCQUEEN, €1,588, MATCHES FASHION.COM. STEWART IS WEARING PEMBR
EY SHOES BY CHURCH’S ENGLISH SHOES, €377, CHURCH-FOOTWEAR.COM
EDITORS’ LETTERS
@boatinternational@boatint/boatinternational/boatinternational