Asia Superyacht Rendezvous Rocks!

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2015 ASR bliss
2015 ASR bliss

Praise from Captains for the 15th annual event in Phuket

Asia Pacific Superyachts (APS) was proud to be among the carefully integrated sponsoring partners affiliated with one of the most prestigious superyachting events in the world, the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous held December 16-18, 2015 in Phuket, Thailand.

The annual invitation-only event held next to picturesque Kata Noi Beach (among the top ten of travellers’ choice of beach in Asia) saw attending yachts anchored in beautiful Kata bay, with a jetty provided for a short hop to Kata Resort, the event’s award-winning venue host.

The most widely attended event of power and sail Superyachts in Asia, the elite gathering is provided by organisers and sponsors who care about delighting those attending with a laid-back first class sociable event. A first-time ‘fleet blessing ceremony’ in Thai-Buddhist style kicked off the first race day following a glamorous opening night cocktail party aboard a superyacht.

Two days of relaxed but highly competitive racing ensued with fun for all on tap, ending with a VIP dinner on the lush grounds of Kata Resort. Each day offered carefully crafted activities from the organisers and plenty of opportunities for superyacht owners, captains and crew to share cruising experiences.

Asia Pacific Superyachts is proud to be a long time sponsor of this unique event in Phuket, custom designed to help celebrate, discuss, learn, and be inspired by the innovations and experiences of some of the world’s top Superyachts arriving from distant locations during the holiday season.

The Rendezvous stands out because of how well it caters to its special audience: Superyacht owners, captains and crew. The Rendezvous was well attended, well covered and lives up to its goal of being an event to be relished by the elite community of world superyachts. The Rendezvous also provides a base after the event (or before) for those Superyachts staying on for a holiday of cruising the Andaman seas, with some venturing on to new cruising options such as Myanmar (Burma).

Checking in with captains and other sponsors, everyone found something they loved. We at APS want to share our experience through the eyes of a few of the captains in attendance. Among the captain’s commenting on the Rendezvous was Captain Roel of attending Yacht S/Y Lady Thuraya: “After a long and beautiful sail from Greece to Thailand going straight into the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous we had a very warm welcome from the organization and all the other participants. Great to arrive in a country and be able to meet a lot of people in the industry the first days after the arrival.

Lady Thuraya has arrived in the Asian waters to do charters. Together with our partners and everybody in the superyacht industry in Asia we can hopefully show more people the beauty of the Asian waters. During the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous we had the opportunity to do some great sailing together with other yachts, sponsors and guests. Thank you to all the people who made this event possible. We hope to see you all back next year, when we might even be back with two boats, the Sherakhan and the Lady Thuraya!”

Captain Sheltrum of the attending Yacht S/Y Bliss reported: “Myself and the Bliss crew had a wonderful time at The Rendezvous. It was well organized, at a beautiful location, loads of fun and to top it off we got some great sailing in. With or without guests on board I highly recommend the Rendezvous to any superyacht in SE Asia, I guarantee you will have a fantastic time.”
Captain Morgan Hayes of the attending Yacht S/Y Arabella, shared his thoughts: “Coming on the back of a hectic but rewarding King’s Cup it was reassuring to find a relaxed and well organized atmosphere at the Kata Rocks venue. The Rendezvous team could not have been more accommodating and professional and the Kata Rocks Resort management also could not have been more helpful, it is a fantastic development just made for hosting yachting events.

monks arrive to do blessing of the fleet at ASR

As usual the race management team of Chandran and his two helpers Simon and Andrew did a good job in windy conditions (for us yachts with flappy white things) of giving us a fair race. While we are shorter we are wider and more fun than the power driven boats and would love to be invited back to battle it out with the real superyachts again next year”

GM Scot Toon of Kata Rocks Resort, host venue for the event noted: “Phuket is the perfect base for superyachts in the region and we welcome superyachts here at Kata Rocks, many coming to use our spa and restaurant. With our stunning west coast location and jetty for easy access direct to the resort it makes the perfect stop off for any superyacht in the region and the region is becoming more and more popular as a superyacht base, the perfect location in South East Asia. There is so much in the immediate area and beyond to explore and cruise within. At Kata Rocks we have an increasing number of superyachts stopping in to our restaurant and spa.”

And finally, closing thoughts from Principle Sponsor Feadship’s Bas Nederpelt: “As Commercial Director of Feadship I have had the pleasure to attend the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous since 2007. Thanks to the beautiful ocean, the lovely Thai people and the top notch resorts such as Kata Rocks I again enjoyed attending the Rendezvous.

At Feadship we always believed in that the beautiful waters of South East Asia would attract many super yachts from all over the world. Over the recent years we have seen a significant increase of superyacht buyers in Asia and several have opted for the Feadship brand. The combination of the wonderful seas and the growth of Asian owned yachts will certainly give a boost to yachting in the region and of Phuket as a super yacht hub. The Asia Superyacht Rendezvous brought super yachting minded people together again in a relaxed Thai atmosphere.”