French connection
French owners of a new Maritimo M51 took it for an Australian sojourn.
Photography by Maritimo
27 September 2017
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Parisians Philippe and Régine Jacquet are part of a growing group of international Maritimo luxury motor yacht buyers who have embraced the concept of taking delivery of their new boat in Australia and exploring local waterways before the vessel is shipped to their home port.
The couple purchased an M51 cruising motor yacht and spent a week cruising Queensland waterways with a Maritimo provided skipper before undertaking further sightseeing in Australia.
“Some people might have thought that we were crazy to fall in love with an Australian boat, but we had dreamt for a long time to visit Australia and it was the right opportunity for us to secure our new boat and also see just a little bit of this beautiful country,” said Philippe.
We spent a week navigating in Australia waters with a wonderful captain who was very friendly and professional and this allowed us to get familiar with our new yacht and work out any changes we wanted before she was shipped to Europe.
“We also took the time to visit Sydney, and also Cairns and Port Douglas where we went to the rainforest.”
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The Jacquet’s new motor yacht was shipped to Europe, arriving in Genoa in July before being motored to its home port, Porquerolles Island. This month they start a journey to Calvi and Saint Florent in Corsica and then further down to Portofino in Italy and surrounding islands.
Maritimo’s International Sales and Marketing Manager, Greg Haines, said the Jacquet’s were only one of a number of people who are combining their new motor yacht purchase with an Australian delivery.
“It gives them a chance to visit the factory and see where their motor yacht has been made and to also get familiar with the vessel with our team conducting comprehensive pre hand over sessions so they are comfortable with all the systems,” he said.
“For many it also provides the excuse to have a bucket list trip to Australia and add on some additional sightseeing while in this country.”
Haines said once the Jacquet’s had returned to France their boat was taken to Sydney where it was placed on a ship and sent to Europe. They then followed its progress daily on the internet until it arrived in Genoa.
“My wife and I are really enjoying our boat,” said Philippe. “It is very comfortable at sea, handles extremely well with the short waves of the Med and manoeuvres very well in tight spaces in port.
“The interior of the boat is very pleasant and the cabins are spacious. “We were not sure if we had made the right choice with the wenge timber, but it looks magnificent and warm. “The galley is just perfect.”
He said the hand over of their motor yacht was very professional and gave them peace of mind in terms of its operation. “The hand over was done with each department of the shipyard which was very clear and technical and provided us with a good overview of our new yacht,” said Philippe.
“We will definitely be going back to Australia and since arriving back in France we have a feeling that we only dreamt this perfect journey.”
Haines said other buyers to enjoy the Australian delivery included people from America and South East Asia.
The Jacquet’s purchased their M51 through Spencer Ship Monaco Maritimo’s export agent for Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.
They inspected an M51 originally at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show where they met up with Spencer Ship’s Craig Harvey and Maritimo’s Greg Haines.
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