INTERVIEW BY Olivia Lock

A brief background about yourself – How did you grow your passion for the yachting industry and how did your active involvement with Accelera Yacht come to be?

Thanks to the influence of my family, which has been involved in the yachting industry for three generations, I have developed a strong interest in sea culture and yachting. In the past decade, I was actively involved in the luxury lifestyle industry and noticed good development prospects and  an expanding potential in the Chinese market – that it will be the most rapid growing market in the Asia Pacific region.

I do hope to raise our brand awareness and further promote and popularise Accelera Yacht to people not only in the yachting industry but across other industries as well.

What sets Accelera Yacht apart from her competitors in the boating industry?

We focus on high-quality charter services, but apart from that, we also offer a variety of sea-related activities in order to fulfill the needs from different clients. We also offer catering options onboard our well-facilitated kitchens. Michelin-level chefs can also be invited onboard upon a client’s request. Moreover, we are working with professional partners providing DJ and music, photography and aerial photography.

Facing keen competition in the market, we are keen to maintain good relations with all our valuable partners and agents . We also strongly believe that quality service is a key element in boosting one’s reputation and market share in the industry, and we are confident with the level of service we provide.

Having been active in the charter market for a couple of years now, what can guests onboard Accelera’s charter fleet expect from such a bespoke luxury experience?

Our three years of experience in the high-end yacht charter market has yielded a variety of routes and destinations provided for clients. In response to the lack of large luxury yachts for charter in Hong Kong, we offer three yachts at more than 90 feet in length, which can accommodate up to 132 guests. These yachts are very popular with companies seeking unique business entertainment opportunities, and can also be chartered for private use– parties, family gatherings and the pure enjoyment of comfort and luxury.

In addition, due to a recent law in China that restricts all chartered yachts (regardless of size) to accommodate a maximum of 12 people, including guests and crew, we see many clients coming over to Hong Kong for tourism or business, and many of them are highly likely to charter a yacht for their pleasure.

What advice can you offer first–time clients looking to charter a yacht? What is your typical client profile?

We have to first determine the number of guests on board, the requested charter period, number of destinations and any other client requirements. We then recommend a suitable yacht and will encourage our guests to come aboard for a site visit before their trip. The most popular yacht charter would be our 98-feet luxury yachts. We do offer a 92-feet option, but clients tend to go for the former due to its spaciousness, streamlined aesthetic, well-facilitated kitchens and fully-equipped facilities.

In our three years of charter operation, foreign clients account for roughly 65% of our clientele base, with the rest either local or mainland clients. We hope to grow our high-end mainland clientele by delivering an excellent charter experience whilst taking advantage of Hong Kong’s attractive nautical environment and well-developed marine and yachting culture.

Could you share with us some recommendations for yacht charter destinations?

Most of our Hong Kong clients choose to depart from Central Pier No. 9, and if they choose the sailing route from Central to Repulse Bay, Deep Bay and Stanley, wonderful views of the Victoria Harbour can be enjoyed. Alternatively, the route from Central to Lamma Island provides the opportunity to sample the area’s local seafood. For better water quality and beautiful scenery, the route from Central to Clear Water Bay and Sai Kung would be ideal.

Our clients usually opt for daily charters over shorter routes instead of overnight or week-long trips. This year, we will be launching a night charter programme in response to market demand. We will be offering different packages so stay tuned for more.

Your thoughts on the current market for yacht charters? What trends do you see emerging and how does that affect the industry in the future?

The economic decline over the last couple of years has definitely impacted the luxury industry. Despite this situation, the market for luxury yacht charters is still experiencing high demand and we have kept our regular network of clients, agents and cooperative partners.

Moreover, besides our 90-foot yacht fleet, we plan to build yachts ranging from 86-feet and above to cater mainly to the charter market.

Accelera has shown a strong commitment towards social responsibility initiatives. Could you tell us more about the company’s current efforts in contributing back to society and helping the community?

Apart from managing our yacht business, we do possess a strong sense of responsibility to contribute back to the community. We have established a foundation fund that provides Accelera scholarships to 18 outstanding students in the Hong Kong Sailing School in the hopes of encouraging and support them in the yachting industry. We also provide summer internships for youths to gain experience working onboard a yacht.

The company also reaches out to various tertiary-school students through engaging lecture programmes designed to promote the development of the marine and yachting industry and attract prospective talents onboard.

We participate in charity services, including social welfare activities and golf charity events from time to time. We also sponsor and participate in children disease association events. Meanwhile, we are also focused on ocean and marine conservation and have organised various events and activities to promote marine environmental protection. We hope to draw more attention to this cause through educating the public on the importance of marine life and the quality of our oceans.

Is there anything exciting coming up in the Accelera pipeline that you would like our readers to know about?

When an Accelera customer decides to commission a yacht, we hope to be able to integrate new energy resources, state-of-the-art technology and environmental protection initiatives into the design and manufacturing of the vessel.

In addition, our main focus is the Asia Pacific region. We hope to expand our business to include more cooperating partners and develop our brand further. We look to the future and we hope to invite international luxury brands to work together with us to create more innovative luxury yachts.

Do pay close attention for more of our future developments.

For more information, please visit www.accelerayacht.com