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ISS Announces 2009 Design and Industry Award Recipients
Superlative Yachts, Eminent Industry Leaders and Innovation Acknowledged
Information follows regarding these Achievements
Yacht Design Awards
2009 ISS Leadership Award
2009 Business Person of the Year Award
2009 Distinguished Crew Award
2009 Excellence in Innovation
A Complete Portfolio of Event Photography is Also Available
Please see listing at the end of the release
16 November 2009, Fort Lauderdale, FL: The International Superyacht Society (ISS) today released the names of the winning yachts of its annual International Superyacht Design Awards as well as the recipients of its Award for Leadership, ISS Business Person of the Year, Distinguished Crew and ISS Excellence in Innovation. As is custom, presentations were made the opening night of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, this year on 29 October 2009, at ISS's Awards for Leadership and Design Gala.
Interestingly, both the ISS Person of the Year and Excellence in Innovation winners were presented their awards at the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Associations in Monaco in September 2009 and again honoured before the large gathering of their colleagues in Fort Lauderdale.
ISS also included a tribute to one of Fort Lauderdale’s most visible individuals, the late Kaye Pearson, a founder of the ISS and the driving force behind the success of the great Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Pearson was posthumously presented the ISS’s President’s Award and, with his family on stage, great friend Pete Woods of Woods & Associates unveiled an original Kent Ullberg bronze bust which will take its permanent place at the gate of the Boat Show henceforth. Mr. Ullberg’s sculpture is widely known in Fort Lauderdale with one of the crowning jewels being the Sailfish in Three Stages of Ascending at the entrance of the Broward Convention Center.
As the ISS considered the extenuating circumstances apparent in the industry due to a year unprecedented in terms of global economic stressors, its Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Gala Committee set out to create a most memorable evening to celebrate the industry’s achievements while committing to having the event reflect its awareness of fiscal pressures the industry is facing.
Ultimately, the event consistently sets a tone of reverence and camaraderie; this year was no exception as the audience of more than 425 met on the Ocean View Terrace at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, wined and dined al fresco and then headed into the Caribbean Ballroom for the awards ceremony. The Robb Report’s increasingly popular Cigar Bar followed back outside with a singular martini to cap off the evening, beer, wine, coffee and a grand dessert bar.
With an overwhelmingly positive response to a modest change of venue for an interesting year, the continuing success of ISS’s annual fete rests squarely on the shoulders of the unwavering support of ISS sponsors. The gala sponsors are The Yacht Report as Design and Leadership Awards Gala Title Sponsor, Show Management as Design Awards Title Sponsor and the Robb Report as Leadership Award Title Sponsor. Burger Boat Company, Westrec Marinas and Wright Maritime Group were also invaluable Silver Sponsors of the event, presenting wine, the Distinguished Crew Award and the cocktail hour, respectively. All supporters who commit to ISS events are rewarded with some of the most visible sponsorship opportunities available in the large yacht industry.
With regard to how the winning yachts are selected, each year ISS honours those yacht builders, designers, interior designers, naval architects and stylists chosen from a list of five finalists in each of five length categories as selected by ISS’s membership. In addition to awards given to three power yachts and two sailing vessels, a best interior award is also given for one yacht selected from either the power or sail finalists.
Finalists are the result of an annual worldwide membership voting process; being nominated and then selected as a finalist is a source of pride as the voting system is the direct result of input from one's peers.
Due to the prestigious nature of the Design Awards Gala, ISS also presents its Awards of Distinction—including the illustrious Leadership Award which is bestowed to an outstanding industry leader during the celebratory evening. For 2009, the ISS Leadership Award has been presented to Tony Hambrook of Alloy Yachts International.
ISS also commemorated the success of Yacht Aid Global by presenting the 2009 Distinguished Crew Award to Captain Mark Drewelow for his tireless work in serving the world’s coastal communities.
Several years ago, the Society’s Board of Directors agreed that the trade organization would further acknowledge accomplishments of the industry’s most forward thinking and committed individuals and businesses. Two new awards are the new cornerstone of this initiative. The first, the ISS Business/Person of the Year, was presented to Frans Heesen of Heesen Yachts. The second, ISS Excellence in Innovation, went to Carlisle & Finch’s NightFINDER Searchlights.
Founded in 1989, ISS (International Superyacht Society) is the sole not-for-profit organization serving the large yacht industry worldwide. ISS members are individuals, companies and owners who are recognized for their leadership and dedication to raising the standards of design, construction, maintenance, repair and operation of large yachts. ISS provides recognition, training and networking opportunities to reach this objective.
Complete lists of winning yachts is here.
2009 Leadership Award, Business Person of the Year, Distinguished Crew Award and Excellence in Innovation Award Recipient Information Follows
2009 International Awards for Design & Leadership
Leadership Award—Tony Hambrook—Alloy Yachts International
Award Presentation Comments made by Leadership Award Sponsor,
Gary DeSanctis of Robb Report, Curtco Media
The International Superyacht Society's Annual Leadership Award honours an individual or company whose distinctive work and commitment to the industry has contributed to the growth of the superyacht community worldwide. For 2009, the award has been presented to Tony Hambrook of Alloy Yachts International.
The success of Alloy Yachts is intrinsically linked to Tony Hambrook, the man who became managing director in 1989 and has guided the company through two decades of continued growth.
A sailor through-and-through, Hambrook’s passion for the best infects every aspect of Alloy Yachts’ operation. When an owner wants something that hasn’t been done before—a helipad on a sailing yacht, for example, as on the 54.27m Tiara launched by Alloy Yachts in 2004—Hambrook will lead his team to find a way to create the perfect solution.
Hambrook’s own story starts in Motueka, a small rural town at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. His father had an engineering workshop where Hambrook learned many skills he then bought to later roles. An apprenticeship in heating and ventilation followed high school and after the 1974 oil crisis he built freestanding fireplaces for several years.
Approaching his 30th birthday, Hambrook decided he’d like to build himself a yacht. Sourcing a 52ft Frank Pelin design steel ketch, Hambrook started the project in November 1976 and about 18 months later, his large home-built craft was complete. Hambrook taught himself to sail and after an initial circumnavigation of the North Island, sold up and set off on a three-and-a-half year cruise. From Fiji, he sailed across the Pacific to Canada, down the US coast to Mexico, Panama and the Caribbean, including yachting annual fixture, Antigua Race Week.
That first long sailing trip still provides opportunities for learning and inspiration for Hambrook today. In the days before global positioning systems (GPS), Hambrook relied on a sextant to find his way, just as mariners have done for centuries before him. That sense of exploration, of self-reliance, can be seen in the way Hambrook ensures Alloy Yachts fabricates and fits virtually every component of every craft—Hambrook does not believe in outsourcing, preferring to maintain control and therefore quality—over all the complicated components required to build an award-winning superyacht.
Back in New Zealand in the early ‘80s, Hambrook decided he wanted to build large yachts. He started out as a consultant for a company that then played a role in Alloy Yachts’ formation. In 1986 Hambrook was appointed Alloy Yachts’ production manager; when the company was sold to New Zealand owners, he was asked to manage the entire company in 1989. He has been managing director ever since.
Hambrook’s passion has always been for sailboats, finding them more of a challenge than motor yachts (not that Alloy Yachts has limited its production to only sailing craft over the years); the team can build a beautiful, award-winning motor yacht equally as well as they can craft a superb ketch or sloop.
His link with superyachts, defined as being 100’ or more, dates back to his time cruising offshore and Hambrook decided the big boat business really had a future after attending a seminar on the Competitive Advantage of Nations by the then Dean of Harvard Business School, Michael Porter, in Auckland. The Dean’s talk made the point that there is always someone who can build a product more cheaply; that if you’re going to compete on the basis of price, be prepared for someone to undercut you. So Hambrook’s focus has always been on quality.
Hambrook talks about the yachts his team has built with great affection. Each one has its own character, its own features that make it special for Alloy Yachts as a technical or design achievement. But more important for Hambrook is the craft’s owner, the fact that they have commissioned and received a craft that does more than meet their expectations. The level of detail Hambrook covers with owners as yachts are in the planning phase is considerable and he makes it everyone’s goal that the owner will get what they want.
A sure sign of Hambrook’s talents at the helm of Alloy Yachts is the fact so many staff have remained with the company for many years. Loyalty to the company is recognised in traditional ways with graduating apprentices and those who complete twenty years with the company receiving an engraved watch.
It’s a small pleasure, but one he ensures he never misses: at the launch of every new boat, motor or sail, Hambrook is the first to take the helm, the first to test thousands of man-hours of talent, skill and labour on the water, and the first to savour yet another perfectly-built Alloy Yachts craft.
Hambrook’s contributions to the New Zealand marine industry were recognised when he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (NZOM) in 2006.
2009 International Awards for Design & Leadership
2009 ISS Business Person of the Year—Frans Heesen—Heesen Yachts
Award Presentation Comments made by Awards of Distinction Chair,
Norma Trease, Yacht Consultant, ISS Executive Commitee
“The International Superyacht Society has long recognized excellence in yacht building, design and operation, and as the “industry” has grown, we have decided to also acknowledge the contributions of business leaders who have helped develop yachting into the global financial powerhouse we know and love today.
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to this year’s winner of the ISS Business Person of the Year Award, one of our Awards of Distinction given to industry leaders and commercial visionaries. The recipient of this award has been chosen by the 23 members of the ISS Board of Directors. Originally announced in Monaco at the Meeting of the Associations, it is being formally awarded tonight.
I will drop a few hints to see if you can figure out whom tonight’s winner might be. This year’s Business Person of the Year is a visionary entrepreneur, dating way back to the late 1970’s, when his Dutch shipyard was the first to employ aluminium alloy in the build of yacht hulls. Since 1992, the company which today bears his name still delivers magnificent yachts from 37 to 65 metres, known for their stringent quality standards, phenomenal high speed performance, seaworthiness, and high level of engineering excellence. They currently have 14 yachts in commission, totalling an impressive 650 meters or 2130 feet.
You might figure out the name of this year’s ISS Business Person of the Year by hearing the name of only a few of his yachts of fame, many of them international award winners. Soon, you will know who the winners is, for whom else could have built: Amigo, Octopussy, Red Sapphire, Alumercia, SeaScape, Ilona, and, most recently, the gorgeous Celestial Hope and Blind Date.
Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Board of Directors, and the global members of the International Superyacht Society, may I present the 2009 ISS Business Person of the Year Award to your friend and mine, the founder and creative force behind Hessen Yachts, Mr. Frans Heesen.”
2009 International Awards for Design & Leadership
2009 ISS Distinguished Crew Award—Capt Mark Drewelow—YachtAid Global
Award Presentation Comments made by ISS Silver Supporter,
Gary Groenewold, WESTREC Marinas, ISS Board of Directors
YachtAid Global in its Own Words
The Problem
Many coastal communities around the world are in need of school and medical supplies.
YachtAid Global’s Mission
The mission of YachtAid Global is to move school and medical supplies to the locations that need the help utilizing luxury yachts. We engage Captain, Crew, Owners and Guests to meet our objectives.
YachtAid Global’s History
My name is Mark Drewelow and I am the founder of YachtAid Global.
I spent 20 years at sea and sailed 1/4 million miles on luxury yachts around the world during the 1984-2004 time frame. Most of this time was spent in remote and undeveloped areas of Mexico, Central America, South America and Southeast Asia.
One of the common themes during those years at sea was that the local people always provided help to the best of their ability no matter what their economic situation. It didn't matter if I was looking for provisions ashore in Roti, seeking medical aid in Cabo, trying to locate a ride to the airport in the Anambas, looking for fishing information in Niue. The local people were always there to help.
In 2003 I moved ashore in San Diego and started up our port agency business C2C. We provide broad spectrum solutions to luxury yachts.
I had a great desire to stay connected with communities that I had visited during the years at sea. As C2C grew, I was looking for a way to exercise corporate responsibility tying into our yachting interest and benefiting the places that I had been.
One morning in May of 2006, I woke up with a solution to what I was seeking and the perfect name. YachtAid Global was born. Our tag line is: Changing the world without changing course.
The original idea, and the current key concept works. Move school and medical supplies around the world utilizing luxury yachts. This simple concept satisfied the two key missing elements: my need for corporate responsibility, and to help out the communities that I know.
Dozens of small and large scale deliveries were completed. Fast forward to today. I now realize that the greater power in all of this is for YAG to be a catalyst to get people thinking and to take action. You don't have to be part of a formal process and structured environment, although we are here to help out to whatever level that needs to be done to. Just get out there and YAG. If you put your mind to it, there is really no limit to what you can achieve.
2009 International Awards for Design & Leadership
2009 ISS Excellence in Innovation—NightFinder Searchlights—Carlisle & Finch
Award Presentation Comments made by Sabrina Farmer,
IMA Yachts, ISS Board of Directors, ISS Gala Committee
In 1894, Carlisle & Finch became the world leader in the manufacture of searchlights by designing the first high intensity carbon arc searchlight. Continuing its leadership in the design of new searchlight technology, Carlisle & Finch pioneered the development of xenon arc searchlights, which remains the latest technology today.
Throughout the past century, Carlisle & Finch has enjoyed other "World’s Firsts," but perhaps its most remarkable achievement is the award-winning NightFINDER, which combines the world’s most powerful searchlights with thermal and/or low light cameras on the same attractive platform.
Carlisle & Finch Searchlights are the standard for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Federal Prison System, Lighthouse Beacons, Architectural Lighting, the International Commercial Marine Industry as well as the world's most prestigious yachts.
Photography Available in Lo- and Hi-Resolution (additional candids available)
Photo Credit: ISS, Pamela Jones Photographic, 2009
A, Andrew Doole, Isabelle Huet, Theo Hooning
Slipstream, Andrew Doole, Theo Hooning, Thierry Regnault, Andrew Winch
Judges Recognition, Bill Langan, Francesca Ragnetti for Giancarlo Ragnetti
Allogante, Ed Dubois, Mrs. L. Rogers, Tony Hambrook
2009 Leadership Award, Gary DeSanctis, Alice Huisman, Tony Hambrook
2009 Distinguished Crew Award, Gary Groenewold, Mark Drewelow
Bristolian, Ian Cook
A, Isabelle Huet
Kaye Pearson Tribute Jerry Pearson, Kent Ullberg, Kaye Pearson Bronze, Cheri Pearson
Kaye Pearson Tribute, Joe Purtell, Lance Cushion, Jerry Pearson, Kent Ullberg, Cheri Pearson
Bristolian, Justin Ratcliffe, Tork Buckley, Ian Cook, Martin Redmayne
2009 Business Person of the Year Award, Norma Trease, Frans Heesen
Slipstream for Best Interior, Martin Redmayne, Justin Ratcliffe, Thierry Regnault, Andrew Winch, Tork Buckley
2009 Presidents Award, ISS Past Presidents (Mark Masciarotte, Bob Saxon, Doug Sharp, Joe Purtell, Lance Cushion), Jerry Pearson, Cheri Pearson, Pete Woods
Mondango, Tony Hambrook, Emily Naumann, Pascale Reymond, Andrew Langton, Ed Dubois
Adrian and Sabrina Farmer-IMA Yachts
Bob Saxon, Founding President, ISS, Chairman, ISS Gala Committee, Bob Saxon Consulting Services
Diane Byrne-Megayacht News, Mark Masciarotte-DSG Associates
Joe Purtell-ISS Past President, ISS Awards Chair
Kaye Pearson Bust by Kent Ullberg
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