Right off, a cheerful welcome to all my long-time friends, fans and clients. But an especially joyous greeting today to all my brand new fans.  I am excited and humbled to report that my last blog post, The What and the Why, has been read by an amazing 200,000 people so far.  You can re-read (and re-watch) that story right here:

 

I was so pleased that more than a few of these new readers made a point of finding me at the Newport and Annapolis shows. To all those I had the pleasure of connecting with aboard our J Craft Torpedo 42 ….

 

…. it was great to see you. And to all those I didn’t,

 

 

Well, at least Fort Lauderdale!

 

The Lauderdale Show…

 

….. runs from October 25^th through the 29^th.

You’ll find me most of the time at J Craft’s IYC display, shown here:

 

The opportunities I have for you at and around the show are legion…

 

I. Vicem Yachts

My old friends at Vicem Yachts (I sold my very first Vicem way back in 2004) will be displaying this stunning 3-cabin 2021 58 Flybridge at the show, and I am happy to report that she is actively for sale!

She’s a hardtop, as you’ve just seen. She has Volvo 735HP engines with just 337 hours of use. She has bow and stern thrusters, of course, as well as a watermaker, Satellite TV, a way-cool electric Sureshade overt the cockpit, a 13.5 kw Onan genny with 415 hours, and underwater lights.

Her asking price is $1,950,000.

I’ve calculated her replacement value down to the the last dollar, a spreadsheet I’m happy to share with you. But that $3,250,000 total means that this 2021 build represents a 40% savings over a new build. Not to mention the savings of an 18 month build time.

If you’d like to see here at the show, I’m your guy. Just give me two hours warning.

Speaking of Vicem history, I ‘m just back from my 30^th trip to Istanbul …..

 

…. overseeing the construction of the most exciting of my too-many-to-count builds – this stunning, highly customized V82 Express:

 

Her design brief is fascinating and her deliverables are groundbreaking – not just for Vicem, but for any builder in the industry. Her specs, design, and construction methods are innovative in many ways, and state-of-the-art in many others.

I look forward to sharing these stories with you at the show. But even more, I look forward to sharing the completed yacht with you in person at the Newport 2024 Boat show.

She is truly a “hopes and dreams” yacht come to life. But then again, with some $80,000,000 in delivered Vicem’s to my American clients,  making my client’s hopes and dreams come true is just another day at the office for Vicem and I.

 

II. Long Island Yachts

Long Island will not have a boat at FLIBS this year, but I’ve got other bites at the Dutch apple pie for you.

First, please remember I have a brokerage 2018 Long Island 25 Runabout for sale in nearby Naples….

 

….and she is fully viewable during the show. You can find her complete Yachtworld listing right here.

Secondly, long time readers know how eager I’ve been to bring Long Island Yacht’s first Hardtop model to America. And now I can:

 

It’s sort of an industry-insider secret, this: It is awfully hard to design and build a hardtop model that is both attractive and functional. Here’s but one example of many: When it comes to marrying form to use, windshield wipers are a freaking challenge to get right. It takes a firm aesthetic sense, plus tip-top engineering. And to my eye “get it right” is exactly what Long Island has done here.

Like her? You should. 

Want her? You should.

AND…

You can have her NOW!

Yes, the above shown new yacht is sitting in Rotterdam, ready to ship to your dock in a matter of weeks.  Lest you end up on the wrong side of my next “snoozeagram,” I urge you to call me today to hear how we can make this happen for you. Because with delay…

You snooze, you lose!

 

III. J Craft

You just know I have a J Craft/Fort Lauderdale angle for you today. Several, in fact!

First, a party invite for you…

I’m going to assume you are already familiar with La Maison Blanc, the amazing waterfront home that is serving as our our show headquarters during the show. After all, anyone and everyone who comes down the ICW admires her, as do all who stare across at her from the Lauderdale show docks.

I first saw La Maison in the early 2000’s, when she was newly built for Blockbuster’s founder. She immediately brought to mind that great line from The Great Gatsby:

“If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay. You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.”

If you would like to meet me at our HQ, that is exceedingly easy to arrange. Just give me a call and we can head over by J Craft or by car.  Hard to resist, no?

And for your private viewing of our J Craft at the show, just schedule your time with me here:

 

As for the latest J Craft news, I have some good times here for you. Check this out:

• Our new website, with a way-cool video intro.

 

• The latest review, in the October edition of Boats International:

 

• And let us not forget Sounding Magazine’s contribution to our oeuvre…

 

• And lastly, for the audio portion of tonight’s entertainment, check out this fascinating Power and Motoryacht podcast that covers J Craft from bow to stern:

 

So that there is your Fort Lauderdale report, loyal peoples. Clearly, lots to think about, enjoy, and most of all, to SCHEDULE!

But until I see you again, I’d like to leave with this: Looking around the world this week, clearly these are grim times. “Times that try men’s souls,” as Thomas Paine once observed during wartime. I offer up against this tide a small bit of hope from my younger days, with its message of let’s “keep on keeping on.”

 

See ya.

dave