A LARGE OWNERS’ GROUP throughout Asia allows sailors to rendezvous through the Lagoon Escapades - friendly regattas held around the world including Hong Kong and the Philippines.
A LARGE OWNERS’ GROUP throughout Asia allows sailors to rendezvous through the Lagoon Escapades - friendly regattas held around the world including Hong Kong and the Philippines.
Reflecting the fact that 25 percent of large Lagoons have been sold to Asia during the last 10 years, there are impressive numbers throughout the region. There are 12 Lagoon 620s in Sanya Marina in China’s Hainan Island, eight in Malaysia and 15 in the Philippines.
Lagoon boss Yann Masselot has 20 years’ experience of the Bordeaux- based yard, so has been delighted to watch the sales in Asia grow.
“At Asian boat shows when we used to have a monohull next to our Lagoon, people would finish their tour of the monohull and come aboard our boat then ask the question: ‘What is the monohull for?’ Just because it had so little space compared to the Lagoon,” Masselot explained.
He said that the large Asian owners’ group was a major driver in creating the new Seventy 7, as many of these sailors now wanted to move up to a larger vessel.
The owner of our review boat has a group of friends in the Philippines who have large Lagoons and they enjoy cruising this vast archipelago. Being self-sufficient while also enjoying entertaining at whatever port or anchorage they find themselves is important to them, explained Thibaut de Montvalon, Asia Director of Beneteau Group Asia Pacific.
“Access to fuel is limited in regions of the Philippines so a major attraction of the Seventy 7 is the ability to sail and not worry about fuel. Operating the Seventy 7 also requires only a small crew – a skipper, deckhand and maybe a hostess – so this adds to the simplicity of this style of yacht, over say a 100ft monohull which has the same facilities,” De Montvalon said.
“The other major attraction that brought the Philippine owner to the Seventy 7 is the inherent stability of a large catamaran, as it doesn’t tip up or roll at an anchorage, unlike a monohull. Also, it doesn’t require a deep keel, so allowing it to enter relatively shallow waterways.”
