It is hard to believe that it is that time of the year again...
2009 started off being a particular difficult year for most regardless of the industry, but as the year has progressed we have certainly been encouraged by the increase in enquires and sales. On the production front we have been kept busy this year and have recently just completed and launched two new Admiral 40’s and we are fortunate enough to have a relatively full order book for 2010. The end of the year had us racing to launch two boats in December with Cape Towns ongoing road construction placing heavy restrictions on the transportation of abnormal loads.
Goodbye Kaisosi
Terry and Annette have eagerly awaited the launch of their new home and were in Cape Town last week to celebrate the launch of “Kaisosi”. Annettes’ keen eye for design has lead to a fresh and modern looking interior. European styling , coupled with the dark wood interior, contrasting stainless steel fittings and white modules makes for a bright modern finish that I am sure will provide much inspiration for future owners. For those of you wondering what “Kaisosi” means, it’s the name of a region in Okavango in Namibia, which is very close to Terry & Annettes heart, pictures are available to view here. We wish Terry and Annette fair winds and happy sailing as they set off on a permanent world cruise in 2010.
Farewell Banderal...
Two Italian brothers, Alfonso and Andrea, flew in from Milan to witness the launch of their new 40ft “Banderal” – meaning “Naughty Boy”. They will be spending some time in sunny South Africa before sailing back to Italy. The impending Soccer World Cup has seen Cape Towns roads reduced to chaos with a mad rush to have all the new roads completed in time, resulting in the Banderal being stuck in a traffic jam. A definite first for an Admiral 40ft!
Roll on Miami
The 2010 Miami Boat Show is taking place between the 11th and 15th February 2010 with the venue being moved from Miamarina at Bayside to the Seal Island Marina due to the reduced number of exhibitors. Keep and eye on our website for details of Admiral's new site. As always, we look forward to you visiting us at the show, so get in touch and email david@admiralyachts.co.za and we will book a test sail for you either before or after the show.
A Great Team Effort...
Our Christmas Celebrations are taking place this week and will be a well deserved treat for the hardworking Admiral team. Without spoiling the surprise on the annual staff awards, special mention needs to go to our two bursary students Evon Josephs and Jonathan Swarts.
Admiral Powers up to Christmas
Our Admiral Power Boat division has been growing in stature daily and we have been inundated with enquires and late orders right up until our Christmas break. Export deals are up with sales into Central Africa and neighbouring countries being prevalent. Next year we intend expanding our range of models on offer which will allow us to capture a broader client base and further increase our sales.
New News in Madagascar
Our Admiral Charter operation has become increasing popular seeing that the last quarter of this year completely booked out until the end of January, with further bookings well into 2010 and the June school holidays already fully booked. Be sure to keep an eye out for our January newsletter, where we will share some exciting news regarding Admirals expansion into Madagascar. To wet your appetite .…….“Nestled on the North Shore of Lemur Island with its own private white sandy beach and boat dock, lies Admirals Cove Retreat. A magnificently built 5 star Lodge surrounded by lush vegetation and incredible views. Natural mountain streams boarder the estate and flow gently past the lodge on their way to the meet the warm ocean below......” More about this in January …...
Admiral Defence
With the ever increasing threat to commercial shipping and leisure boating worldwide Admiral has developed, designed and formulated defence strategies for a number of large oil and gas companies. In addition to this we are currently negotiating contracts to manufacture inshore patrol boats for a number of West & East African countries as well as countries in and around the Arabian Gulf. Admirals’ expansion into the commercial marine industrial is viewed as an extension of our current manufacturing capabilities. New boat designs have also been added, the full range of which will be available on the Admiral Defence website shortly
Admiral Finance
Admiral will be incorporating a number of new products and services next year and we look forward to introducing you to our new finance team.
All that remains is to wish everyone the best for the festive season and ‘Happy and Safe Sailing’ to our Admiral Family where ever you might be on this fragile planet of ours. We sincerely hope that you and your families have a well deserved rest and have a healthy and prosperous 2010.
Best Regards
