The 'Silencio' treatment

After moving away from motoryachts with the purchase of his first sailing yacht, a 50m Perini Navi, the owner of Silencio - let's call him Mr S - is currently enjoying a round-the-world voyage from a sailor’s perspective. Finding a home from home in New Zealand, Mr S sits down with The Crew Report on board during the New Zealand Millennium Cup to talk about how his ownership experience has evolved with regards to crew since crossing the motor versus sail divide.


“Compared with a motoryacht, life with my kids on board a sailing boat is very different and I think it has changed the way I use my time off,” says Mr S, reflecting on his move away from owning a long line of motoryachts. “Everything just flows on a sailing yacht; they are elegant, smart and far from being ostentatious.”

But this is not the only quality of sailing yachts that Mr S has discovered since his Silencio journey began, and attributes most of the change to his crew. “Even the crewmembers on board sailing yachts are different,” he says. “The crew take care of the boat, they love the boat, they love the sea and on Silencio the crew are happy because we are doing a lot of racing. I do not feel like my crew are just waiting for the next boat; on a sailing yacht it’s like a family and that is what I enjoy.”

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Being an experienced owner, Mr S recognises the value of nurturing his crew and giving them opportunities to progress. “In terms of average age, I think I probably have the youngest crew ever on a yacht,” he laughs. “The current captain is under 35 years old and was the first mate when the ex-captain decided to leave and I gave him the opportunity to become captain. I think it is important to give crew the chance to climb the ranks and to progress with their careers. I support their studies in the UK so that they can go further than their expectations."

Mr S considers this ethos to be absolutely integral to the running and success of Silencio and says that it has enhanced his ownership experience considerably. “If you have a happy crew, you will have the best moments ever on board,” he asserts. “My family love the crew and all our charterers come back because they love the crew. I don’t want to keep my crew, I will keep them, whatever happens. And they haven’t moved since the beginning, which means that they are happy.”

A full interview with the owner of Silencio can be found in issue 16 of The Superyacht Owner magazine, which can be downloaded by suscribers here.

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