Asia Boating Awards
For the first time in the Asia Boating Awards‘ six-year history, the lavish ceremony was held in Hong Kong, at the Gold Coast Yacht and Country Club’s terrace on May 8. The event coincided with the Hong Kong Gold Coast Boat Show, and was one of the highlights of the three-day show.
The first award of the night, for Best Asian Motor Yacht Builder (81 feet and up), went to Hong Kong-based superyacht builder Kingship, whose production facilities are in Zhongshan. Kingship founder and CEO Roger Liang, a native Hong Kong yacht builder who made waves at the last Monaco Yacht Show with his 138-foot Green Voyager superyacht design, collected the award in person.
In later segments of the ceremony, which featured fashion and dance displays, dual recognitions went to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The Club’s commodore, Mr. Warwick Downes, was on-hand to accept the award for Asian Yacht Club of the Year, and to accept honours on behalf of the Club for staging the 2010 Rolex China Sea Race, which was voted Asian Regatta of the Year by a panel of 19 judges. Many of the judges agreed that the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club had to be recognised for its prominent role in helping to bring the Louis Vuitton Trophy Series to Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour . Mike Simpson, a long-time Hong Kong resident and one of the pioneers of yachting in Asia, made several trips to the awards stage. Simpson collected the award for Yacht Designer in Asia of the Year, which was bestowed to Bill Dixon, who has worked in Asia from his UK base for 25 years. Simpson, who once owned a Taiwanese-built, Dixon-designed sailing yacht, had been personally selected by Dixon to accept the award on his behalf. Simpson himself was given recognition for his life-long work in the region with a specially prepared Honorary Industry Achievement Award.
Other notable wins from around the region included Phuket, Thailand, which won the hotly contested Asian Maritime Capital of the Year. The Marina at Keppel Bay in Singapore was voted as Best Asian Marina of the Year, while Sunsail was again judged as Best Asian Charter Company. In new categories added to the event to reflect the growing size and complexity of superyachts, Oceanco’s Vibrant Curiousity was awarded Best Custom Built Yacht (150 feet and up) and Benetti’s Silver Angel was given Best Semi Custom Built Yacht. A complete winner’s list can be found on Asia Boating Awards’ website.