Kudos ISSUE NO 18

QUEST

T H E Q U E S T S E R V I C E D A PA R T M E N T S M A G A Z I N E – YO U R S T O K E E P

PLUS: SUPER YACHTS, COOKING, TRAVEL & AUTO

TWEET YOUR

TWITTERSERIOUSLY

Unusual ideas that

worked

They said we were

HOW TO Jump start

YOUR BUSINESS

crazy

28 Quest Kudos Quest Kudos 29

SAILOR!HelloMoney, power, prestige – whatever floats your boat. Journalistand closet ship-spotter RODERICK EIME lifts the lid on someopulent vessels to see who’s at the helm.

L E I SU R E

There are boats and there are superyachts. When you

turn up in your multi-million dollar cruiser, you have

certainly arrived. But who are the folks behind these

grand expressions of success and wealth? Often their

owners are surprisingly

shy, choosing the wings

instead of the limelight,

while others are more than

happy to put it all out there.

With the three water jet propulsion units squirting her

along, ten guests can relax in superyacht comfort with the

doting owner, rags-to-riches John Staluppi, who launched

the first Honda dealerships in the USA and now owns

Millennium Super Yachts in Florida. Named after, you

guessed it, the James Bond movie, Staluppi no doubt

thought it summed him up perfectly.

AUSSIE ADVENTURERAustralia’s most colourful media mogul, gambler and polo

player, the late Kerry Packer, took delivery of the 1969-

built former ocean-going, ice-strengthened tug Arctic P in

1995 and refitted it for private expeditions under the

direction of naval architect Claus Kusch. Certainly not the

most glamorous vessel on the seas, this utilitarian

superyacht nevertheless features among the world’s top

50, based on size (87.6m) and 2600 GT. Of course, there’s

room for your helicopter and 12 guests.

TRUE BLUE BEWDIESNot to be outdone, Australia is also manufacturing sea-

going toys for both our own rich list and export. Western

Australian custom aluminium boatbuilders Hanseatic

Marine proudly constructed two magnificent 73.3m

masterpieces in 2007 and 2009. MY Silver and MY SilverZwei were designed by Espen Øino to strict environmental

standards and with slender lines and sleek profile, they

depart the ‘higher and wider’ trend seen in so many

modern yacht designs.

The younger sister, by the way, is up for sale by her

owner, German energy and technology billionaire and

founder of Hanseatic Marine Guido Krass, who is asking a

cool US$85 million for this world Top 100-listed craft.

Krass uses Hanseatic as much as a showcase for his

technological prowess as a factory for playthings. His next

project, just hull #4 for now, is what he calls a “crossover

vessel”, sort of like an SUV with both pleasure and

commercial applications.

WHAT MAKES ITA SUPERYACHT?

QUICK GETAWAYTopping the timesheets for

the world’s fastest

superyacht is the 42.4m

Dutch-built, Frank Mulder

designed World Is NotEnough. At 70 knots, this2004 vintage vessel is the

only such boat to have

reached the magic mark

thanks to its two 4000kW

Paxman 18VP185 diesels

and twin Lycoming TF 40

jet turbines kicking out over 20,000 old-fashioned

horsepower. Fuel consumption doesn’t bear thinking

about, but at least 2000 litres an hour is believable.

The term ‘superyacht’ hasonly been with us for adecade or so and is used todescribe the super luxurypower or sailing boatsowned by the world’s richelite. As such, the truedescription of a superyachtis a developing measurebut generally agreed to befrom around 50m, withpermanent crew, at leastthree decks and with fouror five cabinsaccommodating ten ormore guests.

More recently, the termsmegayacht and gigayachthave appeared to describethe massive private vesselsthat transcend the meresuperyacht. These typicallymeasure at least 100m andcome equipped withhangar space forhelicopters, swimmingpools and five or moredecks.

Above: ‘World is Not Enough’ in full flight. Main photo: The Australian made ‘Silver Zwei’. Right: ‘Artic P’ bought by Kerry Packer in 1969.

30 Quest Kudos Quest Kudos 31

L E I SU R E

STRANGEST THING AFLOATWhile certainly not the largest and most expensive

waterborne palace, Asean Lady ranks #37 in theinternational list of superyachts and made this list

because of its bizarre design. Owned by Singaporean

entrepreneur Brian Chang, the vessel was built in his own

Yantai Raffles Shipyard, with the interior designed by his

wife Annie, who made use of traditional Chinese art,

designs and woodwork.

The main hull is a ‘proa’ or outrigger style with a smaller

hull for stability – which seemed to work well enough

when she was moored off Phuket during the 2004

tsunami. Asean Lady has an impressive range of

10,000nm at 12 knots and 20 guests can be

accommodated. Visitors to Singapore will often see her

tied up at Raffles marina.

GOLDEN OLDIENot all the world’s fleet is made up of hi-tech carbon fibre

and aluminium superyachts. Several of the most

prominent privately owned vessels are glorious heirlooms,

lovingly cared for and tended to by owners who don’t

worry how much it costs to keep them seaworthy.

Designed by US naval architects Gibbs & Cox in 1931 and

built by Blohm + Voss for American heiress Emily

Roebling Cadwallader, the sublime MY Savarona is still

one of the most beautiful vessels anywhere despite her

age. Costing US$4 million at the time ($57m today), she

was acquired by the Turkish government in 1938 as a

state yacht for the ailing leader Mustafa Atatürk. After his

death just six weeks later, it passed to the navy which

neglected her rather badly and in October 1979 she was

gutted by fire. Rescued from an ignominious demise by

wealthy Turkish businessman Kahraman Sadıkoğlu in

1989, she underwent a $35 million refit which included

the replacement of her original steam engines. At 124m,

she is still in the world’s top 10 largest private yachts.

BIG, BRASH ANDEXPENSIVEThe prize for biggest and most

ostentatious certainly goes to

Chelsea Football Club owner

and Russian squillionaire

Roman Abramovich. The

largest vessel in his fleet,

Eclipse, does just that withevery other private vessel on

the planet. With a personal

fortune of over US$13 billion

according to Forbes Magazine,

a US$500 million plaything is no impediment. Built under

great secrecy in 2010 by in-demand German shipyard Blohm +

Voss, Eclipse weighs in at 13,000 Gross Tons (GT) and

stretches out to 163.5 metres. The high security vessel has

bulletproof glass, intruder alarms and motion scanners as well

as two helicopter pads, 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools,

mandatory hot tubs and disco. Three tenders and a miniature

submarine are among the fun accessories, while 70 full time

crew members are required to maintain and operate the ship.

JUST PLAIN WEIRDResembling a nuclear submarine with its aggressive axe bow,

the 119m radically designed A was built from a whimsical

sketch by Philippe Starck and converted into a functioning

vessel by technical designer Martin Francis under the

codename Project Sigma. Owner, Russian under-40 billionaireAndrey Melnichenko, took delivery of A in 2008 after

construction at Blohm + Voss.

There’s room for 14 guests in predictably over-the-top

penthouse-style luxury while A ambles along at just under 20

knots with a crew of 37 to mind her. Two magnificent 10m NZ

custom built tenders do the short-haul work. �

FULLY RIGGED WONDERQuite possibly the most advanced and stunning private

sailing ship on the world’s oceans is the 88m MalteseFalcon. She set the yachting world abuzz when launchedin 2006, mainly due to her superior design and

advanced sail mechanism which includes a pioneering

rig comprised of three unstayed carbon fibre masts with

yards fixed to rotating masts. All of this is monitored by

a sophisticated computer system using optical fibre

strain sensors as part of the DynaRig installation.

Maltese Falcon was commissioned by ageing American

venture capitalist Tom Perkins and constructed in the

Italian shipyard of Perini Navi in Viareggio, using

composite (carbon fibre) materials. The vessel cost

somewhere between US$150 and US$300 million to

complete and was sold by workaholic Perkins in 2009

to Greek-born hedge-fund manager Elena Ambrosiadou

for a reported 60 million UK pounds, just under

US$100 million.

For fun, it carries two 10m Pascoe rigid inflatable

tenders (with water skis), four Laser sailing boats and a

6m Castoldi tender. The yacht once had a mini-

submarine but Perkins is keeping that.

Clockwise from left: ‘Project Sigma’ or ‘A’ has futuristicsubmarine qualities, while luxurious ‘Eclipse’ commands astaff of 70 and the majestic ‘Savarona’ was built in 1931.

Above: The 88m ‘Maltese Falcon’is certainly a head turner.Right: The ‘Asean Lady’ turnsheads for her unique design.

Quest Kudos 33

There are some things that should never be discussed at dinner

parties – politics, religion and four wheel drives.

One sets brother against brother and turns normally meek, law-

abiding citizens into brawling, foul-mouthed hooligans - the others

might make you want to vote for the Greens and join a monastery.

As a pre-pubescent car-spotter – and we’re talking 1960s here – I

recall all 4WDs were Series I or II Land Rovers driven by sun-

ripened blokes with full beards and crinkled khaki shirts. Now they

are driven by primary school mums, urban entrepreneurs and even

nanna, complete with bull-bar, high power ‘spotties’ and snorkel.

Why? Tom Elliott, former Honda North American Executive Vice

President, suggested that folks who buy 4WDs for urban commuting

instead of minivans prefer image over functionality.

It’s true. What began as a utilitarian workhorse with buckboard

comfort for farmers and men-on-the-land has somehow evolved into

a plush, kid leather-lined, all-terrain luxury cocoon with Mack truck

hauling power and TARDIS-like navigational ability. Even the largest

“full size” 4WDs have multi-airbag safety systems, crumple zone

monocoque construction and even proximity warning devices. Yet

one side of the debate labels them “urban assault vehicles”,

especially lethal when pitted against pedestrians.

4WD DEBATEThe Great

Dinosaur of the road or trusted workhorse? Suitable for outback driving … or inner-city motoring.

RODERICK EIME wades into the discussion about the merits of four wheel drive vehicles.

AUTOMOT IVE

“4WDs have a higher centre-of-gravity but, thanks to improved technology, they nolonger feel like trucks to drive. This car-like feel can lull a driver into a false sense ofsecurity and it’s common for 4WDs to tip over when the driver inadvertently takesthe vehicle out of its equilibrium zone.[ ]

34 Quest Kudos Quest Kudos 35

Shock jocks, environmentalists and the car industry seem

locked in a perennial debate, invectives flying back and

forth. But is there an unemotional explanation to this

often overheated argument about whether the 4WD is

suited to city driving?

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, popular scientist and debunker, says:

“4WDs have a higher centre-of-gravity but, thanks to

improved technology, they no longer feel like trucks to

drive. This car-like feel can lull a driver into a false sense

of security and it’s common for 4WDs to tip over when the

driver inadvertently takes the vehicle out of its equilibrium

zone. In 2004, The US National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration put 4WDs through rollover tests and found

them more likely to tip over than regular cars.”

This predicament was vividly illustrated in the Ford

Explorer/Firestone debacle in the US at the turn of the

century.

Keith Bradsher of the New York Times and author of “High

and Mighty: SUVs – The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles

and How They Got That Way” looks at the drivers as well

as the machines. He says: “A growing body of research by

automakers is finding that buyers of these two kinds of

vehicles are very different psychologically. Sport utility

(4WD) buyers tend to be more restless, more sybaritic

(indulgent), less social people who are “self-oriented”, to

use the automakers' words, and who have strong conscious

or subconscious fears of crime. Minivan buyers tend to be

more self-confident and more “other-oriented” – more

involved with family, friends and their communities.”

Along with Bradsher is the US-based “Detroit Project”,

whose goal, said co-founder Lawrence Bender, a movie

producer whose credits include “Pulp Fiction” and “Good

Will Hunting, “is not to demonise people who drive SUVs,

rather, we want to point out how our driving habits at

home are fuelling oil money to Saudi Arabia.”

John Cadogan, editor of the not-for-profit e-newsletter,

Crash Prevention News, offers some balance to the debate:

“I'm not an apologist for 4WDs, but in my view the so-

called 4WD 'issue' is not one that relates directly to road

safety. There are other 4WD issues, however; 4WDs and

their capacity for profligate energy consumption are quite

anti-social in this climate of peak oil production and global

warming, for example. Safety is often used to

inappropriately prosecute 4WD hatred.”

The respected Monash University Accident Research

Centre (MUARC), recent report states: “Despite their

established high aggressivity, 4WDs appear to impose

relatively low injury risk overall to their own occupants, to

other road users and occupants of other vehicles per year

of exposure on the road and adjusted for distance driven.”

To clarify, the term “aggressivity” used in the context

above refers to “how badly the vehicle is likely to harm

other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, in a

crash.” It is an empirical term, not an emotive one.

Some points to note:

Fact: 4WDs are prone to rollover, especially in

inexperienced hands.

Fact: 4WD occupants are safer in a collision, but not

in a rollover.

Fact: Big 4WDs are fuel inefficient.

Fact: Big 4WDs are dangerous to other road users in a

collision

Fact: Smaller 4WDs are increasing in popularity and

decreasing in accident statistics

Conclusion (MUARC): There does not appear to be a major

road safety problem emerging from the burgeoning 4WD

fleet for reasons apparently related to the way 4WDs are

being used and by whom they are driven.

What does emerge is that drivers who own high

aggressivity vehicles are prone to drive them

inconsiderately and selfishly. A case of “never mind the

dog, beware of the owner!”

A comprehensive Victorian Government report into road

rage agrees. “There are actually two elements underlying

this argument. Firstly, it is contended that those who feel

a sense of power due to the nature of the car are more

likely to become angered or frustrated by those who ‘get

in their way’. Secondly, the power of the car may

contribute to the likelihood that the driver will react

violently, due to the feelings of invincibility and protection

the car may offer, as well as the capacity to quickly flee

the scene.”

The same report contends that drivers of 4WDs can be

unfairly demonised simply by driving them. “This will

especially be the case if pejorative views held about

certain vehicles come to be associated with the driver of

such vehicles,” the report states.

Allan Pease, known to TV viewers as “Mr Body Language”

and a best-selling author on the subject, laughs aloud

when asked about drivers of 4WDs. “It’s just like a fancy

dress party. When you dress up as a policeman, a clown

or as 007, you take on that persona – you act the part. Get

behind the wheel of a big, nasty 4WD and the same thing

happens, you become invincible!”

Back to the oil issue - and the growing trend among the

high-profile glitterati to stow gas guzzlers and be seen in

their environmentally responsible Toyota Prius and Lexus

Hybrid. Suddenly the once macho Hummer H2, Dodge

Ram and Chevy Suburban are image liabilities.

Enter the Premium Compact 4WD.

In an attempt to assuage the concerns of an apparently

eco-conscious market, the motoring industry is witnessing

the birth of a new genre of motor vehicle: the Premium

Compact SUV.

Some buyers are arriving at dealers with more money and

higher expectations but are also sensitive to outdated,

carbon-belching, grandiose expressions of status.

Consequently, top-shelf manufacturers are finding ways of

packing high end accoutrements into smaller vehicles, in

particular the 4WD.

Factor in the GFC, sensitivity on reliance to Middle East

oil and tsunami-affected production in Japan and you have

a market in flux – to say the least. But, flying in the face

of what one might predict, gas-guzzling V8 4WD sales are

booming. Toyota’s famous LandCruiser topped 750,000

all-time unit sales in Australia last year and the trend is

still upward.

So, as your hostess prepares dessert, how will you

conclude the evening’s discourse? Good friends can agree

to disagree, so this writer’s advice: stay friends! �

AUTOMOT IVE

In an attempt to assuage the concerns of an apparently eco-conscious market, the motoring industry is witnessing the birthof a new genre of motor vehicle: the Premium Compact SUV. [ ]