Monday 13th August 2012

"While we are still in shock from the fire we are also moving forward quickly to determine the full extent of the damage, which we believe to be extensive. It is a process that we are informed might take several weeks, and we are committed to concluding this investigation as quickly as possible. It is simply too soon yet to advance any prediction of whether our extraordinary project is salvageable."

"Big Fish, which has cruised 60,000nm since her launch two years ago, and which has proved herself among the industry's most successful charter yachts, remains as our flagship and living proof of the Aquos Yachts vision and philosophy."

Richard Beattie, Chairman of Aquos Yachts

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Jim Gilbert
jim.gilbert1@gmail.com
(954) 770 9624

Friday 16th March 2012

Big Fish is available for charter in French Polynesia from April through to the end of August. For all charter enquiries please contact Y.CO or your personal charter broker.

Tuesday 7th February 2012

Big Fish will be available for charter in French Polynesia from April through to the end of August. For all charter enquiries please contact Y.CO or your personal charter broker.

Sunday 29th January 2012

Big Fish Medic Alex Arnott is pictured here having just landed the largest of the catch. The Wahoo is a particularly prized specimen and is highly regarded by many gourmet chefs. Suffice to say, the guests on board Big Fish this week will be enjoying some fabulous ocean fayre!

Thursday 22nd December 2011

With an incredible 18 months of global cruising now under her keel, Big Fish's maiden voyage has been widely acknowledged in the industry as one of the most ambitious ever undertaken. Her hectic charter schedule throughout this period is testimony to the skill and commitment of the entire Big Fish crew, under the unstinting command of Captain Winston Joyce-Clarke.

As we begin 2012, it's an incredibly exciting year for Aquos Yachts.

An already busy charter calendar sees Big Fish depart the Caribbean in early February, bound for French Polynesia where her epic maiden voyage began in July 2010. Furthermore, Aquos Yachts' second boat - Star Fish - moves into her next phase of construction, with a target launch date of March 2013.
Here's to an adventure-filled 2012!

Richard Beattie
Chairman - Aquos Yachts

Wednesday 2nd November 2011

The first of Big Fish's new honors was presented Tuesday evening, Oct. 25th at the ShowBoats International Design Awards ceremony, held at the glamorous Mar A Lago resort in Palm Beach. Big Fish was presented with a Neptune Award for Best Naval Architecture of all 2010-launched motor yachts. The ShowBoats Design Awards is the longest-running awards program in the luxury yacht industry. These awards are judged by a select panel of industry experts and yacht owners based on a list of nominees presented to the judges by the editors of ShowBoats International.

The second award was presented at the annual International Superyacht Society gala Oct. 28th at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort. Big Fish took top honors for the Best Full Displacement motor yacht in the 40 to 60 meter size range. The SuperYacht Awards are selected by a panel of industry experts, and then are voted on by the entire membership of the Society.

In both prizes, Big Fish beat out a large number of other worthy contenders launched last year at many of the industry's premier yacht builders.

In addition to the ShowBoats International and the International Superyacht Society awards, Big Fish has been honored by Boat International with a Judge's Commendation at their World Superyacht Awards, and by both Yachts International France and by Asia Pacific Yachting magazines as The Most Innovative Yacht launched in the past year.

"We are thrilled by the reception and recognition of Big Fish by the yachting industry," said Richard Beattie, owner of Big Fish, and chairman of Aquos Yachts, which commissioned the yacht's construction at McMullen & Wing Shipyard in Auckland, New Zealand. "These honors, voted on by the leading lights of the super yacht industry, underscore the success of the Aquos Yachts vision, to produce rugged, seaworthy yachts that also offer the very highest standards of contemporary design and technological innovation, while at the same time providing the extraordinary comfort, service, safety and security that today\'s yacht owners demand from their boats."

Beattie added, "These awards truly reflect the efforts and talents of the entire Aquos Yachts team. It's one thing to say you're going to design and build a world-class luxury expedition yacht, and it's another thing entirely to deliver on that claim. These awards prove not only that we captured the imagination of the industry with the vision behind Big Fish, but we delivered on that vision by successfully completing the longest, most difficult shakedown cruise in the history of luxury yachting."

Only 15 months after her launch, Big Fish is now on her second trans-Atlantic crossing and nearing 45,000nm on her own bottom. On her maiden voyage she crossed the Pacific Ocean, transited the Panama Canal twice, chartered in Antarctica, and cruised extensively in Tahiti, the Galapagos, the Amazon, northern Sweden and Norway, and the Caribbean. In the process she has booked more than $2.5M in charter income in addition to entertaining Beattie and his guests for another 7 weeks.

Jim Gilbert, Aquos Yachts' marketing consultant and former editor-in-chief of ShowBoats International, said Big Fish has played a key role in the current economic revival of the yachting industry. "We first began promoting Big Fish and Aquos Yachts at the very bottom of the recession," Gilbert said. "The fact that Richard Beattie was willing to invest in developing an important emerging market niche - yachts aimed at a younger, less traditional, and tech-savvy generation of owners - helped stimulate the market and spur interest in new ways to enjoy the ocean.

"As a lifelong student of yachting, I have never witnessed a more ambitious and successful inaugural cruise than that of Big Fish. She was a household name before she launched, and now with her extraordinary media coverage and design honors she has become one of the true legends of yachting."

AWARDS

Yachts France - Most Innovative Motor Yacht of 2010
Asia Boating Awards - Most Innovative Yacht Design of 2010
World Superyacht Awards - Best Displacement Motor Yacht Under 500grt, Judges' Special Commendation
ShowBoats International Design Awards - Best Naval Architecture of 2010
International SuperYacht Society - Best Motor Yacht of 2010 40 - 65M

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For more information please visit: aquosyachts.com

Tuesday 1st November 2011

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Monday 4th July 2011

Ahead of her visit to London in early September en route to the Med for the Monaco show, Big Fish is spending the early Summer months cruising the Baltics.

Another hectic schedule of bookings confirms Big Fish as the boat to charter this season.

Big Fish will remain in Northern Europe until she heads south for her debut at MYS in late September. An exciting show is guaranteed for Aquos Yachts and Big Fish's broker YCO expect Big Fish to be a star attraction.

Monday 4th July 2011

Gotland is the largest of the Baltic islands and one the richest historical regions in Sweden, housing approximately 100 medieval churches and countless sites.

Visby, a medieval town, was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Cobble stoned streets, ivy grown walls and potted flowers abound, the original 13th century wall, surrounding the old city, mostly intact.

Visby's streets are immaculate, with no litter in sight and perfectly trimmed gardens and hedges. 

Big Fish's berth was equally pristine. The marina, run by a delightful young lady, is neat and quaint, fitting in perfectly with the feel of the town. Big Fish dwarfed the sail boats docked alongside.

Visby is, all in all, a breathtaking destination and one which provided Big Fish's charter guests with some fascinating Scandinavian history.

Monday 4th July 2011

As Big Fish arrived in Stockholm to begin her first 10-day charter in Scandinavia, she docked in Nibroviken alongside a bustling street. Berthed just across from the Vasa Museum, Big Fish's muscular expedition styling turned heads and she quickly became focus of attention herself. More at home in Antarctica and the Galapagos, Big Fish soon settled in to her latest cruising area, and every day brought something new and wonderful to experience. Pictured left are Captain Winston Joyce-Clarke and Purser Jordan McDonough, awe-struck by the beauty of the Stockholm vistas. 

Monday 4th July 2011

During the Atlantic passage to Northern Europe for the next leg of Big Fish's epic maiden voyage, the crew regularly caught fabulous fish to the delight of Executive Chef Jon Tubby. On this particular occasion - caught on camera by Deckie Kim Bernard - the spectacular catch was a magnificent 200kg Blue Marlin! The adrenalin was coursing through the veins as the 2 metre beauty was landed on the aft swim platform. A quick snap and the Marlin was carefully released back into the blue.

Monday 4th July 2011

Great city - check. Great boat - check. Great crew - check. Great friends - check. When Captain Winston Joyce-Clarke moored Big Fish in the shadow of Sugar Loaf Mountain for Rio Carnival 2011, the stage was set for the party of a lifetime. And Rio didn't disappoint. The owner invited close friends and family to join him for birthday celebrations in the world's ultimate party town. Big Fish staged an incredible party on the eve of 'Carnival' where some of Rio's most sought after Samba dancers and DJs performed long into the night. The next few days experiencing the sights and sounds of Rio in full swing will be treasured by guests and crew alike.

Friday 13th May 2011

First Launch from Aquos Yachts is Honored by Leading Yachting Media in London & Hong Kong

Big Fish, the world's first true luxury expedition yacht, was honored last week on successive nights in Hong Kong and London for its unique design, construction and approach to luxury expedition yachting.

The first award, as the Most Innovative Motor Yacht launched in 2010, was presented at the Hong Kong Gold Coast Boat Show at the Gold Coast Marina. The awards, which have been awarded annually since 2005, honor the best yachts and yacht industry companies in the Asian Pacific region. Big Fish, a steel hull-aluminum superstructure 45M yacht, was delivered last June by Aquos Yachts in Auckland, New Zealand from its birth yard McMullen & Wing Shipyard. The award was presented to Richard Beattie of Hong Kong, Big Fish's owner and chairman of Aquos Yachts, who was accompanied by his son, Ken, also of Hong Kong. Ryan Swift, editor of Asian-Pacific Boating, organizer of the Asia Pacific Awards program, presented the award.

The following evening, Richard Beattie and members of the Aquos Yachts team, were gathered at the famous Guildhall in London for the annual presentation of the World Superyacht Awards by Boat International magazine. Attending with Beattie were Greg Marshall and Gordon Galbraith of Gregory C. Marshall Naval Architects of Victoria, BC, and Rob Chappelhow, Aquos Yachts creative director, of London. Big Fish was presented with a Special Judges Commendation award in her category of Best Motor Yacht under 500 gross registered tons.

"We were thrilled to receive both these awards in less than the space of 24 hours," Beattie said. "They demonstrate a keen awareness and appreciation within the luxury yacht industry for the quality and approach to the market taken by Aquos Yachts, as exemplified by our first creation, Big Fish." Beattie added, "We are especially appreciative of the recognition by the Boat International judging panel given the intense competition in our judging category. Just to be considered in the same ranks as a company like Picchiotti Perini Navi Group, among the most respected and recognized brands in the yachting world, is a distinct honor. We heartily congratulate them on the naming of Exuma as the winner of the Neptune Award."

These honors are added to previous recognition of Big Fish by YACHTS France, which honored the vessel last Fall at the magazine's annual awards ceremony in Cannes during the Cannes Yacht Show.

Beattie said the three awards - coupled with the extraordinary reception given Big Fish by the world yachting media since its launch 10 months ago - is especially heartening. "Big Fish and Aquos Yachts are being recognized for the qualities we have strived most to achieve the highest possible level of design and construction quality, coupled with a truly contemporary vision for luxury expedition yachting, which we believe is what the next generation of major yacht owners are demanding from the yacht industry. In less than a year, Aquos Yachts has come from nowhere to become one of the most highly visible and appreciated names in luxury yacht design and construction. We couldn't be more thrilled and proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time."

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For More Information Please Contact:

Jim Gilbert
954 770 9624
jim@aquosyachts.com

Tuesday 3rd May 2011

Since her launch last July, Big Fish has logged more than 28,000nm including visits to Tahiti, the Galapagos, the Antarctic and Amazon

Next stops: Sweden, Baltic, London, St. Petersburg, the Arctic Circle

Proves the market acceptance of luxury adventure chartering & yachting:
Ten-plus weeks of charter and eight weeks of owner usage in remote areas

Will visit Monaco Yacht Show this September; will forego the Northeast Passage

By the time M/Y Big Fish picks up her first summer charter this June in Sweden, she will have logged more than 35,000nm, the equivalent of 1.5 times the distance around the world at the Equator. All this in 10 months since her delivery last July in Auckland, New Zealand.

The yacht is currently in Miami enjoying her first haul-out and bottom painting since leaving Auckland. On May 2 she will depart Jones Boat Yard on the Miami River and move to Fort Lauderdale for refit and warranty work. Big Fish will be open for viewing by press and brokers May 21-23 at the Sails Marina in Fort Lauderdale.

"It's just amazing," says the yacht's skipper, Capt. Winston Joyce Clarke. "Except for a minor nick in a propeller, which we probably got from a submerged log in the mouth of the Amazon, the bottom of Big Fish is in perfect condition. This, despite being in the ice for four weeks, and logging more than 28,000 nautical miles!"

With more than 100 days of use between charters and owner visits, Big Fish was ready for some regular refit and maintenance work. "We are really pleased with the performance of the boat," he said. "Not once since we took delivery have we missed a charter or owner date, or been delayed in any way by mechanical problems."

In addition to its stellar mechanical performance, Capt. Clarke said the boat proved its fuel-efficiency, as well. On its run north to S. Florida from its last stop in Barbados, Capt. Clarke said the boat sipped fuel at the rate of 35 gallons an hour running 9.5 knots in typical beam trade-winds.

Big Fish's charter listing agent, Allan Jouning of 37South in Auckland, NZ, said he is very pleased with the overwhelming success achieved by the boat in the charter market. "From the start we anticipated there would be a strong demand, despite the weak existing charter market, for a boat that could offer both true luxury AND adventure cruising in remote destinations. Not only have we exceeded our optimistic annual projections in just her first nine months, but every single one of our past guests is requesting new dates for the coming year. I know of no yacht - and certainly no brand-new yacht - that has booked more weeks or grossed more revenue in the past several years."

One significant departure from her previous cruising plans is the decision to forego attempting the first yacht crossing of the NorthEast Passage this coming August and September. The decision was not taken lightly, according to Richard Beattie, the yacht's owner and chairman of its builder, Aquos Yachts. It was made, he said, strictly for strategic and commercial reasons and on the strong advice of its newly-appointed central listing agency, YCO. (See attached statement from Richard Beattie).

The most important factor in the decision, Beattie said, was the conflict between attempting the historic passage and attending the upcoming Monaco Yacht Show. "We simply couldn't do both," he said, and in the end we had to bow to the commercial imperative of giving potential Aquos Yachts clients in Europe, the Middle East, Russia and elsewhere the opportunity to visit Big Fish. "During the Fort Lauderdale show we had more than 1,500 visitors aboard Big Fish," Beattie said. "It was an overwhelming success and helped put the boat, and Aquos Yachts, on the map. But half the yacht market has yet to experience what we are trying to achieve with our next-generation yachting concept and in the end we owed it to ourselves to take advantage of showcasing our 'go-anywhere in barefoot luxury' philosophy to those who have not experienced it first-hand."

Big Fish will, however, voyage into the Arctic Circle later this summer - likely taking the rarely-traversed Canal north from St. Petersburg through the beluga whale-filled White Sea - to complete in spirit, at least, the intentions of the original itinerary.


Personal Statement from Richard Beattie:

We did not take the decision to forego the Northeast Passage lightly. It was made after much discussion among the Aquos Yachts team, which now includes YCO, our new central listing agent for Big Fish. Ironically, what finally made me comfortable with this decision was the realization that we have completely proven what we initially set out to do nine months ago, when we left Auckland Harbor for Big Fish's first stop in Tahiti. We have drawn major accolades from the world yachting press, drawn rave reviews from more than 1500 visitors aboard the boat during the Fort Lauderdale boat show, cruised to some of the most remote areas in the world, including a month in Antarctica, and cruised more than the entire circumference of the planet at its widest point, the Equator, without a single delaying system failure. As Big Fish's owner -- which makes me her harshest critic as well as her most ardent supporter - I can honestly say she has nothing left to prove. I have spent almost two months aboard since she was launched and I can unabashedly testify to her comfort, seaworthiness, mechanical integrity, luxuriousness and her capacity to offer to me the kind of yachting experiences I had always dreamed of having and sharing with my family and friends.


Continued over...


But as a successful businessman I realize that the only way to any commercial success is developing the market for my products and services. Had we taken the Northeast Passage, for which we were on the verge of receiving full permitting (at considerable expense), we would have ended up halfway around the world from a major portion of the yachting market who had never stepped aboard Big Fish.

With another Aquos Yacht (50M, six-stateroom StarFish) less than 18 months from delivery, our team - with my full support - came to the proper strategic conclusion that the best interest of Big Fish and Aquos Yachts, could only be served by bringing the yacht to Monaco this coming September. Along with the rest of my team, I am deeply and personally disappointed at missing the opportunity to do what no luxury yacht has ever done before. For those of you who have supported our program and encouraged our attempt to make yachting history, my team and I offer you our deepest apologies for this change of direction, and our sincere hopes that you can appreciate the importance of the rationale behind our ultimate decision.

Sincerely,

Richard Beattie

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For more information please contact:

Jim Gilbert

+1 (954) 770 9624
jim@aquosyachts.com

Thursday 24th February 2011

Punta del Este, Uruguay - The 45M motor yacht Big Fish is in Uruguay having successfully completed a five-week voyage from Argentina, to the Antarctic Peninsula, to the Falkland Islands.

In the Antarctic Big Fish hosted two sensationally successful 10-day charter expeditions, along with a visit by her owner. The parties visited penguin colonies, saw leopard seals feeding, enjoyed close encounters with whales from aboard the yacht, as well as her custom aluminum jetdrive tender, Triple Ripple.

The Antarctic expedition, which included an ice pilot and an expedition leader and guide, along with the normal complement of 10 crew, also included visits to Antarctic research stations, where guests were able to meet scientists and learn more about the Antarctic.

Big Fish crossed the infamous Drakes Passage - one of the stormiest and most dangerous ocean crossings in the world in late December. She rounded Cape Horn 5 weeks later on her way to the Falkland Islands, where she spent a week awaiting good weather for her crossing to the South American mainland. While there, Capt. Winston-Joyce Clarke and his crew dove beneath Big Fish to check the bottom and running gear for any possible damage while navigating the ice-filled waters of Antarctica. He is pleased to report that the yacht, which is built of a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure, experienced absolutely no damage. Capt. Clarke gleefully emailed the Aquos Yacht team from the Falklands, "We have successfully chartered and catered to the owner while cruising 21,600 nautical miles, equal to 40,003 kilometres, in the first 7 months of operations. This is a credit to the designer, builder and crew. The length of Earth's equator is 40,008 kilometers, which means that we have lapped the globe in our explorations, all the while comfortably entertaining our delighted guests."

For more photos & information, please visit aquosyachts.com

For charter inquiries, please contact Allan Jouning at 37S (allanj@37S.nz.co) or visit mybigfishcharters.com
 
For sale of Big Fish please contact Aquos Yachts (954 770 9624)

Wednesday 19th January 2011

One of the cornerstones of the Big Fish philosophy is to enjoy life to the full.

Given the opportunity to welcome guests on board in Antarctica, the Captain and his crew were eager to maximise every moment.

A busy schedule kept guests engaged and full of anticipation for what was coming next...more whale spotting, a glacier hike, a visit to a penguin colony or a sled down a snowy bay.

Whatever the activity of the day, from Paradise Bay, through Petermann Island and on to Pendulum Cove, there were smiles abound.

Wednesday 19th January 2011

Humpback, Orca and Minke whales, Leopard, Fur, Crabeater and Weddell seals, Gentoo, Chinstrap, Adelie and Macaroni penguins - all high on the list of 'must sees' on any trip to the Antarctic.

Big Fish guests were fortunate enough to enjoy super-close encounters with them all over the duration of their stay on board.

On frequent occasions, breakfast, lunch or dinner would be punctuated by shrieks of delight from the Bridge as the Captain, Ice Pilot or on-board naturalist would spot a noteworthy marine specimen.

Guests would grab their cameras and videos and head straight for the foredeck which provided the ultimate observation platform.

On one particularly memorable occasion, the guests on board were just two minutes in to a marine life presentation by the Expedition Leader in the main salon, when one of them spotted a Humpback Whale quite literally 20 metres away to the starboard side of the boat.

Suddenly the salon was alive with shutters clicking - with Big Fish's full-height glass windows providing a truly spectacular front row seat for this, one of the natural world's most impressive and inspiring performances.

Wednesday 19th January 2011

Indubitable courage, absurd heroism or incomparable foolishness? Whatever your take on this particular 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience, the crew and guests who literally jumped at the chance to tick this one off their list of 'things to do before I get old' will tell you what fun it was!

Some (the truly crazy few!) entered the icy waters in nothing more than bikinis and swim-shorts. Others chose to don immersion suits such that they could spend a little longer enjoying the unique experience whilst swimming to a nearby iceberg.

Frozen extremeties and adrenalin-fueled shrieks of delight ensued.

Everywhere you looked, the boat was brimming with smiling faces - lit up by the whole experience.

And that's what it's all about on board Big Fish...living life to the full.

Tuesday 18th January 2011

On the final night of their time on board, Big Fish guests enjoyed a magnificent natural spectacle from the comfort of the custom-designed 28' tender - Triple Ripple.

The sunset cruise delivered a visual light show of epic proportions as the sun set and then rose again within the space of an hour.

Camera shutters worked overtime as guests worked to capture the drama and sheer beauty of the landscape.

At times it seemed as if the skies above the Antarctica Peninsula were on fire, with the bold lines of Big Fish framed centre stage.

Those present agreed that it was one of the most incredibly beautiful and tranquil experiences of their lives.

Tuesday 18th January 2011

Port Lockroy is one of Antarctica's most historic locations and is undoubtedly one of the highlights of any trip to the frozen continent.

The old British 'Base', designated an Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty, gave an extra warm welcome to Big Fish's guest and crew alike.

Known as 'Base A', Port Lockroy was established on Goudier Island in 1944 with the intention of reporting on enemy activities and at the same time providing weather reports and scientific surveys.

The eight man wintering team was led by Lt. Commander James Marr, who, as a young man first visited Antarctica under the leadership of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Restored in 1996, the base is now run by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Four members of the Port Lockroy team enjoyed giving the visitors from Big Fish a guided tour of the museum and joined them enthusiastically in renditions of their respective national anthems from God Save the Queen, through The Star Spangled Banner to Die Stem and more!

Another unique day ended with the Port Lockroy team being invited aboard Big Fish to enjoy a hot shower, luxuriate in the jacuzzi and join the guests for dinner and a glass or two of bubbly. Perfect.