Boating comes in all sizes, it’s true. As much fun can be had in a small vessel as on a much larger one. However, there’s only so much fuel and people a smaller boat can carry – that’s why boat owners typically start looking at yachts above 50 feet when they want more than just simple day excursions. Yachts of these size are typically still owner-operated, have greater living spaces and can offer more usability.

Travel restrictions are coming to an end very soon (fingers crossed!) with the arrival of the vaccines. It’s time to dust off our bathing suits and tank tops, expend all that pent up wanderlust. Take the yacht out on a long vacay. The tropical climate of Southeast Asia has warm and dry weather too in between all the monsoon seasons.

Oh Kean Sean, Founder and Managing Director of Pen Marine, recounted a humourous story to the team recently. Many years ago, he was out at sea with a few friends and the boat they were taking was so underpowered, he said with a chuckle, that the few of them had to stand at the bow just to get her to plane and get moving.

All parents know that bringing kids anywhere, especially younger ones, may be a harrowing experience. The chance of tears, screams and tantrums are high – and then there’s whatever the child will do. Jokes aside, more important than keeping children happy during an excursion on the water is keeping them safe. It’s difficult to think so, but boating can be very safe for the little humans, and it is only if the bigger humans make sure of it.

Buying a yacht is an adventure. Like all adventures, there is the triumphant exultation of success but there is also the anxious excitement of the unknown, and sometimes, sadly, the bitterness of defeat. Ideally, a broker’s role is to ensure that the last never happens. The buyer should always know the full extent of the risks involved when making a purchase.

Ours is an industry as old as time itself, but even so it has survived and even thrived in this modern era due to constant advancement. Often, the natural forces of the market move boat builders in a certain direction, and other times innovative and revolutionary designers think outside the box to make vessels that have features hitherto unseen.

The view from the deck is a beautiful thing, with nothing but waves stretching into the horizon. For centuries, the sea has inspired artists with its ever-changing landscape, from woodblock print The Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai to classics such as Monet’s Waves Breaking and Turner’s Storm at Sea.

For those with the means to afford it, there are liberating ways to weather the Covid-19 storm while still abiding by social distancing protocols. Most flights grounded and borders are still closed, and so private or chartered yachts soared in demand this past year as the 1 percent embraced the opportunity to lockdown out at sea.

You know what they say – complacency is the enemy of progress. After all, life without any aspirations is not really life lived to the fullest, wouldn’t you agree? In this article, we’re not talking only about getting the latest, shiniest new yachts available on the market; we’re talking about the reasons a boater should get a newer boat, especially if your current model has passed her decade mark.