New Hong Kong, Greater Bay area dealer for Grand Soleil

Italy’s Cantiere del Pardo, owner of the Grand Soleil sail racer/cruiser yacht brand, has appointed Asia Yacht Services (AYS) as its dealer for Hong Kong and the Greater Bay area of southern China. AYS is now run by Sytske Kimman, who has a well-established track record in the Asian yacht market.

Asia Yacht Services was founded in 2004, and later became Northrop & Johnson Asia. Most recently, Kimman has been concentrating on the ‘crewed charter’ business, hosting guests on board for multi-day multihull adventure expeditions around the coastlines of Hong Kong.

The Grand Soleil range today stretches from 10.5m (34ft) to 24.5m (80ft) in the Performance Line, with the addition of a 42, 46 and 52-footer in the ‘LC’ (Long Cruise) line. The LC series is designed to appeal to owners interested in sailing long distances, with additional allowances made for creature comforts accordingly.

Additionally, the flagship Grand Soleil 80 Performance is an all-carbon build, “dedicated to the racing world, yet with the comfort of a cruiser”, and marks the arrival of Cantiere del Pardo into a new league.

For almost 50 years Grand Soleil sailing yachts have been recognised as being leaders in the racer/cruiser class. Grand Soleil have proved themselves to be very good at creating racing hulls with room inside for the cruising amenities without weighing down the boat too much.

A great deal of this is down to design. Since 1973 Grand Soleil’s in-house designers have included Jean-Marie Finot, Germán Frers, Bruce Farr, the Judel-Vrolik partnership, Marcelino Botin, Marco Lostuzzi and Matteo Polli – all with a reputation for excellence. Cantiere del Pardo’s long experience in composite construction also ensures that their yachts are very much “fit for purpose”.