A day in the life of an owner’s representative 

It’s often assumed that the joy of yacht ownership begins when the vessel is delivered, but the reality is – or at least should be – that the fun starts long before that. The process of conceiving, designing and then building the yacht might be complex, but with the right support, the whole phase leading up to delivery can be fascinating. 

As an owner’s representative with decades of yachting projects under his belt, Peter Wilson has seen plenty of clients take the sometimes years-long journey from concept to delivery. “It’s more than just writing a cheque and waiting for the delivery of a beautiful thing,” he explains. “Being involved in every aspect of it, from the original design, to the interiors, to the performance, gives clients an enormous sense of satisfaction when they finally step onboard because they can really feel, ‘I did this.’”

The role of the owner’s rep

Wilson will often have been alongside them every step of the way, representing their best interests through the design, construction and delivery processes and then stepping in to take care of operational management after that. He is quick to point out, though, that his job also involves boat loads of diplomacy. “Knowing about yacht and boat building is profoundly important of course,” he says, “but knowing about people is even more important. My nickname was Henry Kissinger at one point!”

Wilson launched his company, MCM, back in 1988 and in doing so, more or less birthed the idea of owner representation. “Traditionally, there was just a boat builder and a designer and a client and it was all a bit loosey goosey,” he says. “My business partner and I thought being project managers or owners reps would be a good thing because the boats were becoming bigger and more sophisticated and complicated.” 

Involved clients with environmental aspirations

Since those early days of MCM, Wilson has seen a monumental amount of change in the industry – including “the costs, the complications, and the cruising areas” – but there is one area that he thinks could benefit from more significant change. “I would like the industry to get better at letting the world know that our clients do care about the environment,” he says. “That they aren’t just gas-guzzling men and women who couldn’t care less. They do care about the planet and the oceans – and in many cases they are pushing us to develop environmental applications that go far beyond superyachts.Yes, clients are having fun, but they are also doing good work and wish to share that knowledge with others.” 

Wilson acts on behalf of both first time and veteran clients – and has bags of experience with those who want to be involved every step of the way. “Clients often want to be very involved because they enjoy the educational aspect of it,” he says. “We prefer to have them be a part of the process because then we know that what we’re building is what they want and not what we want.” Inevitably, friendships are forged along the way, with Wilson invited to join numerous family weddings and holidays over the years. “We get to know our clients well – their husbands, their wives, their kids. We know a lot about their lifestyles and the people they surround themselves with – so friendships naturally develop over the years. I recently had a client call me for a chat for a project we did in 2000 – 24 years ago!” 

Building the perfect yacht 

With a 37 year track record, it’s little wonder that Wilson has a treasure trove of useful advice at his fingertips. But what is his biggest tip? “My best piece of advice for someone considering building their first yacht is don’t be in too much of a hurry,” he says. “It’s hard, because it’s like Santa is bringing you a Christmas present and you want it now. But time goes fast – there is so much to do and so many interesting discussions to have and fascinating design processes to go through. Spending time upfront will pay dividends in the end.”  

Of course, the yacht, like Christmas Day, will arrive eventually – and for Wilson, that’s a particularly poignant moment. “When a client sees the boat completed for the first time, and the flags are up and it’s all looking beautiful and they get choked up, you do think, ‘wow, this is an important moment and we’ve helped them achieve that.’”