Led by respected Gordon Fernandes, the Asia Pacific Superyachts Phuket assists superyachts at their first stop when visiting the popular yacht charter destination – the South East Asia. Responsible for the operations in Phuket, Thailand, as well as Myanmar, the APS office has more than 25-year combined experience in the superyacht industry and is a proud and long time member of the Association of Yacht Support Services (AYSS). Managed by Gordon, well known throughout the global Superyacht industry, APS Phuket & Myanmar is part of an extensive network of Asia Pacific Superyacht agencies, covering 13 nations spread across South East Asia and the Pacific.
Photo: AYSS Member and Phuket/Myanmar APS Agent, Gordon Fernandes, pictured with co-organiser Charlie Dwyer and Sponsors during the Asia Superyacht Rendezvous
When arriving in Phuket Superyachts feel secure, Gordon explains, “In the knowledge the agency’s Thai owner has a very special relationship with Customs, Immigration and the Harbour department. We have a full service operation which takes care of all of their needs. In fact, there are so many tasks involved that my favorite part of the job is the diversity! No day is the same. One day you can be delivering bananas and the next day you can be organising a cultural experience for guests or obtaining cruising permits and visas for crew and passengers in Myanmar.”
“Superior service is the key to happy clients and using local knowledge for sourcing goods at competitive prices, we also provide the best service from the best sub-contractors on the island,” Gordon says. He talks about the boom in Superyachts on Phuket and in South East Asia, noting: “The changes on Phuket have been immense. We’ve seen new marinas, marina expansions, much better provision supplies, new beach clubs, more parts availability and a higher quality of sub-contractor for engineering and Superyacht maintenance.”
“We have offices all across the region from Hong Kong to the Maldives so yacht owners and captains can feel safe and secure with our services. And, there are a lot more facilities and a lot more are being planned”, he reports. “There are two big marinas which service Superyachts and another one is on the drawing board. There are a lot more engineering companies and most brand names like CAT, MTU, Northern Lights, etc. can be serviced as well as provision for excellent stainless work.”
The lure of South East Asia continues to intrigue, Gordon says: “Thailand is rich in culture and you only need drive past a temple (Wat) to feel a calm inner warmth. Thai people are very happy and refreshingly honest. Coupled with the fact that Thai food is one of the tastiest in the world, you have a fantastic holiday destination with beautiful tropical beaches and clear water at a temperature of 28°.”
“We don’t have the high winds and big swells which you get in the Caribbean. Yachts can anchor in a secluded bay and have the best of all worlds – secluded bay or sophisticated nightlife along with culture during the day! As some people say, Phuket is ‘heaven on earth’… a unique and diverse place with fantastic beaches, amazing blue water, lush tropical rainforests and the most pleasant people in the world waiting to greet you”, Gordon says.
He reports among cruising grounds favored by Superyacht owners are the Similan and Surin Islands, perfect for swimming and diving with 30’ plus visibility in the water and an abundance of lush tropical uninhabited islands in the Andaman and Myanmar areas.
Looking down the road, Gordon says, “With the growth in the numbers of Asia Superyacht owners the industry is only going to get bigger and areas like the Philippines and Indonesia are going to see a massive expansion in the number of visiting yachts and the facilities required to service them. Phuket has become a major destination for yachts which are visiting the Indian Ocean; basing vessels here for the season and then cruising to areas like Myanmar (Burma), the Andaman Islands (India) and beyond.
“Generally crew and owners love Phuket and the surrounding area and we need to keep this image going as all the captain’s and crew talk to one another. It’s a very word of mouth industry and we need to keep them entertained and keep the ‘Thai’ hospitality going. We live in the ‘Land of Smiles’ and we need to make sure that this comes across to visiting crew and owners. This is why we run the annual Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, bringing together owners, captains and crew for three days just before Christmas – and for many, an extended cruising holiday through South East Asia. There are thousands of these floating palaces in Europe and there are no berths left for them at marinas, another excellent reason to bring their yacht over to Asia for the winter.”
Letters from visiting captains help explain why APS Phuket & Myanmar is a leader in taking care of Superyachts. The Captain of SY Thalia in writing of his experience, states: “I’d like to thank you for the excellent service your company provided us during our visit to Thailand and Myanmar. Your team certainly made the visit hassle free for myself and my crew. Your staff made us feel most welcome, they were all friendly and attentive. I will not hesitate to recommend Asia Pacific Superyachts to fellow captains who plan to visit the region.”
The company views AYSS as a professional and well established organisation of great support to all worldwide members, including sister Asia Pacific Superyachts agents throughout South East Asia and the Pacific.
