What does your new role at CNI mean for you and the company? The Rodriguez Group, which incorporates CNI, recently restructuredits management in a manner better suited to a public company. I am happyto be on the CNI board and plan to help put in place a new management team.Times have changed and companies today need to be more proactive andgeared to the modern business climate, as well as making the most of theinternet. It's also crucial to keep a close eye on emerging countries, such asBrazil, Russia, India, China and other Asian markets. We will be lookingat jointventures and franchises, as well as wholly owned offices. CNI was the firstyacht broker to have a website. We have lost some of our innovationsince thosedays, but I anticipate we will soon be back at the top.Is the industry completely different nowadays, or is there still a similar vibe?I have seen many changes over the years. When we started in1960 there were no private harbours and such 'superyachts' as therewere (either built before the war or smaller warship conversions) were all inCannes or Monaco. The old Roman port of Antibes was tiny and Monaco didnot have its sea wall - it was a bad place to be in winter. The industry is very different now. The number of superyachts isincreasingall the time and the widespread, high-quality infrastructureisjust about keeping pace with the number of yachts. One concern is the pressureonthe infrastructure in the western Mediterranean, but with development inthe eastern Mediterranean the load can be spread. This also applies to theAdriatic, where the new Porto Montenegromarina will have a big impact. The vibe is still there. People are passionate about yachts. Theincrease in the number of large sail boats is nice to see; the notion that they aregreener probably helps. Today's round-the-world racing is remarkable, and nowthat the America's Cup has switched to dramatic multihulls it's bound to widenthe scope for really high-performance sailing. The proliferation of large power boats is what has driven the business endof the large yacht industry. This is where most of the money is, in bothbuilding and charter. Since the early 1960s, when Jon Bannenberg was justabout the only designer dragging yacht construction into the modernera,there has been a proliferation of talented designers. What is surprisingisthat in the power-boat world the interior architects are now better knownthan the naval architects. This is not so apparent in the sailing yacht world.The challenge lies in the ability of the top yards to design, build and deliverthese ever-more sophisticated yachts, and to find highly talented sub-contractors to deliver the requirements of the owners and their architects. CNI focusinprofileAUTUMN 2011I sea&iI93
George Nicholson established CNI on behalf of Camper andNicholsons Ltd in 1961. After a few years taking a back seat in thecompany, he recently resumed a more active role. Here, he relives the past and predicts the future Above:Porto MontenegroLeft: George Nicholson

Page 58Circular SawsStandard Accessories: 18 tooth TCT saw blade, guide, dust collection adapter, wrench, carrying caseStandard Accessories: 18 tooth TCT saw blade, guide, dust collection adapter, wrench, carrying caseC7U2190mm Circular SawC7BU2190mm Circular Sawƒ Heavy duty aluminium baseƒ Soft grip handleƒ Blower ensures cut line is always visibleƒ Adjustable metal cut line guideƒ External brush capsƒ Unique angle setting system ensures accuracy of 90° cutsƒ Spindle lock for easy blade replacementƒ Electric brake for extra safetyƒ PTFE coated base for smooth cutting operationƒ Blower ensures cut line is always visibleƒ Adjustable metal cut line guideƒ External brush capsƒ Unique angle setting system ensures accuracy of 90° cutsƒ Spindle lockBlade Diameter 190mmBore Size 30mmMax Cut Depth: 0°/45° 66mm/48mmPower Input 1200WNo-Load Speed 5500/minOverall Length 312mmWeight 4.0kgBlade Diameter 190mmBore Size 30mmMax Cut Depth: 0°/45° 66mm/48mmPower Input 1200WNo-Load Speed 5500/minOverall Length 312mmWeight 4.0kgSTOPStandard Accessories: 20 tooth TCT saw blade, guide, dust collection adapter, wrench, carrying caseStandard Accessories: 20 tooth TCT saw blade, guide, dust collection adapter, wrench, carrying caseC9BU2235mm (9¼") Circular SawC9U2Circular Sawƒ Electric brake for extra safetyƒ PTFE coated base for smooth cutting operationƒ Blower ensures cut line is always visibleƒ Adjustable metal cut line guideƒ External brush capsƒ Unique angle setting system ensures accuracy of 90° cutsƒ Spindle lockƒ Heavy duty aluminium baseƒ Soft grip handleƒ Blower ensures cut line is always visibleƒ Adjustable metal cut line guideƒ External brush capsƒ Unique angle setting system ensures accuracy of 90° cutsƒ Spindle lock for easy blade replacementBlade Diameter 235mmBore Size 30mmMax Cut Depth: 0°/45° 86mm/65mmPower Input: 230V/110V 2000W/1670WNo-Load Speed 5000/minOverall Length 397mmWeight 6.8kgBlade Diameter 235mmBore Size 30mmMax Cut Depth: 0°/45° 86mm/65mmPower Input: 230V/110V 2000W/1670WNo-Load Speed 5000/minOverall Length 397mmWeight 6.8kgSTOPStandard Accessories: 18 tooth TCT saw blade, guide, wrench, carrying caseC7SB2185mm Circular Sawƒ Heavy duty aluminium base with scaleƒ No riving knife means easier plunge cuttingƒ Soft grip handleƒ Easy access bevel lever and cutting depth adjustmentƒ External brush caps for ease of maintenanceƒ Spindle lockBlade Diameter 185mmBore Size 30mmMax Cut Depth: 0°/45° 60mm/47mmPower Input: 230V/110V 1710W/1670WNo-Load Speed 5800/minOverall Length 305mmWeight 4.6kg94Isea&iIAUTUMN 2011What is most surprising about the changes in the yachting world? The number of megayachts is amazing. To be in the top hundred largest yachtstoday, a yacht has to be over 72.5m (238'): huge! The values are vast, too. Charterhas truly come of age. Not just because of the quantity, quality and worldwidespread of yachts, but because of the professionalism of crew, which hasimproved dramatically. This has been driven by the highly competitive yachtcharter industry and the mandatory crew qualifications that go withcommercial yacht registration, such as MCA and ISM. I am quite sure that manyyacht owners are far better served on their yachts than in their homes. How do the best things about the industry 40 years ago compare with thebest things today?I like the old-fashioned word allure. Manners were different when we startedout and it was possible to do deals on a handshake. Today we are surroundedby all types of legal advisors, even for the simplest tasks. I do not rememberhaving to pass a brokerage deal or a new build contract through lawyersuntil the mid 1980s. On-board luxury and safety have come on in leaps and bounds since theearly post Second World War days but today's large yachts are notcomparable with the classics of yesteryear. There is a lovely feel and 'allure'about classic yachts, and it's nice to know that these older boats are still goodat sea even if the stabilizers fail. They were built to be dependable sea boatsbefore stabilizers were invented.In your opinion, what are the most groundbreaking yachts to have launchedin the past 10 years? I think the most significant advances in naval architecture and buildtechniques have been made in sailing yachts. The hulls, rigs and materialsused ina wide variety of sailing yachts puts power-boat development in the shade. Ido not think that size alone is necessarily ground-breaking. As a rule,size usually makes problems easier to solve, albeit more costly. Maltese Falcon'srig is extraordinary. But will this rig be adopted by many others? That is surely thetrue test of success. I thought that ECO would be ground-breaking, but the foil that kept her onan almost even fore and aft trim from zero to 35 knots has not been adoptedby others. One still sees yachts with planing hulls with their bows up in the airpushing mountains of water in front of them and leaving tons of inefficientlyburned fuel behind. I would enjoy a round-table discussion with leadingdesigners, Espen Oeino and Philippe Briand, among many others, to hear theirviews on what they think has been truly ground-breaking. CNI has long been at the top of its field Ñ to what do you attribute its success?It takes a long time to build a lasting brand. CNI can thank my ancestors forthat. In spite of the trade unions being largely responsible for the closure ofthe big yacht-building yard in Southampton in 1975, the smaller historicGosport yard kept going until about 2000. A lot of boats were produced andthe quality was such that most are still afloat. The closure of the Southamptonyard freed up CNI to place orders in other yards. The rest is history. When theSouthampton yard closed we thought it would be prudentto have a salesoffice in London as the UK was, and still is, a major yacht-owning country.Our presence in Palma was the result of the Club de Mar being opened. Thiswas the first private yacht harbour in Spain and was an immediate success.An office in Palma seemed a good fit. At the time few Spanish owners puttheir yachts under the Spanish flag. Our office helped buyersovercomethese problems. Our US offices came later. What memories from your yachting background stand out as beingparticularly special? I had terrific times on ECO. Crossing the Atlantic using the gas turbine, andrefuelling from our own bunkering tanker mid Atlantic was really special. Sowas sailing from Sydney to Hobart, and then on to Chile and the Antarctic onboard Adix. Signing the book at Cape Horn is also one of my most significant memories.With hindsight, winning the Burton Trophy in 3.6m (12') National Dinghies andcrewing for my brother Peter in 1958 in awful weather in the UK, have to beamong my top sailing achievements. My brother Peter is a brilliant helmsman.I think it was the thought of a nice hot bath followed by succulent roast grouseat the end of a day's sailing that kept us going for the week.I was the founding commodore of the Gstaad Yacht Club (GYC) and amdelighted to be involved with some exciting times ahead for the club. This yearthe GYC, together with the organisers of Les Voiles de St Tropez, are organis-ing the Centenary Challenge. Out of the 30 or so yachts that have beenidentified as eligible, eight are Camper & Nicholsons builds. The GYC is alsoactive in the 2012 sailing Olympics, and I hope that our Star boat, and LaserRadial, will make the Swiss team for the Olympics. Exciting times forour mountain yacht club. I also sail a Tofinou 9.5m (31') when I'm on holiday in Greece. This is the perfectsmall boat - good as a single-hander or for four people; I love it. nOpposite page, clockwise from top:Eco; Adix; Maltese FalconThe real challenge lies in the ability of the top yardsto design, build and deliver these ever-moresophisticated yachts