Boating World Milestone: 20 Years On and Stronger Than Ever

PRESS RELEASE

It was with a steadfast vision that Boating World founders, Derrick and Suzanne Levy launched the company in 1999. That vision was to pioneer the introduction of the world’s most desired boating brands to African shores.

Through passion and determination, today the couple can attest to their 20 year success by the hundreds of prestigious boats they have sold across the continent. It is a journey that has established Boating World as the leading importer of luxury yachts in sub Saharan Africa.

The exceptional portfolio of yachting brands represented by the company equals the Levy’s understanding for flawless class and appeal. Each brand catering to a specific boating lifestyle and each globally accoladed as forerunners in their respective categories.

Securing the Southern African agency for Riviera Yachts was an early coup for Boating World. Riviera met the demand of big game sports fishing. Derrick Levy explains “We introduced our first Riviera Yacht through the initiation of a Riviera Fishing Competition in conjunction with The Marlin Club of South Africa. Our team came third overall, but the boat, a Riviera 40, aptly named ‘Riviera’ was the star of the tournament. News travelled fast and before we knew it, we were taking orders from Billfish mecca’s such as Angola and the Seychelles.”

Today Riviera has a significant presence in Southern Africa and the adjacent Indian Ocean Islands and the Flybridge range is the yacht of choice for luxury fishing charters.

The Levy’s identified their clientele as boating’s elite, in the market for yachts ranging between 30 – 80 feet and upwards. With four generations in the boating business, the Levy’s family instincts are seldom wrong. The offering quickly grew with the introduction of power and sailing yachts from Jeanneau, Fountaine Pajot and Sunreef. 2019 will see Boating World’s largest Fountaine Pajot delivery to date, with the arrival of a ‘Saba 50’ on Cape Town’s coastline.

Over the course of two decades, the company has introduced innovations like Airberth boatlifts and Seakeeper gyroscopic stabilisers to the private and commercial boating industry, game changers that have increased the lifespan of boats and created year round accessibility to boating for owners.

It’s been Derrick Levy’s infectious dedication to the sport and passion for modernisation that saw him earn the South African Boating Industry Life Time Achievement Award in 2012.

Levy’s art for selling yachts spans continents. It was in 2018, after the successful sale of an Azimut Flybridge 80 that he was invited to represent the Azimut | Benetti Group in Southern Africa. The Azimut | Benetti Group is the world’s top mega yacht builder with a fiscal production of €850 million in 2017/2018, and Boating World represents the brand with great pride.

To kick off its 20 year celebrations, Boating World hosted a weekend Boating Bonanza at their Cape Town showroom. Speaking from the event Suzanne Levy said, “The weekend showcase is an opportunity to introduce our new offerings for 2019 and an chance for prospective buyers to view the fleet of boats we have available for sale”. The event was attended by 100 VIP guests, with champagne, canapes and private viewings of the yachts that were all moored in Granger Bay Marina next to the showroom. Suzanne Levy continued, “It was our first planned event for this momentous year and the response and enthusiasm from our clients has confirmed we have a lot to celebrate.”