2020: A turbulent year
So here we are in May 2020 and what a year it's been. What started out as a quiet and uneventful year woke everyone up early with an abrupt alarm. Around February time, when I had kicked off my Shipyard Tour 2020 with Benetti, Heesen and Amels, and before I could plan for Lurssen, Feadship and San Lorenzo, global travel was halted.
Coronavirus became the only thing on our news channels across the world, and suddenly the main topic of conversation in everything we did and everyone we spoke to. Companies immediately started to look at ways of saving on their outgoings, as slowly but surely they realised this was going to have lasting effects.
Anxieties grew in the general public about how they would maintain their income and feed their family, and there was mass panic buying resulting in toilet rolls becoming a surprising best seller on Amazon. The social distancing rules imposed across Europe weren't really open to interpretation but that didn't stop the odd rebel thinking they could do what they want.
In the UK, our own Prime Minister initially thought he was invincible, trying to calm the public with a Keep Calm and Carry On approach, only to get a short sharp shock of the virus incapacitating his ability to keep the country together.
In the US, this seemed to be an opportunity for the country to become even more divisive, with every word, strategy, policy or rule seeing a clear 50% for and 50% against. Quite how any democratic government can look after the safety of it's people when they aren't listened to, is quite a failing of society.
Some countries are wondering what all the fuss is about. Monaco has opened it's doors again and the Monaco Yacht Show seems to be going full steam ahead with it's marketing. With only 4 deaths and 95 cases at the time of writing, the decision may seem to be the right one for the locals. However expecting Italians, Spanish, French, British and Americans to attend is quite another thing. With a combined total deaths of almost 200,000 people out of over 2 million cases, it seems only the foolhardy would feel comfortable with mixing close up with such an audience. Still, stranger things have happened, I think, and perhaps vaccines, cures, snake oil and other ailments may be out there before Port Hercules opens it's doors.
Meantime, back in the land of the living, we are all starting to look forward to just getting out of our house whenever we choose. A bit of freedom would be nice, but the maths don't add up quite yet. Germany opened their doors early, and is seeing its cases increase too. Boris Johnson is making some big announcements on Sunday, and will need to take this new information into consideration, even though he's already communicated some of the strategies to allow advance preparation.
We're all taking the time to get ready and today, I gave my website a lick of paint. Added a new fresher template, changed around some of the imagery to make it even more striking on the front page, and I got the urge to write something today. I'm feeling the creativity is opening up again and I'm starting to get restless like everyone else. Time to blow the cobwebs off. Time to showcase a new yacht. Time to grow associates around the world. Time to talk to clients who have been in hibernation.
Lomond Yachts is OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
Let's do this.
Onwards and upwards everyone and let's get the world moving again. Even if that means virtually until we get the lockdown strategies right.
Douglas McFarlane is CEO of SuperYacht Brokers, Lomond Yachts.