JADE YACHTS | 2014 TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
It was hard to miss Jade Yachts’ presence at the 2014 Taiwan International Boat Show
It was hard to miss Jade Yachts’ presence at the 2014 Taiwan International Boat Show. Not content with merely showing his boats on the dock, Jade vice president Memphis Han built his own VIP “island” in the middle of the harbour, complete with shuttle service, luxury car display, cocktail bar, buffet and more.
The centrepiece was Jade 959, a 52m Jade superyacht built to a standard that will give the European yards serious cause to be looking nervously over their shoulders. The yacht’s appearance at the Monaco show in September should further confirm this fact.
Inside, Jade 959 is all light maple veneers and stingray leather, linked by backlit volcanic stone staircases. Interestingly, there is a choice of two full-beam staterooms for owners or VIP guests, one which opens directly to the aft sun-deck.
Other highlights included a dedicated massage room, commercial-grade stainless steel galley, carbon-trimmed helm station and my favourite – two giant daybeds with panoramic views forward of the owner’s deck above the helm station.
Jade Yachts started out building fishing boats, patrol boats and even bulk carriers before branching into luxury yachts and it currently has 600 employees working on 22 vessels at Kaohsiung’s three largest shipyards. Still family owned and run, Jade Yachts is definitely among the leaders in Taiwan and one of the first to go after a share of the market traditionally dominated by European and American yards.