Tom chats to ONBOARD Magazine about his favourite tenders & toys.
Tom Vannieuwenhuyse is a Fleet Manager DPA CSO with JMS Yachting currently based near Barcelona. Tom has previously commanded various large 60m+ superyachts over an 11 year career at sea.
BEST LOOKING TENDER
VAN DUTCH 40
It is just the style and…everything about these vessels. Unique styling, great driving experience, attention to detail, sometimes just hard to fault them. Completely recognisable from afar and as an owner you’ll be super proud disembarking in front of your favourite restaurant from a Van Dutch. The 40 is just the right size, great for the owners to handle (if qualified. ) a decent sized tender for dropping the guests off to the port and still speedy enough to have some great fun in too with the Volvo Penta stern drives.
BEST TENDER DRIVEN
AXOPAR 45 SUNTOP
You can’t really call these guys the new kids on the block, they’ve been delivering super boats for over 10 years now, and I remember one of my first trials in an Axopar very well. A moody day weather wise, a little choppy, but wow we had a blast! The handling was just right on cue, she stuck down in the surf and was a delight to drive – I was sold after about 15 minutes of putting the boat through her paces. The boss had quite a specific wish list and AXOPAR ticked all the boxes. You could have a serious amount of fun, it felt super solid in choppy waters, we all remained dry and the fit out was superb, also smart enough and adventurous looking enough to carry the owner and guests ashore.
MONEY NO OBJECT
PASCOE LIMOUSINES
Everyone is bespoke, so hard to pin down one exact model, but the 12m range are just sublime. Completely faultless. Not really sure what else to say You can start with a completely blank piece of paper and the world is totally your oyster. The interiors are a sanctuary of sophistication – featuring bespoke finishes, climate control, noise insulation and seating designed for discreet, comfortable transfers. It’s not just transport, it’s an extension of the luxury experience expected aboard a superyacht and what the owner expects. For the crew they’re a great choice too. From initial discussions with the Pascoe team, designers, the technical team and project managers even through to the after service, it was faultless. Whether it’s an open top or the more secretive enclosed models with retractable roofs, the choices are endless, which is a good job considering some of the slightly bizarre requests coming in from some owners. I’ve spoken to a few other captains with Pascoes and they’ve all been delighted with no complaints.
BEST GENERAL PURPOSE TENDER
WILLIAMS DIESELJET
I think one of the stand out features for me has always been the jetdrives and low drafts, just making it so easy in any sea conditions or depth of water. I know it’s been said before but after delivering more than 12,000 tenders, these guys really do know what they’re doing. Super responsive to drive, great manoeuvrability and she’ll do what ever you want. Great for watersports, plenty of space for numerous guests (in comfort) and also a pretty decent crew tender with buckets of space. The Yanmar diesel engines are robust, deliver some decent torque and good speeds when cruising or blasting it out pulling some wakeboarders. So, an easy choice really!
BEST TOY
FLYBOARD
Just complete madness, never actually tried one, but they look insane. Think Iron Man meets Aquaman. I’ve heard it takes a decent amount of time to get to grips with the balance and I imagine you have to have pretty good levels of fitness and core strength. But if you’re looking for something to draw attention to you – then this is it. Just make sure you do plenty of practice away from prying eyes or you’ll be the laughing stock of the crew and spectators.
