CATCHING A WAVE
A YACHTING BUFF ON HIS PASSION FOR SUN, SAND, SEA AND A WATCH BUILT FOR JUST THAT. Why did you start yachting? What’s the best thing about it? Where are your favourite routes? How often do you head out? Do you wear a watch on board? What parallels are the
– I had friends who were interested in yachting and, one day, they brought me along while we were in Spain. That was 17 years ago but I remember how fascinating it all was. Being out on the sea with friends, driving the boat, deciding where to go, just living life – it was very nice. I got my pleasure-craft licence two years later. It’s all about the experience. It’s about going on an adventure, not really knowing what might happen. It’s having the world around, while time seems to stop and you just enjoy that specific moment when you can forget about everything else. Those days on the yacht are some of the best in the year. I love cruising around islands, especially Corsica in France, Magdalena Island in Chile and the French Riviera, particularly the area around Cannes. I’ve been in Singapore for two years, but I haven’t had the chance to drive a boat in Asia, because I’ve been busy travelling for work. I hear there are amazing locations in Thailand and the Philippines, so I would like those to be my first experiences in the region. Before I came to Singapore, I was living near the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture in Le Sentier, so I would do a bit of yachting on Lake Geneva. It doesn’t feel the same, though, so I try to hit the open sea a few times a year. I also prefer yachts that are small enough to hug the coast, so we get to see less-accessible areas. Definitely. These days it’s the JaegerLeCoultre Polaris Memovox. It has clear readability, a strong character and it goes well with casual outfits. It’s a watch for the man of action. The Memovox alarm function can be used underwater, and I’ve used it in the sea, in the swimming pool and even in the shower. For both endeavours, you have to be prepared and organised. You need everyone to be on board and doing what they have to do. As captain, you have to look after the engine and all the different indicators while looking forward, at things that are just in front of you, as well as things that are far away.