There hasn’t been much time to relax at Grand Banks since Australian ocean-racing yachtsman Mark Richards, founder of Palm Beach Yachts, came on board as CEO eight years ago, grabbed the company by the shoulders and ushered it into the 21st century.
It wasn’t that there was anything much wrong at the venerable Far Eastern firm, which invented the concept of the trawler yacht more than 60 years ago, and has created one of the most recognisable brand identities in boatbuilding history. It was more that Mark has skippered the winning boat in the Sydney-Hobart so many times that they might as well just let him keep the trophy, and is a man of vast experience, clear ideas and strong opinions.
His main idea for Grand Banks was that it badly needed modernising. The world has moved on. Competition has become both keen and global. Classic looks are one thing, but classic construction and classic naval architecture can no longer cut it. The new ethos is all about efficient, high-speed, long-range cruising yachts that still
