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Luxury Yachts
Going Vertical
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Great Escape
Mark Pordes has been cruising to the Bahamas a lot lately. He is overseeing Turnberry’s hotel/condo development at Paradise Island called The Residences at Atlantis.
Once there, Pordes, director of sales of high-end residential properties in Florida and the Bahamas, frequently uses his 73-foot Ferretti yacht to entertain associates and clients.
Back at home, he likes to take it to the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo for the weekend or to Miami’s South Beach for lunch. “I’m always going 24 hours a day,” says Pordes. “When I’m out on the open water, with no cell phones, it’s a complete disconnect.”
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Miami- Style
Italy’s award-winning Rodriquez Yachts is bringing its luxury yachts to the south Florida market through an exclusive partnership with Coral Gables-based BRB Yachts.
Typically, says BRB owner Daniel Berrebi, European manufacturers will build a boat for the European market and then export it to the U.S. market. Rodriquez is designing and building its multimillion-dollar boats specifically for the American market.
“In Miami,” says Berrebi, “they want flashy boats, not the traditional white body with blue stripe. They want more electronics, swimming platforms and speed.”
Rodriquez is acclaimed for its craftsmanship, sleek, stylish design and high-tech amenities. Berrebi likens them to Ferraris or Maseratis. All controls are touch-screen.
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The company’s latest models are the family-friendly 680 Wide Body and the fast and sleek 800 Sport. Wide Body production has already begun. The 800 Sport is scheduled to arrive in November.
Customizing the yachts takes from four to nine months. Berrebi has a marina in Aventura, where he gives test drives of a Rodriquez yacht. “We have test drives nearly every day.”
Berrebi owns two yachts, a 62-foot power catamaran and an 800 Wide Body.
Business Beat - Week of May 3rd
