Thirty and Thriving
Horizon Yachts celebrates its 30th anniversary with a rendezvous that will long be remembered.
Most people celebrate birthdays in grand style, but I’ve always felt that anniversaries—especially ones of notable length—deserve to be celebrated with lavish affairs. Based on the extravagant and well-attended Bahamas Bash Owner Rendezvous held from April 26th to May 1st, which also commemorated the company’s 30th anniversary, Horizon Yachts is of the same mind-set.
Horizon Yachts’ four-day 2017 Owner Rendezvous in the Abacos, Bahamas, at the beautiful Abaco Beach Resort in Marsh Harbour, was the luxury yacht builder’s sixth such gathering and marked the largest turnout to date. More than 200 owners and guests attended, with 27 yachts ranging in size from 50 to 120 feet. The company’s first rendezvous was also held in the Abacos, so it was a joyous return to this stunning location for Horizon yacht owners and guests, some of whom traveled from as far away as Australia.
The festivities kicked off with a welcome floating “docktail” reception on the Horizon RP120 followed by hors d’oeuvres at the Promenade on shore, and dinner and dancing in the Resort Marquee. The next day, late-night revelers were able to sleep in before a private ferry took the group to Nippers Beach Bar & Grill for a pig roast, beach fun and the restaurant’s popular drinks. The rest of the itinerary was packed with activities on land—golf cart excursions, games, happy hours, and dock parties—and in the gin-clear Bahamian waters for fishing, snorkeling and sunning. Sunday’s Yacht Hop came with a twist—a “decorate your aft deck” contest that really brought out the owners’ creative sides.
As guests “hopped” from one yacht to another enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, they were greeted with “President Trump” as a stowaway; Ginger and the whole Gilligan’s Island gang; disco fever at Studio 54, and much more. The Horizon USA team got into the spirit, too, transforming into mermaids, Captain Jack Sparrow, pirate wenches, and other island-inspired characters.
The evening’s farewell Bahamian beach bash included prizes for the best decorated aft deck and a Junkanoo band for an authentic island-style celebration. “Augmented by The Bahamas’ renowned island hospitality, delicious food and gorgeous weather, the Horizon Yachts Global Owner Rendezvous was a great success,” said Horizon Yachts CEO John Lu, who also attended the event. “But more importantly, this event emphasized that having fun in beautiful places and with wonderful people is truly what makes boating so enjoyable.”
Just like all Horizon rendezvous, new relationships were formed between owners, and partying ended much too soon. Veteran yacht photographer Jim Raycroft and videographer Suki Finnerty took advantage of the famous Bahamian blue water as a backdrop to capture the memories, including a Horizon powercat raft-up and a promotional shoot of the new RP120 superyacht, the recently launched E98 motoryacht Do It Now and E88 motoryacht.
L.N. Evans Southern Boating August 2017
