SuperYacht Times catches up with Kurt Lehmann, founder of yacht brokerage and consultancy Yacht Moments, to talk about his introduction to the industry, how he gained his world-class reputation and his predictions for future innovations in the industry. He also gives us a sneak preview of some of the awesome projects that Yacht Moments are currently working on:
I grew up sailing on Lake Constance in Germany and being around boats was always my hobby. I had some friends who worked in the industry but it wasn’t initially my career path because boating was always something I enjoyed recreationally. I had a car dealership at the time, but my friend encouraged me to turn my passion into a profession and to join the yachting industry. After 15 successful years of independent activity in the yachting business – a status which I kept until today – Sanlorenzo Balearic was founded as the first official sales office in Europe in 2005. By 2011 I was already the biggest dealer for Sanlorenzo yachts in the world and that relationship solidified my position in the industry as I gained some fantastic contacts through that partnership. We were instrumental in the establishment of Sanlorenzo as an international brand and after we ended that relationship, we began to specialise in the development and construction of large custom built superyachts and established Yacht Moments in 2011. 
Can you tell me a little more about the consultancy side of Yacht Moments?
Yacht Moments is different from any other brokerage in this industry because really we are yacht consultants and we work for the client, not the shipyard, because it is the client that pays us. It is our motivation to always create the best vessel for our clients, for the very best price and we do everything in-house – with lawyers to work through the contracts, surveyors to ensure the work is running properly and project managers to be the first and closest person between the client and the shipyard and designers. 
We have worked on some very exciting projects and with a large array of shipyards over the years, so it is hard to pick specific vessels which truly stand out. However, the delivery of the 63-metre Benetti Metis in 2019 was certainly a great achievement, to a very happy, long-time client. In our role as consultant to the owner, we have been in charge of the conception and the project management. Notably the additional top gym-deck has been developed by Yacht Moments – a very exceptional conception which combines complete privacy with a position on the top deck and glazed surfaces for panoramic views. 
Yacht Moments is just one of the branches of the Moments tree, we also have Home Moments that works with world class real estate all over the world and Risk Moments which is the insurance arm, supporting both the land and water ventures. This means that we have clients which come to us for all of their home, yacht and insurance needs, so when you work with us we truly bring you into the family and offer you the full range of services. 
How do you see the rest of 2021 playing out in terms of yacht sales and charter, with many brokers complaining about lack of inventory?
In short, I have great confidence in this market. 2021 has seen record sales, everyone in the industry has been reporting fantastic numbers and I do not see that diminishing. I certainly see that the pandemic has changed people’s perceptions of how they wish to spend their time, with privacy and security more important than ever. Many of our clients have had a very positive year financially, the economy, certainly in the US and in Germany is strong and I only see that continuing. Also with the order books currently full for the coming four years, there is no suggestion that the new market will struggle up to 2026. 
At Yacht Moments, because we produce vessels from the concept stage and follow them through to completion, we are working on projects which can go on for as many as five years. This means that we are always looking for the next innovation. Lel is the perfect example of that, we created one of the biggest beach clubs in the industry aboard Lel, the designs for which began five years before her launch, and now we are seeing the large beach clubs are the focal point of many new designs. So the vessels we are currently working on look ahead to future innovations and that is our special ability at Yacht Moments. 
What is the team at Yacht Moments currently working on?
The most exciting project we are currently working on is certainly the development of the Gentleman yacht series with Codecasa and Luca Dini. This exclusive series will be limited to 10 units in total and though the initial project will focus on a 24-metre yacht, with a three or four cabin layout, there are three additional versions; the beach club version, the garage version and the lowered aft deck version. 
