Singapore Yacht Show 2011 - Day 1

The Singapore Yacht Show 2011 that took place from the 8th to the 10th of April at Sentosa's One°15 was a blissful affair of luxury and fun, showcasing a score of jaw-dropping yachts, either owned or looking for their rightful owners.

When you see these floating wonders from the outside, a feeling of excitement and amazement washes over you; and if you get to board one or more of these yachts, you get propelled out of this World into a paradise of luxurious living. Boats being the cars of the sea and yachts the "crème de la crème" of sea-faring vehicles, it was only natural to see these amazing wonders' four-wheeled counterparts, incarnated by BMW, but especially the top end, luxurious and sporty BMW M.

Indeed, Munich Automobiles, the World's first BMW M only dealership on Earth was here, not only indulging the Yacht Show's visitors with delicious cocktails at One°15, but also showcasing their amazing road warriors.

Enter the World of BMW M, greeted by gorgeous hostesses in their long blue sundresses, snatch an ice cold draught or a minty mojito, and immerse yourself in the BMW M Experience, featuring the trendy BMW M fashion line, carbon fiber bicycles for the grown ups and M3 pedal car for the young, miniatures of your favourite M models, watches, keychains and more, all, of course under the prestigious M brand.

Munich Automobiles also showcased three specially prepared show models dressed up with original BMW Performance and BMW M Performance accessories: a white X6M behemoth equipped with Y-Spoke 375 21" rims, black sport stripes, a rear spoiler in carbon fiber, black front grilles, rear fins, but also a roof rack for bicycles and bicycle lift, a silver M3 coupe showcasing Y-Spoke 359M 19" rims, M Performance side stripes, carbon mirror caps, black front grilles, carbon fiber front splitter and rear spoiler and very good looking sports exhaust for track junkies, and last but not least, a very stylish red M3 cabriolet, with smooth cream-colored leather upholstery for those who just know how to enjoy the finest in life. Those three models were all prepared at the Munich Automobiles service centre in Tebans Garden Crescent, where BMW M offers not only to take charge of maintaining your BMW (any BMW, not just the M) with official warranty services, but also caters for customization with professional aftermarket paint services, vinyl stickers, and aftermarket support, all with genuine, certified, BMW parts and accessories.

The service centre is a story on its own, and will grace the pages of Gordini's Pit Stop very soon - stay tuned.

Back to the Singapore Yacht Show, amidst the sun setting on the horizon at the Marina, after the usual Singaporean evening showers, the floating vessels begin to flaunt their shimmering beauty, dressing themselves up with tantalizing lights that accentuate their enviable smooth curves. Suddenly, their state-of-the-art interiors become undeniably dreamlike, making the impossible ever so possible.

To my untrained and novice eye, the boats that sent my heart going on were the SportRiva 56 with its suave, sleek looks; the Azimut, a much bigger yacht which incarnates a true oceanic luxury gem, the El Aleph with its dark teak wood and pirate galleon aura, and last but not least, the 57 meters Montigne with its three masts and its rich promises of a wondrous east-west adventure.

After exploring the exciting showcase of the World's Finest on Day one, I thought things could hardly come any better, but when my feet walked me back to the show for the last day of the exhibition, I saw that in this World, you're always in for a bigger treat.

Stay tuned for the story of my second day at the Singapore Yacht Show, and how I got to meet and drive a car that made me regret ever having negative thoughts about SUVs... Well, maybe the fact that it was branded with an "M" made the whole difference.

Read all about the Singapore Yacht Show Day 2 - the Power of the letter M here.

Enjoy the gallery!

Do check out this gallery too, courtesy of Benjamin Marverick
(for professional photography enquiries, you can contact Benjamin at maverick0202@gmail.com) 

To dress up your loved BMW M like the beauties featured here, check out BMW's website here and here.

Special thanks to Kugan and the whole team at Munich Automobiles, to Rachel and Katherine at Fullford PR and to Benjamin Woods for the amazing photos (I love your fish eye!)