AAS: Your grandfather, Ed Conijn, launched Contest Yachts in 1959 in the early days of GRP. What would he think about the changes in construction and technology since that time?
AC: My grandfather, founder of our now third-generation family business, would be so excited. As a natural born innovator, the technologies we now deploy would absolutely fascinate, and he would be at the forefront of developments. After all, he came into boat building through the love and foresight for that new wonder material of the time, the GRP that you mention. He had always sailed, owned boats, but his career had been in a different industry, although one that had adopted GRP in a completely different application. He was the visionary who saw how that new technology could be used beneficially in the business of boat building, and he would be doing the same today, looking and working to the future, in developing ever better systems and methodologies.
AAS: What is the secret to successfully combining traditional boat building with modern construction methods?
AC: I do not know that it is a secret, but it is very important! You need to go forward with an open mind, to consider always is there something we can do better. To look at how technologies can combine, keeping a constant eye on how materials and methods are adopted and developed in industries beyond our own esoteric world of yachting. To refine and adapt as best appropriate. Our unique, own-developed, single-shot vacuum infusion is an early example of this. And that was just the beginning, we are forever innovating, leading the way.
AAS: Contest Yachts has built a range of craft from Olympic sailing dinghies to performance bluewater sailing yachts. Do you have an all-time favourite model?
AC: All our boats are my favourite! Yes, we have come a long way since those first Flying Dutchmen dinghies sailed back through the sixties, but they seeded our now fantastic luxury bluewater performance cruisers, with every boat along the way another step to new perfection. We build specifically to commission, and to exact owner specifications, and I have to confess I was super excited when our original Contest 50CS reached 50 launches. That model was retired a couple of years back, and her new splendid replacement 50CS, with sistership 49CS, is doing very well too. But my real love is my Contest 25 I have been sailing since a teenager. We share the same ‘build-year’… and of the two us she is looking much better!
AAS: You welcome input from owners in the build of their yachts; are there sometimes some unusual requests?
AC: It is true, we offer unusually high levels of personalisation, going far further than mere colourways or equipment add-ons. Anyway, the start-point on our yachts is unusually high, never skimping or cutting corners. But some of the custom-requirements do set us thinking – we love a challenge! So, when asked for a full-size bathtub in a Contest 59CS, that is what the owner had, plus a TV screen dropping down from the headliner. A cigar humidor integrated into the saloon coffee-table then started a trend, while a baby bed and, on another, an adventure sports storeroom, demonstrated very different approaches to new lives onboard.
AAS: Contest Yachts has previously worked with Bentley Motors; are there any more collaborations planned?
AC: Our collaborations with Bentley are a prime example of just how far we can take customisation. In these shared projects we have incorporated not just synchronised autocar and yacht interiors but worked hand-in-hand with Bentley’s designers and fabricators for an absolutely unique delivery. And we look forward to more.
AAS: Earlier this year Contest Yachts partnered with the Ancasta Group to form Contest Yachts UK. Can you tell us a little more about this?
AC: This is a really exciting new development for us. This is not just about having a UK dealer, appointing the Ancasta Group to represent us, this is a full-on collaboration with Ancasta, extending their activities in the luxury sector creating together a new and separate, dedicated sales operation to serve this important market. Contest Yachts UK launched for the Southampton and Cannes shows and is already making great inroads, thanks to the Group’s decades of experience in yacht sales and customer relationship management.
AAS: Can we expect any launches from Contest Yachts in 2025?
AC: Range development is continuously ongoing with our partners judel/vrolijk & co, Wetzels Brown Partners and Lloyd’s Register, and we always have new ideas. The most exciting news, however, comes with our latest model, the all-new 19m Contest 63CS, which premiered at Cannes and is already nominated for European Yacht of the Year 2025 and the British Yachting Awards 2025. So, as they say, watch this space!
AAS: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the marine industry at the moment?
AC: It is a short answer here: the world situation. The cost of conflict to economy and society is evident but as a business we continue to thrive and to innovate. And as a third-generation, family-owned business we not only understand longevity, we invest in it and continue to do so.
AAS: You sail in many places, but do you have a favourite sailing destination?
AC: We design and build our yachts for all waters, indeed they are classified by Lloyd’s Register as ‘All Oceans’, and I sail widely but I do just love northern sailing and particularly around Scandinavia. It is delightful and different: fascinating navigation, beautiful sea and landscapes, and uncrowded with a real sense of back to nature, so much a part of what sailing is all about. There is so much to discover through yachting, and at Contest Yachts we do provide a lovely way to enjoy this.
