Highs and Lows from 2013: David Holley

For David Holley of Peters & May, the global yacht and powerboat transportation logistics leader, 2013 was the best year the company has had since 2008. In a sign of the times, the company, which continues to support Unlimited hydroplane, tunnel boat and offshore racing powerboat racing, opened a new office in Shanghai, China. It also re-opened its office if Palma, Mallorca. In Holley’s view, “The marine market is on the up and we are confident it will stay that way.”

David Holley (far right): “I love racing, but there is nothing better that seeing a kid get out of a boat with the smile from ear to ear.”daveholleybig

High: It’s tough to pinpoint our high this year as we have had plenty of success. On the boat transport side, I would say our high has been shipping some crazily large pieces of cargo. We have moved several yachts over 50 meters in length including a 2,000-ton barge and an 800-ton wooden clipper. On the Peters & May Racing side, we have seen some real success from our sponsorship program. The U11 Unlimited hydroplane had a quality season with a new boat, finishing on the podium twice and finishing every heat this season. Ben Jelf had another amazing year in his GT15, and off course we were able to watch Alex Carella and our man Shaun Torrente bring home a 1-2 in the F1 World

However the main high for me was witnessing and supporting the Junior Hydroplane program in Doha (Qatar)—seeing 26 kids take to the water over a two-day period was a real spectacle. I love racing, but there is nothing better that seeing a kid get out of a boat with the smile from ear to ear. As we get older it’s easy to forget what racing is really about, and at a grassroots level they show respect and a level of professionalism that we can all learn from.

Low: Our low had to be the disappointment we felt on hearing that the 2014 Qatar cup had been cancelled. (Read the story). It was going to be an incredible event, just as all the QMSF events are. The team in Qatar knows how to put on a show and the fact that so many of the American teams had concerns about travelling overseas was a shock to us all. The positive thing is that there are plans in place for another event later in 2014 and we are confident that the uptake will be stronger. The Unlimited Hydroplane guys have been to Doha every year for four years now and they can’t wait to go back.