Riva arrives in Thailand, represented by Lee Marine

by Lee Marine Thailand on 1 Feb 2011 Riva, one of the world’s premier luxury yacht brands and favourite of celebrities, sports stars, royalty and heads of state, officially arrived in Thailand during the recent PIMEX show and is now represented by Lee Marine.

Paola Procopio, Riva’s Brand Manager; Ferretti Group Area Manager, Asia-Pacific Giuseppe Zecchin, both out from Italy for the occasion, and Lee Marine International Marine Brokerage Managing Director, Joshua Lee led a champagne toast.

Riva is part of Italy’s famous Ferretti Group. Lee Marine is the Thailand dealers for Ferretti, Pershing, Custom Line and Riva yachts from the Group.

Commented Ms Procopio: 'Riva is excited about bringing our brand to Thailand. We see great opportunities for us to grow in this region.'

Among all the celebrities who owned a Riva were famed actress Brigitte Bardot, director Dino de Laurentis, actors Richard Burton, Sean Connery and Peter Sellers; Prince Rainier of Monaco, the Shah of Persia and King Hussein of Jordan.

Mr. Zecchin said Asia Pacific offers great potential for Ferretti boats, such as Riva, as it has emerged strongly from the recession. 'The calmer seas around Phuket are ideal for Riva owners to experience and appreciate the craftsmanship of such high quality boats,' he said.

'Riva represents the very best in high quality Italian boat design and technology coupled with 170 years of experience,' said Joshua Lee. 'Lee Marine is pleased to welcome such a prestigious brand into our group.'

Lee Marine joins a Riva dealer network with offices across the globe, including Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong in Asia; Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands; Monaco, Greece, Turkey and the UK and many others in Europe; Scandinavia and the Baltic states such as Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia & Montenegro; Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar-UAE in the Middle East as well as the United States.

In the 1930s, Carlo Riva created a range of mahogany boats featuring an unmistakable design. The Rivas are featured in many of the James Bond movies as well as regularly gracing the covers of the leading international lifestyle magazines from the 1950’s through to today.

These sleek and stylish yachts also became the boat of choice throughout the years for glamorous celebrities such as Brigitte Bardot, Liz Taylor, Claudia Schiffer and George Clooney and remain a celebrity favourite today.
Riva models include the new Aquariva, Aquariva Cucci, a collaboration with the world famous design house; Aquariva Super, Rivarama, Rivale, SportRiva 56, 63 Vertigo, 68 Eqo Super, 75 Venere, 85 Opera Super, 86 Domino, 92 Duchessa and 115 Athena.

Typical of the design input Riva puts into its yachts is the Aquariva Gucci, a made to order model customized by Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini. This initiative will be one of the activities marking Gucci’s 90th anniversary year in 2011.

Lee Marine believes certain Riva models will be ideal for use in the tropics. Riva’s are renowned not just for their exquisite looks, but for their power and dynamics. In almost every parameter they exceed other boats of this type on the market.

Another example of how Riva customizes its yachts for owners is the 115 Athena, an unusual mega yacht because it can be semi-customed by the owner who can actually decide on the interior layout.

Riva describes its creations as 'an object of desire for kings and queens from all countries as well as actors and actresses, sports champions, businesspeople and celebrities of all kinds.'

Officina Italiana Design designs both the interiors and exteriors. The studio was founded by Mauro Micheli in 1994, who studied at the Artistic Lyceum in Bergamo and subsequently at the Fine Arts Academy in Milan, and Sergio Beretta, who has a degree in economy and commerce and an avowed passion for design and contemporary art.

The Riva story began in 1842 when Pietro Riva left his native village of Laglio on Lake Como in northern Italy for Sarnico on Lake Iseo where the unique Riva brand began and has prospered in the intervening almost 170 years.
By the end of the 19th Century the very first racing boats joined the fishing boats and steamboats already being built. The racing boats were highly successful in competition.

More at www.rivaboats.com

About Lee Marine International Marine Brokerage
Since incorporation in 1997 Lee Marine has become Thailand’s leading yacht sales and service company, offering a full range of new and pre-owned vessels. Our specialists concentrate solely on yacht sales and services and have refined these processes to be clear, efficient and effective. Lee Marine are authorized distributors in Thailand for Riva, Riviera Marine, Ferretti Yachts, Pershing Yachts, Prestige Yachts and Jeanneau.

More at www.leemarine.com