Obituary: Asia Pacific Boating
by Guy Nowell 30 Oct 2019 02:43 AEDT
Nobody at home. Blu Inc (HK) Media at the recent Macau Yacht Show © Guy Nowell
Sail-World Asia has recently been advised of the demise of Asia Pacific Boating (APB), a part of the Blu Inc Media group owned by Singapore Press Holdings.
APB was founded in 1967 as Asia Boating Monthly, the magazine of the Hong Kong Yachting Association, with Bruce Maxwell in charge. For more than five decades ABM and then APB reported on sailing, boating, yachting, regattas and cruising all over Asia. (And fishing. ABM was often affectionately referred to as ‘Asia Billfishing Monthly’ and other things beginning with B).
It was subsequently owned by Willy Roberts, who sold it to Olivier Burlot (Blu Inc Media) who later handed over to Singapore Press Holdings. Other magazines in the Blu Inc Media/SPH stable now defunct are Asia Spa, Action Asia, JET Asia-Pacific, China Boating and LP Luxury Properties.
It’s the end of an era and the passing of a historic title. In the print magazine world, Asia Pacific Boating is survived by its principal competitors, Yachtstyle and Fragrant Harbour.
RIP