Kaohsiung's Prospering Yachting Industry creates Argo Yacht Club／高雄遊艇產業百花爭妍 催生亞果遊艇俱樂部
Kaohsiung's Prospering Yachting Industry creates Argo
Yacht Club
◎English translation: Wendy Wei Chang
◎Photos by Pao Chung-hui
Kaohsiung is Taiwan's premiere, yacht manufacturing city. The city is known for its customized yachts and has established a world-class yacht manufacturing sector. Since Taiwan is surrounded by the sea, Taiwan is perfectly located for developing the industry. The government has also worked hard to increase various sectors within the industry. Some of these developments include increasing the local area for yacht manufacturing, making the market more conducive for domestic consumers, to allowing companies to own and manage private harbors and provide dockings for yachts within the Port of Kaohsiung.
In May 2014, Kaohsiung hosted Taiwan's first International Boat Show. Its great success demonstrated Taiwan's growth in yacht manufacturing industry and the strides it is making, in encouraging growth in the domestic market. In 2010, a law was amended that would allow local people to purchase and own private yachts. With this amendment, it is hoped that the domestic yachting market will increase and more people in Taiwan will have the opportunity to enjoy domestically constructed yachts.
With an increasing sector of yacht owners, Argo Yacht Club has decided on Kaohsiung as its headquarters. Argo Yacht Club provides an assortment of services. It provides members with six rental yachts they can rent out to go fishing, host small parties, use for business trips or long-distance vacation cruising. Therefore, members can enjoy the world of yachting without the prerequisite of having their own. Argo Yacht Club is also responsible for yacht docking and maintenance. The club can also assist in hiring captains, crew, yacht managers and assistants for managing travel needs. They can also assist prospective yacht owners in locating the right Taiwanese yacht manufacturers to develop their dream yachts. Horizon Yacht not only assists in providing clients the finest of new yachts but also provides technical support for all members' yachts.
Argo Yacht Club was funded by Horizon Yachts (the world's fifth largest customized luxury yacht manufacturer) and Man Strong (one of the Taiwan's largest human resource companies) and is the first of its kind in Taiwan. President of the Argo Yacht Club, Ho Yu-Ling explained another incentive for opening the club in Kaohsiung is that it enjoys good weather for at least 10 months of the year; very conducive for developing a yacht tourism sector. Members enjoy a high caliber of qualified staff, many of which are graduates of National Kaohsiung Marine University. Staff is required to love the ocean and know how to swim. They must have both a lifeguard certification and a pleasure craft boating license. The captains of the club's yachts are retired Marine colonels. The club is expecting to soon recruit more than 200 members.
The yachting industry now not only includes an advanced manufacturing sector but also sales and recreational services. Taiwan's first boat exhibition also assisted in expanding the industry and furthered the city in becoming a primary yacht sales destination, in Asia. Like many international yachting harbors, yachts always dock at piers near the city's center. The yachting industry will increase the economy with the establishment of more hotels, department stores and restaurants in the harbor area.
高雄遊艇產業百花爭妍 催生亞果遊艇俱樂部
◎文／侯雅婷
◎攝影／鮑忠暉
高雄為台灣遊艇製造業重鎮，以「客製化」遊艇見長，確立世界級製船實力，四面環海的台灣擁有絕佳地理條件發展遊艇休閒產業，過去囿於法令禁止私人擁有遊艇，2010年法令修訂私人可購買遊艇，創造「亞果遊艇俱樂部」發展契機。高雄1年長達10個月的好天氣，對於發展遊艇觀光產業助益良多，於是「亞果遊艇俱樂部」選擇落腳高雄，實現遨遊四海蒼穹的海洋夢。
台灣遊艇內需市場，從遊艇製造業到消費終端的客戶之間有段很長的路，隨著法令鬆綁，國人乘遊艇親近海洋的夢想漸露曙光。民間率先投入於高雄港碼頭興建遊艇基礎設施，比如私人遊艇碼頭，備妥遊艇停泊船位；今年5月，高雄迎來首屆台灣國際遊艇展，成功聚焦台灣遊艇製造實力，業者莫不企盼，有朝一日，台灣製作的遊艇能讓更多國人使用。於是「亞果」把台灣遊艇製造業半世紀以來的成果，呈現在消費終端的顧客面前。亞果以遊艇長度決定可服務的會員人數，預計募集200位會員，提供包括釣魚、小型聚會、商務或長途航行等6艘不同功能的遊艇租賃，讓初次接觸的會員不致負擔購買遊艇的龐大支出，且後續船隻停泊和維修保養等也由亞果一手包辦，還安排船長、水手、遊艇管家和秘書等專業團隊提供隨船服務，確保顧客享有安全愜意的旅程。
頂著台灣第一家遊艇俱樂部，亞果由全球第五大客製化豪華遊艇製造商「嘉鴻遊艇」與台灣人力資源前五大的「萬通人力集團」合資成立。由嘉鴻遊艇作為技術後盾，談起亞果員工，董事長侯佑霖稱讚，工作伙伴素質極佳，亞果工作人員都必須熱愛海洋、會遊泳，同時擁有水上救生執照和動力小艇執照，網羅不少畢業於國立高雄海洋科技大學學生，至於船長則是聘請海軍退役的上校擔任，藉由訓練有素的工作人員與會員交流分享航海經驗。
遊艇產業除了前端遊艇製造業，尚包括擴大展示銷售和休憩等。高雄遊艇製造業成績有目共睹，舉辦首屆遊艇展後，展現成熟度高的遊艇產業聚落，朝著亞洲遊艇展示銷售中心前進。借鏡國際知名的遊艇港，遊艇碼頭皆位於近市中心位置，龐大的消費力可望吸引遊艇碼頭周圍齊聚飯店、百貨和餐飲業，厚植產業實力。