SUNSEEKER is officially unveiling five new models – and welcomed actor Hugh Bonneville to its Poole shipyards. The luxury boat builder sailed what it calls its “Famous Five” new motor yachts in formation from Poole to Studland Bay ahead of a “world premiere” online. It welcomed the star of Downton Abbey and the Paddington films to its shipyards to support a launch video for the new models. The company assembled the Manhattan 55, Predator 55 EVO, 65 Sport Yacht, 88 Yacht, and 90 Ocean in public for the firs time. Hugh Bonneville said: “A few years ago, I joined the Sunseeker team at the London Boat Show and quickly came to understand that this company is so much more than a brand – it’s a global family.
SUNSEEKER International says it should be in a “market-leading position” when the pandemic ends after pushing ahead with production of new models. In its annual report, the luxury boat builder said its Chinese owner was backing the business’s plans for “significant growth”. The major Poole employer – which announced 460 redundancies last year – has five models launching in the first quarter of this year, with more set for 2022. Production of Sunseeker boats was “substantially shut down” for three months from the end of March last year, the company’s annual report has said. Chief executive Andrea Frabetti wrote: “Only minimal production work was possible in this period, limited to the completion of those boats that were close to dispatch at the point when the UK lockdown commenced.”