Windcraft celebrates 10 years with Hanse Yachts

20 Nov 2008

Peter Hrones, founder and managing director of Windcraft Australia, has a big smile on his face. He is now celebrating a decision made 10 years ago in the small but historically significant boat building town of Greifswald, on Germany's Baltic Coast. Hrones' return to Australia in late 1999 saw the birth of Windcraft, his yacht-importing company based on Sydney's Pittwater.

In Windcraft's 10th year of importing Hanse Yachts a turnover of $20m was achieved, firmly placing the company as a leading importer of yachts to Australia and New Zealand. This success was recognised by Hanse Yachts with Hrones (for the second time) being awarded the Hanse Dealer of the Year Award. This suggests that it is not only Hrones who is smiling - Hanse Yachts must also be pleased that the young Australian found his way to the Greifswald yard 10 years ago.

Peter Hrones has spent most of his life working and playing on the water. Racing, cruising, working, as a youngster (he is still not 40!) his passion soon took him to Europe. It was while racing German and Danish yachts in Switzerland that Hrones began to recognise that there was an untapped market for such well engineered craft in Australia. The search for the ideal brand of yacht to import to Australia had begun.

This search was to take the next four years and inspections of 22 boat manufacturers' yards across Europe, the USA, South Africa and Scandinavia. Hrones refused to compromise on his criteria. The list evolved into 10 priority questions that Hrones had to ask of the brand to ensure that it would suit the Australian and New Zealand market. The 10 points covered everything from the manufacturer's vision for the future, a well built boat suitable for the Australian conditions and of course a boat that was easy to sail, but sailed fast.

It was October 1999 when Hrones arrived at the then small Hanse yard in Greifswald. Here, he was to meet a man equally determined to realise his own particular vision. This was the charismatic Michael Schmidt, already well known in German racing circles for his success as an Admirals Cup skipper. Schmidt is founder and managing director of Hanse Yachts, now one of the fastest-growing boatyards in Europe with a turnover that has increased by more than 40 percent each year for the last 10 years. The company has recently acquired the Fjord and Moody range, both produced at the rapidly expanding Hanse yard.

Hrones met Schmidt on

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