How Eric Noyel’s love for boating brought him to Asia – where the wind caught his sails

This story was originally published in XXIV magazine 2018.

French entrepreneur Eric Noyel realised his childhood dream when he guided AsiaMarine, a Hong Kong-based luxury yacht dealer, to the best Asia-based charter company title at last year’s Asia Boating Awards.

The quirks of the Asian market continue to surprise him even after five years at the helm of the business.

Boating has been his love from a young age. Noyel’s parents named him after the French navigator Éric Tabarly, and ocean-going adventures have always been very dear to his heart.

In 2013, he founded AsiaMarine in Hong Kong, and has since expanded the business to Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, offering services in chartering, buying new and second-hand boats, and boat management and services.

Noyel’s idea is to bring the European yachting experience to Asia. But time has taught him valuable lessons along the way, both in terms of starting a yacht business and in terms of doing so in Asia.

“It’s a learning process when you start a business. You hit the wall every day,” he says. “I’m not Asian, so I realise I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I realised most of the clients in Hong Kong are very focused on Italian brands. So there are a lot of clichés that, fortunately or unfortunately, have to go.”

But that doesn’t interfere with Noyel’s love for boats, because to him, they mean freedom and happiness that can be shared with loved ones.