Meet The Team – Matias Renlund

Over the coming days and weeks, we thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves in a little more detail. The Grabau International team is a close-knit group with many decades of experience between us. We all have an interesting story to tell about how we got here and what we get up to away from the office, so we have put 10 questions to each of the team.

In this instalment, we talk to Grabau International Scandinavia’s – Matias Renlund.

1.) What is your position within the business?

Together with my brother Jonas, we are one of the newest members of the Grabau International team. I am based in Gothenburg Sweden and I am the managing director for Nordic Boathouse of which Grabau International Scandinavia office is now a part. You can also find me attending the major Northern European boat shows.

2.) When did you first get into boating?

Like the rest of my colleagues, I started sailing at a young age, sailing with family aboard various cruising yachts. From this, I continued with racing for the National team of Finland, and then to various offshore sailing and regattas with Swan yachts.

3.) Your favourite yachting moment?

Sailing a 55 ft performance yacht in the archipelago of Greece together with my girlfriend for a week during the summer of 2018. Visiting beautiful quaint islands, reaching a sailing speed of 16 knots and anchoring in lagoons for a swim and breakfast every morning.

4.) How did you get into the yacht brokerage industry?

Following my early start in the world of boats, my education involved a stint in the Finnish Navy Special Forces Recon division as well as studying Naval Science at Aland Island. This was followed by a career at sea with oil tankers, ice breakers and sailing passenger ships before returning back to dry land and working with the family boatyard business. More recently, my brother and I have taken control of the family-owned boatyard and have begun to develop the yacht sales side of the business which we both enjoy greatly. Joining forces with Grabau International was a natural progression in this development.

5.) What would you do if you weren’t a yacht broker?

My time as a naval officer and later in the shipping industry was very enjoyable as well as challenging, so I guess I would probably continue in either of those directions.

6.) What sailing/boating are you doing at the moment?

One of the joys of being based in Sweden is that we are rarely far from the water. As I write this, I am in the Gothenburg archipelago enjoying the island life and boating with a Norwegian-built Hydrolift F-26. In the summer I hope to spend some more time sailing and visiting the island of Åland.

7.) What do you get up to away from the office?

As a business owner, I am always thinking about ways to develop the company as well as myself to strive forward. I enjoy spending time outdoors being active, going to the gym and swimming. I also love to travel and visit new places with my girlfriend. An interesting book is my go-to when I want to relax and unwind.

8.) If you were to ‘sell up and sail away’, what boat would you choose?

Well, this is a hard one, Hallberg Rassy 46 such as the example we have recently listed would be a great choice for crossing the Atlantic and spending some time in the Caribbean. It offers the perfect combination of Scandinavian craftsmanship and great sailing experience. Being from Finland, I have always dreamt about having a Baltic Yacht, so another choice would be the Baltic 83 ‘IPERO’ for an extraordinary experience. Like many, the lure of a catamaran is also difficult to ignore, so I would have to stay with Finland and look at the ultimate catamarans of OQS’s Ocean Explorer range, which offer a more sustainable choice in luxury, with speed and comfort at sea.

9.) Pick five of your favourite current GI listings and tell us why?

An impossible question to answer as they are all great in their own ways. However, if pushed, I guess I would pick the Ocean explorer 60 ‘CYGNUS CYGNUS’ from OQS for the reason outline in the previous question. Next, I would choose the Grand Soleil 43 OT ‘IL CORVO’ for her racing capabilities and outright speed. Going slightly larger, I think the Maxi Dolphin MD65 ‘KALAO’ is a truly magnificent sailing yacht combining elegance with performance. Switching across to motor yachts, I would pick the Beneteau Gran Turismo 49 Fly ‘JOY’ thanks to her spaciousness and suitability for vacations. Finally, I would choose the Lamore LC 7500 Cabin ‘ANKKA’ as she is just perfect for life in the Swedish archipelagos as a daily transport between islands and platform for fishing.

10.) What is your plan for the rest of 2020.

I am enjoying working with the Grabau International team who bring together an enormous wealth of experience from different sectors of the industry and different parts of Europe. While the current COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenges for us all, we are using our time effectively to ensure that we can continue to provide the very best level of professional service. As Europe starts to slowly open back up, we expect to be very busy as buyers and sellers race to move ahead with their 2020 yachting plans.

If you would like to discuss your yacht sale or purchase plans in Scandinavia, Matias would be delighted to hear from you. He can be contacted at matias@grabauinternational.com or tel +358 40 686 1501.