Disappearance of David L. Fraser
Fraser Yachts has announced the death of its founder, David L. Fraser. A figure of the 20th century nautical industry, he died on January 6, 2021, at the age of 99.
From California to international yachting
Sailing since his youth, David Fraser quickly wanted to combine his passion for boats with his profession. In 1947, he founded his boat brokerage company in Newport Beach, California. In the 1960s, the company expanded and established itself throughout the United States, from San Diego to Seattle, via San Francisco and Florida. It becomes a reference in the world of brokers and expands worldwide in the 1980s, when he is joined by his daughter Diane Fraser. David Fraser continued his brokerage activity in the 2000s.
"David was a titan in the world of yachting and brokerage who touched the lives of many people during his long career. A passionate yachtsman, with a vision, a drive and a set of principles that not only built the company that proudly bears his name today, but also continues to apply the values, thoroughness and ambition for which he was famous," said Raphael Sauleau, Managing Director of Fraser Yachts
A company in the international yachting landscape
Sold in 1993 to the directors of the Italian broker Ital Yachting, Fraser Yachts kept its name and emblem, a profile of the great sailing ship Anna R Heidritter, the first on which David Fraser embarked. The company finally passed into the hands of the Italian group Azimut Benetti, before being bought in July 2019 by the American distributor Marine Max. It now employs 160 people in 20 offices, from Australia to Dubai, Thailand and Spain.
