There are lots of people and companies that measure success on length. Of course, in this instance and industry we are very specifc about length, that of the yachts, and who's bow protrudes the farthest when docked stern-to in ports and marinas.

However, length is a very one-dimensional view, what does it really say about the true "size" of vessels launched today? To me, not much. There are yachts in the water today that have a quoted length of 37metres but once inside, could compare to a yacht 10m larger. So where length has its merits in defining a megayacht, say, it really explains very little about the yacht and the shipyard themselves. We shouldn't detract from the blood sweat and tears bestowed upon these vessels, bringing creative designs and imagination to life; making an Owner's dream a reailty - replete with all the extras demanded. Surely there's a much better way, and just as simple, to calculate which countries and which specific builders lead the rest in terms of greatest superyachts ever built?

I wouldn't be writing this if there wasn't and, I think you know the answer too: Volume. aka: Gross Tonnage.

The most interesting aspect of this though, is that it flips the notion of the Italians being the biggest, large yacht builder, on its head. Now, I don't want to spoil a good surprise, a lot of time and effort has been spent compiling this year's Annual Report. I helped add to it, I've seen the rest of the team's work - its fantastic! So if you want to find out who the really big players are, you will just have to wait to receive your January copy of The Yacht Report. Just so you recognise it when it arrives in the post, it looks like this: