My Present Hi, I am Paul MacDonald, Northrop & Johnson’s Sales and Charter broker for Australia and New Zealand. I am the founder of McD Yachts, a boutique yacht brokerage in New Zealand that reflects my passion for exceptional craftsmanship, performance and personalised service, all of which are integral to the superyacht industry where I have spent a large part of my career.
My Past My love for boats started at a very early age sailing P Classes at Kohi Yacht Club and progressing from OK dinghies to Maxi boat racing on the world circuit. I was a crew member on Sir Peter Blake’s “Lion of New Zealand” which placed second in the 1985/86 Whitbread Round the World Race.
This deep-rooted experience on the water was integral in forming my approach to yacht design and sales which has been the foundation of my career. Before launching McD Yachts, I served as the Head of Superyacht Sales at Southern Spars, where I played a pivotal role in shaping the company into a world leader in carbon fibre rigging technology. My journey began in 1988 when I co-founded Marten Spars, a trailblazer in adapting carbon fibre technology for luxury yachts. Following a strategic merger with Southern Spars in 2006, I led the superyacht division, driving innovation that redefined what modern superyachts could achieve in terms of performance, safety and design.
My Future My mission is to make yachting more accessible to a wider range of people. I have been fortunate to have had many extraordinary experiences through yachting, and being on the water is such an integral part of both my professional and personal life.
If I can assist people in having similar boating experiences in a new part of their lives - then I am happy, I have achieved.
My Motto In business, always do what you say you are going to do – most people don’t.
