Robertson & Caine

Robertson and Caine International Yachts (R&C) was established in 1991 to focus on the custom-built yacht market. Founded by the current chairman John Robertson (read an article featuring John as the recipient of a lifetime acheivement award) and the late Jerry Caine, R & C has a long and proud history of boat building going back over 30 years. R&C is South Africa’s largest boat builder manufacturing for the export market and has delivered over 350 yachts to a single customer, The Moorings, one of the world’s largest yacht charter companies that operates in over 40 destinations worldwide. As a result, R&C has emerged as a serious competitor in the international catamaran market and now enjoys a dominant position in the North American market.
	The company has produced an impressive list of racers and cruisers, and has some notable credits to its name: its first Leopard 45 catamaran was voted Charter Yacht of the Year in 1998 by the highly acclaimed ‘Cruising World’ magazine, and one of the company’s earliest creations, Broomstick, won the Cape to Rio race in 1993. The company was also awarded a license to manufacture the Mumm 36 racer.This international exposure drew the attention of The Moorings who entered into an agreement with R&C to manufacture specifically designed catamarans for its charter fleet. In less than 4 years, Robertson and Caine delivered the 100th catamaran to The Moorings, with every one of them delivered on their own bottoms around the world: what better proof of their blue water capacities?
Commitment and Expansion Brings Success In 2000, the relationship expanded with the launching of The Moorings Private Sales to provide sales and service support to individuals wishing to own a Leopard cat for private use. With exlusive representation worldwide, The Moorings Private Sales proposes all models with high quality fittings and classy 3 or 4-cabin owner layouts. The largest portion of R&C’s production capacity is currently the manufacture of its Leopard range, the 43 ft and 47 ft Simonis-Voogd designed sailing catamarans and the more recent Leopard 40 by Morrelli and Melvin, designers of round-the-world record breaker ‘Cheyenne’. These are mostly exported for The Moorings, where they enter their bareboat and crewed yacht charter fleets in locations including the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, and are almost all delivered on their own bottoms. Other innovations have included the development of a 46’ power catamaran and a luxury 62 ft catamaran. In 2005, the new Leopard 40 was winner of 'Boat of the Year - Best Import' and 'Best Multihull 40' and Under' by Cruising World magazine.
	Production Capability Develops With New Factory The company’s boat yard is situated in Woodstock, Cape Town, a few kilometres from the city centre and the harbour. In 2001 R & C purchased additional land adjoining the boat yard and recently completed construction of additional factory space to double the size of the factory, and an office block. The factory now occupies a site of almost 30,000 square metres. The company has also put emphasis on employee benefits and job security and in the recent factory expansion, focused on developing staff facilities with new restrooms, a canteen and a recreational area. The company has an American subsidiary to more efficiently source and package imported components in kit form, which account for 40% of input costs. R & C currently builds up to eight catamarans simultaneously at their boat yard, moulding the hulls and fitting components on a production line that allows them to complete and launch a new vessel at a rate of one a week during peak periods.

Over the years Robertson and Caine has built up what is probably the finest boat building team in South Africa. It has hired staff for their approach and attitude towards a quality finish. Due to the increase in demand and production requirements, the company has grown from employing approximately 30 staff to its current staff complement of over 200, creating a world-class facility and defining R&C as South Africa’s foremost builder.