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Writer's pictureDYEEY EEL

Choose954 Podcast Episode 27 With World Renown Yacht Designer Dan Lenard


Evan: So we are back here on the Choose 954 platform podcast, episode 27, with world-renowned designer Dad Leonard. We’re guest-arrived recently here at a beautiful Pier 66 marina on a transatlantic journey, which we’ll tell you a little bit about. You didn’t know about Choose 954? We started a social movement to cultivate culture and community here in Broward County, where I’m from, to keep people in the know with great things that are going on in the community and to connect you with amazing people like him who are doing incredible things, landing here in Fort Lauderdale. The point of the podcast is to help tell those stories and make this ultimately a better place to live, not just a better place to vacation. We know it's a great place for vacation. So, for those that don’t know, Dad Leonard, tell them a little about the club.


Dan Leonard: What my job is designing. You actually are a design firm, where I’m a partner and founding partner, and all my life is connected to aeronautical life. In the meantime, I actually became very passionate over the years, and actually more like a sailing venture than a designer.


Evan: And what is the goal? What is always like that? What's the why behind the vision? Why did you decide?


v Leonard: Well, first thing first, I love sailing, so I always wanted to do it nicely. Second, I thought sailing needs a little bit of a kick to come back, to be able to look back again as it was. Like, pure sailing is a mini wave movement. I mean, I literally sit in the boat in Spain, and you would really wait. And today, sailing boats are so much depending on marinas for refueling. So, the purpose of sailing—I wanted to point out sailing as a boat in itself as a function.


Evan: Second doors?


Dan Leonard: Whether because it’s a Mercedes, it’s one of the most elegant ways to move around. So, being already in itself a very ecological way to cross, I wanted to start to add a little bit of a mission. Just my personal passion for being with the ocean and, at the same time, starting interest in some of the organizations that are involved in ocean preservation, especially the trash problem in the oceans. I actually want to connect two things. Right now, I’m trying to make this thing a platform where you can actually connect organizations. Organizations have problems.


Evan: Your pinkies on the spot?


Dan Leonard: Yes. And we all know we have to work on it. From an attraction, there is something that is so evident—so many people see on the sticker that we leave. I don’t know... In a nice place, like never before. You get there, open your power, and you should really see.


Evan: We're so quick, you know?


Dan Leonard: So many people in such an industry to take notion. So, how often do we get back? And that's why we connected on through our Thousand American Street Projects and awareness campaign. With Bella Code, can you speak a little bit about Bella Code and a little bit about what you were doing on this mission?


Dan Leonard: Well, definitely. Bella Code is obviously—Bella in Latin means a land, in Italian, a sail or a segment. So, "Code" of Bella, the code of sailing. I think that would be more like an ethical movement rather than the rules of how to sail boats. So, I’m trying to build a simple code of behavior for a sailor because I want to go to the same man into general utility and establish behavior, which is not very complicated. For example, it would be very nice, and we can all afford that if you have a boat, you can afford that you don’t bring single-use plastics. I mean, because it’s not that you are throwing it in the water intentionally, but one wind gust blows one bottle here, one bottle there. Then, there are also irresponsible people, the first prototype in. And if there was a code that you just don’t do this, don’t bring this stuff, that could be started.


Evan: Lifestyle X?


Dan Leonard: I can afford. I can afford and influence others. It’s not that we have to build the consciousness initiative. Relocation is exactly the same. And you know, generally, yacht owners are influencers in the space, and hopefully, we can have a trickle-down. You are a client.


Evan: So there is a bunch of people coming through a mega yacht, and a mega yacht could be a platform of influencing people.


Dan Leonard: Another one already doing that. But they don't do it on small boats. Often, it's repacking. Coach when you're making division. I mean, possible cruise yachts are already built several times. Are we? So, basically, the food is either fresh or...


Evan: We're not opening the cornflakes?


Dan Leonard: We have like 17 boxes. Importantly, they have 50 pounds. You can actually also expand, and then you start to do it from the boat. Next time I think boating itself can be a platform, so we definitely showed up this time—the first time came with the boat.


Evan: Yeah.


Dan Leonard: Yeah.


Evan: But when you are once your internship?


Dan Leonard: Resting was very difficult. It’s going by and coming down again. The Garcia was really, really not allowing me to sleep.


Evan: Well, you’re here. You’re safe.


Dan Leonard: Yeah, it was not possible to avoid. Yeah, then, one way or another, it’s the first time.


Evan: First time.


Dan Leonard: But as you know, you have a very nice boat show here.


Evan: Yeah, so I'm in Fort Lauderdale for the last 20 years.


Dan Leonard: I’m actually really very, very, very honored that you care so much for me. It’s one of the places where I work from. You know, movement Monte Carlo yachting capital of the world.


Evan: Everybody can I present you a few people that were actually involved in getting me here?


Dan Leonard: Okay.


Evan: So, there is someone you connected to more on Yavin's ship, which are those guys there. Sean, can you come here, please?


Dan Leonard: So, Sean and Megan, that’s you.


Evan: Yeah, we...


Dan Leonard: So, when these people got together, I got kind of a cone. I was conveyed into a final destination; otherwise, I was just a floating piece of carbon fiber in front of Fort Lauderdale, trying to get somebody to pull me in. But in reality, they embraced me.


Evan: Don't be clear, the pouring was ready?


Dan Leonard: Hotel was ready. Sean organized the towing service. They were...


Evan: It’s maybe fortunate up there.


Dan Leonard: Pretty good.


Evan: Yeah, I would think the other. Well, you're here, you're safe, got a great team.


Dan Leonard: Yeah, I learned we can actually connect even more because now I have her on port authorities.


Evan: Nothing invented?


Dan Leonard: Or support. Every big event, and Dean McKeon might come.


Evan: Dean?


Dan Leonard: Yeah, Dean might come for the be an ally to start in May, with time. May 11th, we’re going for the opening. But through summaries, actually, all the time, on six months. Yeah, we will revisit it.


Evan: This is between two yetis?


Dan Leonard: So, yeah, there’s a commission. Yes, a mission of saving the oceans from trash at the moment, because let’s be more concentrated. What’s the biggest issue right now is the drastic...


Evan: Well, let me tell you something. It’s a challenge because in this country, we have competing governments. The city of Fort Lauderdale, last month, passed an ordinance banning plastic straws—something very simple, banning plastic straws. And today, we hear that the state legislature wants to take that power away from us and not allow us to enforce it. Simple, simple, just banning plastics.


Dan Leonard: So you see, you have competing cultures, competing governments.


Evan: It’s a travesty that we can’t even—every time we take one step forward, they push.


Dan Leonard: So I applaud your effort.


Evan: We try to bring notoriety to the fact that the ocean... we tried to ban plastic bags, and they took that power away. So I’m not quite sure what’s in their heads, they play the same waterways that we do.


Dan Leonard: You never say?


Evan: Yeah, it’s a travesty. Fortunately, this particular governor, the new governor, seems to have more sensitivity to the need of trying to eradicate the problems that this state suffers. But in the meantime, cities like my own...


Dan Leonard: What we can do is try to raise awareness.


Evan: People need to make sure that we can live and cohabitate with the ocean. You know, I’m a child of the 1960s, and Ralph Nader and all the epic settlers started back then to try to reduce carbon emissions, minimize waste, and try to recycle. And we’re still talking about it today as if we think it’s brand new.


Dan Leonard: Every year.


Evan: The decade, because comparative communities, to be sure, provide a healthy living environment for the next generation to succeed us. So I applaud your effort.


Dan Leonard: I’m trying to actually do it from the other side. On your side, you try to build laws or enforce banning the use of something. What I try to do is spread it as a passion for yachting. Like, I’m not using a straw, I’m a yachtsman. I’m not using single-use plastic. I’m not doing this, I’m not doing that. So if it becomes like a lifestyle of a yachtsman, just abandoning some of these most polluting items that end up in the water—not because of them but because they are not using them—other people might start to think it’s a good profession. I mean, yachting is promoting something that is cool, you know? So I don’t have a yacht, but I’m also abandoning the use of this. If you spread it as a fashion, it also works.


Evan: Yeah.


Dan Leonard: Using yachting as a platform is a very proper way to spread a fashion because yachting is fashionable. What I did was to gain a little bit of a voice to speak now about this fashion I want to spread. So this was... this was it. It’s accomplished.


Evan: It was very well done.


Dan Leonard: Because nothing happened, nobody was broken.


Evan: So to be able to welcome you, and the effort of the mission with you, really...


Dan Leonard: My company.


Evan: Thank you so much.


Dan Leonard: Thank you.


Evan: Thank you, everybody.

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