2010 Brief

2010 Luxury Yacht Charter & Superyacht News

3rd “La Belle Classe Superyachts” Symposium Monaco 2011

January 24, 2011

International yachting professionals gathered at the Yacht Club de Monaco for the 3rd “La Belle Classe Superyachts” Symposium. They discussed various issues in the superyacht industry and reflected on the market of 2010, as well as looked forward to likely future developments in the superyacht industry.

Monaco Harbour

Rationalisation beckons in 2011

Yacht Club de Monaco logo

Monaco, 20 January 2011: under the aegis of “La Belle Classe Superyachts”, a label initiated by the Yacht Club de Monaco to unite all those involved in the yachting industry and support club members in this sector, 45 delegates attended a dinner-debate at the YCM. Participants represented the complete luxury yachting chain (shipyards, brokers, designers, captains and specialists in yacht finance, insurance, surveys and law) and they came to take stock of the current economic situation in their industry.

Hosted by Bernard d’Alessandri, YCM Secretary General, and organised with the support of Only Yachts, this third symposium was also of great interest to the Monegasque authorities. Among those attending were HE Marco Piccinini, Adviser to the Government on Finance and the Economy, Paul Masseron, Advisor to the Government for the Interior, Jean-François Robillon, President of the Conseil National (Monaco’s parliament), Jean-Louis Bissuel, Director Maritime Affairs, Jean-François Tourret, Manager of Saint-Tropez Port, as well as Gian Battista Borea d’Olmo and Daniel Realini, respectively Managing Director and Operations Director for the SEPM (Société d’Exploitation des Ports de Monaco) which manages the two ports in Monaco.

After an introductory speech by David Legrand of Fraser Yachts, in which he described the current situation and gave his macro-economic vision of the yachting sector, everyone had an opportunity to express their views and put forward their analyses and experiences in a friendly and constructive atmosphere.

Resumption of Yacht Sales

“After a difficult end of year in 2009, 2010 saw a recovery in sales with transactions to the value of 2,575,866,000 euros, a +30% increase on 2009. And the average value of these transactions was 13 million euros,” began David Legrand.

The rise is explained by a significant drop in prices for the 30 to 40 metre vessels, generating a considerable volume of business as owners sought to quickly raise cash.

2010 also led to an adjustment in prices of second-hand boats. As a result, sales picked up again in a generally stabilised market, even though there are still discounts to be had. There is a better balance between the number of boats coming onto the market and those sold or taken off the market, so the situation is healthier which has led to a recovery, particularly in bargains.

It was also noted that the refit business has held up, although there are no longer the big renovations of previous years: further proof that owners are again more conscious of cost.

Espen Oeino observed that the level of serious enquiries for new-builds among designers seems to be higher than in 2009, a positive sign that should be confirmed by actual contracts.

“Clients have become more demanding and try to push the price to the maximum due to a lack of clarity. The Russian market collapsed on the Côte d’Azur, particularly between the end of 2009 and mid-2010, except for vessels over 35 metres,” reports Philippe Blattès, exclusive Importer for Azimut-Benetti (Monaco and France).

Among comments relayed from the Heesen shipyard, represented by Marketing Manager Sara Gioanola: “After the sale in December of a 51 metre to a Russian in his thirties, we have just signed another contract for a semi-customised 50 metre.”

Chartering at half-mast in 2010 but a fairer wind forecast for 2011

Contrary to all expectations, 2010 was a very difficult year for the charter market (30-40 metres), with last-minute or very late bookings at rock-bottom prices (-30%). The customary clientele preferred to take advantage of generous discounts in the second-hand market, and a chance to take out loans at very competitive rates to buy a yacht rather than charter.

Some in the profession fear these new owners (with a discounted product) will not be able to manage yacht maintenance costs (around 10% of the real value of a yacht per year). They are afraid the second-hand market in 2011 may become saturated, leading to a depreciation of the new-build sector which must maintain its production costs.

Some brokers remain optimistic for 2011, such as Kristen Ringsing (YachtZoo) who says his company has already signed contracts early in the year which was not the case at the same period in 2010.

Crews get a rough ride

Crewing is one of the sectors most affected by the crisis, with falling wages (-30%) and the number of staff onboard reduced, which is also having an impact on crew agencies.

“Like the second-hand market, we have seen an enormous turn-over of personnel since last year,” says Jacques Conzales, President of GEPY (Groupement des équipages professionnels du yachting), and he adds: “Only the port and maritime authorities, and insurers can stress the importance of keeping crew on board to ensure not only maintenance but also security when the boat is moored up without a charter. We must not ignore the importance of having a properly trained seaman on board all year round!”

2011: A “pivotal year for shipyards”

“Many contracts signed in 2007-2008 are in the process of being delivered. They have enabled shipyards and all their suppliers to get through the crisis. Now everything hangs in the balance!” argues designer Espen Oeino.

Michael Breman, President of SYBASS (Superyacht Builders Association) and Sales Director at Lürssen, agrees: “It is important to reassure owners. The reputation and quality of production at the shipyards are decisive factors in the decision to purchase.”

“While some boatyards took advantage of the crisis to enter agreements or transactions, like Lürssen which bought a German shipyard or Oceanco that changed shareholders, for others 2011 will be a critical year once the final orders have been delivered. Rationalisation will continue in this sector. There will probably be more mergers in 2011. The present difficulties with order books for 2012 and 2013 should sound the death knell for speculative orders from those who sometimes built yachts before they had even been sold. This crisis will continue to streamline the market by reducing the competition,” affirms Olivier Blanchet, Fund Manager for Yachts (+40m) at BNP Paribas.

Yachting must step up its efforts to be recognised as an industry

“Some 53% of the world’s wealth is divided between the USA, Japan and Germany. For cultural reasons, and given what we have seen in Japan, Asia (apart from Singapore) is not yet a mature market partly due to cultural barriers and a lack of infrastructure. At present, South America is a more promising market than Asia, contrary to what one might think. Certainly, since 2009 and for the first time, the population of Asian “Ultra High Net Worth Individuals” has overtaken the Europeans. However, a yacht is still not an investment they make on impulse because they are yielding to a passion, as usually happens with this clientele. Today they think first about the way it is built before wanting to buy one. We estimate that there are around 100,000 people in the world likely to buy a yacht of +30 metres,” says Olivier Blanchet.

And he continued: “The average period of keeping a yacht is five to seven years maximum and in terms of value that represents around 12-15 billion for yachts of +24 metres.”

“We see yachting as an industry that must become more professional and better structured if it is to fully mature. The banks’ aim is to have an integrated approach: from the shipyard to the end user. The tendency is to ask those who are building the yachts for bank guarantees and the shipyards to ask for guarantees of payment. Under these conditions, legal contracts for construction, sub-contracting and credit is the key. The boat’s pedigree and the value of the maritime assets are just as important as the assurance given by the future owner on the means they have to buy the yacht of their dreams, but especially also their ability to maintain it properly with respect to nautical tradition. It is a relationship that must be set up for the medium term. It’s all about teamwork, from the designer and shipyard through the broker, manager, insurer, and so on; each has a role to play in the chain!”

“This sector is important when you remember that it generates 300,000 jobs in Europe. It is an industry on which people’s livelihoods rely: two billion euros in Italy and nearly a billion pounds sterling in GB. It is not by chance that the luxury industry is also interested in this sector; take for example the LVMH group which has got closer to Princess. These two industries focus on marketing and tailor-made products to meet the demands of a common clientele and thereby minimise depreciation of their production.”

“It’s true that this is an industry which doesn’t defend itself enough and suffers from a poor image. We need to communicate better! It’s up to us to explain that it creates jobs!”

Antoine Perry, Administrator at the Nice CCI (Chamber of Commerce & Industry) agrees: “We have identified 1,200 companies just between Cannes and Nice (excluding Monaco), that’s 3,600 direct jobs. Yachting is fourth for employment in the district [Alpes-Maritimes].”

Maintain its implied position as leader

“Monaco and the Côte d’Azur have assets. It is important to analyse and examine how we can lift our game to attract owners and respond to expectations about how best to exhibit their vessels when they go up for sale,” argues Philippe Blattès.

Faced with the current shortage of berths (many marinas being under construction), boat shows offer the best “shop” window. The Monaco Yacht Show helps generate sales; it is a solid bubble in terms of image and stability, and a barometer for the market. Proof of its success lies in the fact there were more than 130 yachts moored in the bay in 2010.

“For the last four to five years demand from exhibitors has been stable, with 50 to 80 companies on the waiting list who we are not able to satisfy. However, the size of yacht has changed with the  40 metre average in 2005 rising to 45 metres in 2010 and an increase in demand for yachts of over  60 metres,” comments Gaëlle Tallarida, Managing Director of the Monaco Yacht Show.

However, attention must be paid to the competition. This includes other shows such as the one at Fort Lauderdale, still an international benchmark, or the development of new marinas throughout the world whether in Liguria, where a dozen are springing up, Greece, Asia or Montenegro, or again the emergence of a new clientele and investment in South America, notably Argentina. “I was very impressed by the facilities set up in Montenegro in a former Russian naval shipyard. They already have a 100% occupancy rate in the summer and are starting to take 50 metre boats,” observes Gian Battista Borea d’Olmo, Managing Director of SEPM.

Laurent Perignon recalls: “The economic mechanisms which impact on industries producing upmarket and luxury consumer goods functioned in a similar way to luxury yachting during the crisis – and also we hope in the resolution – showing that the yachting industry is also subject to market forces. Clients are increasingly mindful of its evolution, rationalisation and professionalism.”

And Olivier Blanchet concludes: “Faced with a European market looking for a second wind, only environmental innovation to reduce energy use, with initiatives to unite players in the industry around a common goal, supported by greater transparency on prices and an ongoing search for quality, are likely to bolster development for 2011 and the years to come.”

Next rendez-vous:

“La Belle Classe Superyachts” Environmental Symposium, Wednesday 30 March 2011.

Numarine 78′ MotorYacht Range at the 50th International Genoa Boat Show

August 03, 2010

Numarine will be displaying their Numarine 78′ range at the 50th International Genoa Boat Show held between 2nd October and 10th October 2010. The Numarine 78′ series include their luxurious, family style flybridge motor yacht Numarine 78′ Fly and the elegant Numarine 78′ HT motor yacht.

Numarine 78 Fly motor yacht - Image courtesy of Numarine

Ever since its launch during the summer of 2009, the Numarine 78’HT motoryacht has been the object of much praise and awe with its profoundly novel lines. Stepping over boundaries in yacht design, Can Yalman and Tommaso Spadolini’s latest collaboration bears the distinct features of reptiles and dragons that have been ruling the waters for millennia. It’s apparent at first glance that this yacht is not your run of the mill, tame, family style vessel. It is as aggressive as it looks and stands apart from the rest to the ultimate satisfaction of its nonconformist owner.

Numarine 78 HT motor yacht - Image courtesy of Numarine

The second yacht in Genoa will be a Numarine 78’ Fly Motor Yacht, essentially a family oriented model that is also muscular and unashamedly luxurious. Designed by Can Yalman, Tommaso Spadolini and Numarine’s in-house Design Team, a sharp and chiselled profile defines the MotorYacht Numarine 78’ Fly. Her stability, resistance and hydrodynamics are by Umberto Tagliavini. Structural engineering has been carried out by High Modulus.

The 78 HT motor yacht by Numnarine

Onboard The 78 HT motor yacht by Numnarine

The Numarine 78 Fly motoryacht’s expansive flying bridge is a joy to be on. With sunbathing cushions, a full size dining table, wet-bar, icemaker and barbeque, it is no wonder that the helmsman finds himself in delightful company during the cruise.

Innovative design solutions made it possible to place an additional dining area on the foredeck. This novelty feature combined with the sunbathing cushions creates a completely new area to spend time or entertain small groups in.

Things to do at the 2010 Genoa Boat Show

July 29, 2010

Genoa is getting ready to welcome the visitors of the 50th International Boat Show – which will be held from 2 to 10 October – with exhibitions, events, and shows. Here is a little foretaste:

Acquariovillage

  • S 518 Nazario Sauro

Starting on Saturday, 29 May at 10.00 am Genoa residents and tourists alike will have a chance to get onboard Nazario Sauro, the first submarine to be turned into a museum in the water, and to visit the dedicated pre-show set up at the Galata Museo del Mare sea museum.

This unique submarine-museum and its opening to visitors are the result of the joint work of several public institutions and private entities: from Mu.Ma (the Italian Institute of Sea and Navigation Museums) – which together with Genoa City Council and the Liguria Regional Council was the initiator of this project – to the Italian Navy, which donated the submarine to the city; from Fincantieri – the shipyard that built it and refitted it – to Costa Edutainment, which manages Galata Museo del Mare and the AcquarioVillage, of which Nazario Sauro is the real feather in the cap.

Through Nazario Sauro, Galata Museo del Mare opens up to the city and to the outside world. The Galata Museum is the leading museum in the Liguria region in terms of number of visitors. It is managed by Costa Edutainment and owned by Genoa Municipality, which administers it and supervises its artistic, scientific and cultural direction through Mu.Ma – the Italian Institute of Sea and Navigation Museums.

The pre-show dedicated to submarine Nazario Sauro (whose reproduction is on display on the third floor of the museum) is an introduction to the actual visit of the submarine, and further enriches it. This section allows visitors to take some time and interact with some of the equipment and instruments that are not, or are only partly, accessible onboard, either due to a lack of space or for safety reasons. Moreover, even those visitors that cannot get onboard the submarine (disabled people, pregnant women, children under the age of 4 years) will be able to enjoy a unique, enthralling experience.

The combination of information on the complex operation of the submarine on the one hand and entertainment and play on the other result in great interaction and a hands-on experience that makes learning much easier and more fun. For example, visitors will have a chance to try the diving and surfacing modes of the submarine, the use of the periscope and the hydrophone, as well as some aspects of life onboard.

The itinerary has been set up on the third floor of the museum, along 40 metres of the “submarine” model, and includes:

  • history of submarine technology
  • school for submarine crew members
  • periscopes
  • submarine audio guide
  • virtual tour, also including some videos with true tales about real life onboard
  • allies and opponents during the Cold War.

“Diving” into Nazario Sauro is a real full-immersion experience: both because you are physically under the water surface and because you are completely surrounded by the boat, as if you were on a real mission, and not safely berthed in the waters of Genoa docks!

Because very little has been changed onboard, and the original structures, passageways and hatches have been fully preserved (except for the access and exit stairs at the beginning and at the end of the itinerary), all visitors will be asked to wear a helmet, appropriate shoes, and perform a self-assessment of their ability to take part in the visit.

2009 Genoa Boat Show - Image courtesy of Genoa Boat Show

Galata Open Air Museum

Besides opening to the public the S-518 Nazario Saurio submarine and the new “Submarine School” section, Galata Museo del Mare has also set up a new outdoor exhibition itinerary: the Galata Open Air Museum.

This section has been conceived in cooperation with the Liguria Regional Council, Genoa City Council, the Regional Department for Cultural Heritage and Activities, the local Superintendencies, and Genoa Port Authority, as part of the Framework Agreement on Cultural Heritage and Activities signed in 2006 by the Ligurian Regional Council, the Italian Ministry for Economics and Finance, and the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities. This Agreement has also allowed to carry out some preliminary reclamation, restoration and valorisation works in one of the oldest parts of Genoa Harbour – the Docks.

  • The new energy exhibition – La città dei bambini e dei ragazzi (The City of Children and Teenagers)

La città dei bambini e dei ragazzi, Italy’s largest centre devoted to entertainment, science and technologies, makes the range of activities proposed by AcquarioVillage even more complete with its new exhibition on ENERGY.

This new installation introduces youngsters to the concept of energy in its different forms, its transformation and main properties, with a special focus on the principles lying behind the production of energy from some renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectric power, wind power, and energy obtained from solar panels.

This new scientific section, conceived and set up by CNR (the Italian Research Institute), is located in the 6-14 years area and consists of a long interactive wall divided into several installations in sequence. Using several media, young visitors can produce various types of energy, which in turn will energise small electrical motors and conveyor belts taking objects from a starting point to a final destination. There are also two special stationary bicycles connected to a lamp placed on top of a column: the challenge is to see who will produce the largest amount of energy and thus obtain the brightest light.

  • “Turtle Vision” and cow fishes – Acquario di Genova”

Genoa Aquarium too has recently enriched AcquarioVillage’s offer regarding nature and the environment, with “Turtle Vision”, a new 3D film allowing the public to enjoy a “swim” through the ocean as seen through the eyes of a green turtle. The public is indeed led by Sammy (the turtle of the movie) to discover the long migrations he has embarked upon during his life, and that have taken him to the various Oceans of our Planet; including, on a few occasions, the accidental trespassing on waters different from the ones normally inhabited by this species.

The journey begins on the beach where this turtle was born and where adult females come back to lay the eggs. From there, Sammy starts his migrations, during which he will meet human beings, on occasions and in situations that highlight two very different ways of using the sea and its resources: on the one hand are the lack of care and respect for the sea, which leads to very dangerous consequences endangering many marine species; on the other is the tangible commitment towards sea conservation and the safeguard of marine environments.

Another recent “new entry” are Husar and Pepe, two cow fish specimens that the public can admire in one of the large exhibition basins. The arrival of these two specimens is part of the European coordination project for the safeguard and reproduction under controlled environment of this species (currently at risk of extinction), which allows participating entities to exchange specimens based on a protocol aiming to ensure their survival.

2009 Genoa Boat Show

  • Scegli il Pesce Giusto (Choose the right fish) – Acquario di Genova

Scegli il Pesce Giusto is the new edutainment activity of the AcquarioVillage world on the issue of sustainable fish consumption, targeted at adult individual participants. The title of this initiative is the same as the one of the international campaign aimed at raising awareness and teaching sustainable consumption of seafood promoted by the World Ocean Network (WON), of which Acquario di Genova is a co-founder.

The other international partners in the campaign are the Nausicaa Centre National de la Mer (Boulogne-sur-Mer, France) and Aquarium de Finisterrae (La Coruña, Spain).

This initiative includes a one-to-one meeting with an expert, during which participants learn about fishing, the overexploitation of seafood, the need for sustainable fish consumption, and are taught how to recognise minor fish species, clean them, and cook them.

This one-hour meeting takes place every weekend throughout the year with the following time schedule: Saturdays from 11am to 4 pm, Sundays at 11am for a group of maximum 20 people. “Choose the right fish” costs 29 Euros per person, including access to the aquarium and in-depth information activities. Booking required, Incoming Liguria, tel. +39 010 2345.666

View from above at the 49th Genoa Boat Show

Museo Luzzati

Flavio Costantini – Mostra antologica (Anthological Exhibition)

From 21 September to 7 November 2010

The exhibition, devoted to Flavio Costantini’s works, opens at Museo Luzzati, at Porta Siberia, in Genoa, on Tuesday 21 September. The Museum named after the artist’s friend, Luzzati, has indeed chosen the date of Costantini’s eighty-fourth birthday to inaugurate this anthological exhibition, set up for the first time ever in Genoa and devoted to the great Ligurian artist and his unmistakable style. The exhibition will outline the main phases of Costantini’s long career: the cycles dedicated to history will feature tempera paintings on “anarchical” subjects, those on the Tsars, and the 30 pastel and pencil works on the French Revolution; the section Le navi e il mare (Vessels and the sea) will include not only historical works on ships, but also an original cycle with new drawings depicting Genoa harbour as seen from various perspectives; a section of the exhibition will be devoted to the advertising pictures created by Costantini for companies like Erg, Latte Tigullio, Esso, Italsider, while another one will pay tribute to his famous portraits of artists and cultural figures like Freud, Kafka, Italo Calvino, Emanuele Luzzati.

To underline the lifetime friendship between Emanuele Luzzati and Flavio Costantini, the Museum’s Cannon Embrasure Halls will host an old project of theirs which was never accomplished, i.e. an exhibition entitled Una notte all’opera (One night at the Opera), with features portraits of composers and musicians by Flavio Costantini and fashion plates and sketches from Emanuele Luzzati’s opera scene designs.

Entrance ticket: € 5; free entrance for children up to the age of 6; € 2 from 7 to 18 years; € 4 over the age of 65.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am-1pm and 2pm-6pm; Saturdays and Sundays: 10am-6pm.

Palazzo Ducale

Mediterranea. Voci tra le sponde (Mediterranea – Voices between the seashores)

Starting on 9 September 2010

This interesting cycle of meetings with writers, sociologists, and philosophers is back. The aim of this initiative is to let out the different voices, sounds, and pictures of the Mediterranean Basin, focusing on relations and mutual contaminations, but also on conflicts and existing barriers. The final objective is to increase knowledge, exchange ideas, and gradually reduce prejudice and commonplaces. Among others, Predrag Matvejevic, Enzo Bianchi, Iain Chambers, Etgar Keret, Orhan Pamuk will take part in the event.

Meditazioni Mediterraneo

From 10 September to 7 November 2010

The Doge’s Apartment

A multimedia and interactive journey across the Mediterranean Basin to enjoy the atmospheres, sounds, arts, and crafts of the countries and peoples that have inhabited it and travelled through it over the centuries. Besides the video installations by Studio Azzurro – one of the leading international video art groups -, this exhibition will include ancient volumes, atlases, geographic maps and nautical charts, as well as precious archaeological finds: amphorae, coins, ancient jewels, anchors, small ship models, votive statues, and terracotta items.

Persona in meno. “Residenza per giovani curatori” (Person Less. Residence for young Curators)

From 18 September to 17 October 2010

The creation of “portraits without portraits” is a paradoxical provocation of Persona in meno, the contemporary art exhibition organised and promoted in cooperation with the foundations Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and Fondazione Garrone, which closes this year’s Residenza per giovani curatori project. The works on display aim at evoking absent presences, apparitions, replacements, private rituals, and failed attempts to be invisible.

Musei di Nervi Wolfsoniana

Novecento a tavola (Dining in the 20th century)

From 14 July 2010 to May 2011

This exhibition includes three complete dining rooms which join Piero Bottoni’s (1937, already on display), allowing to trace the evolution of the styles that characterised the Italian decorative arts in the period between the two World Wars and to reflect upon the lifestyles of those times, the social meaning of the family and the influence of the behaviours proposed by politics and by the new media that were being introduced in those years.

Info: +39 010 3231329

Museo Chiossone

Animali dello Zodiaco giapponese (Animals from the Japanese Zodiac)

From 23 March 2010 to 2 January 2011

According to the Buddhist tradition, the Zodiac includes the first twelve animals that paid tribute to the dying Buddha: in order of arrival, the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Boar. In fact, the origins of the Zodiac date back to remote prehistoric times, when man practiced a sort of animism and worshipped the animals and the stars.

From 23 June to 31 October 2010

Photographs by Fabio Massimo Fioravanti. This exhibition consists of a series of photographs documenting the life and rituals of the Zen monks of the Rinzai school, in the Zuiganji monastery.

Info: +39 010-542285

Gam e Raccolte Frugone (The Gallery of Modern Art and the Frugone Collections)

Mediterraneo fantastico. Mediterraneo da museo (Fantastic Mediterranean. Mediterranean for Museums)

From 25 September 2010 to 1 May 2011

An unprecedented display of the great masterpieces of the Gallery of Modern Art and the Frugone Collections.

Info: +39 010 3726025 – 010 322396

Museo del Risorgimento (Museum of the Risorgimento)

Il bacio di Francesco Hayez (The Kiss by Francesco Hayez)

From 2 October 2010 to 9 January 2011

This version of the famous Bacio (the Kiss) – one of the best known Italian 19th century subjects, representing the national ideals of that time – stops over in Genoa, together with some other works allowing for interesting comparisons.

Info: +39 010 2465843

Castello D’Albertis

Ballando senza i lupi (Dancing without the wolves)

From 8 October to 7 November 2010

This exhibition is devoted to the present life of North American native populations. Through words and images, it describes the current life conditions of natives living in the reserves, facing day-to-day life in contemporary society and taking up today’s individual challenges, as well as the social challenges posed by their origins and their native traditional heritage.

Info: +39 010 2723820

Musei di Strada Nuova – spazi espositivi dell’Auditorium (Museums on the Strada Nuova – Auditorium exhibition areas)

Tarnima – spirito della luce eterna (Tarnima – the spirit of eternal light). Photographs by Rosetta Messori

From 8 October to 7 November 2010

A display on the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East featuring photographs taken between 1996 and 2004, taking inspiration from the atmospheres of countries boasting ancient cultural roots (Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Yemen, Oman and Tunisia): places pervaded by great energy, places where differences in shapes are at their climax. This exhibition is part of the initiative GenovaFotografia.

Info: +39 010 5574963

The 50th 2010 International Boat Show in Genoa, Italy

July 27, 2010

Genoa International Boat Show has reached its fiftieth edition. The Show, which was held for the first time in 1962, and twice in 1972, was presented today in Milan by Fiera di Genova Spa’s Chairman, Paolo Lombardi, the President of UCINA-Confindustria Nautica (the Italian Boating Industry Confederation), Anton Francesco Albertoni, Fiera di Genova’s CEO, Roberto Urbani, and UCINA’s General Manager, Marina Stella.

International Boat Show in Genoa 2010 logo

Innovation, a complete product range, and quality: these will be the key-words of the 2010 Genoa Boat Show, an event which over the last fifty years has progressively gained the worldwide leadership and become the international reference point for the recreational boating industry as a whole.

Over two months before its opening day, the Show – which will feature power boats, sailing boats, inflatable boats, engines, technical apparel, accessories, nautical tourism, and services – is expected to host 1,400 exhibitors and 2,300 crafts overall, 500 of which will be on display in the water. Over 36% of exhibitors will come from abroad, proving once more the Show’s international significance. 500 new models will be launched at the Show. These figures bear witness to the Show’s liveliness: against a general economic scenario that is forcing companies to implement highly selective commercial strategies, Genoa Boat Show keeps strengthening its position as an unmissable event for all market operators.

To its more-than-aware public and to professional operators, Genoa International Boat Show will offer TechTrade, the section devoted to components and accessories for pleasure boating. Monday, 5 and Tuesday, 6 will be the b2b preferential days.

Moreover, in order to further enhance b2b transactions with foreign operators during the Show, this year UCINA intends to promote several initiatives, in accordance with the principles expressed in the sector agreement reached with MISE (the Italian Ministry for Economic Development) and ICE (the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade) for the promotion and support of exports.

The traditional mission of foreign operators will consequently be longer, this year, and involve more participants, the final objective being doubling the presence of foreign professional operators at the Show against last year and favouring in particular the participation of representatives from strategic markets like China, India, North Africa and South America.

International Boat Show in Genoa

The layout

Genoa 2010 Boat Show will confirm its traditional layout, very appreciated by the public because of the easily identifiable product sectors, the stunning setting of the floating part (over a hundred and ten thousand square metres of water surface), and the nine-kilometre long pathways on the sea. The sailing boats will be berthed again in the western docks. As regards ashore areas – four pavilions, a tensile structure by the sea, and large outdoor areas –, the layout of the TechTrade section in pavilion C and of the shopping area in the second gallery of pavilion S has been further improved. The trade press will be hosted in the partially sheltered areas of pavilion S. This year too, the twenty-thousand-square-metre ground floor of pavilion S will be entirely used to display power boats up to 12 metres, “package” boats (inflatables and rigid boats with engine), and outboard engines. Electronic instruments and equipment for sports fishing, ports & marinas and related services, as well as financial & leasing services will be again located in the first gallery. Other inflatable boats and other trade publications will be hosted in pavilion D; inboard and inboard-outboard engines, engine accessories, and generators will be on display on the ground floor of pavilion C, while the institutions in charge of safety at sea will be in pavilion C’s gallery. Pavilion B will be the stage for power boats up to 16 metres at the quay-level. The upper floor will host inflatable boats, while some of the leading Italian and international brands will be displayed under the tensile structure.

Following the completion river-covering works on the south side, traffic will be smoother in Piazzale Kennedy. Thanks to the temporary bridge specifically built for the ongoing works, vehicles accessing the fairground area will have available two lanes. This will make access easier, particularly during build-up and break-down operations.

The general scenario

After a tough 2009, which undoubtedly put to the test several companies in this sector, the Italian boating industry is now facing an equally demanding 2010. In spite of some slight improvements recorded, the general trend is characterised by great caution and by the awareness that reaching the productivity results achieved in the years before the crisis is going to be a difficult target for some more time.

Based on a preliminary analysis of 2009 final data – which confirm an overall 30.5% drop compared to 2008 -, it can be noted that the most heavily affected sectors were the components and engines ones. On the other hand, the fact that exports held (recording only a 15% decrease) allowed the Italian boating industry – whose overall value amounts to 3 billion dollars – to maintain its ranking among the first twenty pleasure boat-exporting countries in the world.

This is a very significant aspect, especially considering that boats ranks 5th among the “Made in Italy” products most widely appreciated in foreign countries.

These data – together with a stronger growth of the Italian GDP in the first quarter of 2010 compared to those of other EU countries like Spain, France, and the UK and the interest shown by several emerging markets (like China, India, Turkey and Brazil) towards Italian boats – are an excellent starting point to hope in a rapid recovery of the boating industry and in new stable and long-term growth rates.

Conferences, meetings, and other events

The various initiatives promoted for the Show’s fiftieth anniversary include the by-now traditional calendar of institutional conferences and events organised by UCINA.

The various events will be held applying the talk-show formula and will focus on three main themes, with the goal of providing a general overview on the Italian boating industry and offering some important “food for thought” on the main sector subjects and issues.

International Boat Show in Genoa - Image by Lazzara Yachts

A comparison between Italy and other countries will be the core subject of the conference “Dall’Italia all’Europa, le politiche per la competitività” (From Italy to Europe, competitiveness policies), an opportunity to highlight how some foreign countries, mainly France, are a model to draw inspiration from as regards tax policies and credit systems.

The meeting “Dallo Stato alle Regioni, sostenere la crescita” (From the State to the Regions – supporting growth) will aim at triggering a debate on the possible streamlining of administrative rules and procedures, focusing on the following subjects: nautical tourism, federalism of state-owned areas, ports and infrastructures, networks and districts.

The topical issue of research and technological innovation will be the main theme of the conference “Dal presente al futuro, la nautica guarda avanti” (From the present to the future, the boating industry looks ahead), which will discuss the forthcoming challenge of “green solutions” and environmental sustainability.

The Liguria Regional Council will further increase its involvement in the Boat Show by organising a series of meetings and conferences devoted to European projects in which it is a partner or the Lead Partner related to the theme of the sea as an economic, tourist, environmental and food resource. More specifically, the Innautic project will be presented (in which UCINA is a partner), devoted to the theme of innovation in the boating industry and the strengthening of the cooperation between research and the business world.

Moreover, inside the fairground, the Sea Theatre will host a rich calendar of side events, giving the public the chance to discover boating and the sea. Conferences, meetings, and sports events will animate the fairground.

The Show will be the stage for the presentation of the second Maìna – Festa della Marineria (Marine Festival), held in La Spezia and to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Regia Scuola Navale (the Royal Naval School) with a conference promoted by the School of Engineering of the University of Genoa. Like every year, Genoa International Boat Show will also host the press conference for the presentation of the sailing trophy Trofeo Accademia Navale e Città di Livorno (T.A.N. – Livorno and Sail Academy Trophy), the 12th Nautical Marathon organised by UCINA, Circolo Mandraccio and Yacht Club Città di Genova, and the 32nd International Optimist Meeting – 14th Umberto Pitti Trophy.

The Presidential Committee of ISFBO – the International Federation Boat Show Organizers – will meet on Thursday 7 October, as decided during last June’s meeting in Chicago.

“Navigar m’è dolce” (Sweet Navigation) – the last leg of UCINA’s yearly campaign for the promotion of “boating for all” – will be held this year too.

The Boat Show’s website is a vital tool ensuring dialogue between the organisers and the exhibitors and allowing to manage all necessary formal procedures. Moreover, thanks a dedicated, constantly updated information section it will be possible to purchase tickets on-line, book visits to individual stands, consult the Show’s catalogue, and find useful information on accommodation and initiatives in town, as well as previews on new models on display at the Show.

Sponsors

Following last year’s success as the main sponsor, Rolex goes further and confirms it will be the “official watch” of the Show for a three-year period.

The 50th anniversary book

On the occasion of the Show’s fiftieth edition, Sagep is publishing a volume tracing back the Boat Show’s history from 1962 to date, with the contributions of journalists and representatives of the boating world.

The “Welcoming Project” and the Info Points at the Show

Shuttle buses from the Rivieras, the airport, railway stations, parking areas, and the main hotels in town (including 3-star hotels), an information kit for all Show visitors, and a large Information stand inside the Show will be the core elements of the 2010 “Welcoming Project” organised by Fiera di Genova and UCINA in cooperation with the City Promotion Board (including Genoa Municipality, Genoa Province, Genoa Chamber of Commerce, Genoa Port Authority) and the Liguria Region. This project includes a series of services that have been constantly increased and improved over the years, to meet the needs of both visitors and exhibitors and to make their stay in town increasingly enjoyable. The services will also include a bus connecting the Show to the city centre, devoted to shopping and a tour of Genoa. Following last year’s successful debut, a special menu reserved to the Boat Show exhibitors is currently being prepared by Genoese restaurants.

Seven information kiosks will be set up in strategic locations inside the fairground and will make visiting the Show much easier and enjoyable.

Opening hours, entrances, parking in town, and boat services

The Show will be open every day from 10 am to 6.30 pm. The entrance ticket will cost 15 Euros, concessions 12 Euros. Free entrance for children under the age of 6, concessions for groups of at least 30 people and for children aged between 6 and 14 years. There will be three accessways to the Show: from the Eastern Gate in Piazzale Kennedy; on the western side through the Ship Repair area (Riparazioni Navali); and from the quay reserved to ferry boats transporting passengers from the Old port, Sestri Ponente, Pegli, and any other parking areas located in the port. Dogs, on the leash and muzzled, will be admitted to the Show. Like every year, the organisers recommend the use of public transport – trains, buses (frequency will be increased and special lines will be added), taxies, and ferries. Over 6 thousand parking spots will be available close to the fair and exhibition centre, and will be highlighted by ad-hoc signs.

For the first time, on the occasion of the 50th edition of the Show, Genoa International Boat Show visitors and exhibitors will be offered a new, innovative service, provided in cooperation with the newborn private airline S.T.C. Aviation – operating under the My Jet brand -, which will connect Genoa to any destination or departure airport required with its last-generation business jets.

Moving freely around the fairground

For those who have difficulties in walking, this year too Fiera di Genova – in cooperation with Terre di Mare (Genoa Provincial centre for accessibility and tourism for the disabled) and with the technical-operating support of the social cooperative La Cruna – will set up a dedicated ticket counter and accessway in Piazzale Kennedy as well as a welcoming service making available four-wheel electrical scooters and wheelchairs to ensure everyone can visit the Show freely. An ad-hoc map showing the recommended routes will be distributed, while an on-demand shuttle service will connect nearby parking areas to the Show.

Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2010 starts tomorrow.

June 09, 2010

Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2010 Photos by Jeff Brown- Kurt Arrigo

Twenty-eight of the largest and most spectacular sailing superyachts in existence are ready and waiting in Porto Cervo for the start of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta. Taking place in Sardinia from 8 to 12 June 2010, the regatta is set for a thrilling start, with moderate to strong breezes predicted for the first day. The event, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Boat International Media, is in its third edition and has attracted a stunning fleet of sailing yachts ranging in length from 24 to 45 metres.

The event officially got underway this morning with a day dedicated to registrations, inspections and informal training sessions for the participating crews. Racing is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 12 midday with the fleet, divided into Cruising and Performance divisions, following coastal courses along the rocky coastline of the Costa Smeralda and through La Maddalena archipelago where islands and rocks will act as natural buoys and marks. The Race Committee will be able to choose daily from a variety of courses based on the wind and sea conditions on what is recognized as one of the world’s most challenging and visually striking regatta courses.

Dotted around the fleet are a host of top racing stars, Olympic medallists, America’s Cup skippers and round-the-world race veterans such as Peter Holmberg, Karol Jablonski, Tommaso Chieffi and Neal MacDonald. Daryl Wislang, the bowman on Highland Fling, has just completed a high-speed transatlantic crossing aboard Leopard 3 and made it to Porto Cervo in the nick of time, as Highland Fling crew boss George Skuodas explained. “Daryl got off the boat in Falmouth, flew straight up to Gatwick Airport and flew out here to join us last night, still wearing the clothes he’d been in across the Atlantic. So the first thing he did was have a shower! These are nice boats to sail, especially in this environment. Beautiful boats in beautiful surroundings”, Skuodas continued.

Sailing Yacht Saudade

A newcomer to the event this year is Perini Navi’s 38 metre racing sloop P2, helmed by America’s Cup winner Peter Holmberg; she will be making her regatta debut in the Mediterranean at the superyacht event. She will be joined by the Royal Huisman built Gliss, winner of the 2009 Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta and Saudade – the largest yacht in the fleet measuring 45.2 metres (147 feet).

Skippers and crews will be attending a technical briefing in the YCCS Clubhouse this evening followed by a Welcome Cocktail on the Club’s poolside terrace. Alongside spectacular racing a host of social events are also planned for the week, including a Beach Party for owners and guests at the Hotel Romazzino, a gala dinner at the YCCS and a crew party organized by Sardinia Yacht Services in the picturesque village of San Pantaleo. The Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta will conclude on Saturday 12 June with a prize giving ceremony in which the Loro Piana Silver Jubilee Cup by Boat International will be awarded to the best classified yacht overall.

The superyacht fleet will be followed by a host of official support vessels including the 39 metre Feadship motor yacht GO.

The forecast for tomorrow gives south-easterly winds of 16 to 18 knots accompanied by sunshine and blue skies.

Round the Island Yacht Race 2010 – Interesting Yachts set to take to the water

May 27, 2010

Peta Stuart-Hunt reports on some interesting sailing yacht entries and sailors with 23 days to go to Race Day, 19th June of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Yacht Race.

The Island Sailing Club has now processed just over 1,470 entries and amongst some of the most recent it is interesting to note that, for one reason or another, a fair few have an association with flying. We’re also starting to see some of the more high profile entries coming in now, along with one or two speed machines. There’s also a brilliant turnout of young sailing talent signing up.

ICAP Leopard Race Yacht

Skipper Graham Tourell will be helming Artemis Ocean Racing, an Imoca 60. Built in 2008 the boat has also competed in the Vendée Globe and 2009 Transat Jacques Vabres. Open 60s are one of the fastest boats in sailing – built in carbon fibre using the latest hi-tech structures, they are designed to be as light as possible for speed’s sake, but strong enough to withstand the worst the seas can throw at them. Let’s hope they don’t have to worry too much about the latter on Race Day, Saturday June 19th!

Team GBR Olympic 49er sailor Ben Rhodes from Exmouth, Devon will be racing for fun on Lisette, a Hunter Medina 20.
Double Olympic Gold medallist Shirley Robertson will be racing on board Team Volvo 1 (the TP52 John Merricks II) and the World number one Laser sailor and 2008 Olympic Gold medallist Paul Goodison, from Sheffield, will be going round on Team Volvo 2 that is a Volvo 60 (V-Project).

The Triple Olympic Gold medallist Ben Ainslie CBE, Paul’s previous mentor, will be racing on J.P. Morgan Asset Management Prince’s Trust (aka Fair Do’s VII) a Ker 46. As Ben reveals, “It’s a boat that my Team GBR Olympic Manager Stephen ‘Sparky’ Park often sails but he’s not competing this year. The other crew members will be young ambassadors from the Prince’s Trust. I am an Ambassador for the Trust so I’m really looking forward to sailing for it.”

Two Extreme 40s have signed up and there may be more to come. Firstly, the Race is delighted to welcome back Mike Golding and Ecover and there’s also an Extreme 40 entered as Team Metherell. Mike Golding has consistently been at the forefront of the professional IMOCA Open 60 class and has achieved his various successes to great acclaim. His crew will include the Team GBR former Tornado pairing of Will Howden and Leigh McMillan.

Frequent fliers
Leading some frequent fliers down the Solent runway is Barbara Harmer, the world’s first and only female Concorde pilot who, since the demise of that extraordinary head-turning aircraft, has turned her hand to a combination of horticulture and sailing. Her yacht, Archambault, an Archambault A35, is co-owned by her partner Andrew Hewett who used to work in New Scotland Yard’s Specialist Operations Branch.

Jon Pentreath, a helicopter pilot from Halstock in Dorset, is racing his 1976 family cruiser, a Nicholson 39 called Plover. John leads the Commando Helicopter Force based at RNAS Yeovilton and will be joined by two other heli pilots. On board EMYS II the Williams family is being joined by flying enthusiast Nigel Taylor- Schofield who is a member of the Territorial Army.

Meanwhile, aeroplane designer Chris Burleigh from Wiltshire, has had a long career developing prototype and experimental aircraft both in the UK and USA. He will be racing his Beneteau Yogi with friends and family and looking to improve on last year’s overall 89th position.

Callisto of Lepe will be racing to raise funds for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Service. Two of the crew won their places on board this Sagitta 35 by bidding £1100 at a charity auction.

Rounding off the flight-related entries is the aptly named X-Yacht Exocet. After being bought in 2009 in a slightly neglected state, a full refurbishment was carried out and the team led by Alan Draper from landlocked Ripley, enjoyed huge success with her in the 2009 Fastnet Race.

New sailing talent
Amongst the fleet of 17 SB3s entered so far are three boats racing with a selection of Volvo Youth Squad sailors on board as part of their training for the 2010 Volvo ISAF Youth World Championships taking place in Istanbul in July.

Mike Wood, Sam Batten, Sophie McKeeman make up the crew on board SB3 Volvo RYA Youth Team 1 along with their coach Duncan Truswell, the RYA’s Youth Racing Manager. Joanna Freeman, Cameron Douglas, Hugh Brayshaw make up Team 2 with Coach Ben Oakley who is on the RYA selection panel for the Youth Squad. Henry Lloyd-Williams, Sam Sills and Hannah Mitchell are crewing in Team 3 alongside Roy McCubbin, the RYA’s Double-handed Pathway Manager.

Last year’s Raymarine Round the Island Young Sailor Trophy winner on his First 21.7 ‘Pocket Rocket’, was Matt Ponsford from Chichester, who is now 17.  He’s back this year racing on his new Dufour 325 Grand’ Large named Inspiration. She was only launched in April in Ipswich and Matt has recently sailed her to her home berth in Chichester.

X-Yacht Exhilarance from Hamble will be skippered by Pip Lucas who has completed 15 Round the Island Races. Pip will be joined by pupils from the lower sixth and fourth forms at Churcher’s College in Petersfield, none of whom have any previous race experience. They have been enjoying a few days’ training in the Solent and according to Sarah Kennedy, school spokesperson, “the students are really enjoying it but I find it hilarious that they fall asleep in the minibus on the way back to school.”

Making your race count
The Island Sailing Club and J.P. Morgan Asset Management are pleased to see that so many competitors are making their race count for charity with dozens of different charities, as well as the preferred four, being supported by competitors.
 
J.P. Morgan Asset Management set up the Charity Challenge, basically a ‘race within a race’, to help promote the Ellen MacArthur Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support, Prostate UK and Breast Cancer Care and to encourage other competitors to race for charity.
SailTime has kindly donated each charity a boat to enable the charity to try and win this year’s coveted Charity Challenge.
The yachts have now all entered, with their skippers and one or two well-known names being announced as follows:

SailTime Challenge Ellen MacArthur Trust will be helmed by Richard Pierpoint. Also on board will be relatives of young people who have previously sailed with the Trust, who are now actively raising money and promoting the work of the Trust by competing in the Charity Challenge. 

SailTime Challenge Breast Cancer Care is skippered by Pete Woodham-Kay and Sailtime Challenge Macmillan Cancer Support has Nick Gale skippering and the crew includes Iwan Thomas MBE, the finest 400m runner in Britain and now a TV sporting celebrity.

SailTime Challenge Prostate UK has announced its skipper as Dan Hardy and Dan will be joined on board by Mike Perham who is now an Ambassador for Prostate UK.  Mike was the youngest sailor, at age 14, to undertake a solo Atlantic crossing, capped only by his massive achievement, aged 17, as the youngest person to sail single-handed around the world.

Niall Ferguson, a former rugby player and skiff sailor has gathered together a group of Midlands-based ex-rugby player mates for this year’s Round the Island Race. They are on RPMI, a Laser SB3 and are fund raising for the Matt Hampson Trust, a charity set up for those who are no longer able to enjoy their sport, their passion, and sometimes their life. Matt made it to the Under 21 England Squad but then suffered an horrific and paralyzing spinal cord injury that put paid to his future as a player.

Also using his race entry to help raise funds for the Ellen MacArthur Trust is Roger Bond with his Beneteau 285 Fraid S’Eau. She replaced ‘Fraid Knot’ (I wish I’d thought up these wonderful names) a few years ago as the crew got older and bigger! Roger says he’s a keen sailor and his day job is being ‘a not so keen’ nuclear scientist. He first sailed in Poole Park boating lake and now the Caribbean and Med are his cruising grounds. The crew members remain firm friends after 80 accumulated years of sailing and racing and even after a MoB incident in last year’s Race.

…and finally

Other recent entries that have caught my eye with a mere 23 days to go include that of the 1,000th entry, Balela, a Quorning Dragonfly 920 Cruising Trimaran from Helston, Cornwall and Ian Day from New Milton, Hampshire, who has entered Mailys, a Fountaine Pajot Maldives, a bridgedeck catamaran. Ian is a former World Sailing Speed Record Holder and will be with a crew that has competed in the Round the Island Race each year since 1994.

Hecuba, a Beneteau First 47.7 is being sailed by Ralph Denne from Henley on Thames who is in his 80th year; Ken Elman is a first-timer on his Hallberg Rassy Caritas. Ken will be joined by Mike Ratcliffe, the Harbour Master from Fox’s Marina in Ipswich.

We extend a warm and hopefully dry welcome back to Paolo and Paola Dassi from Rome who are competing in their second Round the Island Race on Testudo III. It wasn’t so much that they are from Rome that leapt off the entry form; more the way they summed up their experience last year in what they describe as ‘an amazing day in the water‘!

Last but not least in this selection is the amusingly named Jynnan Tonnyx, a J/109 owned and skippered by Owain Franks. He is Commodore, Queen Mary Sailing Club, Chairman of the RYA Sport Development Committee and an RYA Council Member. Owain is racing with a family crew and it is the first race for all on board bar the skipper and helm. That’ll be G&T’s all round, then.

2010 British Classic Yacht Club Panerai Cowes Regatta flooded with yachts

May 25, 2010

Entries for the 2010 British Classic Yacht Club Panerai Cowes Regatta 2010 are flooding in from both seasoned regulars and newcomers to the annual gathering of vintage yachts. Now in its ninth year, the regatta runs from Sunday 18th July to Saturday 24th July, with racing taking place in and around the Solent and competing yachts once again berthed at the Cowes Yacht Haven. In 2009 over sixty yachts took part and organisers are quietly confident of beating that total this year.

This year, for the first time, the regatta forms part of the high profile 2010 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge Series, which as well as the Cowes event, features some of the world’s leading classic yacht regattas, including the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and the Régates Royale, Cannes.

An early entry, certain to be amongst the most competitively raced yachts taking part in this year’s regatta, is the 47.6 foot Laurent Giles designed sloop, Cetewayo, which in many ways typifies the true spirit of the British Classic Yacht Club. Built on the Clyde in 1957 by Morris & Lorrimar she was successfully campaigned as Zulu by her original owner, Sir Henry Spurrier. After falling into almost terminal disrepair she was eventually discovered in 1989, abandoned and rotting away on Pembroke Dock, by her current owner, BCYC Commodore David Murrin.

Despite her then sorry state, Murrin undertook to restore the yacht to her former glory and after eight months of painstaking effort and dedication, she was renamed Cetewayo and sailed to her new home on the south coast of England. A season of racing in and around the Solent was followed by a winter of more hard work making the changes necessary to optimise Cetewayo for CHS. The development process which has been ongoing ever since, includes a new keel and engine, the addition of dual cockpits, as well as an update to the winch layout to facilitate the use of more powerful Mylar race sails.

Murrin neatly sums up the end result like this “The original Laurent Giles design for Zulu has been synchronised with advancements in modern technology. Whilst always retaining her classic wooden heritage, Cetewayo is once again a powerful racing yacht, which can compete extremely effectively against modern fibreglass competitors.”

Amongst the other entries already confirmed for this year’s regatta are Darryl Hughes’s 1937 gaff-rigged ketch Maybird, David Sherriff’s 1897 Cork Harbour One-Design gaff-cutter Jap and Barry Bristow’s 1937 Dallimore designed Bermudan cutter Foglio.

More details of the British Classic Yacht Club Panerai Cowes Regatta 2010, including the official Notice of Race can be found at the official regatta website at: -britishclassicyachtclub.org/regatta

Entry forms can be obtained from:

Mary Scott-Jackson
MSJ Event Management
Regatta House, 18 Bath Road, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7QN
info@msjeventmanagement.co.uk

British Classic Yacht Club Yachts:

Josephine, Cetewayo, Frenesi of Clynder, Undina, Rebecca of Vineyard Haven, Drumbeat, Whooper, Zoom, Foglio, Talisker Mhor, Pazienza, Mikado, Sensa, Droleen II, Corrie, Sceptre , Thendara, Athena, John Dory, Swanilda, Marigold, Sally of Kames, Monsoon, Charm of Rhu, Cereste, Roar for Joy, Zahir , Vivette, Berenice, Huff of Arklow, Fairlight, Ilderim, Dorothy, Zaleda, Clarion of Wight, Shantih 2, Cygnet , St David’s Light, Leonie, Caressa, Tiger C, A Day at the Races, Kelpie, Rubicon, Infanta, Rampage, Halcyon, Thalassa, Sinbad, Lutine, Twilight, Alera, Aeolus Nightfall, Mossie Estelle, Valpi, Rinamara, Varen, Zarik, Croix des Gardes, Opposition, Soutache, Amelia, Cameiial of Rhu, Maybird, Erida, Vigilant, Patriot, Venya, Tuiga, Overlord, Tasma, Gluckhauf, Shuttle, Dirk II.

Yacht Arkley Wins Motor Yacht of the Year 2010 at World Superyacht Awards

May 23, 2010

Superyacht Arkley is the overall winner in 2010 of the World Superyacht Awards. Lurssen Yacht’s Arkley has been adjudicated the motor yacht of the year.

Superyacht Arkley, the 60-metre Lürssen Winner of 2010 World Superyacht Awards for Best Motor Yacht

MOTOR YACHT OF THE YEAR 2010
Winner: ARKLEY
Length: 60.00m
Builder: Lürssen Yachts
Naval Architect: Lürssen Yachts
Exterior Stylist: Espen Oeino
Interior Designer: Mark Berryman Design
Yacht Arkley

Judges’ Comments:
Each of the six winners of the motor yacht categories was eligible for this award, and their relative merits were debated by the judges at length. Put to the vote, the winner was clear – Superyacht Arkley, the 60-metre Lürssen was judged to be the winner of the prize being of a proven design and offering the performance and facilities that the majority of the panel admire in a long-range cruising yacht.

With the exterior designed by Espen Øino and the interior by Mark Berryman, this luxury motor yacht is certainly one of the most exquisite charter yachts in the world.

The 60m luxury yacht Arkley is an embodiment of the philosophy that Lurssen have been carrying for years. This luxury motor yacht is standing as a testament to the continuation of proven technology and design. She is one of the finest yachts in the world.

Yacht FX is the Winner of the BEST SEMI-DISPLACEMENT OR PLANING MOTOR YACHT 30m – 39m at World Superyacht Awards 2010

May 23, 2010

BEST SEMI-DISPLACEMENT OR PLANING MOTOR YACHT 30m – 39m – Yacht FX is the Winner of the World Superyacht Awards.

Yacht FX at her Launch by Sanlorenzo

Length: 37.19m
Builder: Sanlorenzo SpA
Naval Architect: Sanlorenzo SpA
Exterior Stylist: Francesco Paszkowski
Interior Designer: Francesco Paszkowski
Yacht FX

Judges’ Comments:
The seven finalists in this class could be divided into sub-categories such as ultra-fast and medium speed vessels and a three-deck yacht with a semi-planing hull form, however the judges were almost unanimous in their selection of the Sanlorenzo 37.4 metre design, Yacht FX as the winner of this class. The factors that influenced this choice included her distinctive looks, an attractive interior with practical arrangement for guests, crew and equipment, the ability to combine long range with a moderate top speed, solidity, and high standards of construction. Many individual points of excellence were noted among the other finalists but when the marks were totalled no other boat in the class received such consistently high marks across the scoreboard and this fact was translated into a notable win for FX – a great all rounder.

Trinity’s Yacht Blind Date Receives Judges’ Special Commendation at World superyacht Awards 2010

May 23, 2010

Trinity’s Yacht Blind Date Receives Judges’ Special Commendation at World superyacht Awards 2010

Trinity Yachts BLIND DATE

BEST SEMI-DISPLACEMENT OR PLANING MOTOR YACHT 40M+
Judges’ Special Commendation: Motor Yacht Blind Date by Trinity Yachts
Length: 49.00m
Builder: Trinity Yachts
Naval Architect: Trinity Yachts
Exterior Stylist: Trinity Yachts / Owner
Interior Designer: Patrick Knowles Designs
Yacht name: Blind Date

Judges’ Comments:
This class produced a very fine selection of finalists, most of whom were well established series-production designs, whose detailed design and construction quality had been refined over the course of previous builds. The judges recognised many excellent qualities in all of these yachts but rewarded the combination of extremely high quality of construction, an attractive interior design and the interesting interior layout of the Heesen-built 47-metre Celestial Hope that narrowly made her the winner while, it has to be said, being slightly less enthusiastic with exterior colour scheme! At the same time the judges wished to acknowledge the improvements in layout, level of equipment and build quality seen in Blind Date, a 49-metre built by Trinity Yachts, that made her stand out from the other yachts in her class, and accordingly wish to present her with a Judges’ Special Commendation.

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