Benetti Yachtmaster American edition was held on April 3 and 4 at the Seagate Hotel in Florida, and this year’s event was dedicated to sustainability under the theme “Build Your Ideal Yacht”. The event, which attracted over 50 participants, including 25 captains, focused on Benetti’s 150th anniversary celebrations and explored sustainability, a critical value that the company is continually working on to create environmentally friendly cruising experiences.
Nick Bischoff, Country Manager Benetti Americas, kicked off the event by highlighting the company’s milestones in the past 150 years and its sustainability and reduced environmental impact initiatives. Sebastiano Vida, Head of Product Development Custom Yachts, shared solutions the company was using to achieve its emissions reduction targets, including innovative materials, a circular approach, alternative propulsion technologies, and the latest onboard services that reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20%.
Andrea Cecchini
The event also featured workshops on Operations, Smart Technologies, and Conscious Design, where participants discussed new areas of development and defined key targets for the future regarding innovation and sustainability.
Nick Bischoff and Sebastiano Vida
The event partners, Firefly, Seabob, Vega, and Fraser Yachts, Newcoast, Viraver, and Yachting Marine Service, were willing to engage with participants, making the event a great success. The event’s atmosphere was positive, with training sessions alternating with networking initiatives, obstacle races on Seabobs, and JETSURF board rides. The event concluded with a gala dinner at the Seagate Beach Club, with a stunning ocean view.
“The USA Yachtmaster has been successful beyond all our expectations. We have seen huge enthusiasm from the sponsors, captains, surveyors and other industry experts. The sustainability and the yacht of the future workshops were well received and we had active participation from everyone,” said Nick Bischoff, Country Manager Benetti Americas.
Nick Bischoff also expressed confidence in planning the next edition, buoyed by the success of this year's event.
Founded in 1873, Benetti is the oldest Italian shipyard specializing in luxury yachts. They design, build and sell composite vessels from 29 to 44m and steel and aluminum boats from 37 to over 100m. Their fleet consists of five categories: Class, Oasis, B.Yond, B.Now and Custom, to meet all the needs of the market, and they belong to the Azimut|Benetti Group, the largest privately owned luxury yachting group in the world.
Credits: Benetti