Benetti is reporting on its success: the Yachtmaster, an event organised by Benetti for captains, crews and all yacht industry professionals involved in the life cycle of a superyacht, now in its 21st year, was held on February 18 and 19 in a phygital edition: more than 250 people connected to a specially created virtual platform in collaboration with Live Forum, to follow the online meetings, seminars and workshops. The new interactive format was a huge success and the Virtual Trade Show allowed Yachtmaster partner companies to showcase their products and communicate in real time with guests. The participants were able to set appointments with managers of different companies after the end of the Yachtmaster and before February 23.
It kicked off with a welcome speech by Azimut|Benetti Group vice president Giovanna Vitelli, who emphasised the importance in the yacht world of an event like the Yachtmaster, which opens up a communication channel between yacht industry professionals and the shipyard. Azimut|Benetti Marketing Director Benedetta Moreno then spoke from the Benetti Museum Lounge about the Shipyard’s history.
Marco Valle, Azimut|Benetti Group CEO, made an appearance at the end of the meeting to celebrate the live launch of a new 65m Benetti custom yacht.
Marco Valle, Azimut|Benetti Group CEO
After that, the Virtual Trade Show took place, and then it was time for the eagerly awaited Owner’s Team Perspective, which featured 63m Benetti custom yacht M/Y Metis and her Captain Frank Hesse, talking online from the yacht’s bridge about his experiences, career milestones, and life on board, as seen through the lens of sustainability.
Benetti and its partners also led workshops for stewardesses and the crew, as well as a yoga session streamed live from the main deck of Luminosity, a 108m giga yacht which is the largest hybrid in the world and was built in Italy by a private shipyard. Benetti B.Yond has a new generation of Expedition yachts designed to have a reduced environmental impact and fitted with a hybrid propulsion system developed by Siemens for Azimut|Benetti.
The focus then returned to the Virtual Trade Show and the Owner’s Team Perspective, with guest Clinton White, captain of the Masquenada yacht, who’s currently undergoing a refit at Lusben’s facilities in Livorno, where work is proceeding to extend the main and upper decks, to cut and extend the stern, and to refurbish the interiors.
David Seal, Benedetta Moreno and the Benetti team
The event was brought to an end with a closing speech by Benedetta Moreno and David Seal and a live comedy show with Jim Jefferies, comedian, actor and writer originally from Australia who, in his unmistakable style, commented ironically on everyday life and interacted with online participants.
Founded in 1873, Benetti is the oldest Italian shipyard specializing in luxury yachts, an icon of timeless Italian style and construction excellence. Every yacht is unique, developed around its owner. Benetti designs, builds and sells vessels in composite materials from 29m to 44m and boats in steel and aluminium from 37m to more than 100m. The fleet consists of five categories: Class, Oasis, B.Yond, B.Now and Custom, designed to meet all the needs of the market. In Livorno and in the Viareggio Headquarters, as well as its direct offices in Fort Lauderdale, Dubai, Hong Kong and London, Benetti recruits highly skilled personnel throughout its productive units. It is part of the Azimut|Benetti Group, the largest privately owned luxury yachting group in the world.
Credits: Benetti
The 85m explorer yacht Victorious has been launched at the AK Yachts facility in Turkey. This explorer, whose building process had been postponed for 14 years, can accommodate up to twenty guests in ten cabins and has a 200-square-meter beach club, gym, hammam and massage room. Powered by two Caterpillar (3512B) 1,495hp diesel engines, Victorious is capable of a top speed of 15 knots and cruises comfortably at 13 knots. Her interior was designed by the famous H2 Yacht Design (UK), andJonny Horsfield, the company’s founder noted “From starting a project to delivering some drawings and information to the shipyard could take 12 months on a normal build… we had to redesign the whole boat in three or four months.” AK Yachts was founded in 2017 in Turkey. Their main focus is building exceptional quality yachts with uncompromised value. Credits: H2 Yacht Design
April 9, 2021
Ocean Eco 90 Explorer is solar-assisted electric long-range cruiser with the added feature of extra space on the upper deck. At 27.5m, this yacht has an impressive 14m beam; the lower deck houses four cabins for guests and three for the crew.Her estimated cruising speed is 8–10 knots and top speed is 16–18 knots. See new images of the interior below.OE 90 main saloonOE 90 main saloon OE 90 master cabin OE 90 master cabinOE 90 master cabin at nightAlva Yachts was founded in Germany in early 2020 by Mathias May and Holger Henn. It was built on the former PICA yachts, which has launched more than 40 boats. Credits: Alva Yachts
April 9, 2021
The 300m scientific exploration vessel Earth300 has been presented by Iddes Yachts' founder Ivan Salas Jefferson and is equipped with 22 state-of-the-art laboratories and a “science sphere” on the aft deck. This giga yacht can accommodate more than 400 people, including 160 scientists, 20 experts-in-residence, 20 students, 40 VIP guests and 165 crewmembers.Of course, this futuristic yacht was designed for emissions-free sailing and will be powered by nuclear tech known as molten salt reactors (MSRs).The project is supported by an impressive number of partners, including IBM, RINA, Triton Submarines and EYOS Expeditions.Iván Salas Jefferson, the Iddes Yachts founder and naval architect, has worked for leading Dutch naval architecture studios such as De Voogt (Feadship) and the Oceanco bespoke superyacht builder. Iddes Yachts was founded in 2012 and offers experience project management services supported by the design and naval architecture studio.Credits: Iddes Yachts
April 9, 2021
The 52m Amels 180 Limited Editions Grace is going back to the shipyard in the Netherlands where she was originally built for a refit. Grace was delivered in 2009. Eleven years on and Grace is now returning to Vlissingen for a four-month refit which will see a number of works take place, including a technical upgrade, a complete hull respray and interior modification.“It’s wonderful to see Grace back at the yard,” says Damen Yachting Sales Manager Michel Coens, who knows the yacht well from her time at the yard during the original build. “Being able to welcome yachts and their crew from the fleet back to our yard is always a great honour. There is a real sense of pride in welcoming back one of our own and also having the opportunity to once again shape a yacht to the owner’s wishes.”Damen Yachting, a division within the Damen Shipyards Group, was created in 2019. The division combines the pedigree and heritage of Amels yachts with a growing portfolio of SeaXplorer yachts and Yacht Support vessels.Credits: Damen Yachting
April 8, 2021
The latest Pearl 62 has been delivered to its new owner in the UK. This unit, hull number 4, is the first with Kelly Hoppen’s Luxury interior design style. The Pearl 62 is available with either Luxury or Modern interior styles, both composed by world-class interior designer Kelly Hoppen MBE. The Pearl 62 is a family yacht. She has four guest cabins. The full beam owners’ cabin is accessed via a private stairway and features a large, centrally placed bed, a desk, a reading corner and his and hers closets. Two twin cabins can both convert to doubles. The VIP cabin is fore and has a large, centrally placed bed, a dressing table, his and hers storage and an en-suite with a walk-in shower.The saloon has large glazed areas that sweep upwards so that the interiors are bathed in natural light.The full-length flybridge is accessed via a staircase on the starboard side of the aft cockpit. This large and versatile space has a helm station with joystick controls and Garmin touch screens with controls for everything from the yacht’s anchor to its Fusion entertainment system. Next to the helms there is comfortable seating that can convert to become sun pads. A hardtop with an opening central section is optional, but a wet bar with a cool box, sink and BBQ grill is standard. Volvo IPS propulsion gives the Pearl 62 optimal performance and efficiency characteristics, while joystick controls with dynamic positioning system and an integrated Garmin touch-screen display make helming and accessing all of the yacht’s systems easy and intuitive.UK-based Pearl Yachts was founded in 1998 with the aim of designing a range of luxury motor yachts offering voluminous interiors, combined with opulence and design excellence. Pearl’s fleet consists of the all-new Pearl 62, the Pearl 80, and the Pearl 95.Credits: Pearl Yachts
April 8, 2021