Yachts International Fall 2020

Editor-in-Chief kwooton@aimmedia.com In more than three decades as a journalist covering this passion we share, I’ve spent time on boats of all flavors, all over the world. Those experiences comprise a catalog of great memories I tap into in good times or tough. One early trip took me to the leeward islands of Tahiti in French Polynesia for a charter on a 72-foot sloop called Ninon. It was classic boat-Rx and always reminds me of the restorative power of a great week on the water. That adventure began with a typical New York travel story: a stressed-out Friday rush-hour cab ride to the airport, arrival at a mad, chaotic check-in counter, and a vein-busting sprint to the gate. My wife and I flopped into our seats breathless and needing most of the flight to…

Building a yacht is a business proposition, and it’s difficult to make friends in business. So says the Argentinian owner of the 210-foot (64-meter) Attila, the first 64Steel from Sanlorenzo and its executive chairman, Massimo Perotti. “But it’s also a question of trust, and I’ve known Massimo for years, having built my previous boat with him,” Attila’s owner says. “So the trust was already there, and I knew he could build me a beautiful boat.” It wasn’t a foregone conclusion, however, that Sanlorenzo could deliver. The Italian shipyard is a relative newcomer to metal boat-building, having launched its first 40Alloy in 2007. Sanlorenzo has since sold more than three dozen steel- or aluminum-hulled yachts, but Attila is easily its biggest project to date and one of the highest-volume yachts in her class. “At 1,600…

Yachtbuilders usually like to play down the production-line aspect of their activities. Words like bespoke get thrown around, even if the alterations being offered are strictly limited to the color of the cushions. Monte Carlo Yachts is different. It has always promoted how precise and efficient its assembly lines are, with tolerances measured in millimeters, but the builder is also happy to customize. How much is possible? On Hull No. 1 of the newly revamped MCY 76, a full-size Roland digital piano is forward in the salon, inside a specially built cabinet, so the owner’s daughter can keep up with her music lessons during holidays aboard. The MCY 76 is a reinvention of the original model, which was the first model the shipyard ever produced. In an effort to appeal to the…

One of the points of contact with Vincenzo De Cotiis is a shared interest in fiberglass, which is the main construction material for Azimut and one of the designer’s favorite materials. Plenty of yachts have appeared as backdrops on the silver screen, but the Azimut Magellano 25 Metri is the first to play the protagonist in a movie. She starred in a short film by Italian director Gabriele Muccino that premiered at an invitation-only event in Portofino this past summer. The red-carpet turn highlighted just how far the semi-displacement Magellano collection has come since Azimut created it in 2009. This line of fiberglass navettas—the Italian take on trawlers—offers longer range and more sedate cruising than Azimut’s planing yachts. The first Magellano was a 74-footer (22-meter) with exterior lines by U.K.-based Ken Freivokh.…

Designers at Neal Feay entwine form, function and technology. The California-based company’s portfolio is a vibrant gallery of artistic creations, architectural surfaces and luxury furnishings, as well as more whimsical items such as a red aluminum spinnaker and a 24-foot-long modular blue wave. Years ago, Steve Jobs, recognizing the beauty and strength of aluminum, melded function and art with Apple’s thin, light product line of laptops, iPads and iPhones. Like Jobs, Alex Rasmussen, president of Neal Feay, is introducing new applications of aluminum to the design and yachting worlds. Designers at Neal Feay entwine form, function and technology. The California-based company’s portfolio is a vibrant gallery of artistic creations, architectural surfaces and luxury furnishings, as well as more whimsical items such as a red aluminum spinnaker and a 24-foot-long modular blue wave. Looking…

The American owner of Madsummer has lived and breathed yachts and water sports from an early age. His father owned several yachts, and year-round boating was a family affair. He grew the family business and made yachting an integral part of his adult life. How do you manage to build a 312-foot (95-meter) superyacht and not have any surprises? You know what you want, you hire a team you trust, and you draft an iron-clad brief that spells out every detail from macro to micro prior to cutting metal. The American owner of Madsummer did precisely that. He has lived and breathed yachts and water sports from an early age. His father owned several yachts, and year-round boating was a family affair. He grew the family business and made yachting an integral part…