Monthly News - January 2011

-pic of the month- Fairline Motor Boat of the Year 2011

Azimut Takes European Powerboat of the Year 2011

In just a short space of time, Azimut Yachts shipyards have already received confirmation that the direction taken by the Magellano collection is indeed the right one. The brand new 50-foot model, created by the Turin shipyard in collaboration with the prestigious designer Cor. D Rover, has in fact received significant international recognition with the “European Powerboat of the Year 2011” awarded in the Düsseldorf Boot 2011.

Azimut Yachts New CEO

Paolo Casani is the new CEO of the Azimut Yachts Division of the Azimut-Benetti Group, the leading company in the luxury nautical sector. Casani began his career with the company in 2008 after twenty-five years of experience in the fashion system and luxury goods sector (Armani, Valentino, Calvin Klein and Ferragamo), and has successfully directed the Yachtique Division dedicated to strategic services, a position he will maintain ad interim while taking on his new role. Paolo Casani will take over many of the activities carried out up to now by Gianni Cucco, a manager with ten years' experience at the top of the Company, recently called back by the Chairman Paolo Vitelli to temporarily direct Azimut Yachts and help to select his successor among the company's internal resources. Having successfully completed this mission, and following a rationale of continuity, Gianni Cucco will remain with the Company to support the Azimut division and will continue to carry out some Corporate activities. At the same time the Group, in line with its production and commercial philosophy, has decided to split its activities into two main areas: boats up to 30 metres, headed by Paolo Casani, including Atlantis division headed by Luca Sburlati, and boats over 30 metres, which will be directed by Vincenzo Poerio, a historic company manager who has worked for eighteen years as CEO of Benetti, and will from now on also be responsible for the Grande Collection models branded Azimut Yachts.

Azimut and Atlantis Running for Boat of the Year 2011

Azimut Benetti Group presented two great small boats at the Tullet Prebon London International Boat Show: Azimut 38 and Atlantis Verve 36. Two projects that have brought major innovation into the sector, quickly becoming benchmarks for the competition. This was the United Kingdom debut of Atlantis Verve 36. The new Azimut Benetti stand, L1, was located in Pavilion L of the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, the area dedicated to motorboat manufacturers. Azimut 72S and Atlantis Verve 36 are both in the running for Motor Boat of the Year 2011.


Bavaria New Director for Sales and Marketing

Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH announces the appointment of Haico van der Luyt as new Director Sales & Marketing for the Bavaria Group. Mr. van der Luyt had worked at Fiat Germany and was most recently responsible for the brands Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge whilst being a member of the board of directors at Alfa Romeo and Lancia. Prior to his appointment in the board of Alfa Romeo and Lancia in 2009, the Dutchman was looking after the Sales department at Alfa Romeo from 2005. Furthermore, Mr. van der Luyt has collected vast experience in Marketing and Sales whilst working at Nissan from 1993 until 2005. Mr. Van der Luyt was an outstanding candidate for the position of new Sales Director at Bavaria for many reasons. He will become an important part of the Giebelstadt-based shipyard thanks to his long lasting experience in Marketing and Sale. In addition, his function will also see him looking after the Cantiere del Pardo Group with Grand Soleil and Dufour.

Bavaria Takes Garmin On Board

Bavaria Yachts, one of the world’s leading top yachting manufacturers with international presence, and Garmin, the global leader in satellite navigation, is delighted to announce their partnership with effect from January 2011 onwards. Garmin equipment will be onboard all motor and sail boats by Bavaria and can first be purchased at the Düsseldorf boat show 22nd to 30th January. Equipment on board will include: NMEA 2000 compatible 4000 and 5000 series of chart plotters which have a multifunction display, satellite enhanced worldwide base map XM® weather and radio, compatible with optional remote control and much more, 720s (received a special mention at the Dame awards, METS 2010), featuring a brilliant 7-inch display putting all the information you need right at your fingertips, GMI 10 Digital Marine Instrument display adds a new dimension of flexibility for boaters who want a fully integrated marine instrument system, and last but not least, the autopilots – the GHP 10 designed for powerboats with hydraulic steering, delivering stunning performance in all sea conditions, and the GHP 12, second-generation autopilot designed for 20- to 70- foot sailboats with linear-actuated steering systems. This collection of products from Garmin combined with Bavaria kicks off the First Sailboat manufacturer to use the new Garmin sail pilot and starts an exciting partnership for the marine industry in 2011.


Beneteau to Supply Boats for London 2012 Games

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) announced at the London International Boat Show that Beneteau has been appointed Sole Supplier of Motor Yachts to support the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing competitions in Weymouth and Portland, Dorset. Beneteau is to provide a total of 50 boats to cover the Sailing test event in August 2011 and for use during the 2012 Games by officials and print media following the competition. Some of the motor yachts will also be used as race finish boats. Motor yachts from a number of ranges will be used including the Antares, Swift Trawler and Flyer ranges. Skippers, crew and support and maintenance services will also be provided through Beneteau?s UK dealer network. Prime Motor Yachts, based in Portland Marina adjacent to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, the venue for the 2012 Sailing competitions, will co-ordinate the commissioning work.


Cigarette is 4G in a 3G World

As msnbc.com technology writer, Wilson Rothman, informed his readers in his recent blog about the upcoming availability of the long-awaited Verizon iPhone, Cigarette Racing Team couldn't help but be flattered by his Cigarette vs. canoe analogy of Verizon's 4G platform over Apple's 3G.


Fairline Wins Motor Boat of the Year Award 2011

Fairline Boats, a luxury motor yacht manufacturer, has been rewarded the esteemed 'Motor Boat of the Year' Award 2011 in the 'Sportscruiser Above 45ft' category for the Targa 58 GRAN TURISMO, which was launched January 2010. This is the third consecutive year that Fairline has won a Motor Boat of the Year Award. The Motor Boat of the Year Awards are judged by a panel of boat testers from UK marine titles Motor Boats Monthly and Motor Boat & Yachting. Winners were announced to an audience of marine industry VIPs and guests at a gala dinner at the Savoy Hotel, London on Monday 10th January. Hugo Andreae, Editor of Motor Boat & Yachting presented the award, which was accepted by Adam Greenwood, Technical Director at Fairline Boats.

Fairline Reveals 2011 Brochure

Fairline Boats, a luxury motor yacht manufacturer, has selected the Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show to release the first copies of its exclusive brochure for 2011. A must-have for any owner or enthusiast, the brochure details all models in the Fairline range, including two new models being launched at the Show - the Targa 50 Gran Turismo express cruiser and the Squadron 58 flybridge motor yacht.


Ferretti Group Allied Marine Expand Into North East USA

Ferretti Group, Allied Marine, the primary distributor for the Italian Group brands in North America, recently expanded its operations in the Northeast with the opening of an office in Newport, R.I. The Allied Marine in Newport will represent a selection of the group's most exclusive brands, including Ferretti Yachts, Pershing, Riva, Mochi Craft and CRN throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, in addition to offering brokerage vessels. The Newport office will operate in concert with the Allied Marine office in Sag Harbor, which primarily supports New York and Long Island. The new location will operate year-round; the Sag Harbor office will be open seasonally from May through September. Jim Mattingly was appointed sales manager to spearhead Allied Marine's Newport location. He previously served as marketing and sales director for Palmer Johnson, and went on to found Nautor's Swan sailboat company. He also spent years managing the new construction, service and brokerage offices for Robert E. Derecktor & Co. in New York, Florida and Rhode Island, where he was vice president for marketing and sales.


Fluid Motion Choose Garmin

Fluid Motion, designers and builders of Ranger Tugs, has announced that Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. the global leader in satellite navigation, will be the exclusive electronics supplier to outfit their full line of cruising tugs, including the new Cutwater Boats, an innovative line of trailerable pilothouse cruisers. This new OEM partnership is being announced in advance of the Seattle Boat Show, where the first Cutwater Boats will debut. Fluid Motion will debut its Cutwater 26 and 28 at the Seattle Boat Show, which will include Garmin’s GPSMAP™ 5212 with its unprecedented touchscreen interface, along with the high-powered GMR™ 18HD radome, GSD™ 22 digital sonar, GXM 51 XM satellite weather/audio antenna and VHF 200 marine radio. Additional equipment selected by Ranger Tugs to outfit its line of 21- to 29-foot trailerable trawlers, include the GPSMAP 5215, GPSMAP 531s, GPSMAP 740s and AIS 600. For increased confidence at the helm, some Ranger Tugs models will also offer the GHP™ 10, Garmin’s Marine Autopilot with its patented Shadow Drive technology that automatically disengages the autopilot if the helm is turned, allowing the helmsman to maneuver the boat. The GPSMAP 5215 will be an option on the Ranger Tugs 29. Fluid Motion has been installing Garmin equipment on their Ranger Tugs boats since 2006 and with the launch of Cutwater Boats it was a natural progression to work with Garmin as the exclusive OEM partner for both lines. Both lines of boats along with their Garmin-outfitted stations can be seen at the Seattle Boat Show in January and the Miami International Boat Show in February.


Hinckley Forms Partnership with Scout Partners LLC

The Hinckley Company, an iconic brand in American boatbuilding, today announced it has received a growth capital investment from Scout Partners LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Hinckley, a privately held company founded in 1928, is renowned for its premium sailboats and power boats. The company builds its boats in Trenton and Southwest Harbor, Maine, and operates eight service yards along the U.S. East Coast. Hinckley has approximately 1,500 boat owners and 5,000 service customers worldwide. Scout Partners, a partnership between David Howe and Peterson Capital LLC, was created specifically to work closely with U.S.-based companies that have shown significant potential for long-term success. Peterson Capital was founded by former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Peterson.


Horizon in Europe

Horizon, the largest yacht builder from Taiwan, nominated under the top 10 of world’s yacht builders and member of SYBAss (Super Yacht Builder Association) , announced its sales and service office in Europe has been established in Spain and Mr. Ron Boogaard is appointed to be Director to operate the new company “Horizon Yacht Europe”. Horizon Yacht Europe is set up by Horizon Group and Mr. Ron Boogaard, and is to be the headquarters of Horizon in Europe to take care of the European market of Horizon yachts. The new office in Europe means Horizon is entering into a new phase of development and investment for the European market and expanding its commitment with a greater investment in both sales and service for the European customers. Ron brings with him a wealth of marine knowledge acquired during the last 23 years and is planning to steer full speed ahead. With Ron’s knowledge and understanding of Horizon products and experience in the boating industry we trust that he and his new sales and service teams will provide the service and support that Horizon customers deserve and give customers an enhanced build and ownership experience. The first task for this new company is to attend the Boot Düsseldorf 2011 to raise public awareness of the Horizon brand and to create a professional new look for Horizon in Europe.


Princess New Team Members

Alan Paterson and the team from Princess Yachts Australia are excited to announce the addition of two of the marine industry’s leading big boat sales professionals to their growing team. Having recently celebrated the first anniversary of their partnership with Princess Yachts, and the sale of a number of new models into the market, the positive momentum continues for Australia’s leading luxury boating brand with the appointment of Steve Dittmar and Ian Swan. Steve has sold, delivered and managed luxury motor yachts for over sixteen years both in the Caribbean and in Australia. It is with this experience that Steve has achieved has Master Class V Skippers ticket, and has helped him develop an intimate understanding of the needs of the owners of large luxury boats. Ian joins Princess with a long and successful career in the Australian marine industry having sold and skippered many large luxury vessels. Ian brings to the team an extensive knowledge of the requirements of those who own luxury boats, and will provide an invaluable source of information for those who purchase a Princess motor yacht.

Outer Reef and Kadey-Krogen Announce Joint Venture

Outer Reef Yachts of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Kadey-Krogen Yachts of Stuart, Florida, have entered into an agreement in which Outer Reef Yachts will represent Kadey-Krogen Yachts through all of the Outer Reef Yachts established international sales and service locations. Boaters in Australia and throughout Europe can expect the same dedicated customer service and level of involvement in the design and construction of their Kadey-Krogen that owners in North America experience. Kadey-Krogen Yachts currently builds long range Trawler Yachts from 39’ to 58’ in pilothouse and tri-deck configurations. Outer Reef Yachts builds custom long range Motor Yachts from 63’ to 118’ also in raised pilothouse and tri-deck configurations.


Riviera Celebrates Thirty Years with Poster

Riviera, Australia’s most awarded pleasure boat builder has marked yet another major milestone celebrating its 30 year anniversary by releasing a limited edition commemorative poster. The A1 size gloss and foiled full colour poster features 70 different models built over the 30 year period between 1980 and 2010 reflecting Riviera’s philosophy of constant innovation and integrity. Riviera’s brand and communications director, Stephen Milne said he was fortunate to be at the launch of the very first Riviera, the 38 Open Flybridge MKI in Bayview, Sydney back in 1980. Riviera’s limited edition 30th anniversary commemorative poster is available free of charge to all registered Riviera owners plus the cost of packaging and freight.


Sanlorenzo Improve Ranking

The American magazine Showboats International published the annual world builders superyacht classification (yachts over 80 feet, 24 meters), called Global Order Book, based on the planned number of orders and constructions for every shipyard and the summed lengths of the yachts. Sanlorenzo improves his ranking to the 3rd place, behind Ferretti Group (with his 5 brands, Ferretti Yachts, Custom Line, Crn, Pershing, Riva) and Azimut-Benetti group (with his 2 brands Azimut Yachts and Benetti). It is important to notice, beside the positioning, that Sanlorenzo elencated in 2010 classification 38 hulls for a total length of 4.085 feet, while in 2011 maintain the same level of orders with 37 units and a total length of 3.898 feet. Sanlorenzo keeps maintaining the same level of orders for all its fleet. Very different is the scenario of the first and the second. In 2010 the first was the Azimut-Benetti group with 112 hulls for a total length of 13.063 feet and Ferretti Group was second with 109 hulls for 11.332 feet. In 2011 Ferretti Group orders, even though leader, fell down to 76 hulls for 7.877 feet, while Azimut-Benetti dropped to second place with 67 orders for 7.828 feet. Both cases dropped over the 30%. Even Sunseeker, that from the third place of the last year drops to fifth in 2011, from 52 orders for 4.912 feet to 31 orders for 3.248 feet, with a decrease of around 40%. As far as the other competitors are concerned, Rizzardi and Couach disappear. With so much surprise enters in the classification the new-born Overmarine Baglietto Pisa group that declares 25 hulls. It seems instead that the number of hulls for all the three brands is lower. The market will really face in the next months the real evolution of this situation. The important nothern shipyards keep their positions, as Lürssen with 9 hulls for 2.536 feet, instead of 9 hulls for 2.614 feet of the last year, Feadship with 12 hulls for 2.536 feet compared to 13 hulls for 2.523 feet of 2010, and the Italian Perini Navi with 9 hulls for 1.555 feet instead of 11 hulls for 1.816 feet of last year. Sanlorenzo proves itself as one of the most stable and strengthened operator in the superyacht field and can praise and extraordinary performance for the 2011 too. Sanlorenzo can be considered, as production solidity and for the high level of customization even for medium size yachts, comparable to the biggest and most famous shipyards of the northern Europe that builds giant superyachts and bucks for being, in the world scenario, the referential south Europe shipyard for quality, customization, market stability and reliability.


Sealine Trimph at the Motor Boat of the Year Awards

Sealine International collected the coveted award for Best Flybridge Motor Boat under 55 feet from the IPC Motor Boat of the Year awards held at the Savoy Hotel in London on 10th January. The winning F42 launched in September 2010 has received plaudits from both press and customers alike. A truly innovative design that has transformed the way space and light can been used on a flybridge boat of this size. Offering unrivalled space for entertaining, the F42 is a stylish practical cruising boat that can sleep five in comfort in a very flexible living space. It also has the advantage of joystick controlled Volvo IPS engines for maximum manoeuvrability.

Sealine Announce Major Investments

Sealine returned to the London Tullet Prebon Boat Show with plans for their latest model and a commitment to launch eight new boats over the next three years. At a press briefing this morning (7th January) Sealine’s Managing Director, Chris O’Connor announced that the company would be making a significant investment into new models. He confirmed that Sealine would be building on the successful introduction of new dealers during 2010 in France, Turkey, UK, and Spain with inroads into South America and the Far East. In conjunction with Ancasta, Sealine will be refurbishing 7 duel branded offices on the South Coast prior to the start of the season. He also stated that the innovative marketing activities that proved to be so successful in 2010 would continue. Chris then unveiled the layouts for the revolutionary new sports cruiser due for launch this summer the SC42.


Sunseeker X-Star Performance in London

Throughout the exciting launch on the Sunseeker stand, Rebecca Ferguson, who secured second place in the latest series of the popular reality-TV talent competition X-Factor, performed three songs that she sang on the show. The 24-year-old singer from Liverpool wowed the crowds with her elegant vocal performance.

Sunseeker Supports Starlight At London

The Sunseeker stand was once again be the centre of activity and attraction during the London International Boat Show on late night, Thursday the 13th January. Raising money to brighten the lives and grant wishes to seriously and terminally ill children, the Sunseeker stand will be supporting children's charity 'Starlight.' from 6pm on the evening. Three fantastic young singers; Lolloa Grace, Bianca Nicholas, and Josh Dubovie will take to the stage to showcase some of the sparkling young talent in Britain today.


Windy Shortlisted for Three Awards

Scandinavian boatbuilder, Windy Boats, has been shortlisted for three major awards at the 2011 Motor Boat of the Year Awards and European Powerboat of the Year Awards. The winners will be announced in January at the London International Boat Show and boot Düsseldorf respectively. The Windy Dubois SR52 Blackbird a stunning 16.10 metre Super Tender – was produced by Windy Boats and Hans Jørgen Johnsen in partnership with world-renowned yacht designer Ed Dubois. Launched to rave reviews at the Cannes International Boat Show last September, it has been nominated in the ‘Performance and Superboats’ category for the 2011 Motor Boat of the Year Awards, and the ‘Yachts over 50 feet’ category for the European Powerboat of the Year Awards. The Windy 40 Maestro high performance family cruiser is the latest in the new generation of Scandinavian sports cruisers designed and conceived by Windy’s multi-award winning design team. Also unveiled at Cannes it has been nominated in the ‘Sportcruisers up to 45 feet’ category for the 2011 Motor Boat of the Year Awards.