Monthly News - March 2019

-pic of the month- Sanlorenzo from Shipyard to Courtyard

Azimut Sponsors Miami Open

Azimut Yachts is one of sponsors of the Miami Open, the famous tennis tournament watched on TV screens all over the world by more than 132 million people. The strong ties between the Italian shipyard and the United States are underscored once again by the Company’s contribution to this hugely popular media event.  On show in the Hard Rock Stadium, where the tournament is being hosted from March 18 to 31, the Verve 40 is the spirited and sporty yacht designed specifically for American owners. Azimut Yachts has decided to sponsor the Miami Open, one of the world’s most popular tennis competitions and the first tournament (with the exception of Grand Slam events) to offer the same prize money (over one million dollars) to the winners of both sexes. During the event, a Verve 40 - the sporty and elegant outboard weekender designed for American owners, who fell in love with it right from the 2016 launch - will be on show at the Hard Rock Stadium, the hi-tech facility where the tournament is being hosted.  This means that over 300 thousand visitors, arriving from all over the world to watch the tennis matches and attend the numerous events organised to mark the occasion, will have the chance to admire the Verve 40: the perfect combination of all the typical features of traditional American day cruisers with the sophistication of Italian style.

Beneteau Barracuda Tour 2019

For the second time running, the Barracuda Tour will cast off for the well-stocked waters of the Gulf of Morbihan. The 7th event of its kind is now a big international no-kill fishing competition and continues to unite historical partners with new ones, all in really a good spirit. With 40 selections organized by Beneteau dealers throughout the world, the event sparks incredible enthusiasm and commitment among all those involved.  Although “Barracuda” is close to becoming a proper noun for sport fishing, in the main, the boat owes its reputation to the Barracuda Tour. When Beneteau launched this range in 2011, the idea of creating a community of keen fishermen around it gave birth to the organization of an open competition. The boatyard’s employees and the event’s sponsors really put their backs into the organization, trailing the boats, equipping them with similar gear selected among the latest innovations and ensuring highly committed staff were on site, each taking up time and resources to contribute to the success of the Barracuda Tour.

Benetti Yachtmaster the 19th Year

Livorno and Tuscany played host to the first leg of the 19th Benetti Yachtmaster, an event organised for superyacht captains and industry professionals. Update and networking sessions alternated with opportunities to exchange views. The event, which took place from January 30 to February 1st, 2019, was preceded by the Palma de Majorca Roadshow last November and will continue with an exciting tour of the yachting world’s most stunning locations, calling in Turkey, Greece and Australia, before ending in Fort Lauderdale next May.  The 19th Benetti Yachtmaster was launched under the banner of the number 19, which is this year’s “magic number” for the Group: there have been 19 editions of Yachtmaster so far; Azimut|Benetti Group has won the Global Order Book for the 19th time; and 2019 is the year of Benetti’s “Giga Season”, which puts Benetti at the forefront of the international yachting industry, with the launch and delivery planned of three giga yachts over 100 meters in length.  The opening ceremony for this edition, held at the Group’s Livorno shipyard, was transformed into a unique event by the appearance of the company’s top two corporate officers: Azimut|Benetti Group Chairman Paolo Vitelli and Benetti Business Line CEOFranco Fusignani.  On the morning of January 30, with over 200 attendees, including captains, surveyors, paint inspectors, owner’s representatives and stewardesses from Greece, Turkey, Russiaand South America, the event got underway with a speech by Paolo Vitelli himself. In it, the Group Chairman reminded his audience of the importance of Yachtmaster, a unique event in its genre that brings together all the skill profiles found in the yachting business, cementing the ties between owners, captains, crews and the shipyard. Vitelli also thanked Fraser, Lusben and Yachtique which, together with Azimut and Benetti, form a solid Group that offers across-the-board service for yacht enthusiasts. “Being here with you, in our beautiful shipyard, is a source of great pride for me”, the Group Chairman said in conclusion. He was followed by CEO Franco Fusignani, who focused on Benetti’s production capacity, with plans this year to build and launch 20 yachts at the company’s Viareggio and Livorno shipyards.  Next up, during the “Owner’s team perspective” session for Benetti captains, expert international broker David Seal interviewed Mario Lodovico Salani, captain of a 43-meters CRN yacht, and David Davidson, the captain of the M/Y Metis, a 63-meter custom Benetti launched in November and scheduled for delivery in the coming months.  Both drew attention to Lusben’s ability to host and manage refit operations, as well as dwelling on Benetti’s skill at communicating the state of advancement of work involving owners, surveyors, captains and suppliers.  Sebastiano Fanizza, Benetti Chief Commercial Officer, presented the shipyard’s fleet and lingered on the new Diamond 145, Oasis 40M and B.NOW products. Filippo Censi Buffarini, Lusben Sales Manager in Livorno, and Marco Nuovo, Lusben Sales Manager in Viareggio, went on to describe the luxury yacht refit and repair statistics reported by Lusben.  The morning sessions were ended by Sara Jane Skinner, Head of Partnerships at Blue Marin Foundation, the no-profit organisation backed by Benetti that has a mission to create protected marine areas and promote sustainable fishing. In the afternoon, before making their way to the “Il Ciocco” resort in the beautiful hills around Lucca, guests were accompanied on an interesting tour of the Livorno shipyard for a first-hand look at how Benetti superyachts are built. They then attended a series of meetings and demos with the sponsors: Sevenstar Yacht Transport, DYT Yacht Transport, Slam, Boero, Jotun, Awlgrip, Viraver, Peninsula Petroleum, Rolls-Royce, Lusben, CMC Marine, SeaSatCom, Fraser, Yachtique, RINA, Cat, Naiad Dynamics, Guest Program, Acqua dell’Elba, Christofle, Versilia Supply Service, Valletta Superyachts and Moto Morini.  The second day of the event involved open air team-building activities with a focus on survival in extreme conditions, followed by workshops of special interest to captains and other professionals.  The meeting entitled “The human factor in marine weather forecasting”, mediated by Gianfranco Meggiorin and Daniele Vitri from marine meteorological observatory Navimeteo, highlighted the importance of the human factor in interpreting forecasts.  The seminar “Crew crisis: your legal resources”, presented by Maxim Brégon from Fraser Yachts and by Tom Becker and Adrian Ogier from Oceanskies, a yacht andairplane registration consultancy, illustrated how to tackle situations from a legal standpoint.  The second seminar, “Risk awareness, strategies and services for risk reduction”, moderated by Giorgio Gallo and Enrico Ursomando from RINA, described the strategies and services available to reduce the risks involved in the management of onboard personnel. Finally, Daniela De Marco from Fraser Yachts, with the participation of Ezio Vannucci from tax consultancy Moores Rowland Partners, and Clayton Fenech and Niki Travers Tauss from Valletta Superyachts Network, an agency based in Malta, presented the workshop “Update on VAT and customs in yachting”, with up-to-date professional advice about VAT and the necessary customs documentation.  At the end of this profitable day, guests were invited to a special party with the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri as its theme.  All the workshops were repeated the following day to give those guests who were unable to attend the first session the chance to learn about the subjects discussed.

Hatteras Hits the 2019 Tournament Trail

The GT59 Hatterascal is bound for the high-stakes offshore tournament trail this summer. The new boat, which appeared to great acclaim at the recent Miami Yacht Show, is going to be campaigned by Chris and Laura Jessen and their captain, Ben Horning, of Team Fish Tank. This awesome angling team was honored at The Billfish Foundation’s 2018 International Tag & Release Awards Ceremony on Feb. 15th in Miami with three prestigious awards:  Top Overall Tagging Captain & Top Overall Release Captain: Ben Horning, Top Overall Release Angler: Chris Jessen, and Top Overall Release Lady Angler: Laura Jessen.  We can’t wait to see what Team Fish Tank will do when they take command of the GT59, our newest performance sporfishing yacht model, which was built with Hatteras Yachts’ signature high-tech yacht construction technology and equipped with all the latest fishing electronics and gear.

Horizon Completes Tank Testing

Horizon Yachts is pleased to announce that two new build superyachts have completed tank testing in this month. The two new RP110 superyachts are both slated for delivery to their respective third-time owners in April. The RP110 Hull 7 is in build for a repeat Horizon owner from Australia. Designed in collaboration with J.C. Espinosa and Cor D. Rover, the brand-new Horizon RP110 Hull 7 is fully tailored to her owners’ preferences and is distinguished by a unique exterior profile that features floor-to-ceiling windows on the deck house and a dramatic dark blue hull. She has been designed with a combined skylounge and open bridge configuration that offers a climate-controlled enclosed skylounge for family gatherings as well as open visibility from the bridge. Measuring 10’10”, the swim platform is large enough to facilitate sunning and water sports and can easily launch the three-ton tender. After sea trials, this RP110 will be delivered to her owners as she makes her world debut at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, May 23– 26, 2019.  Another yacht completing its tank testing in the same week was the RP110 Hull 5, whose owner is a third-time Horizon owner from the U.S. The RP110 Hull 5 features sleek styling from J.C. Espinosa and a double-chine hull from Donald Blount, ensuring she is both elegant and well-performing. Designed in collaboration with Luca Dini, this RP110 hull 5 boasts a 25’ beam and offers a spacious and flexible four-stateroom layout enhanced by an inviting and casually elegant décor. Guests are accommodated with ease in the large salon where slatted wing-shaped pillars mask the stairs aft and create an attractive focal point for the portside bar area. A custom 150-bottle wine storage in the salon satisfies the oenophile owner’s hobby for wine collection.  Both of the two RP110 have completed an extensive series of dockside tests and inspections under strict QC guidelines to ensure safety and quality. We will share with you their successful sea trials results and report on their exceptional interior designs in an upcoming web news.


Jarrett Bay Welcomes New Heavy Weight Champ

With the arrival of a new 300-ton Marine Travelift at the Jarrett Bay Marine Park, we are ready to do our part to help foster economic growth for our region. Now, everything from military craft, barges & ferries to superyachts, fishing & sailing boats with significant beams, weight and appendages will benefit from reduced downtime by not having to travel extensively for service. Additionally, this new Marine Travelift will give rise to significant employment opportunities and business growth for the many nearby ancillary businesses in Carteret and nearby counties.

Jarrett Bay Wins at Casa de Campo

Carl Huddle with family and crew, lead by Captain Brent Gaskill aboard the Jarrett Bay 64, Builder's Choice celebrated a back to back win at the Casa de Campo open in the Dominican Republic! They dominated the fleet with 2800 points, with second and third place each landing 1200 points.


Riviera Port Lincoln Classic 2019

Entries are filling quickly for the richest game fishing tournament in South Australia, the 2019 Riviera Port Lincoln Tuna Classic to be held in the Southern Ocean waters off Eyre Peninsula.  Tournament Director Russell Bianco said entries for the tournament this year will be capped at 30 boats.  "We are very close to that number already, including 12 Rivieras, so anglers who want a last-minute entry need to contact us immediately," said Russell.  The Riviera Port Lincoln Tuna Classic is a specialist tag-and-release tournament focussed on southern blue fin tuna in Southern Ocean waters off the tip of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.  The tournament has attracted two all-female crews in Team Justagirl this year.  The leader of Team Justagirl, Tracey Tito, said the seven women were looking forward to "taking it up to the men" this year.  "We won our category the first time we competed four years ago," said Tracey. "The enthusiasm for game fishing among women in and around Port Lincoln has been so great that we are fielding two boats this year.  "While we compete strongly, the camaraderie among all the crews is fantastic in this tournament," she said. "We know that everyone is looking out for one another on the water and the evenings are always great fun."  Tournament founder Peter Teakle this year handed "rod and line" control of the tournament to local Riviera owners and fishing enthusiasts Russell and partner Gabriella.  "Russell and Gabriella are fantastic organisers so the future of this great tournament is in fine hands," said Mr Teakle.  The tournament begins with the official welcome, briefing and Calcutta at The Marina Hotel in Port Lincoln at 6pm on Friday, March 22.  "Last year the winner took home the Calcutta prize pool of $24,000," said Russell. "This year we expect to exceed that amount, plus 35 hand-crafted trophies across 17 competition categories valued at more than $16,000."  The tournament will again include Junior Male and Female and Small Fry categories as well as Heaviest Fish.  Russell Bianco said: "We are proud that Riviera continues to be our major partner in the tournament. The premier luxury motor yacht builder has been with us since the beginning. R Marine South Australia, our Riviera dealership, is also a long-term supporter. This year Garmin has joined us, providing three sports watches to the prize pool and we are also supported by Peter Teakle Wines, Shimano and the Iron Jack beer brand.  "We will again donate 10 percent of our Calcutta pool to the Tumby Bay VMR which has provided vital support for our teams each year."  Russell will manage the tournament on the water aboard his Riviera 52 Enclosed Flybridge, Majesnik.  Competition begins with a shotgun start at 8am on Saturday, 23 March, with "lines out" to be called at 3pm on Sunday, 24 March.  "This year the competitors will not call their final catches over the radio," said Russell. "We will keep the winner secret until the announcement at the presentation. Team captains this year need to text or phone in their final number after lines-out on Sunday afternoon."  The Presentation Dinner this year will be at the Port Lincoln Hotel.  "Peter Teakle has kindly hosted us at the Line and Label Restaurant in past years," said Russell Bianco. "Now we have grown to the extent that we require more space for the anglers and crew to attend the presentation and dinner."

Sanlorenzo From Shipyard to Courtyard

Confirming its design and creative approach which made contamination an actual distinctive value of its, Sanlorenzo, one of the world’s main shipyards for the production of yachts and superyachts, takes part in Milan Design Week for its third consecutive year with the installation “From shipyard to courtyard” which will be set up in the context of the exhibition-event Interni Human Spaces, in the beautiful setting of Università degli Studi di Milano (“University of Milan”). Removing all boundaries and putting aside all dogmas and rules, the shipyard, thanks to the innovative vision of Massimo Perotti, the company’s Chairman, managed to disrupt the rigidity of its world throughout the years while integrating art and design. This choice was confirmed last year by the beginning of a collaboration with Piero Lissoni acting as the company’s art director, resulting from the strong stylistic and projectual affinity which immediately emerged with the shipyard. On the occasion of FuoriSalone 2019, Lissoni thus became the interpreter of the brand’s tradition and values through the installation “From shipyard to courtyard”. Clearly evoking the wooden frameworks that shipwrights, outstanding shipyard figures, used to build, Piero Lissoni reinterprets the hull of an SX112 yacht through a process of abstraction, on a 1:1 scale. An ideal connection between the past, present and future of Sanlorenzo whose hull, which represents the initial construction stage of the yacht, proves the craftsmanship of the artisans who have always shaped these sophisticated objects while announcing a new model that will be presented in 2020. The flagship model SX112, chosen to lead the installation, will expand the crossover SX line, officially launched in 2017 with the first yacht SX88, followed in 2018 by SX76. Both models were presented in Piero Lissoni’s interior design versions, where he conceived for the first time through his innovative project, an open space yacht. Once again Piero Lissoni’s installation shows the relationship between Sanlorenzo and design describing the shipyard through new perspectives: the hull comes to symbolise the company by revealing its experience, artisanship and its innovative approach.


Tecnorib Signs Distribution Agreement with Ibi Yachts

In signing an agreement for distribution in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Haiti, TecnoRib, the official licensee of the inflatable boat brands PIRELLI and P. for speedboats, chooses Ibi Yachts, an important central American company selling the most typical Made in Italy nautical brands. “For some time, we have been thinking about a business expansion in the Caribbeanand have decided to rely on the most popular and solid dealership in the area, which has made itself known for the exclusive distribution of brands such as Azimut and Benetti,” commented Gianni De Bonis, the day after the agreement with Ibi Yachts. The managing director of TecnoRib explained “Reaching the most important nautical entities in the world has always been one of our objectives.”  Ibi Yachts, which is part of Ib Nautica Group, will therefore sell the brands PIRELLI e P. for Speedboats in the Dominican Republic, to Haiti and Puerto Rico, guaranteeing a complete service for owners, who will be supported from the first moment of ordering to the after sale. Furthermore, Ib Nautica’s shipyard, “IBC Shipyard“, based in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is the only Azimut-Benetti’s service in the Caribbean and the shipyard with the top load carrying capacity in a 500-mile radius. This partnership allows TecnoRib to extend the assistance network coverage to the Caribbean and Central America and marks a new step forward in the company’s global expansion strategy. The next months will see TecnoRib taking part in the most important boat shows, presenting important innovations including the PIRELLI J LINE, the complete line of Jet Tender with models ranging from 2.9 metres to 4.5 metres in length.

Tecnorib Sets Course East

TecnoRib, official licensee of Pirelli and P. for Speedboats, continues the Company’s internationalization and brand strengthening process, announcing agreements with two highly-reputed and financially solid dealers in Montenegro and Thailand to distribute tenders and maxi rib. After the sale of the one hundredth Pirelli 880 and the launch of the full range of Jet Tenders, TecnoRib strengthens its presence still further in the Mediterranean and Far East by signing distribution agreements with ARY and Infinite Yachts Asia, two important broker and charter businesses based respectively in Montenegro and Thailand. “The choice of dealers of proven experience and success in these markets, which are proving to be increasingly important for TecnoRib, is aligned with the strategy we have implemented so far,” said TecnoRib Managing Director Gianni De Bonis, before concluding: “The Company’s extensive presence in the international market is fundamental to reach all the owners who have grown to love Pirelli and P. for Speedboats brands”. ARY, with headquarters in Tivat, Montenegro, is an international yachting company established in late 2016. Employing a team of full-time managers with industry expertise, the business offers its portfolio of international customers a broad range of yachting services, including: brokerage, refitting, charters, repairs and after-sales assistance. In the last three years, ARY has sold more than 50 new and used boats worth over €35 million. The company is also the exclusive distributor of Prestige yachts in Montenegro and offers its clients peerless support for fleet purchases, sales and management. Since 2011, when Giovanni Toumi took over Infinite Yachts, the company has represented multi yachts brand in Port Camille Rayon, France. Over the years, the business’ headquarters has been joined by offices in Saint Tropez (France), San Remo (Italy) and Phuket (Thailand), from where Infinite Yachts Asia will be representing TecnoRib in Far Eastern markets. “We can’t wait to see Pirelli and P. for Speedboats branded boats cruise the Andaman Sea,” said Toumi.

Viking at Live, Wine and Dine

Viking filled the leaderboard at the recent Line, Vine & Dine fishing tournament, but the real winner was the Emeril Lagasse Foundation that raised $800,000 for non-profit organizations.  Emeril, owner of the Viking 70 Aldente, hosted the third-annual world-class sporting and culinary event in Fort Lauderdale. Fish On, a Viking 48 claimed 3rd Place Billfish with a pair of sailfish. In the Dolphin Category the Viking 52 ST Snafu took 1st Place, and based on time Sandbob, a Viking 66, claimed 3rd Place. Full Circle, a Viking 55, weighed the 2nd Place Kingfish.  "My wife Alden and I are grateful for the success of Line, Vine & Dine and for the generosity of our donors, sponsors, chefs, winemakers and the community who make this weekend possible," said Chef Emeril. "Funds raised from this event enable the Foundation to provide life-changing support for inspiring organizations that represent our mission."

Viking at Los Suenos Triple Crown

Congratulations to the Viking 58 Team Galati for the win at the Los Suenos Triple Crown Leg #2. Eighty-one sailfish and a blue marlin cemented their top spot on the leaderboard during the three-day event. This puts Captain Tony Carrizosa and Team Galati in 2nd Place Overall in the series with one leg left to go. All eyes will be on the scoreboard for the final installment kicking off March 27.