Project: Azimut Fly 72

While some other brands keep delaying a new model, Azimut anticipates the market with the new Fly 72, a project announced just ten days before debuting at the 2023 Cannes boat show, which will debut along the two other Magellano 60 and Verve 48 Azimut novelties at the Cote d'Azur passarelle. The new Azimut Fly 72 replaces the fall 2015 launched 72 Flybridge after seven years of production, and continues the evolution of the Alberto Mancini era, which started with the 78 Flybridge in 2019. Three more Azimut to go for Alberto Mancini and transforming all the Flybridge range to his vision. The Azimut Fly 72 will also feature interior by Fabio Fantolino, a new name for the Italian builder, but also a first for the Torino and Milan based architect in the boating World. According to Azimut press release Fantolino will bring a transversal design language in the Fly 72, with the interior rendering showing clean modern furnishings. In the press release Azimut has not shared details of the Fly 72 accommodation, of which I would expect a standard four cabins layout and a crew cabin for two. Azimut is also quiet on the technical details, the outgoing 72 Flybridge is Man powered with shafts, but the 68 and 78 are Volvo IPS powered. So it will be interesting if Azimut will continue it's move into pods with this new Fly 72 model.

www.azimutyachts.com

Wally New Web Site

One of the most innovative boat builders and brands Wally presents its new website. Wally was officially founded in 1994, but the roots of the company started to take shape in 1991 when the founder and owner Luca Bassani was looking for a particular sailing yacht which he could single handle, and this ended up in creating an innovative custom project for himself. In 2003 Wally challenged itself again by launching the first Power model, the much talked about 118, designed by Lazzarini and Pickering and able to reach sixty knots. The revolutionary Power118 was launched in only one hull, and was soon followed by smaller Power models upwards of 45 feet. Since January 2019 Wally became part of the Ferretti Group, with the brand still managed by the creative mind of Luca Bassani.  Wally currently offers eleven fuel engine models, including of which are two fifty meters concepts.  The current range starts from the Tender43 and go up to the Why200 which debuted in 2021, with the latest model being the Why150 launched in Spring 2023. As for the sailing yachts which is where Wally made its name onward from 1994, the Monte Carlo residing Italian brand has launched over 45 custom builds from 37 feet up to 50 meters, with the current range offering four models from the eleven meters of the Nano37 to the Wind150 project. Wally new web site is available in English, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, French, and German languages and takes you around with the following buttons; Menu, Fleet, Being Wally, Wally Brokerage, News and Events, and Contacts.  Wally is also on social media with page bottom links, taking you to its Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo pages.  

www.wally.com

Production History: (Power models only)

Power118 2003 (1)

Tender 45 2003-18 (20+)

Power70 2005-07 (3)

Power47 2006-14

Power73 2007- *project Power70.4

Power64 2008- *project Power60

Power55 2009-14

Ace 26m 2012-16 (5) *project WallyShadow 24m

Power50 2015-18

Power52 2019-21

Tender48 2019-  FerrettiGroup ownership

Tender48 X 2020-

Tender43 2020-

Tender43 X 2021-

Why200 2021- (5

Power58 2022-

Power58 X 2023-

Why150 2023- (3

Why100 2024-

Power50 2024-

Sea Ray Ends Grounded in Mississippi River

A ten meter Sea Ray sport cruiser ended grounded in Pool3, Mississippi river, Wisconsin side, near St. Louis on the morning of ninth September.  The case of the grounding are not reported, although the indications are for error in navigation, with the sport cruiser hitting some of the unmarked wing dams.  It is also possible that the sport cruiser was in a delivery following a sale seeing that it has no title on the back.

The Sea Ray sport cruiser in this grounding is a late nineties 330 Sundancer, the second generation series, modified from the previous with port holes replacing the view window on the super structure and the radar arch now forward looking.  The 330 was replaced by the 340 Sundancer in 2000.

Project: AB Yachts 125

AB Yachts announce the project for a 125 flagship model, with the first unit selling in end of June, and coming from a client request.  The AB Yachts 125 is based on the current 120 flagship, which launched in March this year and a second unit currently under construction.  The AB Yacht should be very similar to the 120 with the main difference coming for a larger beach club, with opening wing bulk heads which extended this beach-bathing area by about forty per-cent.   Another difference between the 125 and AB Yachts 120 is for a larger tender garage, with the new flagship able to put a tender under eight meters in length.  The interior of the first AB Yachts 125 is fully customized, but for an idea the 120 is offered in four or five double cabins plus crew quarters.  Speed numbers have not been announced but expect forty knots as is standard from any AB Yachts model ever made.

www.abyachts.com

Kaos Vandalized Again

Super yacht Kaos, has been vandalized for the second time in the space of less then two months, to be exact 54 days later, on the morning of Friday eight September in Port Veil, Barcelona.  This time around the two activists come from the Scientist Rebellion group, who showed a video on social media followed by a text with some numbers about the pollution such yachts, and there billionaire owners generate.  

With the same reason they should share numbers on the cost of the spray cans they used, so that they are delivered from an Asian country to a shop near them, made with cheap labour so they use it for this useless endeavour.  Capitalism is not perfect, but it is still better to what we had before, where one is free to develop the way he wants, rather then enslaved to it.  

M/y Kaos is a 110 meter Oceanco hull Y714 as, designed by Igor Lobanov for exterior and, interior from Raymond Langton, and naval architecture by Nigel Gee.  At launch in 2017 she was the largest Oceanco, superseded by seven and seventeen meters larger builds in 2022 and 2023 respectively, this last being the publicized sailing yacht Koru owned by Jeff Bezos.

New Model: Prestige F4

Prestige has launched in the midst of Summer 2023 its new F4 model, a flybridge cruiser just under fourteen meters in length, with an important beam to size ratio.  Prestige F for flybridge bread and butter range has in recent times seen little novelty, with its last new model the F690 coming in 2021.  Looking at the details the Prestige F4 seems based on the 2017 launched F520, identical beam but also a similar layout, with a one meter shorter length. It will be interesting what the F4 will replace in the Prestige range, so far both the 460 and 520 are present in the website, but I do think that in the long run this replaces the 520 so expect a new F5 model in 2024 which goes in the fifteen to sixteen meter size and a similar styling to this new model. Many reviewers are giving the Prestige F4 top marks and calling her a segment re-inventor for its spaces and important beam to length ratio, which re-imagines the space inside by the width. Probably Prestige here has got a couple of lessons while developing its power catamaran range in the last two years, but I also think that it looked at the Absolute 470 which has an identical beam and a similar layout below with owners suite forward.  Still thanks to the important beam the Prestige F4 offers probably a best in class main deck layout here offering a spacious L-shaped dinette and galley on the main deck.  Down below the Prestige F4 offers a three double cabins layout, with an owners cabin forward which is in a mid high level area giving similar space to that of a midships level stateroom.  Also thanks to the beam the two guest cabins at midships offer more space then usual with the starboard cabin being particularly spacious, and offered with moving berths which become a double.  The F4 can also be fitted with an optional crew cabin aft.  Other details in the Prestige F4 are the near bulkhead free flybridge, protected by stainless steel railing, and the option to have a vertical seating on the aft deck for an open view aft, in lieu of the standard L-shaped lounger.  The Prestige F4 is powered by twin Volvo 480hp with IPS pod drives for top speeds up to 28 knots and a cruise of 22.

Technical Data:

LOA - 15.18 m (49.9ft)

Hull Length - 13.4 m

Beam - 4.49 m

Draft - 1.17 m

Displacement - 15100 kg light, 19700 kg loaded

Fuel Capacity - 1300 l

Water Capacity - 586 l

Accommodation - six berths in three cabins, optional one crew cabin berth

Engines - 2 x Volvo D6 480hp

Propulsion - Volvo forward looking IPS650 pod drives

Speed - 28 knots max 22 knots cruise

Range - 250 nm at 22 knots

Project - Garroni exterior interior, Valentina Militerno de Romedis interior, Michael Peters hull, Prestige engineering

Certification - CE B

www.prestige-yachts.com

One Person Injured as Boat Goes Ablaze in City Island

One person was injured after a sport cruiser of about ten meters in length titled m/y A Package Deal caught fire by the fuel dock at 673 City Island Avenue on City Island, Bronx just before 18:00 hours of Tuesday fifth September 2023.  The sport cruiser sunk in the Long Island Sound shortly after firefighters were able to get the blaze under control. Witnesses say the boat's owner had just pulled up for gas and was standing on the dock, when the attendant started filing the tank up.  The one injured person was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, as the fire was placed under control an hour after the call for the blaze was received. Sixty firefighters and twelve units worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the fuel dock and surrounding buildings.  The army corps of engineers will raise the boat so fire marshals can inspect the wreckage, but investigators believe the cause of the fire was most likely an accident.

The boat in this fire is a Carver 360 Sport Sedan as produced from 2003 till 2004 and then with the 36 Sport Sedan name till 2006.

Project: Rio Le Mans 50

Rio have started to tease for a Le Mans 50 project set to debut in 2024.  The Rio Le Mans 50 looks set to be part of its Coupe collection, sitting in between the thirteen meter Sport Coupe 44, and 58 models.  From this first rendering tease the Le Mans 50 is also be a bridge model in between the two ranges, with features coming from the Open models, see low free board aft, looking similar to that of the Daytona 50.  

www.rioyachts.net

Motor Yacht Sinking in Belleair

A 23 meter motor yacht titled m/y Christmas Spirit, partly sank near Belleair boat ramp, in Tampa on the afternoon of third September.  United States Coast Guard and Police Community Support Officer went to the scene to assist the boater and evaluate the scene.  The boater sustained no injuries and during inspection it was seen that the yacht was leaking fuel in the sea, and was later surrounded and protected with a hard boon and absorbent pads.  The motor yacht had to be left boomed till Tuesday fifth September when a cleaning up process had to be made.  

M/y Christmas Spirit is a 1992 Lazzara 76, as produced from 1992 to 2002 in 48 units.  The Lazzara 76 was available with two important layout options; wide-body deck house and enclosed skylounge flybridge.  Lazzara made thirty in each of these versions.  The Lazzara 76 was replaced by the 80 in 2003. 

Unfortunately the last twelve months have been tough on m/y Christmas Spirit, which was sold as salvage from the aftermath of Hurricane Ian from end September 2022, the worst hurricane to hit Florida since the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

New Model: Nordhavn 71

Hull #1 of the brand new Nordhavn 71 model was launched at the Ta Shing factory at the end of July, marking a milestone in the modern era of famous explorer yachts name. With the Nordhavn 71 comes a luxurious ocean crossing masterpiece, meant to be owner-operated. She is being shipped to Seattle in the moment to owners who have put their faith and trust in the Nordhavn brand the past twenty years, creating memories aboard their prior three hulls: a 50, 57 and 68. Soon they will take delivery of the N7101 and explore the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The N71 was conceived and designed by Nordhavn’s Chief of Design, Jeff Leishman, in early 2021, followed by mould construction and a steady progression of hull builds. Currently Nordhavn is building 71 hull three. N71 represents the further development of the third generation Nordhavn designs, incorporating a subtle elegance of styling evolution based on her longer waterline and plumb bow. Beneath her skin, the N71 is packed with leading edge technology and includes features as the bulbous bow, based on 45 years experience of owner feedback, and creating and evolving Nordhavn models. With a twenty meter waterline and generous six meters plus beam, the Nordhavn 71 is beautifully spacious and has the room and feel of larger boats, and at over one hundred tons and carrying just over 18,000 litres gallons of fuel, there is no mistaking her capability.  The Nordhavn 71 is powered by twin John Deere 285hp engines.

Technical Data:

LOA - 21.9 m (71.9ft)

Waterline Length - 20.8 m

Beam - 6.85 m

Draft - 2.08 m

Displacement - 103.5 t

Fuel Capacity - 18234 l

Water Capacity - 2271 l

Accommodation - six berths in three cabins, or eight berths in six cabins

Engines - 2 x John Deere 6068SFM85 285hp

Propulsion - line shaft with ZF Ni-Alum-Bronze four bladed S-class propellers

Construction - solid bottom with Gurit G-80 pvc core vacuum bagged hull sides, three coats of Vinylester resin and Isphotalic gelcoat

Project - Jeff Leishman

Certification - CE A

www.nordhavn.com