New Model: Azimut Grande 30M

Launching at the beginning of August and debuting at the 2025 Cannes boat show, the Grande 30M is the latest model from the large 25 meter plus Grande Series.  The Grande 30M bears the signature of Alberto Mancini, who designed the exterior lines, and the architecture studio m2atelier for the interiors. This marks the first collaboration between the two designers and introduces the Barefoot Luxury concept, developed by m2atelier for Azimut: an approach that reflects the vision of a new generation of owners, drawn to an informal and authentic lifestyle on board.  With the new Grande 30M, Azimut introduces major technological innovations. It is the first yacht to feature the twin MTU 1800hp with pod drives propulsion, which delivers a 15% increase in efficiency compared to traditional shaft line systems, thereby reducing fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions.  With this the Azimut Grande 30M is powered by twin 1800hp and thanks to this set up reaches speed up to 25 knots and a cruise of twenty knots. 

Technical Data:

LOA - 28.7 m (94.2ft)

Beam - 7.3 m

Draft - 2.02 m including propellers and pod drives

Displacement - 120.5 t loaded

Fuel Capacity - 12,000 l

Water Capacity - 2000 l

Accommodation - ten guests in five cabins, five crew in three cabins

Engines - 2 x MTU 1800hp

Propulsion - ZF Pod 4900 aft looking dual propeller pod drives

Speed - 25 knots max twenty cruise

Hull Shape - D2P displacement to planning

Construction - fiberglass and carbon fibre

Project - Alberto Mancini exterior, M2Atelier interior, Pierluigi Ausonio and Azimut naval architect 

Certification - RINA class pleasure

www.azimutyachts.com

Improve-it = Cruisers 50 GLS

During the 2025 Fort Lauderdale boat show Cruisers presented a new enclosed door option to the 50 GLS.  Featuring a full enclosure at the middle of the main deck the patio door encloses the hard-top area, extending the boating season while offering elevated comfort and style. This design option enhances the already popular 50 GLS, giving owners even more ways to enjoy their time on the water.  This new option transforms the 50 GLS into a coupe, enclosing the part of the living deck thanks to a full walkthrough central door, and flip up windows, which with the nice weather connect the area to the aft deck.  Debuting in 2022 the 50 GLS is the largest model of the four model GLS bow rider range which today starts from ten meters.  Interestingly the 50 GLS is the only model in the GLS line powered only with outboards, offered with the triple Mercury 600hp only engine choice for speeds up to fifty knots, as the three other smaller models are also offered with stern drive option.

www.cruisersyachts.com

Sunseeker Sport Cruiser Ends Aground in Punta Serra, Procida Island

A Sunseeker sport cruiser of eleven meters in length ended aground and on top the underwater reef near Punta Serra, to the North West of the Phlegraean Island of Procida, on the late afternoon of Sunday twenty June 2021.  The sport cruiser was ultimately helped by a passing rib, which towed her away from the under-water reef.  The Guardia Costiera was alerted of the accident, but did not intervene, as the sport cruiser freed itself and made it on its own power back to harbour. 

The sport cruiser in this accident is a Sunseeker 38 Martinique as designed by Don Shead and produced from 1990 to 1992.  The 38 Martinique was a replacement to the 36 Martinique, and was replaced by the Sunseeker 39 Martinique. 

New Model: Bluegame BGF45

Bluegame continues to redefine the pleasure boating and yachting market, and after presenting the catamaran yacht BGM75 in 2023, challenge the sport cruiser genre with an undefined power catamaran what is this new BGF45.  Designed by Bluegame founder Luca Santella and Zuccon who has been designing the purposeful looking Bluegamer's since 2018, with hull design coming from Caponnetto Hueber.  The BGF45 is also the result of the BGH-HSV hydrogen-powered foil catamaran, also engineered with Caponnetto Hueber and representing the ultimate expression of sustainability to date, and what was American Magic challenge chase boat during the 2024 held 37th Americas Cup in Barcellona.  With this technology coming the BGF45 integrates a foil-assisted system between her twin hulls, enhancing speed and fuel efficiency by reducing drag, while maintaining stability and ease of operation.  Thanks to this the BGF45 reduces consumption up to 30%, delivering unmatched cruising comfort even at high speeds up to 35 knots.  Apart performance the BGF45 offers exceptional onboard space for a yacht of this size; two cabins plus a crew cabin lower deck interior; all wide master suite forward, guest cabin with double berth in the port side hull, and single berth crew in the starboard hull.  The BGF45 shines double in the spacious exterior spaces, bring 30% more space to its size, even though the beam is just above five meters, less to twenty per cent of what most sport cruiser mono-hulls of this size bring nowadays.  The exteriors come with the traditional Mediterranean aft sun-pad, C-shaped dinette, galley under the hard-top, helm station off-set to port side, and a fore deck sun-pad. The BGF45 brings to the market a sport cruiser that combines performance and sustainability to an unprecedented level, and with her innovative technology and spacious design, sets a new standard in the industry.  

Technical Data:

LOA - 14.15 m (46.5ft)

Hull Length - 14 m

Beam - 5.12 m

Draft - 1.15 m *loaded

Displacement - 16 t half load, 17 t loaded

Fuel Capacity - 1400 l

Water Capacity - 400 l

Max Persons - fourteen

Accommodation - four berths in two cabins, one crew cabin berth

Engines - 2 x Volvo D6 440hp

Propulsion - Volvo forward looking IPS650 pod drives

Speed - 35 knots max, 28 cruise

Project - Luca Santella concept, Santella and Zuccon exterior and interior, Caponnetto Hueber hull shape

www.bluegame.it

Two Boaters Saved as Power Catamaran Sinks in US Virgin Islands

A power catamaran of twelve meters in length titled Cool Change with two boaters onboard sank in the vicinity of Christmas Cove, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, at 08:00 morning time of Thursday twentieth November.  The two boaters were rescued by a nearby boater, with the collision reported by a sailing yacht who was in the area and noticed the partially sank catamaran.  The US Coast Guard sector San Juan responded to the sinking with a Special Purpose Craft surface unit and a St. John Rescue boat.  Once on the scene the coast confirmed the sinking of the vessel, and major damage to its port bow from the collision, and also some pollution in the area as the catamaran was carrying around nine hundred litres of fuel. Planning arrangements are underway to address the pollution threat and salvage the power catamaran. 

The power catamaran in this sinking is a Robertson and Caine Leopard 43 PC as designed by Simonis Voogd and produced from 2015 to 2021 in 135 units.  The Leopard 43 PC was a replacement to the 39 PC, with the model replaced by the Robertson and Caine Leopard 40 PC. 

Project: Southport Boats 42DC

Dual console sport cruisers are on the rise, and Southport Boats presents the 42DC project. The 42DC is set to challenge the genre in its current large offer, from the pure dual console that is the Grady White Freedom 415, to the hybrids like the Azimut Verve 42, Cruisers 42 GLS, Regal LX43, and Sea Ray SLX 400.  Yes dual consoles are still about eight meters short to were the largest center console's have arrived.  The 2026 coming 42DC is a bold expansion from Southport, who to date have offered only one dual-console model, the much praised 33DC which has been a huge success for the 2003 North Carolina founded boat builder who in 2011 moved in Maine.  Designed in-house for optimal offshore performance and all-day comfort, the 42DC builds on the versatility of the 33DC with more space, storage, and luxury. It features expansive bow and aft seating, with an enhanced focus on family cruising, and will include a lower cabin deck sleeping four; convertible V-berth settee forward, and a twin berth at midships. The 42DC offers a fully customizable aft cockpit and helm deck configuration, designed to adapt to an owners lifestyle.  Standard powered by triple Yamaha 450hp outboards the Southport 42DC is also available with optional triple Mercury 425hp or twin 600hp, and or Volvo 480hp inboard stern drive inboards diesels.

www.southportboats.com

Marco Tuccoli 1958 - 2025

Marco Tuccoli left for the better World on the afternoon of Sunday 23 November at the age of 66.  Marco was walking near his home at Torretta Vecchia when a witness saw him fall, upon which this same person called the 118 emergency number.  Upon arriving on the scene the medics of the 118 advised that unfortunately Marco had an irreversible heart attack and was declared deceased on 15:30 of that day.  Marco would have been 67 years old today.  Marco Tuccoli joined his father Ivano founded Cantiere Tuccoli in 1970, being an important part in the change to fibreglass which started in 1978, and takes over the business into the years.  Marco will sell Tuccoli to Paolo Sanguettola who takes over the shipyard in 2017, but remaining as part of the administration of the shipyard with a small share, retiring in 2024 and selling his part of the Tuccoli business.  Tuccoli was founded in 1960, at first building rowing boats and doing wooden boat repairs, it will start to build Ligurian Gozzo fishing boats, and then in 1984 transforms all the production into fiberglass and starts to build Ligurian Gozzo fishing cruisers added with an enclosed pilot house, who will into the nineties feature a planning hull and become more sportfish looking.

New Model: Princess V65

For the fall of 2025 Princess debuted the new fourth generation V65.  Based on the same hull of the third generation which was produced from 2018 to 2021, this new Princess V65 also shares platform with the S65 mark two which arrived last year.  This Princess platform actually debuted with the first generation S65 in 2015, and has since then been used on and including this new V65 for a total of five models. This new mark four V65 is in most cases identical to the S65, with the difference that the sport bridge up top is replaced by a large hard-top which transforms the main deck to into a more open sun filled space.   A winning horse is not changed and so the V65 features a similar layout to the third generation model; main deck with astern galley and dinette opposite the galley, a saloon further forward, and lower deck with four double cabins; owners master at midships, VIP forward, twin to starboard, and fourth guest cabin with bunk berths to port side.  The Princess V65 is powered by twin MAN 1400hp for top speeds up to 36 knots.

Technical Data:

LOA - 20.61 m (67.7ft)

Hull Length - 20 m

Beam - 5.04 m

Draft - 1.62 m

Displacement - 36,477 kg medium load

Fuel Capacity - 4100 l

Water Capacity - 100 l

Accommodation - eight berths in four cabins, one crew cabin berth

Engines - 2 x MAN V12 1400hp

Propulsion - line shaft

Speed - 36 knots max

Project - Bernard Olesinski, Princess Yachts

www.princessyachts.com

Baia Yacht Ends On the Rocks in Spetses Island, Greece

A nineteen meter Baia sport yacht ended aground on the rocks of Fanari, to the North East of Spetses Island, in Attica Greece on the night of first September 2022.  The dynamics of the collision and grounding are not much reported, beside this picture which was shared on the Boating in Greece Facebook page by Petros Kostas Kyriazis.  The yacht was recovered with a barge the morning of the following day. 

The yacht in this collision is a Baia 63 Azzurra as designed by Carlo Galeazzi and produced from 1999 to 2004.  The 63 Azzurra was a replacement to the 59 Exuma, with the model evolving into a second generation 63 Azzurra with renewed hard-top.

Jeanneau New Web Site

Jeanneau presents its new World Wide web showroom. Founded in 1959 by Henry Jeanneau, who follows his passion for airplanes, and automobiles with that of boats. Henry showed this with racing when in 1956 he builds the 6H de Paris wood speed boat prototype which a year later in 1957 wins the Paris six hours race in Les Herbiers.  With this success Henri opens a boat building factory, with three workers, one of which is Michel Rabier, who will design with Henry the first created models till 1961.  In 1959 Jeanneau debuts its first model, the Oceane 4.45 m made of plywood.  With fiberglass news coming to France, Jeanneau first tests the material with the Sport Polyester prototype in 1960 and debuts its first boat with reinforced plastic hull in 1961 as it presents the Calanque 4.05 meters.  The Calanque is followed in the same year by the Mirage 4.15m and the Squale 4.27m, which Jeanneau enters into the 1961 6 Heures de Paris race.  These first fiberglass builds were followed two years later with the Sea Bird 4.90m, Jenneau's first cabin boat and available in both outboard and inboard power.  In 1964 Jeanneau sees the growing demand of sail boats, and debuts into the genre with the Ericus Gerhardus van de Stadt designed Alize 6 meters.  This was followed by two other Van de Stadt designed sail boats, the J Club sailing dinghy and the Storm sailing cruiser in 1966.  Bigger motor boats also arrive in 1966 as Jeanneau launch the 900 Imperator, superseded in 1969 with the America 11.40mt.  Despite a rocky start in sailboat sales, with the second and third models, in 1968 Jeanneau commissions Philippe Harle to design the Sangria, which will turn out to be the most sold Jeanneau sail yacht ever as its sells over 2700 units in a fourteen year production run.  In 1971 Jeanneau experimented with a new boatbuilding material and construction method called Rigiflex, which will debut with the Aquapêche 300.  Sixteen Rigiflex models are made over the years with the most successful being the Aquapeche 350 sold in over fifteen thousand units.  Radical diversification is also part of Jeanneau story as in 1981 it creates the miniature cars brand Microcar, headed by Jean Rondeau the winning driver of the 1980 24 hours of Le Mans car race as adviser.  Of the current motor boats line, the Cap Camarat debuts in 1981 with the Robert Rigaudeau designed 575, Merry Fisher arrives in 1986 with the 930, and the DB line arrives in 1985 with the DB 19 to disappear in 1987 after three models, and return in 2021 with the DB/43.  In 1984 Jeanneau also launched Lagoon catamarans, first as a competition department and then in 1987 with the 55 model.  Lagoon is sold to Construction Navale Bordeaux in 1995, and then to Groupe Beneteau in the same year.  In 1989 Jeanneau wants to expand its motor boating interest and lists Garroni to design the Prestige 41 and in that same year enters a cooperation with Ferretti Craft, creating the Yarding Yacht motor boat brand.  Also designed by Garroni in cooperation with Ferretti, Yarding debuts with the 27 model in 1989, followed by a 35 Fly, 36 Fly, 42 Fly and 42 Sport, with the Jeanneau-Ferretti joint venture stopping in 1994.  Prestige and Garroni will return at Jeanneau in 1999 with the Prestige 36 flybridge, followed by a 34S in 2001.  By 2006 Jeanneau Prestige offers six models and the Prestige 50 is the largest motor boat build by Jeanneau to date, that is until the brand is split to a separate entity in 2009 and on the debut of the 60 model.  Racing has started Jeanneau back in 1957 and in the eighties it returns to the competitions, presenting a team in cooperation with Graveleau, who will make a 1987 highest on water speed of 170.21 km/h with a standard outboard motor, and then a world record in a 24-hour endurance race.  Jeanneau also takes the first three places in the Nyamey-Bamako Rally, a test of endurance covering one thousand nautical miles, and won with the Cap Camarat Niger 510 prototype and Gérard D’Aboville on the helm.  In 1981 Jeanneau also enters in racing sail boats, debuting with the American Gary Mull designed 5.5m Microsail, of which it will build around three hundred in between 1981 to 1984.  The Microsail is followed by Rush as designed by Ron Holland for the Voile Tour de France series in 1982 and 1983. This is followed with Fleury Michon 7, the largest catamaran build in the time, and will win the Route du Rhum single-handed transatlantic race in 1986 and the transatlantic sailing record in 1987.  Jeanneau had various owners over the years as Henry will sell in 1969 to US investment firm Bangor Punta, who in that time also owned other US boat builders; Jensen, Luhrs, and O’Day.  Bangor Punta will sell Jeanneau in 1984 to Lear Sigler, who will sell to the Michel Richard led RES employer owned venture in 1987.  Following a down turn in the early nineties, Jeanneau is sold again in 1991 to Chatellier Groupe. In December 1995 Jeanneau is sold to current owner Groupe Beneteau.  Henry Jeanneau will form two other boating companies over the years.  In 1972 in association with his former Operations Director Olivier Gibert he founds Gib'Sea selling his interest in 1976.  Then in 1979 with his wife and two sons he founds Dynamique Yachts which will be sold to Dufour in 2011.  Today Jeanneau builds a total of 39 models, of which 27 are Motorboats divided into five lines; Cap Camarat, DB Yachts, Merry Fisher, Merry Fisher Sport, and Sea Loft.  The Motorboats line starts from the Cap Camart 5.5 CC and go up to the Sea Loft 480.  Jeanneau new website takes you around with the following buttons; Motorboats, Sailboats, The Brand, Services, News, Events, Dealerships, Configurator, and Compare.  Jeanneau has also bottom buttons tabs to take you to its social media pages; Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and Youtube. 

www.jeanneau.com

Production and Ownership History; *inboard and cabin boats only

Sea-Bird IB 4.90 m 1963-79

Amazone 6.00m 1964-69 

Imperator 900 1966-70

Imperator FB 900 1968-72

1969 Bangor Punta ownership

America 11,40 m 1969-79

Almeria 960 STD 1978-83

Almeria 750 1978-84

Almeria 860 1979-87

1984 Lear Sigler ownership

DB 23 1985-87

DB 33 1985-87

Leader 850 1986-88

Merry Fisher 930 1986-90

1987 Michel Richard led RES employer ownership

Leader 600 1987-89

Leader 750 1987-89

Prestige 41 1989-91 (45)

Yarding 27 1989-92

Yarding 35 Fly 1990

Yarding 36 Fly 1990-93

Yarding 42 Fly 1990-94

Yarding 42 Open 1990-94

1991 Chatellier Groupe ownership

Merry Fisher 900 1991-93

Leader 800 1992-98

Yarding 34 1993-94

Merry Fisher 925 1993-99

1995 Groupe Beneteau ownership

Leader 805 1999-2009 (1300+)

Prestige 36 1999-09

Merry Fisher 900 Crois 2000-04

Prestige 34S 2001-09 (500+)

Runabout 755 2001-06

Prestige 32 2002-08

Prestige 46 2003-10

Merry Fisher 925 (ii) 2005-09

Prestige 42 2006-10

Prestige 50S 2006-08

Prestige 38S 2008-11

Prestige 42S 2008-11

Prestige 50 2008-10

Prestige 50S2 2008-10

Merry Fisher 815 2008-10

Leader 10 2009-14

Leader 8 2009-16

Merry Fisher 10 2009-12

Leader 9 2009-16

NC11 2010-17

NC9 2011-16

43 Velasco 2013-15 *42 Voyage project

NC14 2013-20

Leader 40 2014-21 *38 Leader project

Leader 36 2015-22

Velasco 37F 2015-19

Velasco 43F 2015-21

30 Leader 2016-21

33 Leader 2017-22

NC 33 2017-22

NC 37 2018-

Merry Fisher 38 Fly 2020-21

DB/43 2021-

DB/37 2024-

Arriving in 1963 the Seabird 4.90 m was Jeanneau first cabin boat.