August 22, 2022

Mangusta Collides with Li Nibani Reefs

A 21 meter Mangusta sport yacht named m/y 7 Zero collided with Li Nibani reefs outside of Porto Cervo in Sardinia on the early evening of 21 August.  The yacht was reported under charter duty, and sustained damage to its hull bottom area and to port side.  This yacht follows the tragic incident with one man being killed which happened on the 31 July in the same spot.  The Mangusta sport yacht was on the afternoon of Monday 22 August taken for repairs.  Li Nibani which means seagulls in Galluran language is a reef archipelago located to the North East of Porto Cervo and Sardinia.
M/y 7 Zero is a 2007 Overmarine Mangusta 72. Produced from 1999 to 2013 to a design of Stefano Righini and build to order with a custom made lower and main deck.  Always with surface drive propulsion Mangusta 72 where first powered by twin 1200hp or 1300hp Man engines good for speeds up to 36 and 38 knots respectively, while newer units had the 1550hp reaching up to forty knots.  Overmarine sold about fifty Mangusta 72, which makes it its second all time best seller following the longer produced Mangusta 80 which sold in 73 units.

Project: Fairline Targa 40

Fairline is pleased to announce an all-new Targa 40 project set to launch in the summer of 2023. This new twelve meter sport cruiser is the latest addition to the popular Targa range, with some big shoes to fill, being the natural replacement to the previous Targa 38 which sold 313 units from 2006 till 2015 and the first generation Targa 40 selling 299 from 2000 till 2007.  Designed by the Fairline design team guided by Christian Gott the Targa 40 embraces innovative and bold design directions from a modern bluff-bow hull, to being the first Fairline with a folding side bulkhead.  Beyond the folding starboard bulkhead the cockpit will offer an interesting layout, bridging a gap from easy day-boat use to that of a sport cruiser there is a lot of things to like here from the flash cockpit floor, to the twin sunbeds with floating backrests converting into sofas for guests to enjoy throughout the day and night, and a large C-shaped seating  dining area and companion seating to port, and a wet bar nestled behind the two individual helm seats. The beautifully proportioned and ergonomically designed helm console fitted with latest Garmin touch screen display enhances the experience with a simplified and intuitive user interface allowing integrated control of all essential systems. Moving to the foredeck, the expansive sunbeds dominate, and the addition of a forward-facing sofa at the bow enables guests to enjoy the views whilst cruising.  A contemporary interior with four berths in a two-cabin layout, replicates the sophisticated furnishings and flawless design on the main deck. The roomy master cabin is located forward with a headroom just shy of two meters and direct access to the en-suite which features a jack-and-jill door arrangement. In the mid-ship’s guest cabin, the twin beds with 1.5m height, slide to convert to a double. The integrated garage under the ports side sun-pad will have room for a 2.3m tender with electric outboard.  This new Targa 40 unlike the previous Targa 40 and 38 which used the 1993 Targa 38 Olesinski hull will feature a new bottom shape with a four meter beam, and is to be powered by twin Volvo 340hp or 380hp with stern drive propulsion, good for 32 and 36 knots max speed respectively.

August 21, 2022

Boats Explosion in Daytona Beach Injures Four

A ten meter sport cruiser exploded and burned injuring four at Halifax Harbor Marina, Daytona Beach on the afternoon of Sunday 21 August.  Fire fighters where called to assist to the boat fire on 1315 hours, which injured four, of which one woman age fifty in critical condition air lifted to Orlando hospital.  The sport cruiser exploded when the owner after refueling went to ignite the engine.  The explosion is reported coming from vapors build up in the engine room, a common occurrence in gas powered boats.  The owner of the boat did report of having them on before igniting the engines.
The sport cruiser in this explosion and fire is a Wellcraft 3200 St.Tropez.  A successful model from Wellcraft the 3200 St. Tropez was produced from 1984 to 1989 and offered a comfortable open layout interior sleeping four.  Usually powered by twin gas engines from 260 up to 330hp, the 3200 St.Tropez had a design update for a sloop integrated bathing platform bolted in the stern to models after 1987.

Web: Picchiotti New Web Site

Picchiotti presents its new website, which comes following the new ownership of The Italian Sea Group in 2022. Founded in a historical date of 1575 on the limits of the Arno river in Pisa, Picchiotti later moved at some time in the late nineteen century to the Viareggio sea-side town.  Coming under Perini ownership Picchiotti was moved again in 2010 to La Spezia with the sail yacht builder taking the place of the Viareggio yard from the early nineties.  Now under this new ownership of The Italian Sea Group, Picchiotti will return to Marina di Carrara where in 1982 it build its largest 103 meter build to date.  The Picchiotti family is one of the reasons why the seaside Village of Viareggio became known as the Yacht City of the World since the eighties. In its four century history Picchiotti did nearly build everything from wooden sail boats, Iron Italian Navy vessels, and race craft. The yard has also a unique record of building yachts being one of the first to do it with the 15 metre Espria of 1905, and then followed by the famous 36.5 metre Kon-Tiki from 1947, and the 1982 delivered 103,85 meter Al Said now Al Mubrikah which was for a long time the largest super yacht ever build in Italy. Picchiotti was also the first for building semi-serial motor cruisers and yachts in wood from 1955 to 1980.  This started with the 13,30 to 17 meter Versilia in 1955 sold in eleven units, and was followed in 1961 by the 10.25 meter Giglio its best seller with 52 units sold.  The Picchiotti semi production series continued till 1975 with the 1962 Giannutri and 1965 Giraglia both selling 28 units each to make them second best seller.  Other models of the semi-production line which came where the 1963 Gorgona, 1965 75, the 1966 Mistral 55, 1968 with 90 series which was made in four units following the launch of Sunny Dream and the Lampuga 42, 1969 Cariddi 55, and last the Poalo Caliari designed series from the revolutionary Tiger at first in 11,20 then expanded to 12,30 meters and available in three versions N, S, and F, to the Lupo di Mare and Progetto 68.  In the early nineties a historical turn came for Picchiotti with the newly founded Perini Navi first leasing the yard premises for the construction of its unique sail boats, and later on purchasing the whole area and the brand. In the year 2010 Picchiotti returns to the scene with the launching of three custom super yachts from the Phillipe Briand Vitruvius Explorer series, the 50m in 2010, a 55.7m in 2012, and 73m in 2014 this being also Picchiotti second largest build to date.  Picchiotti new web site is available in Italian and English language and takes you around with the following buttons; Brand, Heritage, Fleet, News, Archive, Sales, Contact, and TISC.

August 20, 2022

Flybridge Cruiser Goes on Fire in Hudson River

A fourteen meter Jeanneau flybridge cruiser with seven persons onboard caught fire on Saturday 20 August just before 1530 hours off West 72nd street on the Hudson River.  A nearby boat rescued the seven occupants of the flybridge cruiser before the New York Police Department boat arrived to the scene.  The  marine and lands fire fighting units arrived later to the accident trying to extinguish the fire, to no avail with the flybridge cruiser ending sinking.  According to initial reports the fire started from the lower cabin deck area.  No one was injured in the fire with the yacht being recovered three days later.
The Jeanneau in this fire is a Prestige 46 Flybridge, a model the French boat builder produced from 2002 to 2009 and designed by Garroni.  Flagship of Jeanneau Prestige range at launch the 46 offered three double cabins accommodation with an optional crew cabin aft, and was powered by twin Volvo 430hp, with optional 480hp and or Cummins 500hp coming in 2006.  The Jeanneau Prestige 46 evolved and was replaced by the Prestige 50 in the fall of 2008, although these models did make a year sharing production.

Super Yacht My Saga Sinks in Gulf of Squillace

M/y My Saga a 39 meter super yacht with nine Italian crew onboard sank in the Gulf of Squillace, eight nautical miles from Catanzaro Marina on 1300 hours of Saturday 20 August.  The crew reported a water intrusion in the early morning of Saturday, after evacuation a team of four remained whilst a tug boat from Crotone came to tow the yacht to safety, which ultimately did not succeed. Before sinking the yacht tilted heavily to starboard while under towing. The crew and yacht where assisted first by a Romanian patrol boat on behalf of Frontex, and a Guardia Costiera boat CP321 from Crotone second.  The yacht was traveling from Gallipoli on the Adriatic sea to Milazzo in Sicily, after arriving from Turkey.  The Italian Coast Guard released a statement that rough sea conditions did not help in saving and towing the yacht to Crotone with My Saga sinking at 1300 hours.
M/y My Saga previously named Yuko was build by defunct commercial ship builder founded in 1999 Cantieri San Marco from La Spezia, to an exterior design by Tim Heywood and naval architecture by Alberto Acenzi.  Monaco Yacht and Technologies inherited the project of the 39.4 meter yacht and with an interior design by Jean-Marc Achy sold it in 2007.  Twin Cats 503hp engines powered My Saga to a fourteen knots speed and a cruise of eleven will give a range up to 4000 nautical miles. This 39.4 meter is the only super yacht build by San Marco, known for building Tug boats with some commercial ships in between, though when Monaco Yacht and Technologies took over the yard they had two yachts, a 72 and 74 meter of about 1500GT of volume inbuild.  My Saga is owned by Russian coal magnate Gennady Ayvazyan who is reported as owning at least another super yacht.

New Model: Riva 102 Corsaro Super

In the brand’s 180th anniversary year, Riva confirms its extraordinary creative vitality and incomparable style by launching the new 102 Corsaro Super, a dazzlingly beautiful three deck super yacht with a completely rethought design and spaces to enjoy in comfort and conviviality. Entering the water in Riva La Spezia shipyard where models in the 76 to 130-foot range are built, the new yacht is the magnificent successor to the 100’Corsaro, one of the popular sellers in recent years sold in a reported sixteen units in a four year production run. With peerless originality and class, the new Corsaro Super has even more impressive dimensions: 102 feet of majesty and new style accents that breathe life into an unprecedented masterpiece of yacht design, ready to leave a glorious mark in the history of the flybridge range. The new features of the Corsaro Super are once again the work of since 1992 Riva designers Mauro Micheli and Sergio Beretta of Officina Italiana Design, working in partnership with the Strategic Product Committee led by Mr. Piero Ferrari and the Ferretti Group Engineering Department. The many new features include the design of the superstructure and the hull, which have both been completely renewed based on a contemporary sport concept that sees direct contact with the water as the supreme pleasure of going to sea. The new Riva 102 Corsaro Super is over thirty meters in length overall and has a beam of almost seven. Her distinctive silhouette reaches out like an arrowhead, giving the yacht a sleek and assertive profile. Aft, new glass fashion plates improve the vessel's aerodynamics. New dimensions and optimized spaces revolutionize how time is spent on board. Functionality, maximum livability and ever more direct contact with the water are the guiding principles behind all the new features, such as the option to install special gunwales that swing out on either side of the main deck to create exclusive terraces with a panoramic view, increasing the volume of the external walkways without affecting the vessel’s elegant profile. With three decks and five cabins for ten guests, the promise of the new Corsaro Super is to dominate the sea, not only from almost one hundred square meters of livable open-air spaces, but also from the interiors, thanks to over 140 square meters of magnificent glazing and glass surfaces that reduce the barriers to visual contact with the natural world. In more detail, the glazing in the owner suite has been redesigned and extended to two meters in length from the 100 Corsaro, amplifying the sense of space that is a distinctive feature of the widebody configuration and offering a breathtaking view on both sides of the yacht. One of the highlights of the 102 Corsaro Super, is the complete redesign of the stern area on the main deck. This entire space will be configured as an extended 35-square-metre beach club dedicated to conviviality and comfort. The interior design also features some major innovations. In the main living area, two different layouts are available for the owner to choose from. The first has a focus on the dining space, with a table seating eight in the stern area, while the lounge is central and maintains visual contact with the outside world through extensive windows that open onto the lateral walkways. In the second layout, the lounge and large sofas are in the area first encountered on entering the saloon, while the dining space is central. The interior décor juxtaposes original textures that express the yacht’s unmistakable personality and appeal. The dominant wood is Canaletto walnut. Its warm tones are set off by the innovative pairing with satin effect titanium ceilings or, alternatively, by the introduction of glass surfaces and cool colors. The new Riva 102’ Corsaro Super is powered by twin 2435hp for a top speed of 26 knots, while optional 2638hp give a bump of plus two knots to reach 28 knots. Aldready five units of the Riva 102 Corsaro Super are reported sold with the model set to debut in September at 2022 Cannes boat show.
Technical Data:
LOA - 31.09 m (102ft)
Beam - 7 m
Draft - 2.30 m
Displacement - 
Fuel Capacity - 9000 l
Water Capacity - 1320 l
Accommodation - ten guest berths in five cabins, five/six crew in three cabins
Engines - 2 x MTU 16v2000 M96 2435hp, 16v2000 M96l 2638hp
Propulsion - line shaft
Speed - 26 knots with MTU 2435hp, 28 knots max 24 cruise with 2638hp
Range - 320 nautical miles at 24 knots
Project - Mauro Micheli and Sergio Berretta Officina Italiana, Ferretti Engineering naval architecture
Certification - CE A

August 19, 2022

Project: Heesen 57m Project Akira

Heesen has started the construction of YN 20457, Project Akira, beginning at the Oss shipyard on February 9, formally witnessed by the American Bureau of Shipping surveyor. Project Akira is the first in a new class of high-speed alumimium yachts by Heesen. At 57 meters, with an enclosed volume of approximately 780 GT, she sports a lightweight ultra-efficient FDHF hull that will give her a top speed of 22 knots with twin MTU engines.  The all-alumimium hull is the latest refinement of the patented Fast Displacement Hull Form, devised by Dutch hydrodynamicists Van Oossanen and further engineered by Heesen’s naval architects. Thanks to her low-drag underwater body, Akira is fast yet highly economical, needing less power and using up to half the fuel of a conventional steel displacement yacht of the same size. Thanks to her shallow draft of just 2.3 meters, she is also a go-anywhere yacht, perfect for the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas or shallow inshore anchorages in the Mediterranean.  For this new breed of yacht, Heesen appointed long-term partner Frank Laupman of Omega Architects for the exterior design. Her lines are characterized by a shapely profile, a gently raked bow, and bold fashion plates. A standout feature is the distinctive scalloped transom to increase the size of the large fixed swim platform, which will make her instantly identifiable in any marina.  When it came to Akira’s 400 sqm of luxury interior space, Heesen's engineering department worked with Harrison Eidsgaard from the very beginning to develop the general arrangement – a decision that led to a step-change in the way the design was approached.  The interior décor allows Akira’s owners to express their taste and customize the yacht to fit their lifestyle. Twelve guests are accommodated in six suites. The 63 sqm owner’s stateroom occupies the main deck forward and comprises a study, the bedroom with his-and-hers closets, and a full-beam bathroom with bathtub and shower stall. Four double suites are found on the lower deck, while the VIP cabin is up on the bridge deck. All decks are served by the glass elevator. Outdoor spaces are carefully conceived to offer the ultimate experience of life at sea. Large windows create connectivity between indoors and out. From dining al fresco on the upper aft terrace, to the vast sundeck with its jacuzzi, and from the forward seating area on the bridge deck down to the beach club, owners and guests will always find the perfect place to relax.  Project Akira is scheduled for delivery in Spring 2024.

August 18, 2022

Medicane in Corsica 2022

A fierce storm with hurricane strong winds hit Corsica on the morning of Thursday eighteen August.  The worst hit was the West and Northern part of Corsica with winds reaching record speeds of 121 knots, this recorded at Marignana to the West of Corsica.  The same storm also hit the North Tyrrhenian sea particularly the region of Tuscany couple hours later.  Over five hundred boats and yachts received some damage, with about one hundred of these receiving extensive damage which made them unusable to use before repairs are done.  Some of these unusable boats and yachts also ended up beached or sank and are a wreck.  Six people where reported dead in Corsica with three dying in Italy because of the storm with one of these being related to boating. 
The 2022 Mediterrean Summer season was particularly hot, with sea temperatures reaching thirty degrees at the beginning of August, result is that a medium strong cold front ends turning in a Medicane, a Mediterrean Hurricane.  Storms like this has happened in the past, possibly of lower intensity, but it is also important to note that our weather reading has become much more precise and sophisticated in recent years.  Being in high season and Corsica a popular destination created the right dooms day environment for all this chaos to happen.  
A Mondomarine Arrow 50 is seen before sinking outside the Saint Florent marina.  Designed by Cichero the Mondomarine Arrow was released in 1984 first as 52 and then rebadged as 50.  The model was produced till 1992 with an Open version released on the same hull in 1987.
This eighties Raffaelli Middle Flying mt 12 was a lucky one at Saint Florent who ended starboard side on the South West breakwater of the harbor, while a sail boat unknowingly pulled him to the middle of the marina before the boat suffered further damage, and possibly a sinking. 
A Princess V53 is seen beached in Calvi the worst hit area with tens of boats, most of which sailing yachts finishing beached.  In Calvi most of the swing moorings failed with boats ending up hitting each other, with the end result being tens of boats and yachts damaged.
Another Calvi victim here a Beneteau Swift Trawler 34 ended in a difficult beaching, in between rocks and extensive damage to its bow.
Possibly this was the worst damage in a beach near Calvi where this Cranchi E52 F Evoluzione has separated from its upper deck and had its hull split in two.  Forward to this was also a beached Beneteau Antares 9.80.
An Absolute got some damage to starboard stern side when a classic sailing yacht broke its moorings in Marina di Carrara in Tuscany.  Important damage in Carrara also happened to dry stacked racing sail yachts, which flew off there cradle.  The World beating Maserati trimaran of Giovanni Soldini also sustained damage in this storm.

Yacht Aground in Ses Illetas, Formentera

A 22 meter Astondoa motor yacht finished beached on the morning of eighteen August, in Ses Illetas, Formertera.  The cause of the beaching are unknown but a storm hit the island between the night of seventeen and eighteen August morning, and with this the anchor being down I suspect the yacht dragged.  Located on the North of the Formentera, Ses Illetas is rather unique open beach with sand and view uninterrupted to East and West.  
The yacht in this accident is an Astondoa 72 GLX designed by Nuvolari Lenard and produced from 1998 to 2007.  Astondoa sold over forty first generation 72 GLX before the model was replaced by the 76 in 2008.  This is the third Astondoa 72 GLX reported in an accident this Summer, with a sister-ship burning down in Costa Rica in early July, and another having control troubles in Girona and hitting boats and the jetty earlier in August.