Classic Motor Yacht Sinks in Ostia Italy

A twenty meter motor yacht with one person onboard sank just about one nautical mile in front of the Plinius Beach Club on the Duillio water front, in Ostia the beach city of Rome Italy, on the morning of seventh March.  The motor yacht with its 65 year old captain had just left the Tiber river direction fifty nautical miles South to San Felice Circeo, when just at the start of its trip it started to take in water from a hull breach, reportedly into its engine room.  The captain called for help and was assisted, saved and taken to shore by CP381 of the Guardia Costiera of Rome, with the yacht later sinking in nine meters of water.  No pollution occurred from the sinking, with a salvage of the yacht being organized.

The motor yacht in this sinking is a Sanlorenzo 20 as produced from 1984 to 87.  Wooden build and designed by Della Rolle the Sanlorenzo 20 came out as a replacement to the 19 model and was replaced with the fiberglass build 70 in 1989.

New Model: BlueGame BGM75

A power catamaran with a new vision! BlueGame's BGM75 is the first model of the BGM range, a power catamaran which does not fit into an existing segment but creates a new one.  A parallel segment away from the current multihulls available on the market.  Primarily because from the first glance, the shape of this 22 meter yacht moves away from the “boxy” shape of a catamaran, thanks to the reduced width in favor of a ratio between beam and length closer to a mono-hull. This allows for the horizontal surfaces between the two hulls to connect creating a single volume, as if the BGM75 was a mono-hull, but with larger spaces and the possibility of having a full beam owner’s cabin of extraordinary dimensions. Also viewed from the stern, BGM75 is not comparable to traditional catamarans, thanks to an elegant and balanced mono-hull which ‘incidentally’ has two hulls. BGM75 was launched during the Cannes 2023 boat show after three years of meticulous studies and analysis, culminating in the construction of a full-scale prototype of the hull to validate the research data, guarantee unparalleled sailing comfort and confirm the advantages of this particular multihull setting in terms of sustainability. In this large time dedicated to design, Bernardo Zuccon and Piero Lissoni, world famous designers, have fully grasped the power of such an avant-garde project, giving respectively a contribution to the external lines that makes them today the classics of the future, and for interiors with an original approach in terms of lay-out, use of spaces and materials, resulting in maximum comfort, refinement and distinctive livability. For all these reasons, BGM75 perceives itself to be much more than a yacht, it’s the firstborn of a new concept that BlueGame will develop over different ranges, with a smaller BGM already in planning stages.

Technical Data:

LOA - 22.70 m (74.4ft)

Hull Length - 20.3 m

Beam - 8.15 m

Draft - 1.30 m full load

Displacement - 48 t unloaded

Fuel Capacity - 6000 l

Water Capacity - 1800 l

Accommodation - six berths in three cabins, or eight berths in four cabins, 3 crew in 2 cabins

Max Persons - sixteen

Engines - 2 x Volvo D13 800hp

Propulsion - Volvo IPS1050 forward looking pod drives

Speed - 22 knots max, twenty cruise

Project - Briand concept and hull design, Zuccon exterior, Lissoni interior

Certification - CE B

www.bluegame.it

Viking Sportfish Yacht Ends Aground in Jupiter Inlet

A nineteen meter Viking sportfish yacht titled m/y Big Blue ended aground on a shoal on Jupiter Inlet, Florida on the morning of Wednesday fifth March.  TowboatU.S. assisted the Viking sportfish out of the shoal and then towed her to a nearby marina.   A video of the assistance and towing was posted on the Jupiter Inlet Boats YouTube Channel.  According to some local this shoal has only recently formed, and when this happens these are usually marked, but unfortunately for the Viking yacht not this time.

M/y Big Blue is a Viking 64 Convertible from 2006.  The Viking 64 was offered in three or four double cabins layout and powered by twin 1800 or 2000hp for speeds up to the high thirties.  Produced from 2006 to 10 the 64 Convertible came out as replacement to the 65, and was replaced by the 66 Convertible, with a second generation 64 Convertible coming out in 2021.  

Project: Seanfinity T6

Seanfinity present the T6, a project for a luxury walkaround sport yacht with a length of just under sixteen meters, as designed by Gianluca Caputi, naval architect designer but also part-owner of the Italian boat builder.  For the T6 the Italian designer presented a perfect synergy of a high end performance sport yacht, offering luxury accommodation below deck. For this the Seanfinity T6 represents a nice mix of spaces both inside and out, with a lower deck featuring three all en-suited cabins with a saloon and galley between them, and a crew cabin for one.   An innovative feature for the Seanfinity T6 is the way it will use the fore-deck, with the usual sun-pad above the coach roof replaced by a U-shaped lounge sofa which can transform to a cozy sun-pad, which is also served by a second dinette, which becomes a lounge.  The Seanfinity T6 can be powered by twin 1650hp Man engines with Top System surface drives, or a quadruple Mercury 600hp outboard petrol gas set up.

www.seanfinityachts.com

New Model: Swan Overshadow 13.0 m

Nautor Swan continues the expansion in its motor yacht division by presenting Swan OverShadow, a thirteen meter sport cruiser redefining the concept of enjoying life at sea. The elegance and style of Nautor Swan’s has been perfectly reinterpreted by Jarkko Jämsén, resident Swan Shadow designer, focusing on the main elements in the Finnish brand’s DNA: quality, innovation, performance and reliability. The Swan OverShadow is based on the high-performing hull of the Swan Shadow, which is particularly efficient and seaworthy, with the difference of an inboard engine with stern-drive propulsion and two alternative layout configurations upper and below deck. The flush deck offers great livability with an external wet bar equipped with a galley, and an over two-meter-long sunbed. A very generous dining area deploys around the sofas for a convivial vibe. The ample space on the deck has been made possible by positioning the sunbed more aft over the inboard engines. This also frees up the stern area, providing a more functional aft deck for the driver to maneuver, making the boat easier to handle. The stern platform has the same functionality as in the Swan Shadow, with three positions: central position for driving, upper position serving as a passarelle, and below water level position for easier access to the water when swimming or doing watersports. The brand-new Swan OverShadow features a high and wide windshield, offering more protection in the cockpit and ensuring more safety and comfort for the driver and co-pilot while cruising at higher speeds. The full, closed bow of the design creates more space in front below deck, where OverShadow features two alternative layouts: a double or a twin bed configuration. The double offers more comfort when spending a weekend away, while the twin configuration offers more floor space, creating a seating area. Both layouts feature a larger and more spacious head than their predecessor.

Technical Data:

LOA - 13 m (42.6ft)

Waterline Length - 10.8 m

Beam - 4.3 m

Draft - 1.2 m

Displacement - 8500 kg light

Fuel Capacity - 950 l

Water Capacity -

Accommodation - two berths

Engines - 2 x Volvo D6 400hp, D6 440hp

Propulsion - Volvo DPI  dual propeller stern drives

Speed - 42 knots max with Volvo 440hp, 37 with 400hp

Hull Shape - twin stepped Vee 

Project - Jarkko Jamsen

Certification - CE B10/C12/D18  

www.nautorswan.com

Wicked Tuna Captain Dies in Boating Accident

Captain Charlie Griffin of the Wicked Tuna TV series fame died during a delivery of a ten meter sportfish boat titled J&E's Goodrun, which went missing on the evening of Sunday third March.  Another 35 year old person who was crew onboard is also missing, while Griff's dog was also found dead.  The Express Sportfish departed Virginia Beach direction to Pirate's Cove Marina in Manteo for repairs.  At 23:35 hours the Coast Guard received the call for two missing boaters, with the boat found two nautical miles South of Oregon Inlet on the morning of March fourth, beached and with it's tower detached and lying in-front of the boat.  The causes of the accident are not reported, with the sea being moderate rough with up to two meter wave height, and winds blowing Force Four Beaufort on that Sunday.  The missing 35 year old Chad Dunn was not found, after the Coast Guard dropped out its search operation after 41 hours, and four hundred miles of area investigated.

Charlie Griffin appeared from Season Two to Five of Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks, becoming a fan favorite as he captained the Reels of Fortune, and winning Season Four of the famous TV show.

J&E's Goodrun the sportfish express in this accident is a Scopinich 35 Express, from 2000.  Build of fiberglass the Scopinich 35 Express is designed by Joe Scopinich, debuting in 1997 it offers accommodation for two, and powered by twin 355hp Cat engines reaches top speeds of 35 knots.  Still produced today the 35 Express is Scopinich only made model with Paul Scopinich debuting in 1983 as a fighting chair producer and then as custom boat accessory manufacturer, what is still his main business today.

Project: Beneteau Swift Trawler 54

During the 2024 Miami boat show, Beneteau announced an upcoming Swift Trawler 54 model.  Beneteau showed only one rendering of the 54, what would be the largest Swift Trawler to date, and second in size to the Grand Trawler 62 which debuted in 2022 and head lines the French builder's Trawler range.  Beneteau did not give much information on this new model, apart that it will have an eight hundred nautical miles range at nine knots, and is to be equipped with loads of efficient and clean energy solutions; from wind mills to solar panels on the hard-top and the coach roof as the above rendering shows.

www.beneteau.com

Project: Baglietto Fast50

Baglietto has announced two new projects of fifty meters in a press conference in Milan on eight February celebrating the 170th anniversary of the historical yacht builder. Two new projects of the same fifty meters dimensions  both designed by Baglietto's long standing designer Francesco Paszowksi but with totally different souls. The Fast50, follows the X50 presented a couple of weeks ago here on PowerYacht, what is a high performing yacht representing the core history of the brand, from the seventies till today, and the glorious speed record beating ventures of Pietro of the early twentieth century.  Speed has been part of Baglietto for beyond a century.  The Bagletto Fast50 is a semi-wide body design, and for the first time in the Fast line, it brings a water's edge beach club aft, with an opening stern to aft which expands the dimensions of the area at anchor.  Baglietto is being very tight lipped on the Fast50 performance and layout, but expect speeds of thirty knots which is what the Fast line usually offers.  The first Baglietto Fast50 is set to launch in 2026.

www.baglietto.com

New Model: Astondoa AX8

During the fall of 2023, and just making it in time for the Genoa boat show in September, Spanish yacht builder Astondoa debuted its new AX8 model.  An explorer inspired looking super yacht with a lot of spaces both inside and outside as designed by Christian Gatto, the AX8 is the precursor of a new line by Astondoa prioritizing spaciousness and living spaces to the maximum of its size and length, with exteriors that open to the sea and interiors with large ceiling to floor windows, which brings inside outside.  The Astondoa is also offered in two options for all its areas, from a separate or open with the saloon helm station in the enclosed-flybridge deck, to galley on the main or lower deck, and three or four double cabins.  The Astondoa AX8 also features an option for the fore-deck lounge available with a C-shaped dinette and bench forward or opposite facing settees.  Powered by twin Volvo 1000hp with IPS pod drives propulsion the Astondoa AX8 has a top speed of 23 knots and cruises at fifteen knots.

Technical Data:

LOA - 24.46 m (80.2ft)

Beam - 6.22 m

Draft - 1.51 m

Displacement - 56 t unloaded, 69 t loaded 

Fuel Capacity - 7000 l

Water Capacity - 1500 l

Max Persons - eighteen

Accommodation - eight guests in four cabins, or six guests in four cabins, 3/4 crew in 2 cabins

Engines - 2 x Volvo D13 1000hp

Propulsion - Volvo IPS1350 forward looking dual propeller pod drives

Speed - 23 knots max, fifteen cruise

Range - 420 nautical miles at fifteen knots  

Project - Christian Gatto

Certification - RINA CE A

www.astondoa.es

What Tribute?

Main-stream boating media tribute to naval architect and previous racing hull specialist designer Don Shead, who left for the better World the past third February, was rather flat and sad.  Nearly everyone and all just copied and pasted, the Sunseeker press release.

While Don Shead was Sunseeker head designer for three decades, from the end seventies till his retirement in 2007, his tribute to boat and yachting goes beyond in helping the Poole boat builder find its feet and run, and become one of the most famous boating brands in the World.

Once you start to dig about Don Shead early career, from the early sixties where he started up as a racer, to his early designs at the end of that decade, it is a mind blowing journey.  Beyond Sunseeker Don Shead most important story, are his early racing days, with his career coming full circle when his designed CUV 38 hull, was the first to stop the fourteen year dominion of Class One by US made and designed hulls.  Not even Renato Sonny Levi's hulls, which were the biggest challengers to the American made and designed boats in that era ever managed to beat the Americans in the World Championship.

Another part of Don Shead story are his first Cowes race wins with his Avenger boats in the end sixties, and his believe in alloy build hulls, rather then fiberglass for racing.  But probably in all of this Don Shead most important career changing aspect is that unlike most and nearly all deep-Vee architects he started as a racer first, becoming a naval architect after, to be exact seven years later.