When you live in a relatively northern European latitude, as I do in the U.K., it’s often tempting to assume that the grass is browner on the shores of the Mediterranean. But while that might be true in summer, winter is another matter. Italy’s Riviera di Levante is not Florida. The marble peaks that stand sentinel just inland can be thick with ice and snow, lending a dramatic backdrop to Riva’s
Similar, but different; familiar, yet unique. Platinum may be the latest in Benetti’s Golden Bay series (Hull No. 8) but she is, of course, a totally custom build. It is only from the basic elements of her plan and profile that you can tell she is a member of the family. In every other respect she is absolutely her own mistress.Launched last fall, she made her first public
The fuel berth in Palma, Mallorca, seemed unusually popular considering the recent rocketing price of oil. Sailboats drifted about, patiently awaiting their turn. Three or four motoryachts circled warily, their captains tweaking the throttles and burning out their bow thrusters in an effort to keep station in the afternoon breeze—alert to the imagined danger of some impertinent fishing boat
Even after all these years, a new Riva is an event. All that iconic imagery—so carefully cultivated by the Ferretti Group’s marketing people—of the 1960’s jet set aboard its classic mahogany runabouts has given the shipyard a priceless cachet, one that to this day remains unique among boatbuilders. And even though Riva has endured its share of strife over the last 20 years or so, it
The first Pershing I ever drove was the 88. She was big and fast and looked like she’d been designed by George Lucas’ props department. But the thing most people remember about her was that she was silver. The only silver rockets any of us had seen before were at Kennedy Space Center.What I remember most
The Neapolitan shipyard of Baia has always been known for its boats’ distinctive styling. Wraparound windscreens and long, convex foredecks were a design signature, which still gives the older boats in the range an unmistakable look.But then two years ago came nearly 43 feet of spiky, new-edge attitude, in the shape of the Baia One. Something was changing—and now we have the
Ah, the Mediterranean in early June, when every yachtsman feels he has a right to decent weather. And sure enough, when I got there it was warm, with low humidity and calm seas. Perfect conditions—except for boat testing.In the new marina at Varazze, 15 miles west of Genoa on the Ligurian coast, Azimut’s new service and delivery center was abuzz with activity. The shops all looked
You don’t get to ride in a Riva every day. It’s not that they’re scarce, exactly. In the six years since the first of the “new” Rivas, the Aquariva runabout, came out, the company has launched no fewer than eight other new models. But demand appears to be outstripping supply to such a degree that few boats hang around long enough for mere journalists to get a hold of them.So to turn up at
They weren’t in a hurry or anything, but as I trundled my bag along the concrete quay toward the boat, I could tell not only that had I been spotted, but also that the engines were already running. Fresh from the airport, I was returning to Cannes, France, the day after the boat show closed, to join Sessa’s C52 for part of her return trip to Italy. However, I would only be riding along on part of
Seems you can’t turn around for five minutes these days without Atlantis launching a new model. The company has been burning the candle at both ends ever since it was set up in 2001 by Azimut-Benetti, which bought the high-tech Gobbi shipyard in Piacenza, Italy, for the purpose.It started with a 42 and a 47, both nice-looking craft, and then came the radical-looking 55 with her domed-glass
There are lots of ways to arrive at the Monaco Yacht Show, some more stylish than others. The airport bus is quick, efficient, and air conditioned, but perhaps a little humdrum for a man who wishes to be taken seriously on the quayside at Port Hercule. People often overlook the train, but the views are spectacular, and it’s by far the fastest way if you’re staying in a pretty coastal resort like
Things have become a lot more competitive in Piacenza, Italy, since the Azimut-Benetti Group took over the family-run Gobbi shipyard a couple of years ago. Not that they weren’t already in pretty good shape: Azimut always said that in addition to Gobbi’s sports cruiser know-how, one of the yard’s main attractions was its professionalism. It’s just that while Gobbi was content to be successful in
It’s often the little things that make a difference. I’m not suggesting that your decision to buy a $3 million yacht might rest on a particularly cool design of a door handle or whether the flecks of color in a granite worktop happen to match your socks, but it never ceases to surprise me how something seemingly unimportant can color my entire impression of a boat.With Ferretti’s new 630,
Azimut has been working hard filling the gaps in its red range. The famous Azimut 68S, which seemed such a radical departure for a builder of safe, sensible, white flying-bridge cruisers and motoryachts, was followed pretty quickly by the surface-drive-equipped
There was snow on the peaks. In northern Italy they always say you can spend the morning on the beach and go skiing in the afternoon, although in my experience even the balmy Tuscan coast is never quite balmy enough in February to tempt me into the water. I also couldn’t help noticing that the beach was completely deserted. Nevertheless, it was sunny, and it felt like spring off Viareggio on the
When you live in a relatively northern European latitude, as I do in the U.K., it’s often tempting to assume that the grass is browner on the shores of the Mediterranean. But while that might be true in summer, winter is another matter. Italy’s Riviera di Levante is not Florida. The marble peaks that stand sentinel just inland can be thick with ice and snow, lending a dramatic backdrop to Riva’s
Similar, but different; familiar, yet unique. Platinum may be the latest in Benetti’s Golden Bay series (Hull No. 8) but she is, of course, a totally custom build. It is only from the basic elements of her plan and profile that you can tell she is a member of the family. In every other respect she is absolutely her own mistress.Launched last fall, she made her first public
The fuel berth in Palma, Mallorca, seemed unusually popular considering the recent rocketing price of oil. Sailboats drifted about, patiently awaiting their turn. Three or four motoryachts circled warily, their captains tweaking the throttles and burning out their bow thrusters in an effort to keep station in the afternoon breeze—alert to the imagined danger of some impertinent fishing boat
Even after all these years, a new Riva is an event. All that iconic imagery—so carefully cultivated by the Ferretti Group’s marketing people—of the 1960’s jet set aboard its classic mahogany runabouts has given the shipyard a priceless cachet, one that to this day remains unique among boatbuilders. And even though Riva has endured its share of strife over the last 20 years or so, it
The first Pershing I ever drove was the 88. She was big and fast and looked like she’d been designed by George Lucas’ props department. But the thing most people remember about her was that she was silver. The only silver rockets any of us had seen before were at Kennedy Space Center.What I remember most
The Neapolitan shipyard of Baia has always been known for its boats’ distinctive styling. Wraparound windscreens and long, convex foredecks were a design signature, which still gives the older boats in the range an unmistakable look.But then two years ago came nearly 43 feet of spiky, new-edge attitude, in the shape of the Baia One. Something was changing—and now we have the
Ah, the Mediterranean in early June, when every yachtsman feels he has a right to decent weather. And sure enough, when I got there it was warm, with low humidity and calm seas. Perfect conditions—except for boat testing.In the new marina at Varazze, 15 miles west of Genoa on the Ligurian coast, Azimut’s new service and delivery center was abuzz with activity. The shops all looked
You don’t get to ride in a Riva every day. It’s not that they’re scarce, exactly. In the six years since the first of the “new” Rivas, the Aquariva runabout, came out, the company has launched no fewer than eight other new models. But demand appears to be outstripping supply to such a degree that few boats hang around long enough for mere journalists to get a hold of them.So to turn up at
They weren’t in a hurry or anything, but as I trundled my bag along the concrete quay toward the boat, I could tell not only that had I been spotted, but also that the engines were already running. Fresh from the airport, I was returning to Cannes, France, the day after the boat show closed, to join Sessa’s C52 for part of her return trip to Italy. However, I would only be riding along on part of
Seems you can’t turn around for five minutes these days without Atlantis launching a new model. The company has been burning the candle at both ends ever since it was set up in 2001 by Azimut-Benetti, which bought the high-tech Gobbi shipyard in Piacenza, Italy, for the purpose.It started with a 42 and a 47, both nice-looking craft, and then came the radical-looking 55 with her domed-glass
There are lots of ways to arrive at the Monaco Yacht Show, some more stylish than others. The airport bus is quick, efficient, and air conditioned, but perhaps a little humdrum for a man who wishes to be taken seriously on the quayside at Port Hercule. People often overlook the train, but the views are spectacular, and it’s by far the fastest way if you’re staying in a pretty coastal resort like
Things have become a lot more competitive in Piacenza, Italy, since the Azimut-Benetti Group took over the family-run Gobbi shipyard a couple of years ago. Not that they weren’t already in pretty good shape: Azimut always said that in addition to Gobbi’s sports cruiser know-how, one of the yard’s main attractions was its professionalism. It’s just that while Gobbi was content to be successful in
It’s often the little things that make a difference. I’m not suggesting that your decision to buy a $3 million yacht might rest on a particularly cool design of a door handle or whether the flecks of color in a granite worktop happen to match your socks, but it never ceases to surprise me how something seemingly unimportant can color my entire impression of a boat.With Ferretti’s new 630,
Azimut has been working hard filling the gaps in its red range. The famous Azimut 68S, which seemed such a radical departure for a builder of safe, sensible, white flying-bridge cruisers and motoryachts, was followed pretty quickly by the surface-drive-equipped
There was snow on the peaks. In northern Italy they always say you can spend the morning on the beach and go skiing in the afternoon, although in my experience even the balmy Tuscan coast is never quite balmy enough in February to tempt me into the water. I also couldn’t help noticing that the beach was completely deserted. Nevertheless, it was sunny, and it felt like spring off Viareggio on the
