Island Escape
When the invite to tour Prestige’s Monfalcone, Italy, shipyard and test their new M7 multihull landed in my inbox a couple of months ago, I didn’t need my arm twisted too hard. Last year, Senior Editor Chris Dixon made that trek to get aboard the M8 flagship, and I’d been jealous ever since. An ancient maritime city in the upper right corner of the Adriatic—a stone’s throw from Slovenia, Monfalcone has a reputation for having all the charm of well-trod Italian tourist hotspots but without the crowds. I was coming off a couple of months working from my basement office and was craving an above-ground adventure.
Making the commute up the stairs, I couldn’t wait to share the news of my next sea trial with Karen. One year into a career break to care for our younger son, Caleb, Karen was changing her 10,000th diaper when I approached her with the news. Hands covered in—well, let’s leave it at “covered”—she shot me a look that said, “What do you want!?” For once, my better judgment kicked in: Perhaps this wasn’t the best time to drop my newest assignment on her. “Uhh, never mind. It can wait.”
Knowing this news was going to go down like bad medicine, I concocted a plan—with the help of my babysitting parents—to bring Karen along for the trip. If I was feeling the effects of cabin fever, she certainly was, too. And sure enough, faster than you can say, “buongiorno,” she agreed to come along.
Bringing your wife to work with you—while mostly incredible—has its moments of strangeness. Walking the well-oiled and exceptionally clean shipyard in Monfalcone (previously home to the building of Monte Carlo Yachts), I did my best to focus on the build process of the yachts in the M-line (alongside Beneteau’s Grand Trawler line). I scribbled notes as fast as I could about the massive, resin-infused hulls that resembled green Olympic-size swimming pools. Seeing Karen walk up next to me was a strange double-life moment.
The calling card of the Monfalcone shipyard is that it’s located on the water and boasts a deep channel with direct sea access. You’d be amazed how many yacht builders build their boats in the less-expensive rural countryside, then truck them to the water.
Down the canal from the factory and docked within the elite and exclusive Portopiccolo community, we met the M7. Four thousand two hundred miles and a world away from Portland, Connecticut—and what should have been Caleb’s nap time—Karen was probably more excited to get aboard the M7 than I was. Crossing the yacht’s passerelle into the expansive cockpit, she sported a slight smile.
Together, we walked through the boat, and I shared my initial impressions. I explained how the multihull shape gives the 58-footer the kind of volume you’d find on a nearly 90-foot monohull, along with enhanced stability to boot. Bright, airy, and luxurious, it was easy to fall in love with the salon, complete with an integrated galley to port. That open galley, built right into the heart of the boat, made us both wish we were more adventurous cooks: pancetta for an appetizer, then some veal francese served with a chilled glass of local Ramandolo, perhaps? It would be a far cry from our usual staples of pasta, meatballs, and chicken nuggets.
Touring the staterooms, the forward master truly wants for nothing—it offers an escape within an escape. The head to port is large and bright thanks to a massive, tinted window. The way Karen admired it made me think I might be staring at another bathroom renovation in my future. I especially appreciated the couch to starboard, where you could relax with a laptop—or, better yet, a good book.
We agreed that while this space was incredible, we’d be just as happy in the VIP to port or the suite in the starboard hull, which features a comfortable guest cabin with a double berth next to a stateroom with bunks our boys would lose their minds over, in the best way possible. Looking at the bunks, Karen and I locked eyes and had the same thought: We miss the kids. But we needed the get away.
And get away we did. Alongside more than a dozen marine journalists and guests from around the world, we made our way into the open waters of the Bay of Trieste. Blasting across the water, with the mountainous coast disappearing in our wake, the word I jotted down in my notebook was “smooth.”
You can also find this video–and hundreds of our other reviews–here ▶
It was a calm day, but even crossing into wakes, the M7 came off each one as if landing in a pile of pillows. The smoothest cruise speed hovered between 15 and 16 knots, with a top end of 20.1 knots, thanks to her twin 550-horsepower Volvo Penta D8s with V-Drives. A speed demon she is not—but comfort is this vessel’s raison d’être, and that’s where she shines. The boat turned and swerved in the bay while I walked around shooting video (which you can find on our YouTube channel), and I never once felt the need to reach for one of her well-positioned grabrails.
After concluding my video and closing my notebook, I remembered that Karen was still on board somewhere. I found her sitting on the aft sofa on the port side of the flybridge, watching the wake and taking in the serene scenery. When I sat down next to her, she said, “I can’t believe this is your job.”
“It sure has its moments,” I replied as the yacht turned back to shore.
In total, we were aboard the M7 for maybe 90 minutes—but on the right day, aboard the right boat, that’s all it takes to feel the reinvigorating power of escape. I guess that’s the point of the M7: It’s a spacious, comfortable island that offers all the comforts of home, with a connection to the elements—and disconnection from the daily grind—that can refresh the soul.
Prestige M7 Specifications:
LOA: 58’6”
Beam: 24’8”
Fuel: 766 gal.
Water: 201 gal.
Power: 2/550-hp Volvo Penta D8 with V-drives
This article originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
