Yachting February 2019

OBSNESSED. it’s the word that best describes my boat habit. I’d just finished a full day of reading, writing and editing all sorts of stories about boats. Most people I know don’t necessarily like thinking about their work after hours, nevertheless engaging full-throttle in the subject matter, but there I was, having an after-dinner coffee, sitting with my laptop and scrolling through boats for sale. I fell in love about 10 times in the hour-plus I sat there. ¶ One of my dogs, Rhodie, sat next to me, his head on my lap, staring longingly at the screen and then back at me. I swear he was trying to say: “Dude, you did this stuff all day. How about some fetch, man?” ¶ It’s a problem. I’m not currently in…

THE NEW NUMBER TO BEAT IS 2,000. That’s how many boats — from just 10 feet to more than 300 feet length overall — are expected to descend on South Florida from February 14-18 for the biggest show-style display ever amassed in the world. ¶ The boats will be at two shows that have long taken place at the same time, but that have never been so physically close. The Miami International Boat Show, managed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, will once again be at Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin. And this year, Informa Exhibitions’ newly renamed Miami Yacht Show is moving from its 30-year home on Collins Avenue to a new location on Biscayne Bay, between the Venetian and MacArthur causeways. ¶ “If you’re going to both…

The Horizon FD77 motoryacht is expected to make her debut at the Palm Beach International Boat Show in March. The FD77 will become the smallest model in the builder’s Fast Displacement line and is intended to be cruised by owner-operators. Designer Cor D. Rover, who is known for his work on superyachts, coordinated with Horizon on the design, which includes larger-yacht styling features such as the sole-to-ceiling windows shown in the photograph below. There’s a main-deck master stateroom, with three guest staterooms belowdecks. 80'6" LENGTH OVERALL 23' MAXIMUM BEAM…

This new flagship for the Greek shipyard is available with inboard or outboard engines — but really, who wants to turn down the “radical option” of quad 400 hp power plants and a top-end of 74 knots? With that engine package, this boat’s cruising speed is expected to be 48 knots, which is, of course, faster than many boats go at wide-open throttle. As you can see below, a T-top shades the center console, and there are what the builder calls “shockproof” seats for handling all the wear and tear on hips and spines that come with zipping across the open water at such high speeds. 45'3" LENGTH OVERALL 11'5" MAXIMUM BEAM…

The hardtop roof on Sunseeker’s Predator 50 can be fully opened or closed, which should mean comfortable cruising no matter what the weather brings. All of the glazing you see in the photo below brings natural light into the two standard staterooms. (A third, with bunks, is optional for families cruising with kids.) And the guy standing aft in the photo? He’s near the beach club, which has an optional barbecue, overhead shower and fold-down transom seating. Also aft is the Predator 50’s garage, which can stow a Williams Turbojet 325 tender. 54' LENGTH OVERALL 14'9" MAXIMUM BEAM…

AS QUESTIONS GO, the biggest one involved with the Macallan Masters Journey is whether to open the best bottles on the private jet or save them for the chartered yacht. ¶ For a base price of $46,000, a group of 13 guests can taste the Macallan’s Masters Series — including the Macallan Rare Cask, the Macallan Reflexion, the Macallan No. 6 and the Macallan M — while flying aboard a Monarch Air private jet from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport to Florida. There, luxury cars are waiting for the drive to the dock in Hallandale Beach, where a Golden Yacht Charters cruise to Miami begins aboard an 80- to 116-foot Ferretti or Azimut. The entire experience takes about two to three hours by plane, and then another three or so hours…