Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i Yachting

Biofuel is now a reality for yachts built by Azimut-Benetti Group, which is working with Eni Sustainable Mobility to fill yacht fuel tanks with HVOlution. It’s a biofuel made from hydrogenated vegetable oil that can reduce emissions up to 90 percent, the builder says (and whose raw materials do not compete with the food chain). ¶ Azimut-Benetti is starting by using the biofuel for technical testing on its yachts and by allowing owners to take delivery of new yachts with biofuel in the tanks. The first yacht used to promote the partnership with Eni Sustainable Mobility was an Azimut Magellano 60 this past June. ¶ Going forward, Azimut-Benetti plans to create refueling sites for owners of its yachts. The first of those sites is expected to be in Italy, where…

82'7" LENGTH OVERALL 19'11" MAXIMUM BEAM Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes, and with different powers, such as super speed and teleportation. While the Princess X80 can’t turn back time by reversing the planet’s rotation, it does have some superpowers of its own. The newest and second entry in the X Class is characterized by what the British builder calls a “super flybridge.” That, combined with a reported 31-knot top hop and an optional 2,324-gallon fuel tank, means the X80 can actually teleport its owner and guests to another world. ¶ Atop the “super flybridge”—which Princess says has more than 30 percent more space compared with other flybridge yachts of this length—there are four gathering spaces. Aft, there are two stern-facing L-shaped settees with two coffee tables (the portside sofa…

It’s a long way to go from California to Italy just to build a boat. Then again, Calex, delivered last year by Benetti, is a 220-foot fully custom build—60 feet larger than its owner’s previous superyacht, which was semicustom. It’s also an example of the degree to which an experienced owner will go to ensure the comfort of those accompanying him: not just family and friends, but also crew. ¶ While a larger yacht naturally affords more indoor and outdoor space, this California resident wanted an abundance of both, prioritizing privacy and well-being. ¶ Arguably the best example of this is the owner’s suite, which, in combination with a dedicated alfresco area, is more like a penthouse apartment. Giorgio Cassetta and his team at Cassetta Yacht Designers, which has styled…

Viking Yachts built 21 of its 92-foot convertibles in less than seven years, so the New Gretna, New Jersey, boatbuilder knew there was strong demand for supersize sport-fishermen. But a pending change in emissions regulations involving selective catalytic reduction would have forced the addition of costly, heavy equipment to the engine rooms, decreasing performance and effciencies. As a result, Viking ceased production on its 92-footer (and its 93 Motoryacht) and developed a 90-foot convertible that would fall just under the required size for the rule. ¶ Now, that Viking Yachts 90 has arrived. Hull No. 1 is a Sky Bridge model in what the builder calls Kingston Grey. Convertible and Enclosed Bridge versions are also available, with at least seven more hulls in production or ready for the molds as…

AS THE CLOSEST Bahamian port to the United States, Bimini is an easy and fun weekend run from South Florida for cruisers. And Bimini’s excellent sport fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving have given this pair of tiny islands an outsize reputation as a popular cruising destination. • BIMINI BIG GAME CLUB RESORT & MARINA Bimini is known as the sport-fishing capital of the world. Since 1936, this pioneering outfitter in Alice Town on North Bimini has hosted boats that ply the warm waters along the western edge of the Gulf Stream, where charter clients have baggedbrag-worthyspecimens of bonefish, billfish and tuna over the decades. The resort is just as well known for its dive center, founded in 1975 by Neal Watson, president of the Bahamas Dive Association. The resort’s lively…

It has been almost two decades sinceVolvo Penta premiered its IPS pod-drive system in 2005, leading to a revolution in powerboat design and operation. Joystick control became an option. So did larger guest spaces, with the IPS system needing less room. Today, IPS drives are nearly ubiquitous on spec sheets worldwide. ¶ But that’s true only up to a certain size yacht: Just two years ago, when Italy’s Amer launched a new 120 flagship, it was heralded as the largest-ever yacht of its kind with IPS. And while 120 feet of length overall is big, these days, it’s considered a midrange yacht, not a super. ¶ Now comes word from Volvo Penta that 2025 will bring an IPS professional platform for yachts starting at 82 feet and going past 180…

MARITIME MECCA NORFOLK, VA. For centuries, boaters have been drawn to Norfolk, Virginia, as the unoffcial center of the Tide-water region. The city has the Elizabeth River (shown at right) to its west and the Chesapeake Bay to its north, creating all kinds of options for recreational cruising. Norfolk is also home to the world’s largest naval base, the US Navy’s Naval Station Norfolk, and to a NATO Strategic Command headquarters. Forget about yacht-spotting in vacation destinations like Monaco or St. Barts; ship-spotting the impressive military vessels that operate in these waters is a delight that cannot be experienced anywhere else. ¶ There are nearly a dozen marinas for recreational boaters in Norfolk proper, with more in nearby Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Virginia. Local knowledge for maintenance and service is quite…

JOHN VO KNOWS NIL ABOUT BOATS. HE SAYS IT’S IDEAL FOR AN E-BOAT BUILDER. “People ask us what experience we have, and I say, ‘Zip. Nothing. Zero,’” says Vo, whose team at Blue Innovations Group is preparing to launch its first electric boat, the R30, this autumn. “But you can’t use the same people from the same industry to revolutionize themselves.” ¶ Vo, the former head of manufacturing for Tesla, is just one among many minds trying to bring electric-powered boats into widespread production. So many longtime boatbuilders are transitioning from internalcombustion to electric power, and so many other builders are popping up anew, that the president of the American Boat and YachtCouncil says his agency’s safety experts are being “bombarded” with requests about technology that’s changing by the day.…

For many owners and charterers, a superyacht is a treasured place to relax in privacy. The trouble, of course, is that these yachts can sometimes be tempting flyby targets for unmanned aerial vehicles at the hands of recreational operators or paparazzi. ¶ The good news? Countermeasures exist. ¶ Marss Group’s NiDAR CUAS Compact system (NiDAR Core is the company’s software-based AI platform, while CUAS means counter unmanned aerial systems) can detect and thwart up to 1,000 drones. The customizable system uses artificial intelligence and sensors for drone detection and optional electronic countermeasures, with the software-driven setup being updated monthly to keep owners ahead of the UAV technology curve. ¶ To understand this technology, consider that consumer-level UAVs rely on two sets of radio-frequency communications. The first set includes flight-path commands…

38'11" LENGTH OVERALL 11'5" MAXIMUM BEAM RIVA’S RIVAMARE IS A COZY, finely fashioned dayboat with overnight capabilities. Designed by the Ferretti Group and Offcina Italiana Design, the Rivamare has a cockpit with a U-shaped settee and a mahogany table, a mini beach club, two sun pads aft and the brand’s trademark searchlight encased in stainless steel. Twin 400 hp Volvo Penta D6 sterndrives power the Rivamare to a 40-knot top hop. Belowdecks are a galley, a head with a separate shower and a convertible V-berth. At press time, there were 20 Rivamares available, ranging from $749,999 to $1,309,585. FROM THE ARCHIVE “The Rivamare has lines as unmistakably Italian as they are unmistakably Riva. Sleek, almost bordering on sensual, they create a sexy boat. She comes in a variety of color…

It’s expensive not to sell a boat. That’sthebasic premise behind Boathouse Auctions, where director Jack Mahoney says two types of yacht owners are now having success. “One is, ‘I have the best boat, but I don’t know how many days it’s going to take,’” he says. “The data shows the boat might be on the market half a year or three quarters of a year, so they might choose to explore Boathouse Auctions because of the time value of money, to have the boat sold in 40 days.” The other type of owner has a boat that’s been on the market for a while. “They’re frustrated,” he says. “Nobody wants to buy the boat.” ¶ Instead of waiting indefinitely for a buyer and carrying the ownership costs, the auction moves…

PADDLE, OR NOT E-POWER PADDLEBOARD Sebastjan sitar had been thinking a lot about electric bicycles by the time his wife and daughters ran into trouble on the water. They were in a calm lagoon aboard stand-up paddle-boards, having a great time, but they got tired and struggled to get back to shore. “If you are going uphill with a bike, you can say, ‘Enough! I don’t want to do this anymore,’ and you can get back,” Sitar says. “I thought there should be the same thing for the water, a safety motor assist.” ¶ He created the company SipaBoards, which he launched with a Kickstarter campaign in 2015. Since then, more than 5,000 SipaBoards have been sold in 26 countries. A few months ago, the SipaBoards Drive Collection was unveiled…

Come wintertime, the upper regions of New York state are susceptible to a phenomenon known as lake-effect snow. It happens when cold Canadian air courses over the relatively warm Great Lakes, and the atmospheric merger of the two can produce snowfalls ranging from dustings to blizzards. ¶ Last spring, I experienced a different sort of lake effect, one that afficts ocean sailors who test their skills on rarely visited inland waters. This happened when I joined my J/24 racing mates from Newport, Rhode Island, for a jaunt northward to New York’s serene and scenic Lake George for the one-design class’s US National Championship regatta. ¶ While doing our homework for the racing, I came across an interview with the event chair, local sailor Alfie Merchant, on Sail-World.com that was somewhat…

Horizon yachts’ Fast Displacement yacht series, penned by designer Cor D. Rover, is notable for its broad shoulders and high freeboard. These yachts carry measurable beam forward to enhance interior and exterior volume, with a wave-splitting bow design and admirable performance across a wide spectrum of speeds. ¶ The latest launch in the series, which runs from 75 feet to 125 feet length overall, is the FD110 Tri-Deck. In profile, this yacht is nicely balanced across its three well-proportioned levels. Rover uses all available real estate not only to carry exterior lines evenly, but also to get the most out of the living and stowage spaces. Structural glass across all decks helps to lower the vessel’s profile visually while providing natural light inside. ¶ As just one example of how…

One of the great things about our favorite pastime is the constantly evolving tech that keeps us moving forward. From paperless bridges to the latest in construction, that’s what this issue of Yachting is all about. If you’re liking the stories in this issue, check out even more at the Princess Passport - a joint venture between Yachting and Princess Yachts America. Start reading now at yachtingmagazine.com/princess-passport. Yachting On Board: Princess Yachts S72 The S72 made its North American Debut at the 2023 Palm Beach International Boat Show. Classic British Comfort Food Warms the Boat in Wales I suspected that the crew had invented the tuna bake dish. Brisbane Travel Guide Australia, is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, with Brisbane and its surrounds as one…

Four hundred miles off the coast of nowhere in the Pacific Ocean, US Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Liam Coleman found himself in the middle of a counter-narcotics operation. He and his team had just seized a semisubmersible filled with bales of drugs and fuel, and he realized he was having an experience that few people ever encounter. Though he was initially drawn to the Coast Guard for its search-and-rescue mission, it’s moments like that one in the Pacific that have taught the Saugus, Massachusetts, native what this branch of the military can do. Coleman joins at least four generations of his family in serving other Americans: In total, 14 of Coleman’s family members are or were police officers, firefighters or nurses. “My entire family are civil servants. I…