In The Era Of The Seriously Stylish Fast Cruiser, Toby Hodges Looks At How Italy Is Dominating The Market And Fashioning Today’s Yachts
Stroll along the main sailing yacht pontoons at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September and you’ll be stopped in your tracks by an armada of the latest monohulls, their sizes ranging from 50-80ft. The majority of these lovely yachts will be Italian or have had an Italian hand in their design.
Notable are the sexy, sleek, lightweight performance cruisers from yards such as Mylius, Grand Soleil, Advanced Yachts, Solaris, Eleva and Ice Yachts. Their seductive lines come from the boards of Nauta, Cossutti, Lostuzzi, Felci, Argento… designers whose very names sound arty and musical.
Yet just ten years ago Italian yachts were still largely cruiser-racers, designs trying to meet the demands of two very different types of sailing. And they were typically 40-45ft. Nowadays they are predominantly 50ft-plus fast cruisers, the majority of which are used for pleasure sailing in warm waters. Style is everything: long waterlines, clean decks, low cockpits, blister coachroofs, minimal hardware and contemporary, light and minimalist interiors – the antithesis of a traditional cruising yacht.
But why are there so many, why are they so popular and why are the Italians so good at producing them? And what’s behind this resurgence of Italian design and the proliferation of large, fast cruisers?
In short, the way people want to use their yachts and like to spend their time afloat is changing and designs are reflecting this, particularly on the Mediterranean coastline. The Italian yards and designers have been able to translate this desire in the most effective way.
We spoke to many of these yards and designers, and it’s clear they are passionate about finding the best design solutions (usually aesthetics-led), and that style seems to be in their blood.
Designer DNA
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2019 من Yachting World.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 2019 من Yachting World.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
NIKKI HENDERSON
WHERE DO YOU FIND HANDY BILLY WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
MATTHEW SHEAHAN
IS OLYMPIC SAILING ACTUALLY HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AS A SHOWCASE OF THE SPORT FOR BOTH COMPETITORS AND SPECTATORS?
Building fleet for Baltic Sea Race
The second edition of the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, a 635-mile race out of Helsinki, Norway, saw varied conditions and a new benchmark course time set.
New cruising charter 'Odyssey'
Charter company Dream Yacht has launched a new round the world supported cruising programme for yacht owners which draws on the company's extensive network of charter bases.
Mixed fortunes at Marseille
The Paris 2024 sailing regatta saw mixed fortunes for many favourites - some confirming their dominance, others crashing out as variable winds played havoc.
The yacht Bayesian
Bayesian is one of Italian yard Perini Navi's 56m series, originally named Salute.
Seven dead in superyacht sinking
Seven people are dead following the sinking of the superyacht Bayesian, a 56m/184ft British-flagged Perini Navi, off the coast of Sicily.
5 EXPERT TIPS HELENA DARVELID ON MULTIHULL CONTROL
Performance multihull racing is growing hugely in popularity. Helena Darvelid shares some key learnings with Andy Rice
PALMA'S FUN FACTOR
FUN ON AND OFF THE WATER IS AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION AT THE SUPERYACHT CUP PALMA, WRITES PHIL RILEY
SWAN 88 DREAMCATCHER
GLOBAL LEADERS AT THE SEMI-CUSTOM END OF THE PRODUCTION SCENE, NAUTOR SWAN INVITED US FOR THE FIRST SEA TRIALS OF ITS BIG NEW 88