January/February 2013

The first AIM Marine Group Editor’s Choice Lifetime Achievement Award went to Annette Bénéteau-Roux, an elegant, petite woman who has steered the Beneteau Group through thick and thin since 1964. Roux came to Fort Lauderdale to accept her Lifetime Achievement Award.

If there were any doubt that the owner of Percheron—the second Darwin 86 from Cantiere delle Marche (CdM)—really intended to use his expedition yacht for long-range cruising, there should not be any now. Percheron was launched in time for the 2012 Cannes Boat Show where I had a chance to get aboard. It was mid-September and she was already raring to go.

Codecasa’s craftsmen are currently hard at work on three new projects. Under construction in Viareggio is the second hull in Codecasa’s 42 Vintage series. F. 75, a displacement vessel with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, is due to launch before summer 2013.

On the 2012 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show’s windy and rainy opening day, Christensen Shipyards signed a contract with new customers on Project C-2014.

On the occasion of the 2012 Yacht Valley Press Tour organized by HISWA, the Dutch yachting industry association, we had the opportunity to visit De Voogt Naval Architects, a firm whose history is closely bound to that of superyacht builder Feadship.

David Marlow was certain he had the right idea when he launched his first Voyager. Wanting to demonstrate that his alternative to the conventional explorer genre—a light and low-profile composite boat designed to “dance with the waves”—was indeed a valid contender, he invited other builders to an endurance trial. There were no takers. No takers, that is, until a couple of experienced sailors from Australia decided to put his Marlow Voyager 76LR to the ultimate test.

The Reymond Langton–designed Excellence V, from Abeking & Rasmussen, is the latest in a series of yachts Herb Chambers has built. Chambers is all about excellence in life, business and yachting.

One of the key ingredients to a successful charter experience is the fine cuisine that comes out of the galley. But yacht chefs not only prepare exceptional food, they also love a contest.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. The Benetti Design Innovation Challenge yielded 27 creative and beautifully articulated projects from 16 designers and their staffs.

This next-generation superyacht line, comprising a 42-, 48- and 72-meter models, rides on a carbon-fiber wavepiercer displacement hull flanked by twin sponsons designed to have a positive effect on stability, roll-dampening, speed and power.

This past year saw the launch of a vessel that will likely unseat the current queen of the Top 100, Eclipse. Currently under lock and key at German builder Lürssen’s yard, speculations on ownership of this 591-foot (180-meter) yacht abound, but this wasn’t Lürssen’s only marquee moment.

Overmarine introduced the Mangusta 165 more than five years ago in Europe, but this popular series yacht only made its US debut at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October with Hull No. 7 of the Maxi-Open yacht series.

Wally is certainly no stranger to innovation. In so many ways and so often, the company has pushed the boundaries to create something truly new, be it sail or power. In Cannes and Monaco this year, the company showed off Kanga.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Studio Massari.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Quartostile Design.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Prima Design.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Luca Dini Design.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Bannenberg & Rowell.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Design Studio Spadolini.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Cristiano Gatto Design.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Cor D. Rover Design.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Eidsgaard Design.

Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. Below are the designs contributed by Evan K Marshall.