Yachting May 2017

SALT AIR SWIRLS AROUND MONTAUK POINT, rolling over the dunes, down Montauk Highway and into the main drag of the fisherman’s town at the tip of Long Island, New York. It brings an intoxicating scent for yachtsmen, and it makes the local saltwater taffy saltier and the fudge, well, fudgier. Even coffee has extra oomph when you’re eating a pre-cruise breakfast at John’s Pancake House. It could be argued that Montauk — also known as “The End” on tourist T-shirts and bumper stickers — is the quintessential little drinking town with a fishing problem. You won’t get any argument on that if you saunter into Liar’s Saloon, a local watering hole where patrons gather in their deck boots after a day on the brine to share a draft beer and…

THE 2016 ROLEX YACHTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR IS a high-school sophomore. She turned 16 in February, making her the youngest person ever to win either the male or female version of the Rolex award — and she’s never even been on a sailboat. Daniela Moroz, the judges say, is “a prodigy in an up-andcoming sport.” She’s mastering the kitesurfing scene and besting competitors everywhere from China to Australia. On her foiling kiteboard, she says, she rides 2 to 3 feet off the water and can hit speeds from 30 to 50 knots. The only thing she fears? Fish. The 2016 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year are Caleb Paine and Daniela Moroz, both of California. “The wipeouts can be pretty gnarly, but it’s worth the risk,” she said by…

Ferretti yachts built an all-new hull for the 920, which is the Italian builder’s second new model for 2017 (following the introduction of the 780). Check out the raised bow in the rendering below. The styling not only is intended to give the 920 a dominant presence on the water, but also allowed designers to create a sizable master stateroom below. Ferretti says the lounge space on the bow is the biggest it has ever achieved on a yacht in this size range. Owners can choose layouts with three or four additional guest staterooms on the lower deck. The interior styling includes textured veneers. Note the backlighting built into the salon overhead, shown above. Three engine packages are available, all from MTU, offering cruising speeds from 23 to 26 knots…

THE 45-KNOT FOILING CATAMARANS of today are a far cry from the 12-Meter yachts that raced for the 23rd America’s Cup in 1977. That year, Courageous and her skipper, Ted Turner, defended the United States against a challenge by team Australia and skipper Noel Robins. Sailing in the historic racing harbor at Newport, Rhode Island, the road to the Cup was lined with months of competition. From the event’s summerlong preliminary trials to the fall finals, Yachting was there to cover all the action. Yachting August 1977 Everybody loves an underdog, and that’s what Turner was as our August 1977 issue went to press. In the America’s Cup preliminary defender trials, Turner’s competition included Ted Hood, Courageous’ skipper when she won the Cup in 1974, now sailing his new 12-Meter,…

THE FIRST THING THAT caught my eye on Absolute’s 58 Fly was the expanded use of glass in her hull sides. Many of Absolute’s previous flybridge models had a pair of trapezoid-shaped hullside windows amidships and a second set of similar-size windows flanking the forepeak stateroom. The 58 Fly has what look to be wider, quartz-crystalshaped hullside windows, plus a second stretch of glass — looking like a knife blade with serrated edges — forward to within a few feet of the bow. I estimated it to be almost double the amount of glass I’d seen on those earlier models. LOA 56'6" MAX BEAM 15'7" FEELS LIKE HOME The 58 Fly’s interior has a warm feeling. Creating that vibe is a galley with contrasting dark- and light-oak cabinetry, and with…

Marinemax has a knack for turning unrelated boat owners into family. “This is my second Azimut, and I’ve already made so many good friends in this family,” says Miguel Perrotti, a Brazilian-American investor who lives in Miami. His Azimut 50, named Victory for his son Victor, replaced an earlier Azimut 54. “Whether we’re cruising on Biscayne Bay or enjoying cocktails dockside,” he says, “I love this boating lifestyle.” That lifestyle recently included the Fourth Annual MarineMax Azimut Winter Rendezvous at Ocean Reef Resort in the Florida Keys. The event attracted 32 Azimut yachts (up to 100-footers) and 208 owners, families and guests, some from chilly climes as far away as Ohio and Canada. “WHETHER WE’RE CRUISING ON BISCAYNE BAY OR ENJOYING COCKTAILS DOCKSIDE, I LOVE THIS BOATING LIFESTYLE.” MIGUEL PERROT…