Yachting December 2017

The holidays are here, and most everyone on the planet has been poring through catalogs and websites, searching for the present that will make this year’s holiday season the best one yet for their loved ones. I’m guilty. Every time I see my son on his iPad looking at something he likes, I make a mental note to check it out and see if the purchase is doable. We all want our kids to be happy, right? But lately, I’ve been asking myself whether buying stuff is the way to go. In all the holidays to date, the best present I’ve ever received was time on the water. (Heck, it eventually led me to this career.) I was 2 when my dad bought his wooden Downeaster and introduced our family…

We asked Yachting’s 247,000-plus Facebook followers to name their favorite boat. A tough question, but here are just a couple of the nearly 1,000 responses to date. Go to the link at the bottom to add yours. And yes, “mine” is an acceptable answer. PERFORMANCE FAN Never forget a Pershing 62 with all-white leather walls and ceilings. Three staterooms, plus on the sea trial we hit 50 knots! JEFF JAY KEEPIN’ IT CLASSIC Chris-Craft 38 Commander. The ’57 Thunderbird of modern fiberglass yachts (1964-1972). Indestructible hulls, knife edge, sexy styling and powered by Ford. SCOTT ANDERSON HOW ABOUT YOU? Now, it’s your turn to share. What’s your favorite boat of all time? TELL US AT : yachting.mg/favoriteboat READERFEED BACK Looking for photos and yacht news? Get social with Yachting: Visit…

SEVENTY-FIVE-FOOT MONOHULLS. That’s the word from Emirates Team New Zealand, defender of the 2021 America’s Cup, and Italy’s Luna Rossa, the challenger of record, about the type of boats that will race in the next edition of the greatest yachting show on Earth. Gone are the 50-foot foiling catamarans that Oracle Team USA’s owner, Larry Ellison, saw as the sport’s future, replaced by a return to tradition that the Kiwis think might attract a bevy of top-notch sailors, as they’re more comfortable with monohulls. ¶ In fact, Oracle Team USA may not participate at all. As of this writing, the challenger from America is the New York Yacht Club, which held the Cup from 1851 until 1983. The NYYC is returning to the event, in partnership with Bella Mente Quantum…

The ferretti group calls the Pershing 9X a “fi ghter jet.” Lagoon says its Seventy 8 offers “a universe free of compromise.” And Monte Carlo Yachts deems the MCY 96 “pure ocean pleasure.” ¶ Hyperbole? Perhaps, but we’re not arguing. Each of these new models, for different reasons, has us wanting to hit the water. ¶ The Pershing 9X is built on the same hull as her predecessor, the Pershing 92, but with lots of carbon fiber and a bigger cockpit for sunbathing. She looks sexier but still performs: With twin MTU 16V2000 M96L engines, she’ll top out at 42 knots. ¶ By contrast, Lagoon’s Seventy 8, with a top speed of 19 knots, is more about long-distance cruising comfort. Owners can customize the flybridge layout; the master suite can…

Bentley Continental GT Convertible, inspired by Princess Yachts MULLINER, THE CUSTOM DIVISION AT BENTLEY, worked with fellow British brand Princess Yachts to create the Continental GT Convertible Galene Edition, which premiered at the Cannes Yachting Festival. ¶ The name Galene comes from the goddess of calm seas, and it is all too fitting for the convertible’s glacier-white exterior paint with a lower strip of sequin blue, mimicking a Princess Yachts hull with the sea’s reflection at the waterline. The vehicle comes with a dark-blue hood, reminiscent of a Bimini top. ¶ Inside, Mulliner created a pinstripe walnut veneer inspired by yacht-style teak decking. Owners who want the ultimate in customization can order the Galene with a bespoke illustration of a Princess yacht by Spanish illustrator Jaume Vilardell, who will also…

CUSTOM DESIGN IS THE CORE CONCEPT behind BMW Individual, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the German luxury automaker worked with Nautor’s Swan in Finland to produce the M760Li, a yacht-inspired evolution of the BMW M750Li xDrive V12 Excellence. ¶ Craftsmen at the Swan shipyard contributed numerous elements to the vehicle, including teak panels with rubber-lined joints on the floor that mimic the decking on a sailing yacht. Swan’s team also produced interior trim, entry sills and floor mats from teak. The Swan insignia graces the car in several spots, such as being stitched into the headrests and cushions. As you can see in the rendering above, looking through the vehicle’s wide windshield at the marina feels an awful lot like being at the helm of…