Yachting December 2016

INEVER WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL, but I can tell you all about the L5 and S1 vertebrae. They’re in an area in your lower back that comes to the forefront when you help out on your friend’s 50-footer sans windlass. I’m not quite sure why I always volunteer for anchor duty, dropping and lifting this metal bucktoothed behemoth hellbent on compressing my spine and making me even shorter by day’s end. On a certain level, perhaps I volunteer to reassure myself that even after four joint surgeries and an athletic life that has come back to haunt me, I’m still as able-bodied as I once was. I do enjoy being challenged, and this anchor has found its share of sticky seafloors over the years. On a recent bottomfishing trip, our…

MEETING THE LEGEND I enjoyed Jake Lamb’s interview with Ansil Saunders (“A Tale Of Tails,” September 2016). My wife and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting him and hearing his 151st Psalm on the deck he mentioned. We were on a tour with Eagle-Eyes Fred Rolle at the time, and Mr. Saunders happened to be there as we were passing by. He graciously invited us to hear his story, and it was a highlight of our trip to Bimini. We also met Ansil’s brother, Ashley, who built the Dolphin House on the island. We can’t wait to go by boat one day as we use Bimini as a gateway to a trip to the Bahamas and beyond. MARC CAYLE, MILWAUKEE YACHT CLUB READER FEED BACK Looking for photos and…

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT engines by MTU, you generally think about bigger yachts. The 16-cylinder Series 2000 M96 is often installed on yachts from about 70 to 130 feet length overall, but on smaller models, the manufacturer hasn’t had an option for U.S.-flagged yachts in several years. That will change for 2017, when MTU expects to begin delivering its 10-cylinder Series 2000 M96 — fully in line with Tier 3 environmental regulations here in the United States and designed for yachts 55 to 70 feet length overall. The MTU 10V 2000 M96 has all the features of the 12- and 16-cylinder versions. Owners of midrange yachts can expect to see what larger builds do: improved acceleration, fuel economy, minimal smoke and surprising decibel readings, says Andrew Boyer, marine sales manager…

Andrew semprevivo, vice president of sales and marketing for Seakeeper, says trickledown stabilization technology has been part of the plan from the start. Seakeeper debuted at the end of 2008 with a system for midrange yachts and intended to go smaller, but requests pushed the technology up instead. “What moved us from 50- to 60-foot boats to the bigger boats was the market,” he says. “We had a lot of demand from boats above 60 feet that had used fin stabilizers and were looking for an internal solution.” By the end of 2014, the company was offering its Seakeeper 5 unit for 30- to 40-foot boats, but, as Semprevivo says, “It was bigger and heavier than it should have been for those size boats, and most of those boats don’t…

RIVA BECAME an icon in the boating industry by building stylish boats that somehow have a sum greater than their parts. Sure, navigating a pristine waterway with the wind in your hair is fun to do on any boat, but with a Riva, there’s always been that added measure of glamour that kicks up the whole experience by a notch or two. And with the company’s newly launched Rivamare, you can expect the same, with a little something new. Designed by Ferretti Group in conjunction with Officina Italiana Design, 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 schemes, all accented by a stainless-steel prow. Her sharply raked windscreen is…

For over 100 years, Aston Martin has made auto lovers swoon with its sensuous lines, thrilling performance and a certain je ne sais quoi that makes its products something special, even in the hypercompetitive world of luxury cars. And now the company’s gone and built a boat, inequal partnership with Holland’s Quintessence Yachts. This one’s sure to make her mark. WHOM IT’S FOR: Love cars? Love boats? Of course you do. This beauty should have any number of suitors who are looking for something sporty and a little bit different. PICTURE THIS: You race your Aston Martin Vanquish along an empty stretch of coastline asphalt, and the snarling V-12 rejuvenates you as you put her through her paces. Near the end ofthe line, a dock appears, and tied alongside is…