Yachting February 2018

THE MID-DECEMBER SKY WAS STEELY GRAY, a dominating tone in the Northeast during winter. There’s a cold to the air at this time of year that cuts you to the bone, layers be damned. I drove along the waterfront, warming my insides by recalling a fun and fortunate season on the salt. There was my first off shore trip on a balmy, early June day. The seas were glass during the 15-hour excursion. I can still see the cobalt water and its crystalline visibility. Our fishing team’s annual pilgrimage to Ocean City, Maryland, in August saw me catch my first blue marlin on 30-pound tackle. I had the chance to get on board numerous yachts around the globe and sea-trial some stunning vessels in the south of France and England.…

NEWS & NOTES FROM AROUND THE YACHTING WORLD SOUTH FLORIDA WILL BE SIZZLING February 15-19 as close to 2,000 boats go on display. The Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show will make its third-year appearance on Virginia Key, with all-new boats on the docks and ready for sea trials, while the recently renamed Miami Yacht Show on Collins Avenue will have both new and brokerage yachts on display and open for tours. MIBS, which is produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, is enhancing its VIP experience and adding a sail and catamaran section. Organizers also are expecting more new models of larger length overall. “Boats in the 40- to 80-foot range, we have significantly more inventory going into this year,” says Miami Boat Show Manager Larry Berryman. “We’re very…

01. THE BEASTS OF ALL CHEFS’ KNIVES Stephen Webster in London designed these knives ($39,000 per six-knife set) with sculpted bronze handles and hand-forged steel blades. Each set has an engraved, numbered box. British restaurateur and cookbook author Mark Hix tested each knife in a kitchen to show that it’s useful as well as beautiful. stephenwebster.com 02. THE OCTOPOD TABLE CLOCK MB&F in Switzerland conceived this table clock ($35,000) as a nod to cephalopods and the bathysphere from the 1989 James Cameron film The Abyss. The Swiss clockmaker L’Epée 1839 makes the Octopod, which can stand or crouch on its eight legs. Only 50 apiece are being made in black, blue and silver, respectively. mbandf.com…

NEW MODELS ARE our favorite part of boat-show season. And a beloved builder introducing a whole new brand? Well, that’s like Christmas in February. ¶ Princess Yachts has added a new entry-level model to its V Class line with the V40. The yacht borrows design elements from its bigger sisters (V Class yachts go up to the V65, which measures 66 feet 10 inches length overall). She has exterior styling that includes a long hullside window for natural light in the salon and two staterooms, and her aft stateroom can be fitted with optional sliding berths, allowing them to convert to a double depending on who’s sleeping aboard. A foredeck sun pad is standard, while an optional one can be added at the stern for additional views on the hook.…

FROM THE 1918 FEATURE “A little motor-gnome poked his head above the polished rim of a priming cup and, springing lithely upon the lever, sat straddle-legged on the shiny brass arm. ¶ ‘Some speed!’ he confided to his mate, the boat-gnome. ¶ ‘Snappy work, old Top,’ he of the boat replied. ¶ ‘We showed ’em what teamwork could do,’ the first diminutive chap answered, puffing out his ruddy cheeks, whereat both laughed merrily for the sheer joy of putting pep into the motor-yachting racing sport.” ONE MIGHT THINK the grin-inducing exhilaration from a 60-knot vessel is a relatively recent experience, but Yachting’s January 1918 issue proves otherwise. ¶ In 1917, the hydroplane Whip-po-Will Jr. (above), owned by American Power Boat Association President Commodore Albert N. Judson (left), hit 69.39 miles…

IN THE PANTHEON OF GREEK GODS, Hermes was said to be the most fleet — so fast that he could easily transcend boundaries. But nobody ever clocked him, unlike the seaDNA999G5 from Greek builder Technohull. It’s a boat that can hit a scorching 78 knots with the throttles wide open on its optional twin 400 hp outboards. To help the skipper and guests handle those speeds, the RIB has a wave-carving, deep-V hull and shock-absorbing seats. And three layouts are available. WHOM IT’S FOR: Formula 1 drivers on a Mediterranean holiday, most likely — or anyone who feels the need, the need for speed. PICTURE THIS: As the speedometer ticks past 75 knots, the sound emitting from the two outboard beasts behind you transmogrifies from a lion’s roar to a…