Yachting July 2018

THE ENERGETIC TAP, TAP, TAP on my hotel door rattled my sleep-deprived brain. I was in Costa Rica for a billfish tournament, and it was barely sunrise on a lay day. Who was getting me up at this wicked-early hour? And why? It was Steve Boerema, whom I had met the day before on board the boat. At the time, circa 2003, Steve was the international sales manager for Cabo Yachts. He said, “Let’s go!” “Let’s go where?” I mumbled. “It’s a lay day, man.” “We’re in Costa Rica,” he insisted. “Let’s go have some fun.” Steve, an avid surfer, tossed out the idea of hitting the surf break down the beach. I couldn’t surf if the board had training wheels. We jumped into a Jeep and drove headlong down…

FEATHERS GOT RUFFLED last year when a $120,000 Canadian government grant helped secure the world’s largest rubber duck as an attraction for a summertime waterfront festival in Toronto. The duck was about 60 feet tall and weighed some 30,000 pounds. Organizers said they hoped visitors would “flock” to see the duck. And they did, with the colossal cutie drawing about 750,000 attendees, creating a $7.6 million economic impact — and showing once again that people love any excuse to celebrate summer on the waterfront. ¶ The crowd-pleasing lobster alone will be headlining more than a few waterfront festivals this summer in areas within walking distance of marinas, including Rockland Harbor, Maine; Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Bradley Beach, New Jersey; Key West, Florida; and Redondo Beach, California. ¶ Music festivals also jam…

READERS OF THIS MAGAZINE may not know the name Kristian Arens but will certainly have heard of Redman Whiteley Dixon, the U.K.-based yacht design firm where Arens works as an exterior designer. ¶ Similarly, the name Clive Johnson may sound new, but his work includes delivering advanced composite products such as the free-standing masts aboard the 468-foot Nobiskrug sailing yacht A. ¶ Together, Arens and Johnson have created Essence of Strength, a company dedicated to creating carbon-composite furniture that seems to defy gravity. The team starts with simple structural forms and contrasts them with luxury materials, creating pieces that can be bespoke, limited edition or semicustom. ¶ And while most furniture-makers offer their creations for commercial or residential use, Essence of Strength does those things while also specifically designing for…

THE ARGOS NAUTIC 396 stands out among similar-size RIBs for two reasons. One is her interior volume. The 13-foot-6-inch-long RIB has a beam of 6 feet 8 inches, creating legroom for as many as five people, more than can fit comfortably aboard some other boats of this length. The second reason is her myriad options. Owners can choose colors, textures and finishes, including those that match the little boat to the 70- to 100-foot yachts this tender is designed to service. Power is a 40 to 70 hp outboard. • Whom It’s For: The 396 is a logical choice for the owner who wants some bespoke options aboard a davit-ready RIB that can fit the whole family. • Picture This: You’re anchored just off Stocking Island in the Exumas region…

A STEADY 15-PLUS-KNOT BREEZE turned the Pacific Ocean off Newport Beach, California, into swell city. White-topped 3- to 5-footers greeted the bow of our 60-foot Bertram convertible, and with malice. In the trough, the vessel swayed from chine to chine like a pendulum. Standing up was a challenge. For those prone to mal de mar, it was a good day to be watching from the beach. ¶ That is, unless your yacht had stabilization with serious roll-stopping power. ¶ My Bertram was retrofitted with Side-Power Vector Fin stabilizers that worked equally well when the boat was at rest or underway, at all speeds. With the press of a button, the curved fins engaged, with their fishlike tails flanging out at the bottom. Articulating across a 70-degree arc (which is adjustable…

THE PARDO 43 IS AS SUBTLE as a chartreuse Lamborghini Aventador cruising Miami’s South Beach. From its reversed axe bow to its black carbon-fiber hardtop, this sport boat bursts with Italian machismo. ¶ But the Pardo 43 has a softer side too, starting with three cushy helm seats that are reminiscent of the Lambo’s, and continuing through the interior, which is finished with fine details that include stitched-leather drawer pulls. ¶ A walkaround encircles the cabin house — which is so low, it’s barely visible from abeam — and leads from the bow sun pad to the transom platform, passing a dinette that can be reconfigured into forward facing seats. An optional foldout “terrace” adds more deck space, and engraved popup cleats keep the deck clear when not in use.…