WELCOME TO yachting’s silly season as many in the industry criss-cross in the air while flying from one major boat show in Europe to the next.
In a busy time down on the south coast of France, the Cannes Yachting Festival remains arguably the industry’s most important show.
You’ll get an even clearer sense of that when you read Launches and see just how many of the top shipyards have slated world premieres for this global event, where typically 50 percent of visitors and 60 percent of exhibitors are from ‘abroad’.
Up on England’s south coast, the Southampton Boat Show – which even has a title sponsor this year – starts before Cannes ends and spans a full 10 days including two weekends.
After that, it’s back down to France’s south coast for the Monaco Yacht Show (pictured top), the superyacht showdown of the year.
On September 29, the Yacht Club de Monaco will host the fifth edition of the invitation-only China Night, which will again be organised by Asia-Pacific Boating, China Boating and the Monaco Embassy to China.
Also supported by the Ambassador of Monaco to China, the event is held each year to strengthen ties between Monaco and China, offering a platform for Chinese visitors to learn more about the Principality as a yachting and tourism hub, and for international visitors to be immersed in Chinese ambiance and culture.
Italy’s fast-rising Monte Carlo Yachts will be among the shipyards exhibiting at both Cannes – where all its models will be on show – and Monaco, where its flagship MCY 105 will again line up alongside the new MCY 96.
Mia, the first MCY 96, was unveiled in Venice over the summer and Asia-Pacific Boating was kindly invited to attend this spectacular invitation-only premiere (pictured bottom), which forms the basis of the yacht’s Spotlight review in this issue.
The Rolls-Royce-propelled Benetti Fast 125’, the eye-catching 90ft Dominator Ilumen and the sleek, sporty Prestige 680S are also captured in Spotlight specials.
Princess Yachts is the subject of our Shipyard profile and we also interview the English yard’s Executive Chairman Antony Sheriff for Inside the Industry, in which the American reveals how he’s using his decades of experience in the automotive industry to drive the Plymouth builder into an exciting new chapter.
Asia-Pacific Boating has long profiled the biggest, best and most beautiful boats, with a strong focus on super yachts, but in this issue we take a look at some of the smaller models available to buyers in our special feature on entry-level boats – all for under US$200,000 including delivery to Asia.
Our busy High Life section ranges from the ultra-luxurious MCY 96 gala launch in Italy to Horizon Yacht’s family-focused 30th anniversary celebrations in Taiwan. We hope you enjoy the issue – and hope to see you at one of the shows.
