Recently, a boatbuilder pal shared a rendering of a “breakthrough” in yacht design that’s been making the rounds in the media. I was confused.

“What’s that thing sticking up in the bow?” I asked. “That is the bow?”

“Its head,” my pal explained. “Don’t you see? It’s a bird. It goes up and down.”

A 400-foot decoy for a half-billion dollars. Good God! I suggested that driving the bird with the head up in a sea would be like clinging to the masthead of a square rigger rounding the horn.

“Coyle, you’re thinking too much,” my pal said. “Use your imagination. This is the future.”

The late designer Francis S. Kinney came to mind.

My career would not have been possible without Kinney’s updating of Skene’s Elements of Yacht Design, which was first published in 1904. While Archimedes had figured out why stuff floats more than 2,000 years earlier, Norman L. Skene, an MIT-trained naval architect, explained how to shape stuff into a proper yacht. Kinney earned an architecture degree from Princeton University in 1938 and adopted the cause, serving more than 30 years at the iconic yacht-design firm Sparkman & Stephens.

As was the case with most of my peers, I had studied Kinney’s last update, circa 1973. It provided a road map for design students of my generation so that we might avoid disaster by design. The math, science and art of yacht design was offered with real-world examples that had actually worked.

It had been years since I cracked the cover, so I dusted off my worn edition in search of wisdom. In the first few pages, a hand-drawn illustration of a launching gone south titled “Naval Architect’s Nightmare” spelled out the risks of calling yourself a designer. Kinney described seeing news images from 1952 of waving flags and spectators as the Italian tanker Piero Riego Gambini slid into the water, briefly considered its new home and keeled over. Kinney’s message to aspiring designers was simple: Do the math or find a new line of work.

In addition to promoting the benefits of carefully noodling numbers, Kinney urged designers to use common sense. Humans have to move comfortably and safely aboard boats, as well as have proper access for maintenance and repair. He provided the minimum interior dimensions required for these tasks and noted that the cursing and swearing of engine mechanics on repair jobs is not without good reason. The takeaway: An owner who bangs his head reaching for his wallet to pay a boatyard to dismantle his boat to change a fuse will soon find a new designer.

Then, I found it, the words of advice I’d heeded 40 years ago: “Since the caveman’s log canoe, good design makes use of that which has gone before. … There is a happy medium between extreme originality and novelty.”

“This decoy is a novelty,” I said to my pal.

“Coyle, this is a new age,” he groaned. “If ya wanna attract today’s boat buyer, simply write down what you know is impractical and ridiculous, tell engineering to make it work, and start construction before another ‘breakthrough’ comes along.”  

The post Finding Balance Between Innovation and What Works appeared first on Yachting.

This latest creation is not Riva’s first Diable, the French word for “devil.” There was one predecessor: the Riva 50 Diable. A forerunner of the 51 Turborosso, the old Diable sports cruiser was in production from 1984 to 1989. Reflecting the styles of the times, it had a chunky, angular design with a squared-off transom and an arch mast. Riva built 31 hulls. One of them was the first Riva that I ever went aboard.

That was a different experience than going aboard today’s Riva 68 Diable, which is the biggest model to be built at Riva’s Sarnico headquarters on Italy’s Lake Iseo. Hull No. 1 has a modern, shark-gray metallic hull and cockpit moldings, a bright black-metallic superstructure, and a jaunty Riva-blue boot top. It’s a popular Riva scheme, although plenty of other color combinations are possible.

The hardtop is mostly carbon fiber, has a sunroof, and covers the forward half of the cockpit. For air circulation, there are air gaps between the top of the wraparound windshield and the roof section. There’s also a double-height windshield and a reverse-rake corner forward, where the windshield meets the deck. All these features also help to elongate the 68 Diable’s profile.

A pantograph-framed canvas awning protects most of the aft deck when desired. The whole space forms one big, open main-deck lounge, effectively seamless from the swim platform through to the helm console. As with the smaller Dolceriva and Rivale hardtops, the 68 Diable incorporates air-conditioning ducts, but there’s still plenty of headroom beneath—at least 6 feet, 6 inches. The cockpit furniture that isn’t optional is symmetrical on each side of a central corridor. Two L-shaped sofas extend along each side, with a dining table to port (this table could be specified to starboard instead, or on both sides). On Hull No. 1, this table is mahogany and inlaid with the Riva logo. It’s on a pedestal than can rise or drop at the flick of a switch, creating a day bed. A pop-up TV is abaft the observer bench to starboard.

The foredeck has several sofas and sun-lounging space. There’s another sofa at the transom, as well as a sun pad atop the tender garage, which accommodates a Williams Sportjet 345 and at least one Seabob. The hydraulic swim platform drops down on a slope and reveals more steps for water access. Several other current Rivas provide the same neat solution.

Standard in the engine room are twin 1,550 hp MAN V-12 diesels, which Riva says will deliver a top speed around 37 knots and a 33-knot fast cruise. The yacht I got aboard had the bigger 1,650 hp MAN V-12 motors, which topped out comfortably at just over 38 knots with a heavy load during my time aboard in September. Riva quotes a 40-knot maximum with these engines at one-third load.

At a fast cruise of around 34 knots, and with those diesels humming contentedly at around 2,000 rpm, fuel burn was 132 gallons per hour, which equates to a cruising time of 7.6 hours and a range of almost 260 nautical miles. Drop the engines down 400 rpm and level out at 26 knots, and that range spins out by another 50 nautical miles, adding two hours to the total run time.

The driving position is great. The helm console has a Simrad Command platform. Owners can choose a single 16-inch multifunction display or an optional second screen, as was aboard this 68 Diable. All the engine data is well-presented on a wide-screen display from Boening.

Handling is as responsive and precise as it can be aboard a machine that, fully ladened, weighs in at almost 100,000 pounds. This hull had the optional Seakeeper NG9 gyrostabilizer in standby mode during speed runs but left the Humphree dynamic trim system active. Happily, the 68 Diable also came with the optional Xenta joystick controls, which, in addition to easing dockside maneuvering, make for easy twist-of-the-wrist course adjustments when cruising. The optional dynamic-positioning system also makes station-keeping a cinch alongside a fuel dock or while waiting for a bridge to open.

Riva decor is always a treat. There are varnished mahogany highlights, polished stainless steel, stitched leatherwork and more: The looped handles on the stateroom doors have been used aboard Riva cruisers for something like 50 years. Even the inside of Riva’s closets are high-gloss veneers.

The standard veneers throughout the yacht are reconstructed—or “rigatoni”—wenge, which look fabulous, but the upgraded rosewood has a more luxurious striped grain and seemingly even more depth to the varnish. If you prefer a lighter and brighter vibe, there’s also a gray-and-white matte oak alternative.

Belowdecks are an amidships galley to port with a fridge/freezer, cooktop and dishwasher, as well as a lounge with a dinette to starboard. There are three staterooms with hullside-window views. The owner’s stateroom is down a few steps and aft with a forward-facing double berth and an en suite head to port, abaft a sliding door with separate stalls for the toilet and shower. The VIP stateroom is in the bow with an en suite head. A day head to starboard serves the twin-berth guest stateroom. There is also crew space for one, with a separate shower stall, accessed beneath the cockpit sofa.

Riva’s 68 Diable is a feisty addition to the builder’s Open portfolio, incorporating the best of what the brand is known for while adding something new too.

Sound Investment

Riva has striven over the years to reduce sound and vibration levels on all its yachts. At around 30 knots, the 68 Diable’s decibels just about everywhere rarely get above the mid-80 range, about the same level of noise as a lawn mower. At a 10-knot chug, I measured 74 decibels at the helm and 70 to 72 decibels in the master stateroom. That’s the equivalent of a hair dryer or dishwasher.

Bigger Models

While the smaller Rivas are built well inland on Lake Iseo in Northern Italy, the bigger Rivas—from the 76 Perseo Super up to the 110 Dolcevita—are fitted out at Riva’s facility on the west coast in La Spezia. The all-new composite trideck Riva 130, the first of the models expected to launch in 2022, and all the biggest metal Rivas are built at Riva Superyachts in Ancona.

Stirred, Not Shaken

The 68 Diable has custom racking and drawer inserts for cutlery, chinaware, glassware, wine bottles and galley utensils. All stow beautifully. My favorite example aboard the 68 Diable is in the cockpit. Open a cupboard door, and there are two Perspex pullout shelves; the lower one houses a half-dozen cocktail glasses, and the upper has a polished, stainless-steel Alessi cocktail shaker and accessories. 

Take the next step: riva-yacht.com

The post Riva 68 Diable Review appeared first on Yachting.

Go bigger or go even bigger?

This is the question the owner of the 236-foot Dunya Axioma was asking when trying to decide whether to replace the 2013 build with an even-larger new build or to commission a support yacht. In the past, most yacht owners would have ordered the larger mothership, but after looking at the caliber of support yachts that are available today, Axioma’s owner decided to go that route.

“The option of the supply vessel seemed smarter,” says Anton Farber, director of Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States countries for Yachting Partners International, which manages Axioma for charter. “It’s actually a catamaran with two hulls, and it gives you much more features than a bigger yacht. And it’s cheaper.”

As if that weren’t thinking differently enough, the owner also decided to outfit the 156-foot support yacht Bro with what is a first for the charter industry: shipping containers that can be transformed into pretty much anything charter clients want, should Axioma and Bro not already have it.

“If the charter needs additional features, then the containers will be on board with the features that they need,” Farber says. “If the charter doesn’t need the containers, then they will not be on board. It’s flexible. It becomes open space.”

Adding the containers to the charter program was the owner’s idea, according to the YPI team. It’s a concept taken from trends on land, where containers are being used or repurposed for an increasing (and surprising) number of things. Some people are turning them into gardening spaces. Others are using them either alone or in stacks and rows as emergency and permanent housing, mobile art galleries, and bridges. Designers nowadays are thinking of containers as blank, convertible spaces, which is exactly how Axioma’s owner wants charter clients to think of them too.

“It’s an interesting approach,” Farber says. “Each container can be customized for the needs of the client. It can be used for business meetings. It can be a decompression chamber for diving. It can be used to store additional toys or even cars. It’s anything you can think of. It’s even possible for it to be a spa—it’s just additional space.”

Bro itself will also add significantly to the Axioma charter program when the support yacht is delivered from Turkey’s Dunya shipyard in 2023. The mothership accommodates 12 guests in six staterooms, with 20 crew. Bro, which is being designed by Gregory C. Marshall, will add five staterooms for another 10 guests, with quarters for a dedicated crew.

“What makes her different from other support vessels is that she will be the same level of luxury on board as Axioma,” says Sara Carpenter, senior charter manager at Yachting Partners International. “She might be carrying all of these different water toys, submarines, helicopters, these containers, but inside, there will be five luxury staterooms, a main salon—the usual features that you would see on a superyacht.”

The charter team is talking with current Axioma charter clients about how they would like to see Bro outfitted. Those suggestions will be added to the owner’s plans, which also include four tenders of different sizes (a limo tender, a sport tender, a loading tender for vehicles, and another tender yet to be determined).

Then, with the containers and 8,600 square feet of deck space, Bro can be further outfitted as charter requests arise.

The support yacht will be available on its own at a lowest weekly base rate of about $346,600, in tandem with Axioma at a combined lowest weekly base rate of about $924,000, or in tandem with other charter yachts at package rates to be negotiated with those owners. The available destinations are expected to be the Mediterranean and Caribbean, where Axioma has long chartered on a seasonal basis.

The potential going forward, Carpenter says, is virtually unlimited, as are the desires of today’s charter clients.

“People want to go further afield,” she says. “They want to see things that other people can’t see. They want to go off the beaten track. They want these crazy experiences that aren’t available on charter yachts. They want to bring more guests on their charters. … They come with an entourage. With the support vessel, they can accommodate all of the guests in their party with all the toys they want.”

Creative Space

In recent years, containers formerly thought of for shipping have been converted into everything from temporary hospitals to artist workspaces, laboratories, schools, offices and homes. Swimming pools like this one are yet another idea.

Leading a Future Trend?

Axioma is among the first crewed yachts to add a support yacht to its charter program. Another was the 150-foot Palmer Johnson Vantage, which sold this year to a new owner; that yacht previously chartered with a 180-foot Damen support vessel called Ad-Vantage.

An Extra, Fun Space for the Kids

On land, repurposed shipping containers have been used to create playhouses and children’s centers. Those are the kinds of spaces that even the largest charter yacht typically lacks, and that can be created using containers like the ones aboard Bro, if clients want them.

The Mothership

At 236 feet LOA, Axioma offers a substantial charter experience with or without the forthcoming support yacht. Amenities include an infinity pool, a hot tub with a swim-up bar, an owner’s deck with a private terrace, a 3D cinema for eight guests, a spa, a steam room, a gymnasium and an elevator.

Let the Games Begin

The helipad aboard Bro will be sizable enough that when the copter is gone, the space can be converted for use as a tennis court, basketball court, alfresco cinema, dance floor, open-air Pilates studio, or anything else the charter clients have in mind.

Take the next step: ypiyachts.com

The post Support Yacht ‘Bro’ Can Do It All appeared first on Yachting.

Percussionist Pernell Saturnino has won a Grammy Award, performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, toured the world, and played with such stars as Wynton Marsalis and Chick Corea. To what does the Curaçao native credit his long career and in-demand status?

“When you need a percussionist to play music from Cuba, you have to call a Cuban percussionist. When you need someone to play music from Brazil, you call a Brazilian percussionist,” he says. “But then they found me, and I can play them all.”

Descended from a long line of musicians, Saturnino cut his musical teeth on the tambu, the traditional drum of Curaçao, and played his first professional gig at age 8 with his uncle’s ensemble. By age 18, he was touring the world with Nos Antias, the island’s best-known folkloric group.

A degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston further burnished his credentials, and before long, he was regularly playing at Lincoln Center and other venues far and wide.

But home was where his heart was, so he returned to Curaçao and opened a percussion school for children. “I wanted to give something back at home,” he says. “It’s nice to see the children develop and become something. When someone you taught achieves that skill, it’s like seeing yourself onstage.” 

How does it feel when you’re in the zone during a performance? That is the reason you practice and become a good musician. Because the more people you see enjoying what you’re doing, the more you enjoy yourself. It’s a great feeling.  

You’ve won many awards, but how did it feel to win Curaçao’s top cultural award, the Cola Debrot Prize? It was amazing. Sometimes when artists are very well-known elsewhere, they have a harder time at home. That prize meant even more because it came from my home.

Pernell’s Top Picks in Willemstad

Purunchi Koredor: I’m crazy for fish and go here often. It’s right next to the sea. You can sometimes see the fish coming in fresh from the boat.  

Kome: I like the variety on the menu—good meat, really great fish. The pasta is especially good.  

La Hacienda Olivia Plantation: It’s a restaurant that’s attractive for families. There are farm animals and a playground. On the weekends, you can hear live music.

The post Grammy-Winning Percussionist Pernell Saturnino Is Versatile appeared first on Yachting.

For decades, Mustang Survival has had teams of people in the Pacific Northwest figuring out how to design and make safety gear, clothing and more for military use in the harshest marine environments. About five years ago, the company decided to leverage that knowledge to add more products for recreational boaters. As a result, this winter, yachtsmen have new options to help them stay out on the water longer.

“This winter is really about extending the marine season and trying to keep people warm in wet or nasty conditions as winter approaches us,” says Joshua Horoshok, vice president of recreation business. “Traditionally, for us, that has always been through flotation clothing. This winter, we took a step out and worked with some really good materials to build out a more complete apparel line in terms of midlayers, drysuits and base layers.”

One example is the Torrens hooded thermal jacket ($259), which is available in men’s and women’s versions. Mustang Survival makes it with Polartec Alpha insulation.

“This was developed for military uses,” Horoshok says. “It’s really great for keeping you warm, even if it gets a little bit wet or damp. It’s really breathable as well.”

The company used body mapping to figure out how much of the insulation to use and where.

“We have a lab at our headquarters, and we looked at where you get cold on the body, where you need extra layers, so there’s extra thicknesses across different parts of the body,” he says. “Maybe you don’t need it as much under your armpits, but you need it more on the small of your back. We used temperature gauges on people and looked at data on where you would sweat and where you don’t.”

Additional features, such as an insulated hood, gaiters and an elasticized hem, help to block the wind. Different types of materials in the jacket’s underarms eliminate the feeling of winter-coat bulkiness.

Military clients have enjoyed these features for some time, Horoshok says, but “quite frankly, the designs and styling and features weren’t exactly right for recreation. So, we retooled those materials.”

The post Military-Grade Safety Gear for Recreational Boaters appeared first on Yachting.

Hindsight has ways of revealing genius—or at least seriously good luck. Well-known examples include buying Apple, Google or Microsoft IPO stock; buying real estate two or three decades ago; and given the lack of inventory and the build times these days, taking delivery of (and sea-trialing) one’s dream yacht in mid-2019. Shy of this last feat, today’s smart money is often on finding a high-quality brokerage yacht and refitting it to modern electronics standards.

Take, for example, a 75-footer that was recently refitted at Seattle’s S3 Maritime. The yacht arrived with a 10-year-old marine-electronics system that was functional. It left with a fully modern networked system that included three 24-inch touchscreen multifunction displays that formed a contemporary glass-bridge helm. Better still, the owner enjoyed the cruising season, rather than waiting for a new whip to arrive.

Many boaters have been far less lucky. When the pandemic first hit, few could have predicted the spike in new- and brokerage-boat sales that followed. While this boom is great news for the marine industry as a whole, a corollary effect is that wait times for new builds are now sometimes measured in years.

Greg Allen, the sales manager of S3 Maritime, and Larry Schildwachter, the owner of Emerald Harbor Marine in Seattle, are now offering suggestions to savvy yacht-buying customers about navigating the brokerage market with upgrades in mind, a strategy they’re seeing more customers than usual embrace.

“Any nice boat that’s for sale is sold within days. When pedigree trawlers hit the docks, people are waiting to buy them,” Schildwachter says. “If the radars are old but the bulkheads are clean, we encourage owners to buy them [because these boats] are excellent candidates for refits. The red flags are when we see cheap [or poorly installed] gear on a pedigree boat.”

Allen says that most brokerage yachts arriving at his shop for refit work are typically five to 15 years old. “Most have original equipment,” he says, adding that some of these yachts have been previously refitted. “Most owners want to incorporate new electronics for ease of use and safety.”

Not surprisingly, the depth of an electronics-refit job is often proportional to the vintage of the yacht’s existing equipment.

“If the radar is digital and the owner wants to stay with the same manufacturer, then we might save [it],” Allen says, adding that owners of helms that are 10 to 15 years old need to approach the project as a clean sheet of paper. “Everything is removed. The radars are analog, so they [won’t] work with any current technology. Autopilots aren’t adaptive, and sounders don’t have any of the current technology.”

In addition to compatibility issues, older electronics aren’t known for having intuitive user interfaces. That has changed, as have the collision-avoidance capabilities of contemporary technology.

“AIS takes the guesswork out of radar,” Schildwachter says, referring to the automatic identification system. “Most people do just fine with Class B transponders.” (Class A AIS transponders are more expensive, have different user responsibilities and requirements, and are only really necessary for fast boats that require fast reporting rates.)

While good AIS should be part of any refit project, Allen says Doppler-enabled digital radars are the technology du jour. Proprietary color-coding systems can now differentiate dangerous radar targets from benign ones for at-a-glance navigation.

“Their power has increased, and resolution is amazing, especially close to the vessel,” he says.

Satellite compasses are another technology that Allen encourages owners to incorporate into refit projects.

“GPS heading sensors have come down in price significantly,” he says, adding that the accuracy of a navigation system’s radar overlay hinges on the quality of its heading-sensor data. “A GPS heading sensor isn’t affected by deviation or variation [issues] and will be accurate anywhere you go.”

Almost all electronics overhauls involve new multifunction displays, through which all networked vessel data is run and on whose screens data from downstream devices (AIS, radar, sonar) is displayed. Today’s displays also let skippers monitor third-party systems, control stereos, as well as operate digital switching.

Here, old-school advice still stands: Buy the biggest screens you can afford that fit at the boat’s helm.

While Schildwachter stresses that it’s the job of a good marine-electronics shop to consider a customer’s goals and itinerary before drafting purchase orders for a helm refit, he and Allen agree that there’s a right time to order equipment, especially with back orders caused by the pandemic.

“We’re ordering parts and having to wait three to five months,” Allen says (as of September). “All of the manufacturers have been affected by supply-chain delays. My recommendation is: If someone is thinking about an electronics upgrade, order the parts now.”

This advice is a departure from traditional wisdom, which held that savvy refit customers should wait until the technicians were practically ready to install sensors and screens before ordering electronics, to ensure the latest-generation equipment.

Given that all customers are braving this same market climate, there’s no real downside to finalizing and placing an order sooner rather than later, provided that you and your shop have carefully evaluated the brokerage yacht and planned its refit.

The upside, of course, is an upcoming summer of cruising with family and friends aboard your new-to-you ride.

Retirement Age

Determining when marine electronics are “old” often hinges on the manufacturer. “Are parts still available?” asks Larry Schildwachter at Emerald Harbor Marine. “After six or seven years, parts are usually lean.” While this doesn’t greatly matter if everything works and the itinerary is local, he suggests that the definition changes for anyone with bluewater ambitions.

The post Refitting Electronics on Brokerage Boats appeared first on Yachting.

Zin Boats combines contemporary boatbuilding materials and an all-electric drive system to create two ­customizable boats: the Z2T (that’s “T” for “tender”) and the Z2R (with “R” for “runabout”). The Z2T, which is 18 inches longer than the Z2R, has a centerline helm and accommodates 10 people, while the Z2R has seating for five and a helm offset to starboard. Both boats are hand-built with carbon fiber and propelled by 55 kW Torqeedo ­electric motors that are powered by 40.5 kW BMW i3 batteries. The builder says that for the Z2T, which weighs 1,850 pounds, this drive system translates to a 25-knot top hop and a range of 52 to 70 nautical miles; for the Z2R, which weighs 1,750 pounds, this setup has a top speed of 30 knots and a range of 70 to 100 nautical miles. Both boats are designed to be trailered or beached. Zin Boats lets buyers customize items such as topsides colors, upholstery and stitching to match their primary yacht.  

Whom It’s For: Zin Boats are for tech-minded owners who want a lightweight, high-performance electric tender (or runabout) that employs the latest construction materials and drives.  

Picture This: It’s a bluebird day off Washington’s San Juan Island, and the kids are clamoring to go ashore. You and your family hop in your Z2T and silently cruise to Roche Harbor to check out English Camp in San Juan Island National Historical Park, before grabbing ice cream at Beechtree Espresso.  

Take the next step: zinboats.com

The post Zin Boats Builds All-Electric Tender appeared first on Yachting.

Azimut’s 50 Fly is a yacht made for the cruising family. Belowdecks, there’s a three-stateroom, two-head layout, including a full-beam, amidships master; a forepeak VIP; and a twin-berth stateroom to starboard. Exterior design is by Stefano Righini, and interiors are by Carlo Galeazzi.

The 50 Fly is powered by twin 670 hp Volvo Penta diesels. A planing hull form with a 12-degree aft deadrise helps the yacht reach an average top speed of 32 knots and a cruising speed of 25 knots.

At press time, there were 12 Azimut 50s available, ranging from $798,000 to $1,399,000.   

From the Archive

“With an exterior designed by Stefano Righini, the 50 Fly is based on the builder’s popular 80-footer and retains some of her key eye-popping elements such as unbroken, porpoise-shaped, single-pane mirrored windows in her superstructure. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, the windows enhance views from the salon and helm, add an aggressive look to her profile, and let natural light bathe the yacht’s interior.”

— Yachting, September 2015

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Mjm Yachts’ 3z has sportboat performance that belies its stately Down East lobster-boat style and upscale appointments.

The 3z’s hull shape and outboard power create high performance. There’s a relatively straight stem enabling a longer keel to cleave and span waves. The relatively narrow 11-foot beam reduces drag, enhancing acceleration as well as handling in turns. There’s a battleship-style wheel of polished teak at the helm, and skippers can spin it like a pirate in tight quarters. In open water, the wheel provides positive control in turns and rough seas. Some narrower-beam boats can be tender as the crew moves about, but I noticed none of that as I stepped aboard. Underway, the 3z was rock-steady.

Mercury Marine’s twin 300 hp V-8 outboards had the boat on plane in 6.2 seconds, and on the pins at 5,900 rpm, the 3z made 40.4 knots. Part of that performance comes from MJM’s low-emission, infused-construction techniques. And because the hulls are painted with two-part marine paint, the builder decided that a gelcoat was superfluous. Leaving it off saved the weight of the gelcoat, plus a heavy barrier coat required to prevent print-through on the finish. Instead, MJM uses high-build primer for a base and a glossy coating in an owner’s color choice.

I was comfortable during our rainy-day cruise, thanks to the enclosed cabin. On fair days, the windshields open upward on powered struts, and the side windows slide aft, substantially opening the cockpit to the sun and breeze.

From the transom platform to the bow deck, the sole is covered in synthetic teak. Cabinetry is teak too, and the tables are finished in a tough shell of epoxy varnish for durability. Cabinetry is well-made with dovetail drawers.

Seating is divided into four areas. The helm seat accommodates a skipper and guest. To port is a companion bucket seat. These are thickly padded with flip-up bolsters to accommodate stand-up driving. The helm seat also adjusts electrically for a comfortable position. The convertible indoor-outdoor design of the main salon has opposing settees with a teak table that has two folding leaves, making it narrower for easy passage.

In the cockpit, an L-shaped lounge that begins where other boats might have mezzanine seating wraps around the transom, ending at the portside transom door.

Beneath the seat, there is access to pumps, plumbing, the water tank and more. The bilge is finished for easy care.

MJM’s 3z  fuses elegant simplicity and first-rate performance and does so with environmentally responsible building techniques.  

Take the next step: mjmyachts.com

The post MJM Yachts’ 3z Is a Luxurious Dayboat appeared first on Yachting.

Lauren Hokin, whose family has owned the Bitter End Yacht Club for more than a half-century, calls the time between 2017’s Hurricane Irma and this month’s official reopening “a heavy lift.”

First, the Category 5 storm destroyed the entire place—a mile of waterfront and 65 acres. Then, the pandemic shut down the British Virgin Islands’ borders. Just getting the debris off and construction supplies to Virgin Gorda—let alone doing the actual rebuilding—became a marathon that’s only now finishing its first leg.

But the place is very much worth it.

“The breeze is still blowing,” Hokin says. “The reefs are still beautiful. The water is still every shade of blue that’s imaginable.”

And now that phase one of reconstruction is complete, she adds, boaters will once again be able to experience the kinds of amenities that have brought them to North Sound for decades.

“We built this really beautiful, very cozy and cool village that occupies not a ton of our waterfront but probably 4 or 5 acres,” she says. “It’s got all the amenities you want if you come visit by boat.”

Those amenities include a clubhouse for formal dining, a Sail Bar, the Quarterdeck Club with light bites, a pizza-and-wine bar, and Reef Sampler, a Down East boat that transferred materials from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, to North Sound during the property’s original construction. Reef Sampler sank during Irma but has since been raised and turned into a beach bar.

“There’s one killer table in the bow with a banquette,” Hokin says. “One lucky party a night will get to have dinner looking out at the setting sun on the beach. It will be very cool.”

What’s Ready

In addition to the dining and drinking spots that are now rebuilt, the Bitter End Yacht Club has reconstructed docks at its 25-slip marina. There also are 70 mooring balls, with about 15 of them available for reservations. The marina building has Wi-Fi up and running, and the provisions market has been elevated from what yachtsmen will remember. The new market has all the basics plus prepared foods from the resort’s restaurants, along with wine and spirits—pretty much anything boaters need for a daysail. The Reeftique Boutique now carries resortwear along with the Bitter End Yacht Club’s branded line of clothes and souvenirs, and the Sand Palace outdoor movie theater is back. Also ready is the watersports fleet of kayaks, paddleboards and more.

The post Bitter End Yacht Club Reopens After 4 Years appeared first on Yachting.