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Displaying items by tag: Cannes Yachting Festival

BJ Marine are delighted to confirm exciting line-ups of Beneteau sailboats for both the Cannes and Southampton boat shows this autumn.

First up is the Cannes Yachting Festival from 12-17 September where there Beneteau will have six boats on display.

Of particular interest will be the world premiere of the new Oceanis 37.1, while the First 44 will also be on the water after making its world debut ashore at boot Düsseldorf earlier this year.

Others on show in Cannes include the Oceanis 51.1, Oceanis Yacht 54, Oceanis Yacht 60 and First 53.

Cannes is always an incredibly busy show, so it’s best to make appointments to view the boats. James Kirwan will be in attendance for the duration so please contact him on 087 771 2223 or [email protected].

The First 44 will be on the water in Cannes and will also be on show in Southampton next month after making its world debut ashore at boot Düsseldorf earlier this year | Credit: BeneteauThe First 44 will be on the water in Cannes and will also be on show in Southampton next month after making its world debut ashore at boot Düsseldorf earlier this year | Credit: Beneteau

Next up is the Southampton International Boat Show from 15-24 September and again, a stunning line-up awaits those who travel.

The full BJ Marine team will be in attendance from our Greystones, Bangor, Cardiff and Pwllheli offices. Get in touch at [email protected] if you’re paying a visit and we will make it easier for you to get on the boats.

Southampton’s scheduled line-up includes the Oceanis 30.1, 34.1, 40.1 and 46.1 alongside the First 44 and First 36 — which was put through its paces in the Fastnet Race last month.

If you can’t travel to a show but are interested in a new sailboat, please let us know and we will look at other options to get you aboard! We have excellent trade in opportunities for orders this autumn.

Published in BJ Marine

X-Yachts returns to the Cannes Yachting Festival for 2022 with a bevvy of new and improved models on display from 6-11 September.
 
Experience the stylish power of the X-Power 33C — X-Yachts’ first foray into the powerboat market following its acquisition of HOC Yachts in late 2019 — at stand QSP141 in Cannes Vieux Port – Quai Saint Pierre.

And at stand Sail 197 in Cannes Port Canto, you’ll have the opportunity to jump onboard the Pure X flagship X5⁶, the family-friendly X4⁹ or the new-look X4³.

X-Yachts at Cannes Yachting Festival 2022 banner
 
If you can’t make it to the south of France, you’ll have another chance to get up close with some of the newest additions to the X-Yachts range at the Southampton International Boat Show from 16 September.

Published in X-Yachts GB & IRL

Cannes Yachting Festival, possibly the biggest boat show in Europe for yachts, will be exhibiting some top models from the Key Yachting Stable next month, including the new Grand Soleil 40, the new Grand Soleil 72, Nautitech 44 and J 45.

It's only one month to go until Cannes Yachting Festival begins!

It’s an easy and quick flight from Dublin to Nice, so why not use the opportunity to view some lovey yachts at this great venue?

The Key Yachting team will be there with a number of boats on show with all four of our brands; Nautitech Catamarans, Grand Soleil, J Boats and Tofinou.

Grand Soleil will premiere both the new Grand Soleil 40 and Grand Soleil 72.

The new J 45 will be on display along with the popular J/99.

The very impressive Nautitech 44 Catamaran, complete with new workroom, will also be on display, among others.

If you'd like to book an appointment, contact Irish Key Yachting agent Mark Mansfield at [email protected] or at 00 353 87 250 6838

To read more about the boats, we are exhibiting, and our guide to Cannes click here 

Published in J Boats & Grand Soleil

Leading motor yacht brand Prestige will make a double world debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival next month — presenting the Prestige X60 and M48 to the public for the first time at the show from 6-11 September.
 
The Prestige X60 comes with a design guided by the core concepts of voluminous living spaces, natural light and easy flow of movement onboard. 
 
The result is a yacht that offers an exceptional level of comfort, with multiple areas for relaxation and an entirely open ‘infinity cockpit’ that affords incredible views of the ocean and creates easy access through a large electric sliding door to the saloon.

The Prestige M48 is the first power catamaran from the leading motor yacht brand | Credit: Prestige Motor YachtsThe Prestige M48 is the first power catamaran from the leading motor yacht brand | Credit: Prestige Motor Yachts
 
The Prestige M48, meanwhile, is the first power catamaran from Prestige Yachts. Taller than other power cats on the market, the M48 has a deep bridge deck linking the two hulls, promoting a similar look and feel as a monohull below deck, creating generous, brightly lit refined living spaces and full beam cabins, affording the ultimate in comfort.
 
Twin 320hp Volvo Penta D4s give the Prestige M48 a maximum speed of 20 knots with the reduced wet surface area of this multihull design making it 20% more efficient than a similar-sized monohull — giving a range of 250nm at 18 knots or 600nm at 8 knots from the 1,200-litre tank.

Both will make their public debut at Cannes alongside other Prestige motor yachts on display, namely the 420F, 460F, 520F and 590F. For more details get in touch with Prestige’s Irish agents MGM Boats at mgmboats.com.

Published in MGM Boats

The Dufour Yachts Shipyard is delighted to announce the launch of a new model, the Dufour 37.

This unique, high-performance and spacious sailing boat will be on display afloat for her world premiere at the Cannes Yachting Festival from 6-11 September 2022, with a press launch preceding the festival from 5pm local time on Monday 5 September at the Radisson Blu 1835 Hôtel.

Continuing on in the line of other recent models in the range, this boat was designed as a collaboration between the Dufour design team and Umberto Felci.

“We are extremely proud of this new project because the new Dufour 37 represent a new point of arrival reached after an intense work of rethinking and redesigning the whole complexity of a modern 10m yacht,” the Italian designer said.

The Dufour DNA
The Dufour 37 has a modern and stable hull as can be seen on offshore racing boats, but with a slightly rounded lower hull that favours her passage through the water and improve marine performance.

The Dufour 37 has a modern and stable hullThe Dufour 37 has a modern and stable hull

True Plaisir During Every Navigation
On board the Dufour 37, there are large outdoor living spaces. This new model has a larger cockpit than other yachts of this size for even greater comfort on board.

There are larger outdoor living spaces for even greater comfort on boardThere are large outdoor living spaces for even greater comfort on board

An Optimised Bow Area
The bow area of the Dufour 37 also offers a real relaxation area with her inflatable sundeck, a real innovation on this new model.

The bow area offers real relaxationThe bow area offers real relaxation

A Large Saloon and Cabins, Bathed in Light
The Dufour 37, in her two or three cabins version, has an owner’s cabin whose size and comfort is rarely found on a yacht of this length and even more light into the convivial living space of the saloon.

Light is a major feature of the living space insideLight is a major feature of the living space inside

Don’t miss your chance to see the new Dufour 37 up close in Cannes this September — and for more, get in touch with Dufour’s Irish agents at Crosshaven Boatyard, Hugh Mockler or Donal McClement at 021 483 1161 or [email protected].

Dufour 37 at sunset

Published in Crosshaven Boatyard

Key Yachting is already looking forward to September and the exclusive world premiere of the new Grand Soleil 40 at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival.

A fast and responsive boat that reflects its sporting personality in its performance on the water, the new Grand Soleil 40 has all the credentials to replicate the great success of the GS 44 — winner of the last ORC World Championship — while maintaining the feeling of style, elegance and safety seen throughout the range.

Available in both Performance and Race versions, the design once again bears the signature of Matteo Polli.

Key Yachting’s Irish agent Mark Mansfield notes that this new design is following in footsteps of previous successful Grand Soleil 40s such as Nieulargo, winner of ICRA Boat of the Year for 2021 and the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race.

The lines of the hull and the naval architecture of the GS 40 maintain the strong vocation for performance, without sacrificing volume to the advantage of space and comfort on board. A boat easy to use, luxurious and at the same time competitive and a thrill to sail.

In collaboration with the Nauta Design studio, the layout maximises the volume with fine finishes and timeless design. Below deck, the spaces have been optimised to ensure maximum comfort onboard for the owner and their guests.

As well as the Race and Performance design options, the GS 40 has a three-cabin, one-heads layout and an optional three-cabin, two-heads configuration.

“The design brief for the new Grand Soleil 40 was very similar to that of the GS 44, but with the request to further raise the bar, given the smaller size,” naval architect Matteo Polli says.

“The overall length of 40 feet, one of the most common on the market, presents a great challenge in finding a compromise between internal volumes and sporting characteristics.

“Thanks to the experience gained on the 44 and a well-established team of designers, it was possible to find the perfect combination of performance and comfort.”

Find out more about the new Grand Soleil 40 from Key Yachting HERE. And contact Mark Mansfield at [email protected] or at 00353 872506838.

Published in J Boats & Grand Soleil

Following a two-year absence, the Cannes Yachting Festival closed on Sunday 12 September following six days of the exhibition. It was buoyed by energy and enthusiasm shared by all the exhibitors, visitors, service providers and organisers.

The Yachting Festival was the first boat show in Europe to reopen its doors and was particularly well attended. It brought together 575 exhibitors, 620 boats (including 141 world previews) and 54,400 visitors, 50% from abroad, who came to admire the best there is in French and international motor, sailing, monohull or multihull boats. There was Irish interest too with a good attendance according to some key trade insiders. 

As Afloat previously reported, one of the Irish firms attending, MGM Boats of Dun Laoghaire signed an important deal with Zodiac, the French RIB and Inflatable manufacturer for a new line in electric boats for next season.

Significantly, in figures released by show organisers, the 2021 edition visitor numbers to Cannes are identical to those of the 2019 edition, which was a record year.

The Festival managed to be successfully built in a difficult context throughout the year and offer a wealth of content in terms of the number of brands, new products and types of boat, products and services. Despite the travel restrictions the current health situation imposed for certain countries, the Festival not only welcomed clients from Europe, but visitors from all over the world.

The Yachting Festival was distributed between both of Cannes’ ports for the second time, the Vieux Port and Port Canto, and kept all its promises.

“Our – ambitious – aim for the Festival which was prepared while Covid is still here was to do as well as the 2019 edition in terms of the number of exhibitors, boats and visitors. If the total number of exhibitors (-7%) and boats (-4%) was slightly down on 2019, the number of boats presented as world previews was up by 10% and the number of visitors was the same which is very positive during this time. We are proud of and happy with these results. This edition represented a real challenge at each stage of its organisation. We constantly took new organisation constraints into account as the legislation developed and we worked closely and efficiently with the Alpes-Maritimes prefect, the Grasse subprefect and their departments, whom I thank. The more the opening date approached, the more we felt the motivation, enthusiasm, and growing impatience of our exhibitors and visitors to meet up in Cannes again. This edition was an incredible one to prepare and experience, as much for them as for my team and myself. My memory of this edition will be that it was an incredible human experience. 2021 will remain unforgettable in many ways”!

concludes Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Yachting Festival.

Published in Marine Trade

Dun Laoghaire yacht broker MGM Boats be exhibiting on the Prestige Yachts, Lagoon Catamarans and Jeanneau Sail & Powerboat stands for the full duration of the show from 7-12 September.

Gerry Salmon, Ross O’Leary and Joss Walsh will be available to show over a host of new models for 2022 at the event, which will cover two exhibition spaces at the Vieux Port and Port Canto.

As the Cannes boat show promises as usual to be a very busy boat sales event, the MGM Boats team advises making a prior appointment to view your choice of boat:

  • Prestige: 420, 520, 590, 460 S, 690 X70
  • Lagoon: Seventy7, Sixty5, 55, 46, 42, 40
  • Jeanneau Sail: Sun Odyssey 410, Sun Odyssey 440, Sun Odyssey, 490, 54, 60
  • Jeanneau Power: Leader 36, Merry Fisher 1095 Fly, Cap Camarat 12.5 WA, NC 37, Merry Fisher 10.95, Cap Caramat 10.5 WA

To make an appointment or if you would like to receive further information on the boats displayed, contact the sales team at [email protected]

Published in MGM Boats

MGM Boats have a busy September ahead with full sales teams attending the Cannes and Southampton boat shows.

The Dun Laoghaire international yacht brokers will be at the Southampton International Boat Show from next Friday 13 to Sunday 22 September, exhibiting on the Prestige Yachts and Jeanneau’s sail and powerboat stands for the full 10 days.

Interested buyers are invited to book a viewing appointment before you travel — a list of boats on display is available HERE.

MGM Boats will also have their brokerage stand in the usual spot (E096) where they will be exhibiting their full range of brokerage listings.

If you have a boat to sell, get in touch with [email protected] so MGM Boats can prepare the specification for display.

MGM Boats Soton Brokerage Stand

Ahead of Southampton, MGM Boats will attend the Cannes Yachting Festival from next Tuesday 10 to Sunday 15 September for the first show of the yachting season.

The brokers are exhibiting on the Prestige Yachts stand, with Jeanneau’s sail and powerboats, and on the Lagoon Catamarans stand. The full range for viewing can be found HERE.

Gerry Salmon, Ross O’Leary and Joss Walsh will be available to show you over a host of new models for 2020.

Cannes is a very busy event so many making an advance appointment is highly recommended for your choice of boat.

To make a viewing appointment or for further information on the boats displayed, contact [email protected]

Published in MGM Boats

After two years of development, Beneteau’s First Yacht 53 will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Yachting Festival this September, followed by autumn boat shows in Genoa, Barcelona and in the US at Annapolis.

The 17-metre yacht — with a hull designed by America’s Cup veteran Roberto Biscontini and interior/exterior stylings by Lorenzo Argento — is a performance-ready vessel that aims for excellence in fast, comfortable sailing to meet the expectations of the most demanding sailors, according to the French luxury yacht marque.

Featuring a full plumb bow and a maximum beam further aft, the twin rudders promise perfect feedback to control the highly responsive hull.

The 2.5m or 3m draught (with lead bulb), as well as an optional carbon mast, are intended to give the First Yacht 53 the competitive advantage to clock up miles quickly.

“To achieve maximum thrills at the helm, we focused on balancing weight and balance under sail when we designed the boat,” Beneteau explains.

“We worked hard to optimise the position of the centre of buoyancy in relation to the centre of effort, guaranteeing a lively yacht under sail, responding quickly to the helm.”

Beneath asked “the best outfitters” to provide their top-performing products: North Sails for the sails, Harken for the deck gear, Lorima for the mast and Lemer for the keel. All were involved on the recent design of the Figaro Beneteau 3 with foils.

Upgrades for this newest in the First range include improved deck circulation with a layout emphasising the experience above deck, and a hull built using the infusion process.

“I have always looked for performance on the boats that I sail and build. The First Yacht 53 is a lot like me!” Biscontini says.

Beneteau yachts are distributed in Ireland by BJ Marine, which will be at Cannes to see the launch of the French marque’s other new arrival, the ‘Smart Luxury’ generation Monte Carlo 52.

Published in BJ Marine

About The Middle Sea Race

The Rolex Middle Sea Race is a highly rated offshore classic, often mentioned in the same breath as the Rolex Fastnet, The Rolex Sydney–Hobart and Newport-Bermuda as a 'must do' race. The Royal Malta Yacht Club and the Royal Ocean Racing Club co-founded the race in 1968 and 2007 was the 28th Edition. Save for a break between 1984 and 1995 the event has been run annually attracting 25–30 yachts. In recent years, the number of entries has rissen sharply to 68 boats thanks to a new Organising Committee who managed to bring Rolex on board as title sponsor for the Middle Sea Race.

The race is a true challenge to skippers and crews who have to be at their very best to cope with the often changeable and demanding conditions. Equally, the race is blessed with unsurpassed scenery with its course, taking competitors close to a number of islands, which form marks of the course. Ted Turner described the MSR as "the most beautiful race course in the world".

Apart from Turner, famous competitors have included Eric Tabarly, Cino Ricci, Herbert von Karajan, Jim Dolan, Sir Chay Blyth and Sir Francis Chichester (fresh from his round the world adventure). High profile boats from the world's top designers take part, most in pursuit of line honours and the record – competing yachts include the extreme Open 60s, Riviera di Rimini and Shining; the maxis, Mistress Quickly, Zephyrus IV and Sagamore; and the pocket rockets such as the 41-foot J-125 Strait Dealer and the DK46, Fidessa Fastwave.

In 2006, Mike Sanderson and Seb Josse on board ABN Amro, winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, the super Maxis; Alfa Romeo and Maximus and the 2006 Rolex Middle Sea Race overall winner, Hasso Platner on board his MaxZ86, Morning Glory.

George David on board Rambler (ex-Alfa Romeo) managed a new course record in 2007 and in 2008, Thierry Bouchard on Spirit of Ad Hoc won the Rolex Middle Sea Race on board a Beneteau 40.7

The largest number of entries was 78 established in 2008.

Middle Sea Race History

IN THE BEGINNING

The Middle Sea Race was conceived as the result of sporting rivalry between great friends, Paul and John Ripard and an Englishman residing in Malta called Jimmy White, all members of the Royal Malta Yacht Club. In the early fifties, it was mainly British servicemen stationed in Malta who competitively raced. Even the boats had a military connection, since they were old German training boats captured by the British during the war. At the time, the RMYC only had a few Maltese members, amongst who were Paul and John Ripard.

So it was in the early sixties that Paul and Jimmy, together with a mutual friend, Alan Green (later to become the Race Director of the Royal Ocean Racing Club), set out to map a course designed to offer an exciting race in different conditions to those prevailing in Maltese coastal waters. They also decided the course would be slightly longer than the RORC's longest race, the Fastnet. The resulting course is the same as used today.

Ted Turner, CEO of Turner Communications (CNN) has written that the Middle Sea Race "must be the most beautiful race course in the world. What other event has an active volcano as a mark of the course?"

In all of its editions since it was first run in 1968 – won by Paul Ripard's brother John, the Rolex Middle Sea Race has attracted many prestigious names in yachting. Some of these have gone on to greater things in life and have actually left their imprint on the world at large. Amongst these one finds the late Raul Gardini who won line honours in 1979 on Rumegal, and who spearheaded the 1992 Italian Challenge for the America's Cup with Moro di Venezia.

Another former line honours winner (1971) who has passed away since was Frenchman Eric Tabarly winner of round the world and transatlantic races on Penduik. Before his death, he was in Malta again for the novel Around Europe Open UAP Race involving monohulls, catamarans and trimarans. The guest list for the Middle Sea Race has included VIP's of the likes of Sir Francis Chichester, who in 1966 was the first man to sail around the world single-handedly, making only one stop.

The list of top yachting names includes many Italians. It is, after all a premier race around their largest island. These include Navy Admiral Tino Straulino, Olympic gold medallist in the star class and Cino Ricci, well known yachting TV commentator. And it is also an Italian who in 1999 finally beat the course record set by Mistress Quickly in 1978. Top racing skipper Andrea Scarabelli beat it so resoundingly, he knocked off over six hours from the time that had stood unbeaten for 20 years.

World famous round the world race winners with a Middle Sea Race connection include yachting journalist Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Les Williams, both from the UK.

The Maxi Class has long had a long and loving relationship with the Middle Sea Race. Right from the early days personalities such as Germany's Herbert Von Karajan, famous orchestra conductor and artistic director of the Berliner Philarmoniker, competing with his maxi Helisara IV. Later came Marvin Greene Jr, CEO of Reeves Communications Corporation and owner of the well known Nirvana (line honours in 1982) and Jim Dolan, CEO of Cablevision, whose Sagamore was back in 1999 to try and emulate the line honours she won in 1997.

THE COURSE RECORD

The course record was held by the San Francisco based, Robert McNeil on board his Maxi Turbo Sled Zephyrus IV when in 2000, he smashed the Course record which now stands at 64 hrs 49 mins 57 secs. Zephyrus IV is a Rechiel-Pugh design. In recent years, various maxis such as Alfa Romeo, Nokia, Maximus and Morning Glory have all tried to break this course record, but the wind Gods have never played along. Even the VOR winner, ABN AMro tried, but all failed in 2006.

However, George David came along on board Rambler in 2007 and demolished the course record established by Zephyrus IV in 2000. This now stands at 1 day, 23 hours, 55 minutes and 3 seconds.

At A Glance - Middle Sea Race 2024

First held: 1968

Organising Authority: Royal Malta Yacht Club

Start

The 45th Rolex Middle Sea Race will start on Saturday, 19 October 2024.

Grand Harbour, Valletta: seven separate starts, at 10-minute intervals, from 11:00 CEST Saturday, 21 October 2024

Start Line: between the Saluting Battery, Upper Barrakka Gardens (Valletta) and Fort St Angelo (Birgu)

Various vantage points all around the Grand Harbour, high up on the bastions or at water level. Harbour access for spectator boats is restricted during the period of the start.

Course

Set in the heart of the Mediterranean and is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. It starts and finishes in Malta, passes two active volcanoes and takes in the deep azure waters surrounding Sicily, and the Aeolian and Egadi Islands, as well as lonelier outposts of Pantelleria and Lampedusa, both closer to the African continent than Europe.

Length: 606 nautical miles (1,122km)

Outright Race Record: 33h 29m 28s, Argo, United States, Jason Carroll

Monohull Race Record: 40h 17m 50s, Comanche, Cayman Is, Mitch Booth

Main Trophies

Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy – overall race winner under IRC Time Correction

Boccale de Mediterraneo – winner of ORC category

RLR Trophy – winner of monohull line honours

Captain Morgan Trophy – winner of multihull division on corrected time (MOCRA)

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