The stage for the jewels of the sea.
The Vieux Port and Port Canto were once again the venues for the 46th Cannes Yacht Festival, where more than 700 sailing and motor boats from 16 to 164 ft., including 130 world premieres, were exhibited by 610 exhibitors related to the yachting industry along the equivalent of 3 miles of pontoons linking the famous La Croisette boulevard on the Côte d'Azur.
For the organizers, Cannes is the "home" of the nautical sector in France, due to its history and ancient maritime culture. Not only has the city always represented excellence in marine production, but it is also the undisputed driving force behind the sector's dynamism, with particular attention to the development, presentation and communication of its progress in clean evolution.
Among the jewels presented for the first time were the Lomac Granturismo 14.0, the Solaris Power 52 New, the Prestige M8, the Centouno Vespro, the Fountaine Pajot New 80, the Azimut Magellano 60 and the Baglietto T52.
This year, many shipyards exhibited eco-friendly novelties, with boats powered by greener energies, with electric, hybrid or hydrogen propulsion, including Arcadia Yachts, with the A85; Ferretti Yachts: 1000, Infynito 90, Pershing 9X, Riva 88' Folgore; Sanlorenzo: SD 90, SD 96, SL 78, SL 86, SL 90A, SX 88 and Wallywhy200; Grand Banks; Fabiani Yacht: M. Yachts 100' Classique, M. Yacht 100' Hybride, M. Yacht 101' Classique, M. Yachts 101' Hybride, while Pearl Yachts exhibited the Pearl 62 and its flagship Pearl 95.
Half a kilometer of big yachts
Port Vieux, one of the oldest marinas on the French Riviera, offers more than half a kilometer of quay to accommodate all large, recently launched motor yachts from 26 to 164 ft. One of these areas is the Marina for motor yachts from 26 to 39 ft.
Following the trend, a space has been reserved in Port Vieux for 100% electric or hybrid boats, with a dozen 26-ft units signed by Tyde, Georgio Mussino, BDA Europe, Pinball Boat, XShore, Candella, Virtue Yacht and JPK Composites. Motor catamarans from 36 to 78 ft. were also on display.
The latest nautical technology was exhibited in the Palais des Festivals, dedicated to owners of luxury yachts, where they had the opportunity to learn about innovations in shipyards, architecture and design, interiors, accessories, tourist and nautical institutions, service companies (financing, banking, and insurance), tenders and marine toys.
Sailing yacht exhibition
East of the Croisette, Port Canto was the setting for Espace Voile, with a fleet of 120 sailing yachts ranging from 32 to 98 ft., monohull and multihull, including 13 global launches. With more than 1,312 ft. of dockage for monohulls and more than 1,476 ft. for multihulls, Espace Voile offered a unique perspective and exposure in the world.
The Sailing Area brought together the most important players in the sailing industry and the latest in sailboats and equipment. Nearly 120 new masts from 32 to 108 ft., monohull and multihull, lined up along the quays.
Text: Amura ± Photo: Boats, Ferretti Group, Dixon