NAVIS October / November 2015

The Passion, Purpose, and Future of Riva’s Mythos

What is it that creates a legend? In folklore, it is a story of non-historic or unverifiable detail. At Riva Yachts, the current definition is simply Mythos. A giant riding on the shoulders of previous Riva standouts, Mythos summoned the company’s years of experience, making use of every assist, from the timeless, classic Aquariva through the fast, fascinating Domino, to create an exceptional flagship design.

The largest Riva yacht to date, Mythos marks a milestone. Launched in 2014, the 38-meter/122-foot yacht establishes one line of a dual division in Riva Superyachts, owning a modern, aggressive profile inspired by the 88-foot Domino. A second line in the superyacht division will honor the 173-year heritage of Riva, recalling the historic profiles of Caravelle and Atlantic, focusing efforts in partnership with CRN.

The Perseus^3 Preference: Race, Cruise, or Charter

Throughout sailing history, sloop-rigged yachts have boasted the larger of sails and masts when compared to ketch-rigged yachts. Sloops, because of a larger sail size, have also traditionally been thought more challenging to handle, especially with a small crew or single-handed. Perini Navi Group certainly proved the first axiom true, while completely discrediting the latter, with the distinctive yachts of their 60-meter series.

Upon the 2015 launch of the second yacht in this series, venerable yacht group Perini Navi upholds the axiom about the mast and sail size. Perseus^3, or “Perseus cubed,” like her predecessor Seahawk, measures 60 meters/197 feet, but Seahawk’s 62.62-meter/205-foot main mast is dwarfed by Perseus^3’s towering 75.8-meter/248-foot carbon spike. The third largest carbon mast in existence, Perseus^3 also owns claim to the largest A2 spinnaker in the world at 2,602 square meters/28,010 square feet. That is a lot of polyester. To be exact, 3,200 yards of it.

MY Alfa Nero: Elegance and Space Ahead of Its Time

A visual scan of Oceanco’s motor yacht Alfa Nero quickly sets the silhouette apart from those of more traditional luxury yachts. An aggressive profile in high-gloss black hints at its chic interior, and does not disappoint. The real departure, however, comes in the spacious aft deck, claiming boundaries far beyond the norm with a huge stretch of teak open to the sky. Embracing a broad expanse of sun, sky, and sea, the yacht is graced by a streamlined superstructure.

Changing perspective, an overhead view of the 81.27-meter/269-foot Alfa Nero displays a tranquil, aquamarine pool set into the teak of the main deck, revealing a capital “H” beneath the surface. The bottom of this 6-meter x 3.75-meter pool quickly rises to greet arrivals, forming a smooth surface with the deck capable of landing a 9-person helicopter.

Each year, the Monaco Yacht Show attracts thousands of people from all over the world to view some of the most impressive models from designers and builders. It is an unprecedented event that often offers so many yachts that those attending the event have difficulty seeing them all.

The 2015 Monaco Yacht Show offered a plethora of innovative designs from some of the most important yacht builders. It is such an important event that many companies choose to unveil their latest efforts at Monaco. Here are some of the most impressive yachts displayed at this year’s show.

Royal Huisman’s Hanuman: The Secrets of the Smiling Monkey

The elite yachts eligible for a J Class rating are magnificent to behold, all following a formula that is simple, but exact: Rating = 0.182 x the length of the yacht x the square root of the sail area, divided by the cube root of the “dead weight” or displacement. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but suffice it to say, Royal Huisman’s Sailing Yacht Hanuman meets the advanced criteria as a “Super J” in a most elegant, calculated fashion.

Roundly flying the namesake Hindu monkey god on its full kite, Hanuman captures the strength, perseverance, and devotion of the eponymous legend. Built by hands that are deeply invested in excellence, the small Dutch village of Vollenhove integrates its expertise, pride, and innovation into each yacht created by Royal Huisman.

Videogame players may recognize the newest Bugatti Vision from the Gran Turismo franchise available soon on PlayStation consoles. Bugatti originally designed the Vision Gran Turismo to appear in the Gran Turismo driving simulation. It was interesting to see such a respected designer participate in that kind of commercial enterprise. What’s even more interesting is that Bugatti took the design one big step forward by actually manufacturing the racecar and debuting it at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.