In 2022–2023, Italian shipyards proved themselves worldwide leaders in the superyacht segment, as shown by the data from ‘The State of the Art of the Global Yachting Market,’ recently conducted by Deloitte for Confindustria Nautica, and as illustrated by our Business at Sea column. And as we hear in the interview with Massimo Gino and Mario Pedol of Nauta Design and see in the many yachts and superyachts built in shipyards like Azimut|Benetti, Baglietto, Mangusta, Pearl, Tankoa, The Italian Sea Group, Van Dutch, and Wally, one of the key themes in recent naval architectural and interior design is seeking an ever-closer relationship with the sea. At times this means a slower way of boating as well as, increasingly, a greater physical and visual closeness to the natural elements.
This is true both in sailboats, for which the relationship in tune with the water is clearly a driving factor, and in yachts of every size, and especially superyachts. Larger windows and lowered heights bring us closer to the sea surface. There are beach clubs that are larger, safer, and more comfortable to let those who are sailing stop and feel part of the marine landscape, enjoying its health-enhancing effects. We can take in wonder and respect for an invaluable, awe-inspiring environment, that of seas and oceans, and the element of water that means everything to the planet – for better or worse, as shown by the recent severe weather and flooding in Italy.
Water is a symbolic element, natural and fundamental, and is part or “counterpart” of many architectural designs of different types and geographical locations. For instance, there is the promenade on the Mediterranean Sea, Escaleras Y Mirador Vela in Barcelona, the Beach Club in the Sanya Edition in China’s Haitang Bay, the Esbjerg Maritime Center in Denmark, the Monologue Art Museum in China, Libeň Docks and Ascension Paysagère residential complexes on riverfronts, in Prague and in Rennes, respectively, and the Fish Tail Ecological Park, where water is a regenerating part of a virtuous model of urban and recreational eco-systems. Water universally means generation and regeneration, and it embodies the feminine principle. This element abounds in this .Wonder Book Yacht&Cruise 2023, including in the interview with Captain Caterina Nitto and the women interior designers that we present in a packed Bay of Fame section.
