Manola Ballerio, co-owner and designer of Sabrina Monte Carlo, a long-time partner of the event, was very happy with the Yacht Show: “This year’s Yacht Show was very exciting for us. Not taking place last year it came back even stronger than it was supposed to be. We had a lot more clients than we expected, especially from the USA.

“The quality of clients was very good this year – we have met many interesting people and we are starting to work on new projects thanks to this yacht show.”

Nick Jeffery, a leading yachting journalist and editor of Superports, said that those potential exhibitors who didn’t attend the 2021 edition missed out on the yacht show’s great success. The event finished on Saturday, September 25, after four busy and well-organised days in Port Hercule.

“I sensed that a few exhibitors who had pulled out regretted their decisions. It was lovely to catch up in person with journalist friends at press conferences, masks slowly being dropped, while we learnt how the world’s billionaire population has grown by more than 25 percent in some regions (from Heesen and Fraser figures) and sales are booming as families choose superyachting as a safe way to holiday. 

“MYS caters for more modest budgets too from the family-run Cockwells’ multi-module landing-craft-style tender (£310,000, with one module) to Italian CNM Continental 54 (€3 million guide). There is some serious research going on into efficiency (although Espen Oeino, who is sharing slender hull resistance calculations with his peers, pointed out that ‘hotel loads’ are more damaging than operational energy powering from A to B) and sustainability, with genuine action, while innovation proceeds in design for living, such as Benetti’s OasisDeck by RWD.”

Vitters, Baltic and Royal Huisman have all announced new sailing yacht orders and Nautor’s Swan presented “Audrey The First”, a new 120-footer with a cool and refined Mark Whiteley interior – a different beast from the Swan 65 I sailed from Tahiti to Hawaii in the 1980s, yet still retaining its brand values, he added.

“I had the chance to talk with some marina operators, including hearing first-hand from David Rayon the plans for Vauban21’s exciting (and long overdue) current rebuild/rebrand of IYCA Antibes – the Med’s original superyacht marina. The app and web versions of Superports will be updated as new marinas pop up. Catalano Shipping presented its own app, for captains to book berths with, through its offices, as well as calculate TVA due during charters.  

“Digital devices are booming in the areas of creation and operation of superyachts (you can even purchase the 73-metre CRN yacht “Azteca” with digital currency through C&N’s Fernando Nicholson) to allow the ultra wealthy to enjoy family time away from their digital devices. 

“Sitting with a couple of friends from DNV, in the Yacht Club de Monaco’s library, we admired the line up of supersailers outside, concentrated in one area for the first time so as not to be overshadowed by power boats. They began to tell me how the majority of towering rigs were DNV-classed (DNV sets standards for ships and offshore structures, known as Class Rules) when a cacaphony of horns drowned them out to mark the end of the show. It seemed to go on for twice as long as previous years, perhaps to make up for missed time. 

“Without exception, every single person I asked (or overheard) was happy to be back in Monaco and see the market and show flourishing.”

Congratulations to MYS on pulling it together – in a reassuringly safe manner, obeying Monaco’s strict guidelines. 

TOP PHOTO: Sabrina Oeino, HSH Prince Albert, Espen Oeino, Carla Ballerio, Manola Ballerio

BOTTOM PHOTO: Martina Brodie