[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ne of the most promising prestigious yachting aftersales & refit events to have emerged in recent years is Yare Networking, the superyacht business happening exclusively dedicated to Megayachts’ Captains with the participation of the most qualified experts from all over the world.
Yare success
BUSINESS, KNOW-HOW & PEOPLE!
This year, at its 5th consecutive edition, hosted in the Tuscan Superyacht District between Marina di Carrara and Viareggio, the long series of intensive business and social networking occasions offered a particularly rich and varied selection of proposals and up-to-date topics, including forums, debates, conferences, exhibition and also informal B2B meetings.
For those who wanted to meet qualified sector’s professionals, specialized operators, leading experts and Captains, Yare was the perfect occasion to introduce their business. A young event, only at its 5th edition, but with a strong growth potential in terms of a wider development of opportunities as well as in terms of higher value both for the participants and for the attending shipyards and firms.
As unique format in the superyacht industry, Yare achieved this year the full satisfaction and the highest general consent by all participants, Captains, Shipyards, Operators and Partners. Not a chance, or raher, an unplanned success, but the natural consequence of the hard work carried out by the Organization’s Members, which confirms their deep industry knowledge and recognized expertise across all market’s key-areas, challenges, trends, dynamics, factors, and critical issues. NAVIGO, the Viareggio based Consortium, held by all the most important shipyards and supply chain firms in Tuscany – over 300 associated members – and partially supported by Regione Toscana and Toscana Promozione, is the organizing entity headed by Mr Vincenzo Poerio (Benetti Yachts) and managed by Mr Pietro Angelini as Executive Director, in close collaboration with highly experienced professionals with proven track record worldwide.“With this year’s edition – stated Pietro Angelini – Yare achieved an important position among the dominant international events within the yachting industry, with the participation of 120 Italian and foreign firms, 800 B2C meetings and 110 Captains. We are fully satisfied with this success and already at work to ensure the same high quality standards in 2016. We want to go forward in this direction, get better and better results and keep on helping Italian yachting firms in the development of their business and in the creation of new opportunities.”
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All attendees, firms and Captains actively participated in all of the program sessions – business and information meetings – from the “Viareggio Yachting District Tour” to the Italian Superyacht Forum (by The Superyacht Group), from the Round tables to the B2C– Meet the Captain. Just as interesting and strategic were all social networking activities.
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At the Gala Dinner we sat down with a small group of Captains for an informal conversation and exchange of opinions on the event.
“Yare is a unique format combining many single moments, and each of them is in its own way important for whatever it can potentially offer: business, insights, meetings, topics, cases… All networking opportunities are equally important, they bring to new ideas, allow the direct exchange of views within the sector, involve all the players and professionals and their different interests…” (Capt. Dario Savino).
Why is Yare so important for Captains? From the technical point of view, I mean.
Yare was also attended by a group of Captains member of the ItalianYachtMasters (IYM), the Association founded in 2013 by the Italian Captains of the most important 27-75 mt large pleasure boats, with the aim of improving the perception, consideration and respect, within the international yachting community, of the Italian superyacht captains, their highly qualified skills and professionalism. The ItalianYachtMasters’s participation in Yare 2015 embodies the high-grade value of this event and proves the Italian excellence and great tradition, not only as shipbuilders but also as seafarers. Italy is in fact a country of seamen, however, according to official data, only 5% of megayachts hires Italian captains.
“As to unforeseen events, it is our experience that learns us how to manage all difficult situations, a good captain has to know how to do, always, because unexpected circumstances always occur, unfortunatley. Our profession is not only made by technical skills, but it is knowledge, training, ongoing practice. And also a combination of character qualities and natural attitude for a kind of job that is not free from risks. From technical to natural problems, such as, weather and climate. Sea always represents a risk, also in terms of personal safety, pirate attacks, for example. And then, there is the staff management, which in all kinds of job is a delicate task. A megayacht is a working environment, moreover limited in space and time, in respect of the Owners and their guests. Every staff member has got a precise task. It is not easy for a Captain to manage and supervise everything. You need passion for your job, attitude and flexibility.” (Capt. Nicola Favario).
“And then there is another important element, the respect of the Owners’ privacy, that the Captain has to guarantee. It is amust, an essential part of our job; most importantly, the relationship we have with the Owners is based on our mutual trust. How could it be otherwise? We are responsible and in charge of whatever happens on board and, at the same time, owners put full trust in the Captain’s role; we work for famous people, celebrities sometimes, or in any case for VIPs, we must take care of this aspect, first of all paying attention to their protection as persons and habits.” (Capt. Dario Savino).
“Being a captain is a fascinating job, with no doubts. But it requires an unparalleled level of dedication. We are committed even for long periods of time, up to 11 months a year sometimes, this means being far from home and family for long time; this aspect is part of our job, I mean, being able to manage such an uncommon, unordinary life. You need the right mood and great energy. Its’ wrong to consider that who works at sea, as crew member or captain, is a rough or common person, or that it is an easy job.” (Capt. Luigi Cervetto).
As to the development of more and more advanced technologies and the integration of cutting edge naviagtion systems, does it help your job, or, does it limit the pleasure in navigation?
“Well, those young captains who start their career today, perhaps, will never experience the fascinating manual calculation on nautical charts, but, certainly, technology is essential on megayachts today, since they are a combination of integrated systems and functions that could never be monitored differently.” (Capt. Maurizio Capitani).
“Technology and highly advanced equipment are not a simple design choice, they are undoubtedly esthetically pleasing, but they help much in terms of practicality. They help our work, allowing higher comfort and control, and ultimately higher safety on board.” (Capt. Paolo Bozzo Costa).
