By Rebecca Whitlocke
The 47th edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival – and Europe’s largest in-water boat show – took place from 10 to 15 September 2024, with more 600 international exhibitors and over 700 boats on display, including 160 debuts.
From Vieux Port to Port Canto, visitors could see vessels from 5 to 50-metres, all showcased at this unmissable event for yachting. This year, the show benefited from a new marina, with plenty of yachting brands out in force to share their journeys in boating excellence, innovation and luxury.
Port Canto, on the other side of the Croisette, is the second port in Cannes. It has accommodated the Sailing Area, previously-owned large yachts and yacht toys for the past few years. This year, Port Canto accommodated the new marina covering 2,000 m2 dedicated to motor boats < 12-13m.
In the heart of Cannes, Relentless Magazine discovered the show highlights and news from yachting companies alongside all the equipment manufacturers and service companies that work in this industry.
Palais des Festivals
The Palais was dedicated to exhibitors and brands representing high-end yachting, lifestyle and specialising in nautical products and services. Exhibitors included Acqua dell’Elba, Adriatic 42, La Fédération des Industries Nautiques (FIN), Seabob, Starbay, and Yachting Pages (who hosted the Association of Women in Yachting networking evening).
At the main entrance to the show, outdoor exhibitors were focused on leisure boating including WAMA Yachts, who showcased their line of luxurious planing monohulls and fast power catamarans. With exterior styling by Ali Kastally, the WAMA 26S includes Wake Option Commander for all watersports. This luxury crossover boat with a planing hull is perfect for active families who enjoy wakeboarding, waterskiing, swimming, fishing and cruising. While ideal for family fun, it’s also the perfect crossover tender for charter superyachts. Easily-handled and manoeuvrable, the WAMA 26S tops about 42 knots.
“Cannes Yachting Festival was a wonderful experience for our new brand, WAMA Yachts, built by Luxolor Yachts in Tunisia,” said Walid Ben Omrane, founder and president of Luxolor Yachts. “Our 26S is a unique vessel at this show, commanding interest as the best boat with wave action for watersports. For me, the highlight of the show was sitting down with the master, Norberto Ferretti. He graciously provided industry insight, admiring our quality and recognising our potential. While everyone is here to sell boats, Cannes unites our industry and promotes collaboration in spite of the competition.”
Other WAMA vessels in production include the WAMA 42C, a four-cabin catamaran built for speed. This fast cat designed by Ali Kastally is constructed in carbon fiber and aluminum with hydrofoil technology.
Pantiero Zone
The Pantiero area was host to the latest-generation equipment, solutions for engineering, interiors, navigation and propulsion, dayboat and cabin cruiser brands. Exhibitors included Beneteau, Furuno, Garmin and Seakeeper.
Suzy Chisholm, Head of Company Communications and Co-Founder at Swiss Ocean Tech was at Cannes with AnchorGuardian; “As the first superyacht show of the season, it is an important one for us. Full of captains with some time on their hands and open to hear about smart and functional innovations new on the market. Equally, it is also an opportunity for us to learn about captains anchoring concerns and challenges. Definitely a shout-out to our Italian distributors, SAIM Marine, who hosted us at their booth. As a start-up, we rely on such generous partners who support us as we grow.”
This year, dotted across the Pantiero area visitors could explore an “Innovation Route” promoting products and services that conveyed a break from nautical technology and are environmentally-friendly.
The Jetée and the Superyacht Extension
Vieux Port remains the home port for the motor boat industry with around 350 new boats from 10 to 50 metres long – monohulls and multihulls, with rigid or semi-rigid hulls – on display by the greatest names in yachting. In-water superyachts were presented by prominent brands including Azimut Benetti, Ferretti Group, Mangusta, Numarine, Princess, Sanlorenzo and Sunseeker.
Burgess exhibited 34.86-metre FOX, delivered to her owner from Pendennis Shipyard in the United Kingdom. The expedition-style yacht was christened after the Falmouth-born scientist Robert Were Fox the Younger, a 19th-century scientist who enabled exploration by inventing a compass that measured magnetic dip at sea in high latitudes, a compass that ultimately guided the expedition that discovered the South Pole. Proudly British, FOX hails from the drawing boards of Q London, with Falmouth-based shipyard Pendennis in charge of her engineering and construction. Fox can accommodate up to 10 guests across five staterooms, with room for as many as seven crew.
Gulf Craft and Majesty Yachts had their award-winning Majesty 120 moored on the Superyacht Extension. Featuring expansive outdoor spaces, including a spacious sun deck with a jacuzzi and ample lounging areas, the vessel was the venue for a Thursday morning press breakfast where the brand introduced their Majesty 100 Terrace.
Cantiere delle Marche’s flagship ‘Flexplorer 146’ Maverick was displayed on the Superyacht Extension. With exterior lines, naval architecture, and engineering by Hydro Tec Maverick’s interiors have the signature of Francesco Paszkowski in collaboration with Margherita Casprini. Demonstrating a robust design, Maverick’s owner and his family plan to take her on a multi-year global adventure including Iceland, Greenland, and the northern Canadian coasts.
World Yachts Trophies 2024
On Saturday 14th September, the 23th edition of the World Yachts Trophies welcomed hundreds of guests for an exclusive evening at the Carlton Beach comprising a gala dinner, yacht parade and awards ceremony. The World Yachts Trophies rewards the best motor boats and yachts from 13 to 82-metres plus launched during the year.
Sixty-nine finalists were contenders for 30 awards including Exterior Design across various size ranges, Innovation Trophy (24-30m) and Yacht of the Year (82m+). Winners included the Azimut Fly 62 (Best Layout), Azimut Seadeck 7 (Best Exterior Design), the Majesty 60 who claimed the “Best Evolution Award” and 122-metre KISMET with exterior design by Nuvolari Lenard and interior design by Reymond Langton Design that won “Yacht of the Year”.
Photo Credits: WAMA Yachts, Majesty Yachts, Antibes Yachting