What's in the news - yachts and yacht shows

11:47 PM Sat 23 May 2009 GMT

'New Marten launched at Sanctuary Cove' .

Out and about looking at what's on, what's new, what's going around and what's coming back - a look at four new products and updates on old products and the shows where they are appearing:

A new Marten at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show

Passports with their new updates for the first time appearing at the Helsinki Boat-Afloat

The Bavaria Cruiser 55 at the Palma de Mallorca Boat Show, and

The Lagoon 500, winning awards at the Shanghai International Boat Show.

New Marten Launched for Display at Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show

Marten Yachts have launched their latest Marten 49 masterpiece which is displayed at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Marina E4 from the 21st -24th May.

Built to commercial survey standards, the new owner plans to charter the vessel out of the Whitsundays in Queensland, Australia. Aptly named 'Ocean Affinity' she will be available for charter through Ocean Dynamics.

The stylish vessel features a teak veneer interior teamed with contrasting light coloured lounge to create a subtle, elegant look that is truly reflective of the sophisticated Marten style.
AM Care, Marten Yachts' service team, will commission the yacht in Sydney before she is delivered to Queensland for the show.

For further information or to book an appointment to view the sleek yacht, please contact Marten Yachts: info@martenyachts.com

Passport yachts at Boats Afloat - .. .

To strengthen its position in the important Scandinavian boat market, the US boat builder Passport Yachts show its new upgrades at the Helsinki Boat-Afloat Show this year for the first time.

To be held in association with Helsingfors Yacht Club (HSK) at their marina in the Lauttasaari suburb of Helsinki, the boat show, Uiva 2009 Flytande in Finnish, will be held from 20th to 23rd August.

The in-water show attracts some 15,000 visitors to see over 300 boats. The show has a reputation for attracting visitors from neighbouring Russia as well as the Scandinavian countries and has been operating for over 30 years, 11 of them in the HSK marina.

Passport Yachts Europe will be represented at the Uiva 2009 Flytande by Portosol Ab Oy, their newly appionted representative for Finland, Norway and Sweden, headed up by Leif Pernell.
Leif and his team will be showing the centre cockpit version of the Passport Vista 515, the luxury semi-custom blue water cruising yacht designed by Bob Perry.

Passport Yachts' pursuit for continual improvement of their range of yachts has resulted in even more upgrades to 2009 models, additional to the current specifications of these luxury yachts. Deck hardware and fittings which are always being reviewed has resulted in the diameter of all the high grade stainless steel stanchions on all Passport models being increased to 1 1/4 inches.

Passport Yacht interiors are now available in American Cherry as well as Teak. By applying the latest technology and using on-going feedback from clients, Passport Yacht designers continually raise standards.

New Bavaria Cruiser 55 at Palma de Mallorca - .. .

The presentation of the Bavaria Cruiser 55 took place at the International Boat Show in Palma de Mallorca last Tuesday, where dealers, customers and the international trade press alike praised Bavaria?s new flagship.

The premiere was held next to the Bavaria boats and with informative speeches from project representatives and in view of the Cruiser 55.

?We started introducing new products with the Deep Blue 46 earlier this year and are now introducing the Bavaria Cruiser 55. The Cruiser 55 is one thing above all; it is a lot of boat for not a lot of money,? says Andres Cardenas, CEO Bavaria Yachts. ?We decided to hold the launch at the Palma International Boat Show, because it is such a beautiful surrounding for a boat. We are very happy and proud to present our new sailing yacht. We wanted to produce a boat everyone can buy. And we have achieved that with the Cruiser 55.?

The Cruiser 55 special features are the twin rudder, the Dinghy garage, the variable interior with its innovative design solutions and the large storage area.

Further quotes from the Cruiser 55 premiere:

Patrick Shaughnessy, President Farr Yacht Design:
?Our goal was to create better boats with innovative features for Bavaria Yachts; better design and performance and we believe that enjoyment does not need to be expensive. Our first design task was a new boat to define the top of a new classic line. The Cruiser 55 has a balanced sail plan that supports, for example, a range of headsail options such as 90% LP self tacking and 106% LP non overlapping. We feel that together we have produced a worthy flagship product for Bavaria Yachts.?

Founded in 1978, Bavaria yachts have been synonymous with an outstanding price-performance ratio. More than 3.000 motor and sailing yachts per year leave the shipyard ranking among the worlds largest yacht manufacturers.

Lagoon 500 wins award in Shanghai - .. .

China Boating and Asia Pacific Boating, two leading yachting magazines in Asia, have now been organizing for 5 years the Asia Boating Awards during the Shanghai International Boat Show, the biggest boat show in Asia.

The award winners are designated by a panel of 22 judges selected within the nautical business.
The winner in the under 50' length category this year is the Lagoon 500, which received the Best Sailing Yacht under 50' Award.

On the occasion of the awards presentation in Shanghai, Yann Masselot, sales director for Lagoon, commented: ?After celebrating the launching of Lagoon 500 # 100 a few weeks ago, the whole Lagoon team welcomes this award as a new demonstration of the Lagoon 500's international success?.

by Nancy Knudsen