May 17 was no ordinary day at the Benetti shipyard, or for the residents of its headquarters in Livorno, Italy. It was Benetti’s kick-off to the second-annual World Boating Day.
An initiative of the Superyacht Life Foundation, World Boating Day encourages all aspects of boating and yachting. This means participating in watersports as much as learning about construction and design. In fact, the shipyards worldwide that host related events particularly want youngsters to discover yachting. From tours of in-build projects to Q&A sessions with executives, they get to meet craftspeople and other professionals across the spectrum. This in turn may inspire them to become the next generation of industry representatives, too.
Although the official World Boating Day this year is May 24, satellite activities spread across a week. For the inaugural celebration last year, for instance, shipyards in nine countries hosted tours and more. At Benetti over this past weekend, more than 2,000 people entered the gates. Conveniently, the city of Livorno was hosting its first Blu Livorno, a celebration of the city’s maritime history and those whose careers involve the water. This helped to bring Benetti’s efforts to a higher visibility.
Among the activities that Benetti organized for the second-annual World Boating Day were tours of its new-construction sites and its refit yard, Lusben. Visitors young and old saw metalwork, for example, plus could try virtual-reality walk-throughs. Students of the Italian Super Yacht Life Institute (ISYL), meanwhile, participated in a roundtable discussion with representatives from maritime organizations. (ISYL is the only higher technical institute in the country focused on yachting.)
Additionally, little ones were treated to storytelling sessions, while slightly older kids enjoyed painting workshops.
Benetti’s executives had a presence at the closing ceremony for Blu Livorno, too. They announced the symbolic handover of five French naval cannons to the city. The shipyard had restored and was preserving the cannons. Finally, the Vitelli family received a special honor, “To Those Who Love the Sea and Water,” from Livorno’s mayor and the councilor for culture. The late Paolo Vitelli brought Benetti to global yacht-building prominence. Giovanna Vitelli, his daughter, is the chair of the Azimut-Benetti Group,
Benetti benettiyachts.it
World Boating Day worldboatingday.com
Leave a Reply