Genoa Boat Show: what the future of the sea will be like

Expectations are high. It could not be otherwise for the 61st edition of Genoa boat show – that already in 2020, on a schedule of major events desertified by the pandemic, had managed, albeit with the necessary restrictions, to be theonly boating fair held in Europe. In the year of vaccines, pumping fuel into the engines of the event – scheduled from 16 to 21 September next – there will be three key elements to keep an eye on.

THE NUMBERS OF THE FAIR
First: the numbers. The abacus in the hands of the organizers count a thousand boats on display among the docks of the Salone, and as many brands present, including all the big names in the sector. To the numbers linked to the adhesions are added those of the exhibition spaces – an area of ​​over 200 thousand square meters, with 85% of the areas completely open, including the classic Yacht e superyacht and the innovative Tech Trade – which will present themselves with a layout profoundly transformed by the works for the construction of the new Levante waterfront entrusted to Renzo Piano. Opened in October 2020, the shipyard will allow for 200 more berths and a context dotted with residence hotels, commercial spaces and a park. Completion of works scheduled for 2023, the year in which, according to the president of Confindustria nautica Saverio Cecchi, «Ours will become the most beautiful show in the world».

The results of this restyling operation can already be touched by hand: the spaces have increased by 14% thanks to the demolition of the promenade wall between quay C and quay E which has changed the centrality of the Show, offering a single-deck quay seamlessly between pavilion B and the new dock. Even the surface in the water shows a growth of 19% thanks to the completion of the mooring dock for boats up to 15 meters: to take advantage of this facilitated logistics will be the sea ​​trials, which can be held during the exhibition days, by appointment.

SUSTAINABILITY
Second aspect: the strategy with a view to environmental sustainability of exhibitors. Insiders and visitors – whether they are wealthy, potential buyers or ordinary boating enthusiasts – will be able to admire, among others, top of the range such as the Magellan 25 meters of Azimut – with its fiberglass interiors recovered from other boats and the use of paints and resins with low environmental impact – and theAmer 120, wide-body flagship of Amer Yachts (Permare Group), which promises evolutions towards engines capable of reducing harmful emissions. Another strong name is also competing among the big names, absent in 2020: Ferretti Yachts, a luxury yachting brand headed by the CEO Alberto Galassi, which will participate in the show with 56 yachts and superyachts launched in the first three months of 2021 alone compared to 43 in the same period last year. The Forlì brand – returned to the Salone for, declared Galassi “to give an impulse message to the restart of the Italian system” – will present due first: the flagship Riva Devil 68 ‘ and the Pershing 6X, the result of ecological choices that favor the procurement of wood from certified forests and the use of carbon fiber for the hull, in order to reduce fuel consumption.

Sustainability, therefore, is the strong trend of this Salone and it will be increasingly so in future ones. Last year the general manager of Confindustria Nautica Marina Stella he had uttered the exact words: «It is necessary to ensure that those who approach boating are aware of the delicacy of the marine ecosystem and feel responsible for it in some way. This is the next step for each construction site ». Construction sites that, we add, must ensure that sustainability is not just one marketing formula to be used on occasion, but something that really permeates all future projects related to inboard and outboard. They are not just needed hybrid engines (the full electric are still a chimera) and recycled materials; rather, a conscious overview is needed that makes it natural to resort to many small on-board tricks such as the supply – even in the case of rented boats, a constantly growing business – of ecological products for cleaning and sunscreens free of oxybenzone, a substance present in common protections from UV rays responsible forwater acidification. Everything is strategic to try to detoxify the sea and preserve its wonders.

LIVE EVENT
Third salient point: the comeback of conferences and live events. Among the most interesting in days of the Salone: the Boating Economic Forecast, round table on the scenarios for the export of the yachting industry and for the incoming nautical tourism, and the second edition of the “Design Innovation Award”, the award established in 2020 by Confindustria Nautica and I Saloni Nautici, with the goal of enhancing the innovation promoted by exhibitors through their products. Particularly awaited will then be the Italian athletes who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the team Luna Rossa PRADA Pirelli, winner of the Prada Cup and finalist of the 36th edition of the America’s Cup held in Auckland in New Zealand.

THE BEAUTY OF GOZZO
A final gem for fans of small boats. At the Salone a special space will be dedicated to goiters, the traditional rowing boats that have their places of choice in Liguria and Campania. Introduced to the Mediterranean by the Arabs and subsequently made their own by the sailors of the Italian maritime republics who frequented the ports of the eastern Mare Nostrum, the goiters today have a double soul visible in reference brands such as Giorgio Mussini e Gozzi Mimì. On the one hand, the tradition of wood and shipwrights is always present, as well as their share of the market, that of work boats; on the other hand, thanks to the wise choice of new hull shapes and adequate powers, the goiters have evolved into modern landing stages, without ever betraying their retro style and great navigability.