A standard-bearer for the practical rationalisation of onboard volumes and settings, the yacht is designed for long, comfortable cruises with reduced environmental impact thanks to the E-Mode propulsion architecture developed for Benetti by Siemens.

Toby Walker, Benetti Sales Area Manager, highlighted the unique attributes of the Benetti fleet, which offers owners yachts from 29 to over 100 metres in length, built from composite materials, aluminium and steel, and divided into five categories: Class, Oasis, B.Yond, B.Now and Custom.

High-profile influencer and event moderator Davide Seal then introduced the awaited “The Owner’s team perspective” event, which featured on-stage guests Thomas Jones, captain of the 90-meter Benetti giga yacht MY Lionheart, and Marine Coating Consultant Rory Marshall who examined coating issues for the hulls of superyachts which suffer from wear caused by the weather and passing time and require guarantees of high quality standards.

Yachtmaster participants gathered for dinner at the Eclipse Club, the exclusive bar on the 20th floor of the W Hotel, where they had the chance to network and exchange views, before bringing the first day’s events to a close with cocktails accompanied by live music at Marina Port Vell.

Day 2 saw Benetti management on hand to offer guests the benefit of their own experience. The day comprised a series of workshops to discuss all aspects in the lifecycle of a custom yacht: from customer engagement and design, via planning and construction, to the importance of a customer-centric approach in the post-delivery phase too, where the dedicated services offered by Lusben and Yachtique (in order the A|B Group division that plays a leading role in the refit and repair business and the division that offers owners decor and interior design services) come into play.

The day ended with a gala dinner in the Museu Marítim de Barcelona. Symbolically, the dinner was scheduled to take place at 20:20, on February 20, 2020, to pay a final tribute to the 20th edition of Yachtmaster.

The celebrations continued with a party staged in the Arsenale Reale complex in the Old Port area. As well as offering a huge collection of objects and artifacts that speak to the close ties between the city and the sea, the museum also plays host to some impressive and unquestionably fascinating historical ships and was chosen as a way to pay tribute to great explorers through history.

On Day 3, taking advantage of the hospitality that permeates Barcelona, for many years the world’s graffiti capital because of the sheer number of talented artists who have come to its streets to express their chosen artform, Benetti decided to dedicate the third day of the event to team building, with a guided tour of the Ciutat Vella district.

During one session, guests were split into teams to produce cubist-style artworks on subjects linked to Benetti’s past, present or future. They were asked to paint the Custom yacht of their dreams, while drawing inspiration from the art of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalì and Antoni Gaudì, three iconic 20th century artists whose history is entwined with the city of Barcelona.

A panel of experts judged the work produced, awarding prizes and acknowledgements to the paintings they felt achieved the right sense of aesthetic harmony from the perspective of their quality and the team spirit created.

The location of the second stage will be held in Key Largo, Florida, from April 22 to 24.

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