The maritime industry is experiencing a very positive period, thanks in part to more extensive use by owners seeking moments of peace and happiness
by Francesco Michienzi
What has changed among boat owners around the world when it comes to owning and using a boat? There may be numerous answers, but the one I like the most is linked to the quest for the peace and happiness you can find when out sailing and anchoring your boat amid unspoilt nature. Happiness in a boat can be made up of moments, episodes in which you experience intense emotions, which provide a measure of the beauty of life. Peace is a relatively stable inner condition, which we experience as a balance that has been achieved through maturity and life experience. This state of mind allows us to lead a satisfying existence, without excessive mood fluctuations that can otherwise be triggered by external events.
«YOU CAN ONLY EXPERIENCE NEW AWARENESS IF YOU DARE TO DO SOMETHING NEW AND CROSS BOUNDARIES». MATTEO THUN
Over recent years the boat has revealed itself as a highly effective tool for achieving peace and happiness. It is no coincidence that many shipyards have involved designers in the creative process to provide a specific response to these issues.
When designing the interiors for Azimut Yachts’ new Seadeck collection, Matteo Thun stressed the urgency of responding to the need for happiness. «You can only experience new awareness if you dare to do something new and cross boundaries. It’s a question of achieving the right balance of beauty, practicality, cleanliness, advanced technology and sensitivity. This ensures that the spaces will not just be practical, but above all beautiful, made using sustainable materials and processes that are not harmful to people or the environment».
Matteo Thun’s philosophy is also based on a process of subtraction, «Because reducing entails both technical and aesthetic durability. And a boat has to last over time and be beautiful forever». The ideal result must be a boat that develops the “return to nature” using technological solutions designed to reduce emissions, which embraces the sea and a new wellbeing-oriented lifestyle.
ITALIAN SHIPYARDS HAVE CONFIRMED THEIR WORLD LEADERSHIP IN THE SUPERYACHT SEGMENT WITH A 49% SHARE OF TOTAL GLOBAL ORDERS.
Well-being and happiness can be sought everywhere, in everything we do. Some people have made them their reason for living, internalising every single element, while others have these feelings in their DNA and translate this tangibly through their work. Paola Lenti is one of them. Her life model materialises in her creations that we see on board numerous yachts, expressing peace, harmony and joie de vivre. The inner balance that she conveys is an element no one wants to renounce.
Thun and Lenti (along with others) can also be described as genuine interpreters of the Italian production that has enjoyed such well-deserved success over recent years. A success that reveals some very interesting data as far as the Italian maritime industry is concerned. According to The State of the Art of the Global Yachting Market study prepared by Deloitte for Confindustria Nautica, 2022 turnover forecasts for the Italian yachting industry are once again in double figures, growing between 15 and 20 per cent. This study, conducted by Tommaso Nastasi, shows that more and more new users have turned to boats precisely in search of peace, happiness and greater harmony with nature. The average age of owners has also fallen significantly, while the period spent on board has increased. Against this backdrop, the global boating market is expected to reach € 52 billion by 2021, and around 60 per cent of this regards in the production of new boats. The market value of global new boat production in 2021 amounted to € 29.2 billion, up +10.7 per cent compared to 2020. In Italy, the production value of pleasure craft was € 3.6 billion in 2021. Italian shipyards have confirmed their world leadership in the superyacht segment with a 49% share of total global orders.
(The quest for happiness – Barchemagazine.com – May 2023)
