Italian Yacht Masters turns 10 and calls for sustainable yachting.

Loano (Savona) – "Inspiring Sustainability – The Role of the Modern Captain." This was the title chosen for the conference held at the Marina Loano to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Italian Yacht Masters, the association that now represents around one hundred Italian pleasure boat captains. Three conclusions can be drawn from the lively debate on the topic of sustainability: captains are calling on yacht management companies to work increasingly closely together, the entire industry is united in its desire to improve the environmental impact of pleasure boating, but many significant obstacles remain to achieving significant results.

Two of the many obstacles were mentioned during the proceedings by Gino Battaglia, president of Italian Yacht Masters, and Stefano Fanizza, sales director of the Benetti shipyard. Early in the morning, the latter, while emphasizing his group's efforts to design and offer new boat models and the use of greener propulsion systems, said that "for the last boat sold, the captain suggested the owner choose a traditional fuel-powered yacht." Battaglia, commenting at the end of the roundtable discussions, recounted the case of owners who request the use of two generators to use a sauna aboard a 70-meter superyacht, others who, in a rush to receive their boat, require maximum speed during a transfer, and so on. "If I may," he said, "point out that certain choices would allow for significant fuel savings, I am reminded that the one who pays the captain's salary is the guest owner aboard" (who wants to have fun and enjoy every moment to the fullest).

For this reason, Battaglia has repeatedly emphasized the need for close collaboration between their profession and yacht management companies in his speeches. "We captains are committed to sustainability and pollution prevention, but we must collaborate more closely with management companies to convey important messages to shipowners as well. We also want to give the next generation of young captains the opportunity to grow professionally, because we Italians are second to none and fear no competition. However, there are still many young people who think of working on a yacht as a boating holiday."

Eva Orsi, president of Tankoa Yachts, also participated in the meeting to convey the shipyards' perspective on sustainability. She emphasized that owners are ultimately responsible for how they use their yacht. "Young people in particular," she said, "have a greater culture and awareness of sustainability, and this gives us hope for the future."

Diletta Tunesi of Femo Bunker highlighted that the company she works for has recently carried out in Antibes bunkering a superyacht (the 83-meter Savannah) with HVO diesel demonstrating that "practicable solutions already exist today," without necessarily inventing who knows what solutions or new projects. "The use of alternative fuels is already a reality today, and we have done it," he stated to those present.

Francesco Luise, managing partner of Luise Group, emphasized the topic of culture and training for crews and stakeholders, asking what shipyards are doing to disseminate knowledge and develop skills. "We have dedicated panels; we try to offer training and education and create a culture. We think this is a good starting point," was the response received from the yacht builders.

Captain Renzo Chelazzi is among the few to have already experienced sailing a Tankoa Yachts vessel with hybrid (electric) propulsion, and in this regard he also raised the delicate issue of battery disposal. "If the vessel were to operate both summer and winter, using electric propulsion extensively, the batteries would need replacing after two and a half years," the experienced captain noted, emphasizing the trade-off between disposal and the use of solutions other than hybrid electric propulsion.

Regarding waste and paradoxes, Captain Pierluigi Ippoliti intervened to point out that France sometimes imposes specific regulations to "turn off even the lights on yachts in the water under the hull because they disturb the fish. Why don't they put fewer lights on the yacht? Does it necessarily have to be this bright? Why isn't a new, truly sustainable yacht model designed from scratch?" he asked.

Based on these questions, some members of Italian Yacht Masters have publicly asked shipyards to involve captains and crews "from the early stages of construction and conception of a new superyacht" and not just in the final fitting-out phases.

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