Commander Claudio Mottola: "I'll explain why yachting is losing its way."

Commander Claudio Mottola embodies the uncompromising discipline of military tradition and a passion for pure navigation. A native of Trieste, trained at the Naval Academy in Livorno, he forged his character and operational expertise aboard the flagship Vittorio Veneto, where he managed systems and personnel in high-risk international scenarios.

His career, however, did not remain confined to the ranks of the Navy. Driven by a strong call to the ocean, Mottola gained technical experience in international contexts, before returning to sailing as a delivery skipper on historic vessels and ocean-going racers, until one event shaped his career: participating in the regatta where the Parsifal tragedy occurred in 1995. An extreme experience, which saw him fight for survival in the heart of the Mediterranean and elevated his concept of safety to an uncompromising mission.

Drawing on decades of collaboration with entrepreneurs like Diego and Andrea Della Valle and Ettore and Fausto Lonati (his current owners), Mottola is now one of the most vocal voices denouncing the decline of yachting, which often sacrifices seaworthiness for design. Currently at the helm of a 45-meter Baglietto, SUPER YACHT 24 met him for a chat that quickly translated into a manifesto of maritime realism, where everything ends before the risk to guests and crew begins.

Commander, you trained in the rigorous discipline of the Academy and served on military vessels like the Vittorio Veneto. What remains of that world when you board a yacht where comfort is seemingly the only priority?

"The ability to avoid surprise remains. When you're Chief of Service on a guided-missile cruiser, you learn that emergencies aren't managed when they happen, but rather prevented with precise protocols. Today in yachting, I see many excellent hospitality managers, but a captain must first and foremost be a pilot. At sea, as in flight, composure isn't something you improvise: it's the result of a background that must forcefully reemerge when the harbor lights fade and the sky changes color."

In 1995, the Parsifal tragedy marked the history of modern sailing. You were at the helm of a schooner in that same storm: what does it feel like when you realize you're against nature?

“In those moments, all you think about is getting your boys home safe. There were thirteen of us, braving a Mistral that was anything but ordinary. The Parsifal was literally torn in two by a 15-meter breaker. I was skipper on Gaia, a Sciarrelli schooner. It was a very tough experience, with very high waves, and the helm that, at a certain point, abandoned us. I put the entire crew below deck, to protect them from the risk of falling into the sea and also because I wanted them not to see, not to be afraid. I remained at the helm for hours and hours, fighting against the force of a sea that had decided to take everything back. We arrived in Menorca exhausted, and there we discovered that six of our friends on the Parsifal had not made it. From that moment on, my focus on safety became an obsession.”

You've had a very long professional relationship, over sixteen years with the Della Valle brothers and already ten with the current owner. How do you build such solid trust?

Stability comes from the ability to not always say yes. The shipowners I've worked with are serious entrepreneurs who understand the value of an officer who protects their family and their investment, even at the cost of being inconvenient. This harmony has allowed me to avoid having to compromise my identity and remain a man of the sea, avoiding turning into a 'hotel manager'. Because when the horizon darkens, the shipowner must be able to count above all on the experience of his captain and crew.

However, superyachts, especially in recent years, are the opposite of Navy ships…

"This is absurd. I see 'explorers' being sold for ocean crossings that are aesthetically masterpieces, with completely open sterns and immense windows, but technically they're madness. A breaker exerts tons of pressure per square meter: if that window isn't structural, if that hatch isn't truly watertight, the boat will break. Today, floating villas are designed for swimming in Formentera, and rightly so, but they shouldn't be sold as ships capable of tackling the Atlantic. Moreover, the Mediterranean itself is a treacherous sea, with local weather patterns that can turn a sunny day into hell in a matter of minutes. If the boat is designed as a floating lounge, the sea will eat it sooner or later."

Is there anything that Italian shipbuilding, in your opinion, could borrow from Northern European shipbuilding, which is very attentive to safety aspects?

It's a question of DNA. In the North, every bolt, every valve can be inspected. Some shipyards here build by 'layering' for aesthetic reasons: once the system is finished, the carpenter's work is added. But if you have a breakdown in the middle of the ocean, you have to demolish half a cabin to get to a pipe. In the North, everything is designed for scheduled maintenance. And then there's the issue of crew quarters: in Northern European shipyards, the 2006 MLC is sacred! You can't sacrifice the crew cabin to add ten extra centimeters of marble to the guest bathroom, because a crew that lives in cramped quarters and doesn't get any rest is a crew that loses its clarity. And clarity is the only thing that saves your life in an emergency.

After fifty years at sea, what's the most valuable advice you can give to a young person wanting to pursue this career today?

"To invest in real training, not just in the qualifications sometimes too easily earned through various training programs. To have the humility to learn the trade of a sailor before that of a manager. And above all, to remember that, despite the marble and state-of-the-art home automation, there's always only water underfoot. The sea has no respect for your bank account or the beauty of your design; it only respects preparation."

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