Commander Massimo Lai (Infynito 90): "True dialogue with the shipyard. From our feedback to concrete solutions."

Massimo Lai is a seasoned captain with 35 years of experience at sea. He currently helms an Infynito 90, the 27-meter Ferretti Yachts motoryacht that marked the Ravenna-based shipyard's decisive entry into the fast displacement segment. He sailed it for a month-long cruise in Croatia with 13 guests on board. A fiberglass hull, 1.800 hp Man engines, a declared range of 1.200 miles at 8 knots, two Seakeeper 18s, and Sleipner Fins VF1350 curved-profile stabilizers, the architecture is designed for long-distance voyages with a small crew, in a market that is constantly investing in this combination. Lai was among the captains invited to this year's Convergence, the event where Ferretti Group brings its fleet of skippers to its shipyards in Ravenna and Ancona for face-to-face meetings with design teams and key suppliers. A format that, as he himself explains, works thanks to the opportunities offered by the shipyard to discuss innovations and new technologies, including through meetings with partners.

Commander Lai, what did you learn from your experience at this year's Convergence event?

The event was very positive, especially because you reconnected with many old friends who had been somewhat separated by time. We discussed the various issues related to the nautical world today, and those that will be faced in the future: new registrations, new international regulations. The most useful aspect was getting a firsthand look at the specifics of the various suppliers, such as Sleipner and Seakeeper, because during the delivery phase, you don't always have time to delve into certain topics. Having the manufacturers directly on site allowed us to get answers to specific questions. To give a concrete example: the Seakeeper system can be started at 700 rpm, in "silent mode," so you don't have to wait for full revs and can go out with your guests quickly. These are small touches, but when you have thirteen people ready to go out, you can't afford to stay on the bridge leafing through the manual.

How did visiting the Ravenna and Ancona shipyards influence your understanding of the Ferretti Group's development and production process?

I already knew about it, having followed the construction of the boat, so I knew how they organize the work. It's very well organized: just think about how they manage the various orders in the different serial numbers; you have everything compartmentalized: work done, work to be reviewed, work scheduled for the future, and there's a large screen that makes it clear where to speed up and where not. It's a well-structured system. I've seen many boats under construction in thirty-five years of work, and I must say it's had a great impact.

How useful was the opportunity to interact directly with different teams and partners during Convergence?

The questions that arose concerned aspects like the Seakeeper's ramp-up time, or how the Infynito's systems are integrated. You can do everything from one screen: mine are 27 inches. Being able to interface everything, whether it's the passage of a ship on the starboard side, an emergency on the port side, or the radar, is a real advantage. You can manage the boat from a single point. Discussions with the teams helped us understand topics that are relatively familiar: I received the boat on August 7th, we cruised for a month, and then went drydock for winter storage. There simply wasn't time to delve into certain technical details.

What added value did you gain from comparing yourself with other commanders during the event?

"The discussion with other captains was also useful regarding instrumentation and the various systems. Knowing how your colleague solves a problem you're familiar with but haven't had the time to analyze is as valuable as reading a manual, and in some cases more so. There's also the issue of redundancy that always comes up in these discussions. Electronics bring real advantages in terms of management, but concentrating everything on a single processor creates a unique point of failure. If that processor burns out, you find yourself sailing at night with only your phone as your instrument on a 40-meter boat. It happened to me, but it's a situation I wouldn't wish on anyone. With the Infynito, I'm more than happy with how the bridge is set up: there's integration, but there's also physical separation of the systems, which makes a difference. The issue of redundancy remains central, and the discussion among captains keeps it alive."

In practice, how much of the declared autonomy is actually exploited on the Infynito 90 during long voyages?

"The range issue is 95% accurate when sailing economically. I keep the remaining 5% for variables: current, wind, and changes in course due to waves when the bow doesn't want to take them head-on. At 8 knots, the boat has water and a good hull. I took her from Ravenna to Pisa, about 1.200 miles, and at times I had to open the throttle because of adverse seas, waves from multiple directions, and make small course corrections to avoid damaging the vessel. But as a rough guide, the 1.200-mile figure is accurate."

Does a fast-displacement hull change the way you plan routes and consumption compared to a pure planing hull?

My vessel is powered by two Man 1800 engines, which deliver good thrust: at half load, 50% diesel, 50% water, the boat reaches 26 knots and comes out of the water cleanly. With a pure planing boat, you just open the throttle and go, and you have more stability because the traction increases as the revs increase. In economical fast-displacement sailing, you have to think differently: if I have to travel 1.200 miles at 8 knots, I know it will take me five or six days, and I plan accordingly. The new interceptor-type vertical-blade trim stabilizers help with planing: while with traditional stabilizers it can take six seconds, with these you're planing in two to four seconds.

Does the integrated dashboard really reduce the workload or are they still just unintuitive systems?

"Everything is very intuitive, and I say this having tried many different systems over the years. With the Infynito 90, the instruments are intuitive, the dashboard space allows you to reach all the controls without having to run, no matter where you are, and everything is interfaced. The issue of redundancy remains important: having physically separate systems, even if integrated into the display, makes a difference."

Can a boat of this size be operated with a reduced crew without operational compromises?

This year we had thirteen guests, five of them children, and there were three of us on the crew: two women and myself. We managed to give the owner a peaceful month, which is the goal of everything. It also depends on the number of guests, but with the right organization, it's doable. The fact that there were three of us, and that we managed everything without any problems without having ever worked together before, says something about the boat as well as the crew.

During the docking phase, what are still the critical points?

I didn't have any problems, and I'll tell you why. The owner even had the stern station installed. Trusting myself entirely, and having a crew I didn't know, when I lined up the boat I went straight to the stern station, the girls handled the lines, and I didn't have to worry about anything. The boat responds very well to maneuvering: the throttle delays are well-calibrated; it doesn't just engage and take off with a sudden acceleration. The first day I took delivery, once the Ferretti staff came out, I immediately felt at ease. Once you have the lines drawn and you're at the stern checking the situation, you're safe.

What kind of feedback are you giving to the construction site today, and on what aspects do you expect quicker responses?

“Honestly, I don't expect any quicker responses than those I've already seen. As soon as I arrived, I outlined a series of points that at first glance might seem trivial, and the shipyard took them seriously. The bow flag mast, for example: after talking to the shipyard, we realized it needed a well-defined mounting point, and we identified a solution with a retractable pole directly in front of the dashboard. The large, very tall kitchen mirror weighs 70 kg: I suggested separating it into two parts to distribute the weight, and from then on, all new models featuring this option are made this way. They're small details, but they listen.”

How much does the shipyard really listen to commanders during the product development phase?

“From my experience, they met my needs with a very open mind. They understood that they were feasible, solvable, and not complicated to manage. Mine is serial number 10, but it's not as if the first nine were made without these measures. The Infynito 90 is one of those models defined as successful and therefore has a dual mold, in order to respond promptly to market demand: serial number 10 is effectively the fifth in the parallel series. Then there's a learning curve for three serial numbers before consolidating the data, and in this case there are also different engines. Before reaching full production maturity, four or five serial numbers actually pass. My feedback is still part of the project's refinement phase.”

If you had to indicate three priorities to develop in future models, what would they be?

“Honestly, I can't point to any priorities, because everything went hand in hand and coherently. I don't feel like suggesting any critical points because, in my opinion, there aren't any. They're doing a good job developing this boat. One thing I can say is that the bow area is very successful, but it all depends on the chosen configuration: bar, jacuzzi, the opening glass. With small children on board, you avoid going out in rough seas, but otherwise the owner used the jacuzzi that month and a half without any problems. The detail that struck me most, and that struck the owner, is the sense of visual openness the interior gives: open galley, opening glass, no visual obstructions. You're inside a boat but you feel like you're outside. That's no small thing.”

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