designed the navy-blue wide-bodied hull with an open bow—“We expect all 12 guests to be up front at some point,” he says—with generous lounges and more seating at the rear. The boat has a protected area beneath the hardtop where passengers can congregate in inclement weather. The design also includes a utilitarian cabin with a single stateroom, a head with shower, and a small navigation station or “Zoom room” for remote working.
A summer-charter business Paolo started in 1969, Azimut-Benetti now has a 2023 order book that stretches 19,656 feet, or 3.7 miles, if hulls under construction were laid end to end. The group has five facilities, in Italy and Brazil, and more than 2,000 employees. Models range from 40-foot cruisers to hybrid-powered 350-foot-plus gigayachts.
Giovanna, an attorney, does not presume to be her father. But she has an historic familiarity with the Azimut brand that started as a child when she spent summers helping her father test the latest models. “Yachting has always been a part of my life,” she says. She’s surrounded by a strong management team and works closely with product committees on new models.