Lauren Beck is the former editor of Dockwalk and was with the publication from 2006 to 2023. At 13, she left South Africa aboard a 34-foot sailing boat with her family and ended up in St. Maarten for six years. Before college, she worked as crew for a year, and then cut her journalistic teeth at Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies’ Home Journal online. She loves traveling, reading, tennis, and rooting for the Boston Red Sox.
The U.S. leg of the 23rd Benetti Yachtmaster moved into Delray Beach, Florida, for seminars, networking, and fun April 3 and 4. Hosted at the Seagate Hotel, the event included Benetti fleet captains, surveyors, owner’s representatives, and sponsors and continued the celebration of Benetti’s 150th anniversary. The 2023 Yachtmaster events — one in Abu Dhabi in March and one in Delray Beach — once again centered on sustainability under the banner of “Build Your Ideal Yacht.”
More than 25 captains attended the U.S. event, which kicked off with an introduction by Nick Bischoff, Country Manager Benetti Americas, who highlighted the milestones Benetti has achieved over the last 150 years, and those to come as Benetti focuses on the future and their sustainability goals. Sebastiano Vida, head of Product Development Custom Yachts, took the stage next to share of Benetti’s plans to reduce emissions and use more innovative materials and systems during build, all in the effort to make onboard operations more energy efficient and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20 percent.
The last discussion of the day was a panel including Capt. Roberto Beretta of M/Y Vision, Laura Sherrod of Newcoast Insurance, and Peter Selivanoff of Fraser Yachts, which delved into Capt. Beretta’s experiences on board various Benetti’s throughout his career, ranging from accessibility on board to insurance, risk mitigation, SMS and safety concerns, maintenance and crew concerns, plus the importance of honest owner communication and being able to say no when it counts.
The following day’s panel discussion focused on captain feedback as Benetti solicited opinions from their fleet captains on how — and what — to improve in future builds, prodding captains to share their ideas and questions about build and design practicalities to identify future targets in the quest for more innovation and sustainability.
Of course, what Benetti event is complete without a complementary social calendar. The first evening included dinner under the stars with after-dinner whiskey tasting and cigars freshly rolled poolside. After the discussion concluded on day two, attendees adjourned to the beach for some fun in the sun, including Seabob obstacle racing and JETSURF demonstrations. The closing themed dinner that evening “Go elegant yet bold with white and gold” took us back to the Seagate Beach Club with its amazing ocean view for one last dinner. The event officially wrapped after breakfast the following day.
For more event photos, check out our U.S. Benetti Yachtmaster album on Facebook.