EUROPE REPORT
The 46th Cannes Yachting Festival was the largest one ever, hosting 610 exhibitors and 705 boats. The Cannes Yachting Festival remains the largest and the most visited European pleasure boat show organized on the water.
The show’s organizers said the event has never hosted that many motor and sailing, mono and multi hulls, outboard boats, ribs and semi-rigid boats, tenders, electric, hydro-foiling, and other types of boats.
The show ran Sept. 12-17, offering six days of meetings and exchange with boat builders, engine and equipment manufacturers, designers and architects and other professionals from the pleasure marine industry.
The event hosted by a beautiful Mediterranean Cannes attracted 55,000 visitors coming from more than 130 worldwide countries. As usual, it was organized in two locations in the city, Vieux Port and Port Conto des Cannes. Motorboats and yachts in all sizes and with all propulsion types were displayed at the Vieux Port and sailing yachts and catamarans at the Port Canto des Cannes.
The Vieux Port, including Palais des Festival, hosted 540 motor boats and yachts this year. Brands with a long international presence have taken place into the event, as Azimut-Bennetti Group, Ferretti Group, San Lorenzo Group, Princess Yachts, Fairline, Sunseeker, Pershing, Sirena Yachts, Arcadia, Galeon, Cranchi, Marex, Windy, etc. More than 70 yachts over 22 meters have had the highest level of visits.
The “Green Route” grouped all motorboat builders and technologically advanced companies moving to carbon free recreational boating. Representatives of Power Systems Research met with manufacturers such as Candela, Edorado, Elvene, Cosmopolitan Yachts, Sunreef and others to learn more about how the industry is converting to electrification.
Marine propulsion engine and power generation manufacturers, hybrid, electric/battery, alternative fuel solutions developers, such as MAN, Yanmar, FPT Industries, Rolls-Royce MTU, ZF Aftermarket, e-Motion, CmC Marine, Volvo Penta, Fischer Panda, Bellmarine, EPTechnologies, Vulkan, Integrel presented their latest innovations and shared with us their views on the marine pleasure market trends.
About 115 sailing boats and catamarans built by Oyster, Southern Yachts, Ice Yachts, Elan, Fountaine Pajot, Dufour, Benneteau Group, Swan, Bali, Catana, Bavaria, Hanse Yachts, Lagoon, Sunreef, Windelo and many others were displayed at Port Canto. Thirty yachts had their world premieres. The most interest was shown in boats driven by sun (solar panels), wind (sails, eoliennes), and water (hydrogeneration), supported by an appropriate pure electric or electric/hybrid drive.
The presence of numerus hydro-foiling/electric boats and on-going projects was surprising. In size up to 10 meters and driven by electric engines, hydro-foiling boats are specifically designed to be equally performant and sustainable. They are becoming more popular among the younger generation of boaters since they offer a unique, fast, and clean water experience. PSR
Natasa Mulahalilovic is Marine Pleasure Boat Analyst-Europe for Power Systems Research
