Immediately following the 2013 Italian Superyacht Forum, where a panel of senior industry leaders explored what the future needs to look like in a financially and politically insecure landscape, some 50 plus captains were asked to exchange their opinions and ideas on what Italy can do better.

What was treated with some skepticism by both sides of the conversation, turned out to be a success story and a very candid exchange of what they have seen when faced with the prospect of taking an Italian project to sea. Having suggested last year to Vincenzo Poerio, CEO of Azimut Benetti, the concept of inviting a gathering of experienced captains to spend a few days touring the Tuscan region and the beating heart of the superyacht industry, he asked, “Do you think they will come?” Obviously when the idea arose, we weren’t exactly sure, but having emailed a few hundred earlier this year we were overwhelmed by the reaction. Many replying that they were already committed to charter activities, yard periods or other owner-driven requirements and some jumping in with two feet and saying yes straight away, only to find out closer to the date that they couldn’t make it. But after hundreds of emails, phone calls and prayers, over 50 captains arrived in Viareggio for a few days of yard tours, social events, face to face meetings and the dynamic round table exchanges.



The invitation they received to attend, asked them to come to Italy, sponsored by the local authorities and tourism groups, plus a good gathering of industry players, and tell the Italian industry what they could do better to improve the product, service and support that the Italian fleet expects. It is impossible to report on every aspect of the conversations, as they didn’t just stop at the table but carried on over coffee, lunch and in the bar late at night, but I thought it would be useful to generate a snap shot of the sort of items that the captains want to see change in the Italian sector. In no particular order;

1. Better communication between yards, sub contractors and captains, to ensure that everyone knows what is going on.
2. An increase in the maintenance envelope around key equipment within the engine room, so the engineer can actually maintain the system properly.
3. A change in the mindset of the workforce, so when an idea to improve the way something is done, the captain, doesn’t always get the response, “That’s how we’ve always done it.”
4. When a new build is delivered, it invariably has a set of manuals and clear information on how systems and equipment can be serviced and maintained, not just a list of phone numbers for the various subcontractors.
5. If something goes wrong and a captain calls a phone number or sends an email for help, then someone picks up the phone and answers his request quickly and efficiently (even at weekends) and/or doesn’t just ignore the email saying it must have got lost in spam.
6. Suppliers, subcontractors and even project team leaders in shipyards remain consistent throughout the build.
7. Paint manufacturers, applicators and yards all agree to create the ideal conditions and time frames to deliver a better paint job.
8. Shipyards need to create a better engineering plan and work more closely with their subcontractors to reduce system installation clashes and a spaghetti of pipework in the machinery spaces.
9. Marinas and agents need to create a better situation and clearer information when it comes to the customs and tax requirements for yachts visiting Italian ports; and not use it as an excuse to charge huge fees and legal costs to sort out a problem.
10. Designers need to understand that a yacht has to be operated safely, maintained and cleaned regularly and therefore the crew should be considered at all times during the programme, especially in the crew quarters and suitable space for equipment and storage.

While these are just a handful of the serious suggestions that came from the captains, there were several hundred individual observations and ideas exchanged all of which were not meant as criticism, but to be used as constructive input into what Italy can do better. We cannot forget that Italy is still the leader in the industry and builds more yachts than any other nation, but hopefully by listening to these candid observations, they can in fact improve their products, services and after sales support, something many yards in Italy haven’t had the capacity or manpower to deliver well.

Here’s to the future. If you would like to know more about future editions of The Superyacht Captains' Forum please contact Georgina Lucey, Events Director at The Superyacht Group on georgina@thesuperyachtgroup.com.

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