Cannes, France — The Yachting Festival of Cannes returned this year to amaze in the starlit sun of the French Riviera celebrating its 45th anniversary and enjoying a resounding success. The show was held from September 6th and closed on the 11th and a full display of yachts, luxury, accessories and the glamorous lifestyle were played out in the festival’s beautiful venues, the Old Port of Cannes and Port Canto.
It is regarded as Europe’s leading in-water boat show and some 650 exceptional boats and yachts —monohulls and multihulls, motor and sailing boats —ranging from 5 to 50 meters shimmered in the sparkling waters of Cannes in the heart of the French Riviera. There were 135 world debuts, the latest in nautical equipment and numerous innovations on the agenda that were revealed to the 54,000 French and international visitors who made their way to this beautiful port. The show was inaugurated in the presence of the mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, a nationally popular politician.

Highlights of the show included an area reserved for 100% fully electric boats and an area reserved for sea trials offering fast and direct access to the open sea for exhibitors and their visitors. Sustainable development and the environment were also on the agenda with a Green route organized for visitors showcasing over 60 exhibitors presenting a concept in favor of the environment. Prestigious partners of the Yachting Festival included the family-owned champagne house Louis Roederer. with the seventh generation of the Rouzaud family at the helm, and the house of Bentley, the luxury car manufacturer.

“In many ways 2022, will remain unforgettable, not only because we celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Festival but mainly because we reached our ambitious objective which was to exceed the results of the 2019 edition prior to Covid. These very good results echo the latest figures provided by the French Nautical Industries Federation (F.I.N.) on 31 August on the boating industry which has brightened up thanks to order books filling up. Beyond the results, from the first days of the Festival we heard lots of feedback from our 600 exhibitors as to how satified they were and delighted with the visitor quality, positive sales and wonderful weather. All the indicators were green! We are proud of and happy with these results,” explained Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Cannes Yachting Festival.

Yachting, once the sport of kings only, can trace it routes back to the 14th century Dutch who used small fast boats to chase smugglers and pirates. Wealthy ship owners began using these small jaghts to sail out to celebrate their returning merchant ships and it became on trend to use these boats to take out friends just for pleasure. For a yacht is just that, a boat that is designed for the pleasure of its owner.
Next year’s festival is slated to run from September 12th to September 17th. Save that date.
©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette
http://www.cannesyachtingfestival.com/en-gb.html