News & Events | Noticias y Eventos

The 62nd Genoa International Boat Show

This renowned event was organized by the Italian Marine Industry Association and I Saloni Nautici from 22nd to 27th September, 2022. “Genoa wants to be the nautical capital of the world, able to host international events. The Ocean Race actively took part in this edition of the Genoa International Boat Show, having chosen Genoa as its finishing line and Grand Finale city for June 2023: this will be an enormous opportunity for a global relaunch of the city, of yachting and, most importantly, of environmental protection, as oceans are a resource that must be protected.”, underlined Marco Bucci, Mayor of Genoa. The largest yachting event on the Mediterranean offered visitors a renewed layout, anticipating the redevelopment of the Levante Waterfront, which is currently in the process of being completely redesigned according to renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano’s plan, which, starting next year, will provide the event with new docks, new exhibition spaces on the ground, new accommodation, new services, and underground parking. Building on the experience of the two extraordinary editions of 2020 and 2021, in full

contrast with the rest of Europe, the 62nd edition showed exceptional figures. “There were over 1,000 boats present, 998 brands on display, bringing 168 world premieres,” commented the President of the Italian Marine Industry Association, Saverio Cecchi. The 62nd Genoa International Boat Show in numbers: This Show’s edition received 103,812 visitors, which represented a 10.7% increase in visitors since last year The six-day event saw 168 world premieres, including conventions, seminars, technical workshops, conferences, presentations, and 4,463 sea trials. In terms of communications, 1117 journalists were accredited and 644 articles were published during the Genoa Boat Show alone. During the Boating Economic Forecast conference held at the show, it was explained how the year 2021 for the Italian yachting industry turned out to be the year with the best increase in turnover ever, reaching an impressive 6 billion euros, and consolidating a clear structural growth. Among the decisive factors fueling this growth is export of shipbuilding production, which in the sliding year ending March 2022 reached an all-time high of 3.37 billion euros, with the USA as the leading market for Italian yards (485 million euros, or 16.4% share). Other determining factors are the order books of Italian yacht and superyacht yards, which for many operators even cover the next three years, and the excellent

performance of the boating accessories and engines sectors. Carlo Maria Ferro, President of the Italian Trade Agency commented that “the Italian boating industry is highly appreciated abroad for its ability to bring together the excellence of the Made in Italy brand across mechanics, technology, design, furniture, and components. All this answers the question of why the sector’s numbers are so positive: because when demand picks up, people buy the best product. Export figures confirm this: in 2020 exports grew despite everything, in 2021 numbers increased by 34% and in the first six months of 2022 they grew by another 72%. We are satisfied with Italian exports and we are very satisfied with yachting exports”.

YTM Publisher Dolores Barciela would like to express her deepest thanks to the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Marine Industry Association who kindly invited her to attend this edition of the Genoa International Boat Show. It was a pleasure to experience first-hand the exceptional quality of their yachts, accessories and services Made in Italy paired with Italian superb designs, world-class quality, elegance and warmth.

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

Rescuing Cold-Stunned Endangered Sea Turtles on Cape Cod for over 30 Years

Text & Photos by NANCY BLOOM

Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, a member of the federal government’s sea turtle stranding network for the Greater Atlantic Region, has rescued over 700 turtles from Cape Cod Bay beaches this year. In past years, volunteers have rescued as many as 1200 turtles, most being Kemp’s Ridley or loggerhead turtles. This year, however, an unusually high number of green sea turtles have been rescued by the many volunteers who walk Cape Cod’s beaches looking for cold-stunned turtles that have been tossed ashore during the high tides. The body temperature of a sea turtle is regulated by the temperature of the water around them. Green turtles are less cold-

tolerant than the other turtles that have washed up. According to Bob Prescott, the founder of the sea turtle rescue program, this may be due to last year being one of the warmest summers for the Gulf of Maine, which includes Cape Cod Bay. When the water temperatures in Cape Cod Bay decrease and the turtles begin their journey to warmer waters, some of them don’t make it out of the Bay in time to head South. Because of Cape Cod’s hook shape, several turtles get trapped and become disoriented in the currents. When the water reaches about 50°F in November, these disoriented turtles get too cold to eat, drink, or swim and become cold-stunned. During periods of high winds, the turtles

are pushed up on shore by high tides and left stranded. Volunteers search the bay side shores night and day looking for these cold-stunned turtles. Once rescued, the turtles are brought to the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. They are assigned tracking numbers, examined by trained staff, placed in banana boxes with fresh towels and transported to the New England Aquarium in Quincy, Massachusetts for evaluation and rehabilitation. The Mass Audubon Sea Turtle Rescue and Recovery Program is the largest annual cold-stun program in the world. Donations can be made at massaudubon.org/seaturtles.