YACHT & CRUISE
PEOPLE
THE YACHT STUDIO Face to face with Federico Rossi, Chief Operating Officer of Rossinavi, the Viareggiobased yard that specialises in full-custom superyachts, unique craft tailor-made to reflect the wishes of their owner and all personalised with a strong artisanal input. The next generation yachts? Ecologically-aware, with artificial intelligence and, in future, autonomous
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nterviewing Federico Rossi, Chief Operating Officer of Rossinavi, means talking about a Viareggio family that in 2007, a dismal year for the yacht-building industry, had the smarts and the courage to evolve, morphing from a company producing steel structures specialising in building yachts on commission into a yard creating yachts under its own brand, with full-custom superyachts, unique examples made to suit their owners’ requirements, with everything designed and built in the yard, from minute aluminium screws to streamlined hulls. The yard designs, smelts, welds, sweats, creates and dreams to create something that did not exist before, and perhaps could not even be imagined – like the yachts of the next generation, designed with an emphasis on ecological awareness and equipped with artificial intelligence. Always pushing the limits towards seas where few venture. “The most adrenaline-fuelled challenge is the ideal boat, entirely autonomous. It’s a long-term challenge, but we’re investing significant resources and energy in our research and development division in order to achieve this objective”.
24 | IFDM
Federico Rossi
Rossinavi was founded in 2007 as a development of Cantiere Fratelli Rossi. How did this adventure come about, and how important is the family element? Cantiere Navale Rossi built pleasure yachts and work vessels for third parties. When the international crisis hit in 2007 the market shrank, of course. At the same time we realised we could become a brand and enter the market on our own account. We also had confidence in the fact that as we had a very streamlined corporate management structure our costs were exceptionally low, also bearing in mind that up to that time building boats for other yards meant we could leapfrog one or two elements of the commercial side of things. We enjoyed dizzying growth, which was also down to the confidence displayed in us by two clients – the first commissioned a 54-metre yacht called South and the second ordered a 70-metre craft called Numptia. These two large, important yachts were well-built and beautifully fitted out by the architects. They brought immediate success to the yard and since then our output has settled down at around two deliveries per year. The strength of the family is crucial, especially when that family can build yachts. We’ve built up a store of expertise that’s ours alone, and as we are a very close, supportive family, nobody can take that away from us. Every family member has taken charge of a strategic division of the company and we can all count on each other absolutely. You build entirely bespoke yachts, unique, made-to-measure products that reflect the owner’s requirements. They also include a strong artisanal element. How do these dream yachts come into being? People who enter the world of yachts do so because they love the sea and love exploring an area that’s a natural frontier for humankind, and you can do this in a number of ways. Some just want a yacht, so they have a whole series of seriesbuilt models to choose from, while others want to experience the sea in their own way and seek something that’s tailored to their demands, their needs. That’s where we come in – we try to create yachts that reflect the trends of the moment. It’s a great advantage, because we’ve seen that for series
