Cannes Logbook - Day 1
A Whirlwind First Day at the Cannes Yachting Festival
Day one was a whirlwind. I landed in Nice at 8 am and hopped in a taxi to get to Cannes, where we thankfully checked in early, dropped our bags, and headed straight for the show. Even though the festival hadn't officially opened yet, we hit the ground running with our first scheduled walkthrough of the 43 ST (Super Tender) from Level Yachts.
When we arrived at the stand, the crew was putting the finishing touches on the boat. We met Bruno and Oswaldo, the father-and-son team who founded the company. They were incredibly welcoming, and Bruno took us out for our first boat ride of the show. This was the first time I had ever navigated a European marina, and let me tell you, the mooring lines were a little too close for comfort. Luckily, the joystick on the Volvo diesels was dialed in, making it easy to avoid them.
Once we got out on the beautiful Côte d'Azur, I was encouraged to really open her up. The dual Volvo Penta IPS drives had her up on plane in no time. With only a slight chop, I had to find some other boats to play in their wake and see how the 43 ST handled bigger water. We even came across a very unique-looking Axopar, which I later learned was a secret to the press. It was the new 38 model, which had its own press event a few days later, but I'll save those details for Cannes Logbook, day 3.
After playing around a bit, we headed to a small cove with a few superyachts and deployed the terraces and swim platform. I really wished I had brought my swimsuit because the deep blue water looked so inviting. I placed the platform right at the water's level and dipped my feet in—the water was quite chilly, so I probably wouldn't have stayed in for long anyway. We sat there chatting for a while, and after cranking up the music to hear the sound system, I had my own solo dance party!
Back at the dock, we chatted with Bruno and Oswaldo about launching their brand. With their combined experience in importing, exporting, running dealerships, and after-sales service, they are well-positioned to do it right the first time. They've already delivered seven vessels, with several more nearing completion on the floor. We left the booth singing the boat's praises and promised to stop by whenever we walked past.
After a very long day, Alex Hammond (our Director of Content and the one behind the camera) decided it was time for dinner. We chose La Pizza Cresci, which was right down the street from our apartment. We were enjoying some homemade pasta when we noticed that a group sitting next to us was from my neck of the woods in South Florida. They had no idea a boat show was even happening when they decided to visit Cannes and were excited to explore the next day.
At that point, I had been up for more than 24 hours, so it was time to head back. We made a game plan for the next day, and I don't even remember my head hitting the pillow. I fell asleep instantly! More on Day Two, which was packed with press events and two walkthroughs before the show even opened, in my next entry.