Cannes Logbook - Day 3
Day three at the Cannes Yachting Festival started with a big walk-through: the Fleming 85. Originally, she was docked at the end of the Superyacht extension, but the owners had her moved. Why? Because the original spot left her exposed to the rough seas coming in from the bay and put her right next to the ferry channel. Seeing the choppy seas later from the ferry itself, I can confirm they made the right call—it was definitely the safer spot.
I’ve always loved the classic, rugged trawler look of a Fleming from the outside, but I’ve always found the interiors a little dated. So, when I stepped aboard the Fleming 85, which the owners have named Freya, I was completely and pleasantly surprised. The interior was modern, with clean lines, light woods, and an open, functional layout.
After we finished filming, the owners hung around to chat. They told us about their experience with the shipyard and how they were able to customize almost every part of the vessel to make it their own. It was a great experience for them, and they even got to visit a few times during the build. They’ve been living aboard for 18 months, and you'd never know it. The boat is pristine, which is a testament to the beautiful yet durable design choices. We don’t often get to hear from owners in so much detail, so we probably lingered a little too long, but it was worth it to hear about their adventures and where they were headed next.
Next up were the press events. First, we headed to Prestige, where they announced a whopping five new models for the coming year, including the new M7 catamaran. She’s designed to bridge the gap between the M48 and the M8. Her lounge-like aft seating is closer to the water than any other catamaran of her size, making it a very comfortable and unique space.
Then, we dropped by the Greenline booth. As a broker for Greenline, I’m pretty familiar with the 45 Hybrid, so I decided to try a single-take, sub-minute walk-through for social media. I NAILED IT!
We said a few more hellos in Vieux Port, then it was time to head back to the apartment to refresh before crossing back over to Port Canto for the next Axopar press event. The crossing was a bit rougher than the day before. The winds were gusting up to 30 knots, and the sea was choppy with whitecaps. We wisely decided to take the larger ferry instead of risking a drenching on the smaller RIBs. Even on the big boat, we were rolling a bit, and a little sea spray still found its way into our hair!
On our way to the press event, we stopped by the Ataia booth for a quick chat and an espresso with the team. We also got a chance to see the new Saxdor 400 GTS, which had the biggest dropdown balconies I have ever seen on a vessel of that size.
When we arrived at the Axopar booth, we learned we were scheduled to take the Brabus Shadow 1500 to a nearby island for a snack and a drink. But the rough sea state put a stop to those plans. Instead, we took the Brabus for a short ride to the center of the marina for the world debut of the new Axopar 38 Cross Cabin, which was sporting a very cool wrap. The 38 and the Brabus did a little dance in the marina while Jan-Erik talked us through all the improvements made to the 38, using the popular 37 as a guide. I later confessed to Jan-Erik that we had actually seen the 38 a few days earlier when we were out on the Level on our first day in France.
Once we were back on the dock, we chatted with some of our favorite PR folks and grabbed a cold beverage (which took a minute to find). Then, it was time for dinner. We ended up at a Spanish-inspired restaurant. My chicken was delicious, but the salad was… well, a bit weird. Not sure how I feel about cactus as an ingredient, but at least the mezcal was tasty.
Another day in the books. It was a late night of preparing for the three walk-throughs we had scheduled for the next morning, but it was all worth it.