The owner tells his story to the Benetti Magazine.
Every owner is a Captain at heart. Many are actually able to achieve high levels of competence, both on the bridge and below decks. Very rarely, however, does an owner reach the level of skill that is necessary to cruise on a 93 ft yacht with his family – and without a single professional crew member on board.
The owner of the second Benetti Delfino is one of these rare, accomplished sailors. “I’ve had boats for over 10 years, starting from a 26 footer through to our last 60 ft yacht, and I have a strong technical background”, he says. “All you need is to get the worry out of the way, take your time, and relax: which is why you are on a yacht in the first place”.
To which his wife interjects: “And he’s good at it, too!”
And in the engine room? “I enjoy the mechanical side. I like to understand what I’m driving. When you’re out there you can’t just park on the sidewalk and call a tow truck.”
Even the process through which he bought the Delfino 93 is quite unique. “We bought our 60 ft yacht two years ago, and we found it undersized for our needs. Fridges, water-makers, stowage, everything wasn’t quite where we wanted it. And so we thought that an 80-95 ft yacht would suit us better. We got in touch with a few builders, then, during a dinner, a casual conversation brought me to think more closely about the 100 ft ranges. Now, there are not many 100 ft yachts you can look at in Australia so I went to Ft Lauderdale to take a look at 10-15 second hand boats, from all the major brands. The second last that I visited was a 100 ft Benetti Tradition. I called my wife and said this is it, I’ve found it. I put in an offer but didn’t get to close the deal, so I decided to buy a new one”.
“I found the Delfino ideal in style and layout. I said to my wife: if I were to design my own dream boat this would be it. I like the Benetti style, 12/13 knots is the real speed at which we cruise, and I appreciate the silence on board. The design that is classic in nature and will not age quickly, because the ship look is timeless”.
“I think the whole experience of buying the yacht was important. I didn’t just follow the advice of a good salesman. I did a thorough research and decided on Benetti because of the details, the layout, the design and living space. Also the specs and options are excellent. Another trait that I appreciated in Benetti was the pre sale support. The sales person wasn’t pushy and didn’t intimidate me at any time. They answered all questions promptly and with great amount of detail. I’ve found the yachting industry pretty average in its presentations, and you get to think if the pre-sale is not good then what’s going to happen once they have my money?”
The Benetti team set to work on spreadsheets and specifications, “and no information was withheld”. Once the technicalities were sorted, the relationship slowly turned into a friendship. “These are very nice people, and there is a family feeling throughout. Everyone is friendly, helpful, and they try to explain their choices and politely point you in the right direction”.
The yacht will be delivered in July 2011. The owner will hire a local captain for his first cruise in the Mediterranean. “I want to get to know the yacht, and I also need someone to take me to the right places”. After the yacht has been run in, it will make its way home to Melbourne, Australia, and the challenging ocean waters in which the owner will navigate with family and friends. And no crew.
