The yachting season in the Adriatic kicked off with the Adriatic Yachting Association event “Giga Yacht Captains’ Forum” last week in Porto Montenegro where some of the most prominent yacht captains enjoyed top-notch speakers sharing their unique experiences and knowledge. Speakers such as Feadship representatives, avant-garde superyacht designer Igor Lobanov, Polar Code expert Captain Chris Schaefer and Swiss Ocean’s Matthias Bosse team.
“On behalf of AYA, I am very proud we have gathered such a prominent group of captains in this unique marina setting. All guests experienced the well-known Montenegrin warm and sincere hospitality while learning and enjoying the setting, friendly and professional atmosphere, all with the RC 44 regatta taking place in the background!” said Nizar Tagi, one of the founders of AYA.
Following up on the initiatives of the Adriatic Yachting Association (AYA), Porto Montenegro supported the organisation of this inaugural event gathering some of the world’s most prominent captains and industry representatives for learning, networking and socialising.
The Forum hosted several captains of boats over 90m in length, joined by long-term clients of the marina who shared with guests their perspective of living and working in Tivat.
The first day of the event focused on showcasing the Porto Montenegro marina, upcoming Bijela shipyard and highlights of the Boka Bay. The upcoming shipyard, currently under construction in cooperation with one of the world’s leading shipyards, Damen, was of great interest to all captains. Damen representatives gave an overview of the project and shared exclusive information on the plans for the future. This was the first visit made to the project by international industry representatives.
The key focus of the forum were the seminars – Captain Christoph Schaeffer gave a presentation about his amazing trips to the North. The Polar Code presentation, conducted by a man who had visited the area twice, showcased how it is possible to offer your guests an unforgettable yet luxurious experience in the extreme weather conditions.
Guests from the Swiss Ocean Service, captain Jose Suoto and Alexander Schoeller presented their management app, created to make life on board more comfortable and to offer much-needed support to the captains and crew at all times. Bas Nederpelt, commercial director of Feadship, gave an insightful presentation discussing the ‘state of the industry’. Latest data on the industry trends and forecast served as an introduction to Feadship’s design workshop where participants themselves sat with the company’s designers giving them direct input on how they would built their yacht. Closing the Forum, AYA and Porto Montenegro welcomed industry’s superyacht designer Igor Lobanov who showcased some of his latest projects through a VR presentation.
The Giga Yacht Captains’ Forum was the first big initiative to come from the region’s association. Porto Montenegro is happy to support the upcoming organisation in taking yachting to the next level in the Adriatic.
