Senior Cataldo Aprea, owner of Apreamare, one of the largest and most famous luxury pleasure yacht companies in the world, is the true embodiment of Italian temperament and love of life.
Apreamare is already selling its products in the UAE through the office of Middle East Yacht Company, but due to recent changes in the appearance of the Emirates coast caused by the construction of a series of artificial “palm” islands and the Mir archipelago, the shipbuilding empire of Senor Aprea has decided to expand on a large scale in the Middle East region. That is why, after a three-year break, Senor Cataldo Aprea personally arrived in Dubai on a working visit to meet again with such a familiar and, at the same time, unfamiliar country ...
During a boat trip from Dubai Marina to The Palm Jumeirah on one of the yachts manufactured by Apreamare, I managed to talk with the "owner of factories, newspapers, ships".
About the sea and yachts ...
Apreamare is part of the world-famous Ferretti Group, which was founded in Italy in 1968 and today, along with Apreamare yachts, it represents 8 more brands of cruise liners and luxury yachts of various classes on the world markets.
Apreamare S.p.A. is headquartered in Sorrento and, of course, "this city is the best city on Earth." So says Senor Cataldo. Apreamare launches pleasure yachts from 7 to 16 meters long with open decks or with deck superstructures, in which there are comfortable cabins with shower and toilet. A distinctive feature of all, without exception, yachts built at Apreamare shipyards is the stainless steel and durable teak finish, which is impeccable in terms of taste and quality.
The latest company news was presented in February 2005 at the international exhibition of boats and yachts in Miami. These are Apreamare 14.5, Apreamare 100 Open and 100 Comfort. Apreamare 14.5 is the new version of the classic marine cruiser, which is equipped with dual 730 HP CAT engines and can reach speeds of up to 30 knots. The yacht is very durable, hardy and comfortable. Equipped with two cabins with all amenities.
Apreamare 100 Open and 100 Comfort - yachts 10 meters long, the new stunning design of which was developed by the famous Umberto Tagliavini. The yachts are presented in two versions - with an open deck and with a superstructure equipped with cabins. Both variants of the "hundred" are very fast, comfortable and "dry." Yanmar 315 HP engines allow you to go at high speed. The decoration is still dominated by the same classic mahogany teak and stainless steel, which made the Apreamare brand so popular among yachtsmen and just among the wealthy public.
“Our yachts are in great demand in the Mediterranean, USA, Japan, Scandinavia and even Russia. I’m sure that very soon we will win the hearts of Middle Eastern buyers,” says Senor Cataldo. “Today we are one of the best in its niche and in quality of u1089 ships , and on the formation of pricing policies, and relations with our customers. I was struck by the changes that have occurred in Dubai over some three years. With the pace of construction of artificial islands, not only in the UAE, but also in other Gulf countries, I I'm afraid, as if on m did not have to significantly increase production volumes. "
Senior Aprea admitted that for quite some time he was dominated by stereotypes. “I honestly thought our open deck yachts weren’t the most sought after product in the Gulf. It’s very hot here, especially in summer, there aren’t so many piers where private owners could keep their boats. But what I saw now, made me reconsider my point of view.
The market for our products here is very large. Many islands, when they are completely finished, can only be reached by water. There will be a huge demand, both for private yachts, and for "water taxis", and for many other types of ships, for example, for mini-cruises. Accordingly, a huge number of parking for boats and yachts will be equipped. In addition, the climate in the UAE is becoming cooler, so we plan to deliver our best models of yachts of different lengths and different types - both open and with deck superstructures.
I do not want to get ahead of myself, predicting the volume of my company’s activity in this market. I can only say that here we have a reliable partner, Middle East Yacht Company, together with which, I am sure, we will do a good job. I suggest meeting again in three years and looking at the results together. "
With the maestro about the "Maestro" ...
In November 2005, the first yacht of the new Apreamare line, named "Maestro", was sold in Europe. By next summer, 29 yachts from the new series will be manufactured. By the way. Real "sea wolves" do not consider ships an inanimate object. Moreover, when it comes to a vessel, it is addressed only in the feminine gender (this rule applies in all European languages). That is, the ship is always "IT". Even the famous “Titanic” is also “IT”. It is hard to say where this tradition came from. Maybe it was based on the word "dream" of the feminine, or maybe your favorite ship was a living embodiment of your beloved woman. Perhaps that is why a woman on a ship - unfortunately, because pushing two ladies on the same territory is always dangerous. I do not know.
But back to the Maestro. What is this yacht? And why does the owner of the company speak of Her with such pride and enthusiasm?
"Maestro" is my dream, and sometimes, I catch myself thinking that this yacht is more than a dream. This is a new generation of yachts. I am a very strange person. I never do what others do. Creating "Maestro", I decided that I needed to do something completely different from everything on the market. And he started with "NOT" - which I DO NOT want to do. Believe me, when I met the chief designer of the Maestro line, I did not know at all what I want, but I absolutely knew exactly what I did NOT want. And from these NOT a series of Maestro yachts was born, which I personally am very proud of because it is a dream born of contradictions.
I believe that buyers in the Gulf will like these yachts. They are beautiful, elegant, well decorated. There is a very demanding audience, but even to it we will find an approach. All our vessels are haute couture vessels. In the manufacture of each yacht, we take into account any, even the smallest, customer requirements. "
With these words, Senor Cataldo brought his right boot from the outer deck. Since we talked in the cabin, according to tradition, all those present, regardless of ranks and ranks, took off their shoes, thereby giving due respect to the masters who made magnificent teak floors, which need to be treated with care. With a radiant face, Senor Cataldo showed me the inner insole of his boot, on which was written his name, some number and the name of the workshop. "My shoes are sewn by hand by my personal standards. The shoe is kept by the master. So are we at Apreamare - we make piece-work yachts. And each has its own" face "and its own" character. "True, temperament is always Italian." Laughing ...
Maybe, in fact, the ship is IT?
About life…
In parting, Senor Cataldo and Apreamare export manager Signor Francesco Imported kindly invited us (namely, the entire editorial staff of the magazine - author's note) to visit us in the city of Sorrento. And they made, in our person, a compliment to all the people who were born and raised in the USSR. “You Russians are strong and very purposeful. You clearly know what you want. This means that you will always win and achieve the goal no matter what it costs you,” concluded Senior Aprea.
Nicely. Especially when you know for sure that everything said is true. Such a life…
Elena Olkhovskaya
