FRONT — aficionado
BOATING ROYALTY
There’s nothing like a Riva. Only they deserve to be known as the ‘Rolls-Royces of the sea’ – although a better fit might perhaps be Bentley, as Riva also has an illustrious racing history in its CV. But certainly in the drive to be the very best, in every way, with a reputation to match, Riva ticks all the boxes. From modest beginnings in the mid-19th century on the shores of an Italian lake, Riva came to international fame in the 1950s, when it took on the Americans in the world of glamorous, gleaming mahogany speedboats – roundly beating them at their own game. By the 1960s, for the rich and famous ‘jet-set’ living La Dolce Vita on the Riviera, a Riva was the boat to be seen in – and many were, including Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Brigitte Bardot, Peter Sellers and countless more besides. Although Rivas have grown in size over the years, today’s boats are just as beautiful and meticulously built as their legendary forebears, and even more luxurious. The fleet now includes some 15 models, ranging from open dayboats and runabouts, to mid-size sports cruisers and flybridge yachts, to 100-foot-plus superyachts. The smallest is the 27-foot/ 8.2-metre Riva Iseo – a modern re-imagining of classic Riva speedboats of old. The largest is currently the Riva 50m, an awesome 164ft / 50m superyacht, which recently took the prize for Outstanding Exterior Design at the 2020 Boat International Design and Innovation Awards. Two of the most remarkable of the current
collection of Rivas are the 76-foot/23.2-metre Riva 76 Bahamas and the 88-foot/ 26.8-metre Riva 88 Florida. These two substantial motor yachts are the only convertible cabrios of their size in the world. The sight of their power-opening hardtops lifting off, and swinging down onto a recess in the forward deck, never fails to leave quayside onlookers openmouthed in amazement. venturaeurope.com/riva
Today’s boats are just as beautiful and meticulously built as their legendary forebears
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