THIS MONTH’s 10
THE EDITOR’S VIEW…
Norberto Ferretti must see something of himself in Solaris’s owner Giuseppe Giuliani. He founded GRAND SOLEIL in 1974, acquired DUFOUR in 1999 then sold the group before buying SOLARIS YACHTS in 2011. They make a formidable pair.
1 NORBERTO’S NEW VENTURE
Norberto Ferretti, the co-founder of Italy’s biggest boat builder, has bounced back from self-imposed exile to launch a new range of stylish lobster boats developed in conjunction with the Italian sailing boat builder Solaris.
At the launch of the new SolarisPower 55 in Viareggio, Italy, Norberto, who helped broker the sale of the Ferretti group to Chinese company Shandong before handing over the reins, said, “I was missing a direct involvement with boats and kept busy with my own projects, free as I am from the obligations of an established brand.”
However, the opportunity to start again from scratch and build a new range of powerboats with an established Italian yard proved too much for Norberto to resist.
Explaining the thinking behind the SolarisPower range, he said, “Among the many boats I have conceived over the years, I was especially smitten by lobster boats, which are a perfect combination of elegance, functionality and seaworthiness.”
Designed by Bruno Acampora, a graduate of
