Hoteliers in Cannes, Monaco and Saint Tropez will tell you that September is one of their busiest periods of the year, with available rooms virtually non-existent over much of this jam-packed month. It’s the same story in the Heli Securite control room with a large number of private charter flights being booked during this time of year.
Much of the traffic in September is driven by nautical events held on the French Riviera, the yachting heartland of Europe, from the Monaco Yacht Show beginning on September 23rd to Les Voiles de Saint Tropez at the end of the month.
Another important boating event which is growing in popularity year on year is the Cannes Yachting Festival, being held over five days from September 8th 2015 in and around the Port of Cannes.
Celebrating its 38th edition, the Cannes Yachting Festival is now the largest international boat show afloat in Europe and this year more than 550 boats will be on display with over 100 models making their world premiere and 80 per cent of the boats being available for sea trials.
To a newcomer, the vast exhibition space over 300,000 square metres might seem daunting, so here are our Top Five Picks of what you must see before the close of the show.
- One of this year’s world premieres is Only One, a stunning 150-foot superyacht by Italian shipbuilders Baglietto Yachts. This very beautiful yacht built of steel and was designed by Francesco Paszkowski and is capable of achieving up to 17-knots speeds. Only One can be found at SYE170-SYE036
- Another yacht sure to make waves this year is the festival’s largest sailing yacht, Seawave by the Southern Wind Shipyard in South Africa. This impressive racing yacht measures just over 104 feet. Seawave is located at SYE176-SYE042
- A somewhat smaller but none the less striking exhibiting boat is the Invictus 280 GT, a new day boat which can carry up to eight passengers in comfort but is also equipped with a powerful engine capable of providing a top speed of 38 knots. Invictus 280 GT can be seen at QML218-SYE021
- The next exhibit is something of a novelty: a floating bespoke house for ultimate luxury living on the calm waters of a lake. Sounds too good to be true? Then visit the designers who will tell you all about it at PALAIS051
- This year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, easily reached from the airport of Nice by luxury helicopter charter, will showcase a large number of luxury products to suit all the family, from tender toys for the kids to exclusive jewellery for the missus. At PALAIS028 discover the opulent world of Fred, exceptional watches and bespoke pieces inspired by ‘life, light, movement and energy”. FRED PALAIS028
