Riva is to yachting what Givenchy is to haute couture; a heritage brand founded on exquisite craftsmanship, superior design, and synonymous with devastatingly beautiful ambassadors. While Audrey Hepburn sashayed her way through the 1950s adorned in Givenchy’s fine garments, Brigitte Bardot lay draped seductively across her Riva classic, becoming an iconic symbol of the Saint Tropez lifestyle and 1960s yachting elite. That moment in time is distilled down to one man and his vision; Carlo Riva.
Driven by boundless passion for boats and the family business since he was a child, Carlo Riva took an already flourishing Italian shipyard and transformed it into a symbol of elegance, status and perfection. Recognised for selecting materials of the highest quality, a painstaking care for the tiniest of details, unparalleled expertise and workmanship, and defining the ‘Made in Italy’ stamp of approval, Riva’s creations became the object of desire for the aristocracy, successful businessmen and film stars alike.
Fast-forward to today, and Riva remains at the pinnacle of its game. But 2019 represents a compelling step-change for the company. Enter Race, Riva’s first 50-metre superyacht, the new flagship of the brand and the dawn of an exciting era. Officially premiered in Venice in June, “the yacht pushes the brand to a further level of excellence worldwide,” says Ferretti Group chief executive, Alberto Galassi.
“The launch of Race reconfirms the uniqueness of Riva design, a universally recognised icon able to evolve, balancing tradition and innovation, timeless beauty, cutting-edge technologies and functionality,” he says. “Moreover, this crucial launch will have a great impact on the brand’s identity: Riva will be the only brand in the world to produce yachts from eight metres to 95 metres.”
Characterising the beginning of the Riva Superyachts Division, Race is the largest Riva built to date, and represents a natural development of the brand itself, says Galassi, “turning the dream of Carlo Riva into something tangible”.
A four-deck 50-metre featuring accommodation for 12 guests in five cabins, including a main deck master suite, Race both meets and enhances the brand’s signature stylistic excellence and keeps the authentic Riva DNA alive. A jacuzzi on the sundeck provides panoramic views while cruising, a stern garage boasts enough room to house a Williams Dieseljet 625 tender, and a foredeck storage area has ample space for a pair of jet skis. In an unusual move, the interior layout sees the galley located on the lower deck, with a central dumb waiter for discreet service to all four decks.
The typical Riva design flare is present, manifested in the use of mahogany, metallic paint and aquamarine touches, while the larger, stainless-steel hull offers a semi-bespoke layout and interiors, something not previously seen on smaller Rivas. Developed in collaboration with Officina Italian Design and designed by Mauro Micheli, the Riva Superyacht series will eventually stretch up to 90 metres and offer custom-built yachts to discerning owners. Built at the Ferretti Group’s Ancona shipyard – the hub dedicated to building the entire CRN fleet, all the models of Custom Line, the Riva in steel and Pershing in aluminium – the Riva Superyachts Division benefits twofold from Riva’s engineering and design team, as well as Ferretti’s expertise in shipbuilding. “The Ancona shipyard extends over a surface area of nearly 80,000 square metres, of which about 25,000 is covered, and is one of the largest yacht production facilities in Europe,” says Galassi.
The launch of the Riva Superyachts Division has come at a time when the nautical market is becoming ever more demanding and requires a tailor-made offer, he explains. “There are customers in the market who want to be recognised as different with having a Riva exterior design and our attention to detail,” he explains. When it comes to owners from the Middle East, the lure of European brands and the attributes that Riva and Ferretti represent has driven high demand, according to Praveen Nair, Senior Sales Manager at Ocean 360, the Ferretti Group’s strategic Middle East partner: “We can see a shift in yacht owners’ behaviour over the past years. They are more involved and more educated in terms of brands and shipyards. They want European brands, and Italians are known for their quality and style. But for our clients it is more than that, they want to become part of the world’s most exclusive yachting group. Riva especially is very well known throughout our territories due to its heritage and design, along with other Ferretti Group brands such as Pershing and Ferretti yachts.”
Prizing specific yachting criteria, such as large Majlis-type seating areas, the ability to walk through their yacht in privacy without being disturbed by the crew, powerful air conditioning and ventilation, and multiple socialising areas around the yacht, the 50-metre Riva is a fantastic option, says Nair. “The Riva 50m is prefect for our region,” he concludes, “especially that yachts between 30 to 50m typically dominate here.”
