Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Legendary racing yacht makes big comeback with four new Firsts!
october 19, 2018 - Beneteau

Legendary racing yacht makes big comeback with four new Firsts!


After officially announcing the buyout of Seascape, the talented young Slovenian boatyard, in early July, #beneteau went on to renew its legendary First line, launching four 14- to 27-foot high-performance sailing yachts. Built to plans by architect Sam Manuard, the #first14, 18, 24 and 27 are original Seascape designs and mark the boatyard’s return to the competitive sailing segment. The passionate ‘dream team’ – a wonderful combination of the two boatyards’ cultures – in charge of developing the new First line will be taking the new sailing yachts on a world tour of the autumn boat shows. 

The recent buyout of Seascape has not only enabled #beneteau to renew its offer on a market segment that has shaped history, but it has also inspired a new development culture for the seventh generation of the First line. The Slovenian boatyard’s financial and business model is perceived as a real start-up in the traditional boating industry and the world leader has decided to embrace this agility to give the First line a new lease of life. This approach is in perfect coherence with the ‘Transform to Perform’ strategy that has been in place since Hervé Gastinel took over the management of Group #beneteau.

BENETEAU EMBRACES START-UP-STYLE COMPETITIVE SAILING

Luc Joëssel, who is also the Figaro #beneteau 3 leader, alongside Gianguido Girotti and Luca Brancaleon (BENETEAU’s general managers), Kristian Hajnsek and Andraz Mihelin (Seascape’s co-founders and managers), not to mention François Coutant (who has facilitated the development of the Slovenian brand and its products since 2009), make up a collaborative team in tune with the demands of a new generation of sailors who aspire to enjoying themselves, without the tiresome drawbacks of learning complicated techniques. The men behind the success of Seascape are still very much involved in the First’s crew and intend to apply their core values – innovation, responsiveness, sincerity and proximity – to create a new approach to competitive sailing at #beneteau. Aside from the performance and ingenuity of the boats, one of the keys to Seascape’s success has been to favour proximity. By encouraging sailors to try out the boats and by transparently engineering word of mouth, the boatyard has succeeded in creating a friendly passionate community. Led by François Coutant, it should grow at the same pace as the new First line.