This week the first show of the boating season, Cannes Yachting Festival, is taking place in the spectacular surroundings of the Bay of Cannes, France. Organised between two ports, Vieux Port hosts the ultimate motor boats and Port Canto is the centre for beautiful sailing boats.

With more than 51,000 visitors from around the world and 542 exhibitors, the festival is an exceptional showcase of the world’s best motor and sailing boats. This year Cannes Yacht Festival is exhibiting 127 world premieres from yacht design brands all over the world.

Here are our top three picks of yachts from Cannes Yachting Festival 2019:

Haze – Extra 86 Fast

Making its debut at Cannes Yachting Festival is the 86 fast by Extra Yachts. Rigby & Rigby is working alongside Lawson Robb on the luxury interior design of this brand-new yacht model built by Palumbo Superyachts. The 86 fast is the latest addition to the Extra line, which includes the Extra 76, 86 and 93, as well as the 120 Alloy and the 130 Alloy flagship.

The 26-metre motor yacht can reach top speeds of 30 knots and is spread over three decks. The 86 fast is constructed from fibreglass and aluminium and has ample living spaces including hosting up to eight guests in four ensuite cabins, including a full-beam owners’ cabin, VIP stateroom placed towards the bow, and two twins, with additional accommodation for three crew members.

Rigby & Rigby, alongside Lawson Robb, are working collaboratively with Extra Yachts to design interiors to suit the needs of their client to include contemporary furniture in neutral and white tones. The sizeable panoramic windows throughout the yacht give the illusion of being in a “large crystal dome”. Luxurious living areas can be found in the full-beam main saloon, as well as a foredeck lounge and a sun deck complete with a C-shaped sofa and bar. The outdoor dining areas feature and extensive 50 square metre beach club which can carry toys including a jet ski.

Riva Rivamere

The sinuous, flowing lines of Riva’s Rivamere is a boat that sits between a big day boat and a weekend cruiser. The 39 foot boat has a retro profile that has the same beautiful profile of its classic boats. Making reference to Riva’s classic boats are stainless grilles along the hull sides, a chrome plated horn and pinstriped mahogany on the bow.

Rivamere’s modernised, yet aesthetically classic, exterior also features twin 400 horse power engines giving it top speeds of 40 knots with a joystick to make it nimbler that its previous models. The helm station features the latest technology of touchpad screens set into a carbon-fibre backdrop. When at anchor, two panels at the stern fold down to become a large swim platform for both sunbathing and fast access to the water.

Riva have successfully drawn on the style of their classical boats in fusion with modernity and illustrates Carlo Riva’s dream – to build boats of peerless beauty.

Vertigo

Alloy Yachts award-winning Vertigo is one of the most innovative and adventurous sailing superyachts in the world. Launched in 2011, Vertigo was both Alloy Yachts and Naval Architect Phillipe Briands’ largest project to date at over 500 GT. Vertigo’s list of accolades includes Sailing Yacht of the Year at the 2012 Superyacht Awards and Best in Show at the Monaco Yacht Show.

The exterior yacht design has a low and sleek profile and has a large amount of uncluttered, adaptable deck space and impressive storage capacity for tenders and toys. Vertigo combines six-star luxury accommodation with high performance sporting equipment such as water skiing, diving, kayaking and boardsailing to keep guests of all ages fit and entertained anywhere in the world. The superstructure is a sculpted dome arcing across the space between the two masts giving the impression that it is floating on glass. Painted in Alex seal metallic silver over the jet-black hull emphasises its sense of weightlessness and adds to the overall effect of being streamlined, aerodynamic and powerful.

Accommodating up to twelve guests in five suites, Vertigo provides the ultimate in spacious at sea living. The luxurious loft style interior, designed by the esteemed Christian Liagre, gives an “Urban at sea” ambience with sleek surfaces and a natural palette of walnut, creams and black. The exceptional and well considered interior layout gives sightlines all the way from the cockpit entrances aft to the raked windscreen with many spaces being separated by glass panels and liquid crystal doors which can be turned transparent or opaque at the touch of a button. The furniture and fittings are simple and sophisticated to ensure that the yacht is admired as a work of art.

The collaboration between the owner, ship yard, naval architect and interior designer have created an exceptional yacht design which demonstrates the perfect balance of sophistication and playfulness.