It's a mansion overlooking the sea. Or rather, a floating mansion on the sea. These are the luxury boats that take months to complete and have areas of up to 350m². They serve as a refuge for those who can pay a few million reais.
With international travel restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic and the need to maintain social distance, the large yacht market has warmed up even with the aggravated economic crisis.
"Instead of staying at home, people chose to stay inside the vessel, be it a sailboat or a superyacht. This moved the sector a lot, as the vessel is a way to be in several places, but safely," said Mané Ferrari, president of SanTur (Santa Catarina Tourism Development Agency) and licensed president of Acatmar (Associação Náutica Brasileira).
In Santa Catarina, marinas were also closed at the beginning of the pandemic. Acatmar's survey of companies in the sector across the country, including nautical schools and shipyards, showed that 50% of establishments had a marked reduction in customer service, and 32% recorded a moderate drop in revenue during the survey period, which took place between April 20 and May 5.
According to Ferrari, the flexibility in the rules that allowed the return of service is one of the factors that helped to warm up the segment.
In SC, luxury yacht manufacturer Azimut Yachts operates its only shipyard outside of Italy. Of the company's six shipyards, five are in Italian territory. Since 2010 in Brazil, the company has manufactured around 300 boats.
A Brazilian businessman bought the mega-yacht 27 Metri, from Azimut, for R $ 55 million. Made in Itajaí this year, it is the same one that the soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo flaunted on social networks.
In addition to this unit, the company sold five other 27 Metri mega yachts. Each takes about four months to complete.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon