A CELEBRATION OF DESIGN EXCELLENCE iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Sncfot c^ets the cfold at the jirst ^Michael (3. ^ina interior ^Desicfn aAward The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is the gold standard of the megayacht world. With a new award for design excellence launched by the leading purveyors of interior design accoutrements, selecting a winner from the finalists for the Michael C. Fina Interior Design Awards was a challenge worthy of the New York- based company's seventy-five year reputation. Profiled in previous issues of ShowBocrrs International, all were present and accounted for at this year's show. Trinity's 164' Norwegian Queen, 161' Anjilis, and lól' Destination Foxharb'r Too; Northern Marine 152' Sorcha; Richmond Yachts' 142' Richmond Lady, Burger's 153' Ingot; and Christen5en's 163' Casino Royale, featured superstar designers like Patrick Knowles, Vripack, Ward Setzer, and Jeff Homchick. Steven Fina and George Fina, accompanied by the magazine's editors, sifted through the chosen. As Steven Fina put it, "Every single yacht had something unique. But we were looking beyond the 'wow' factor. Our win- ner needed to reflect our benchmarks for individuality; innovation; distinctiveness; continuity; versatility; time- less look and feel; and brilliance of overall concept. It also needed to balance detail, elegance, and be the sum of all things luxurious." Wisconsin's Burger Boat Company's 153-foot Ingot took top spot on the podium. The company's heralded 'green' yacht, a product of col- laborative thinking between Burger's design staff and The Netherlands' respected Vripack group, used a vocabulary of neo-classical motifs to make its case to the judges. Being associated for decades with premier designers in luxury yachting, Michael C. Fina has an astute viewpoint. "It's truly remark- able what has taken place in the industry," Fina adds. "And we've seen a drama of increasing size as we work with designers, builders, and own- ers. The award is really our way of honoring the relationships we've had with an industry which has supported us." Steven Fina recounts their impressions stepping aboard Ingot. "What struck us was the flow of the design (experience. Besides the consistency of style, there was a feeling of functionality in every room. The individual- ity of the owner was a definable, but not overwhelming, "In every great accomplishment, it is the small de- tails that contribute to the greater intangible," he adds. "That 'something you can't quite put your finger on', is, in reality, the manifestation of a mastery of detail. And on a rarified environment like a luxury yacht, those details,

orchestrated by a master designer, are what create an ambiance of exceptional quality. "The luxury yacht is your own world where you entertain two types of people. First and foremost, you're entertaining yourself. Then, your entourage of family and friends. And dining is really a centerpiece for that entertainment. "Just as great Michelin chefs conjure with the ingredients of extraordinary taste, our role is to provide the accoutrements that augment the extraordinary. And it is details that make "So, given that all of these yachts were text- book examples of attention to extraordinary details,...