Vasco, it is quite surprising to see a paper version of your seasonal digital buletin ‘CdM Experience’ here in Cannes just after its launch of the newest version online. Can you explain us why you decided to do it? The Digital Revolution has definitely changed radically our way of life, our working schemes, our way of communicating one another. At CdM we have tried to follow that path constantly, trying to keep up with the Digital R-Evolution, as we have demonstrated lately with the CdM Experience Newsletter and Website. As you know, the digital version of CDM Experience interfaces with our clientele through the latest technologies and webdesign techniques, reaching and dialoguing with all of our audience in the most modern and updated way. But consistency is a key-word at CdM. We love to be consistent with our mission, vision and values in all what we do. And what we do is: handcrafting displacement vessels, designed to cruise the oceans at a speed which allows to enjoy every single mile of them, every single landscape in detail, following the rhythm of the Nature instead of the one imposed by our hectic daily routine. There is no doubt that one of the first things which comes to mind when thinking about taking a real break from the ‘real world’ is: reading a book, with a good glass of wine, with no rush, letting all the emotions flow at their natural rythm. The words and the plot of a book need more reflection than a movie, the taste, the colour and the body of a good wine need the awakeness of all of our senses without interference. To enjoy both of them you need time and all your senses awake. So, we think that giving into our reader’s hands a paper magazine, with its smell, its visual impact, and its words stepping out of the page into our minds, is the most consistent way to talk about who we are and what we do. This doesn’t mean that the Digital version of it is not consistent, or wrong: this means that – whenever we have time, like during a long passage on one of our vessels – it is going to feel good to lay down on a couch, open this tabloid keeping it in our hands and enjoy the stories in it! It is a complement, not a substitute of the digital experience!

This makes a lot of sense, and I understand the mission of being coherent to the need of going slow to regain control of our feelings and emotions. But this is not exactly the rythm of CdM since you have started it up, isn’t it? Yes, indeed. This is the third Festival de la Plaisance we are attending and we are doing it with our Darwin 96 M/Y Stella di Mare (see interview to the owner and the captain in this issue). As all of our followers know, we have done a lot in a very short time, and if you consider that it has been done in the middle of the worst moment of the GFC... It sounds like the double! It hasn’t been easy, believe me, but I do not regret one of the many days in which we have worked until late at night, I don’t regret even one of the three summer holidays I have skipped to make things going, or one of the difficult time in which – inevitably – we had to speed up and shift gear to deliver the utmost quality to our clients. As far as it concerns us, quality time comes from the number of successes (not only commercial) which are witnessing the fact that we are completely respecting our mission and our vision, without compromising our values. It is going to come the time that will allow us to take a break and enjoy the oceans, too. At the moment we are 100% committed to let our clients doing it as much hasslefree as possible!

Cannes is a very special Yacht Show and you have attended quite a few in your carreer: is there something special you’d like to say about it to our readers? I have many beautiful memories and anecdotes, and we would need a monography just for that...! Let me just say that for me it is one of the most beautiful moments of the year, where we have the chance to meet with our collegues from the industry and exchange ideas and projects, and during which we meet face to face with a lot of prospect clients. The latter is the most important thing: as I said many times before, there is no better time of the year than September to meet with customers who have just finished their cruising season and have very clear ideas of what they are missing on their boats! Shipyards who are able to answer those requests, have a great opportunity attending Cannes Boat Show!!!