The story of the most beautiful yacht in the world

In 1842, a violent storm swept over Lake Iseo in Sarnico, Italy, whipping the water to a froth and hurling boats as if they were made of balsa wood. Emerging to find their vessels hopelessly damaged, the local fisherman felt incapacitated, their livelihoods seemingly laid to waste. When salvation arrived, it came not in the form of a local but a newcomer – an ambitious young shipbuilder who had travelled westwards from Lake Como. In a trying hour, this man of talent won the town’s respect by repairing almost all of their damaged boats. That man’s name was Pietro Riva, and he never did return to Lake Como, instead founding the boatyard at which Riva still build their boats today. A moment of drama had given birth to something special.

Rive Ventura 1

Image: Riva

Riva’s boat building business has been handed down from father to son for generations, with each successor adding to the accumulation expertise. These refined craft skills are visible in that identifiable Riva aesthetic that persists in spite of the trend for white-washed boats made of space-age synthetics. A descendant of the hallowed Riva Aquarama, surely the most famous speedboat in the world, the 33ft Aquariva retains the same elegant lines and materials, the same quality of craft and design.

Riva ventura 2

Image: Riva

When laying the wooden decking – mahogany with maple inlay – Riva craftsmen are meticulous in their choices in order to ensure a match in the grain and hue. They then apply no fewer than 20 coats of varnish, sealing the wood and imparting a mirror-like sheen that gleams in the sunlight. Two 370 hp engines give the Aquariva real potency, giving it sufficient power to reach 42 knots. Perhaps most impressive, however, is to discover how deceptively large it really is – with such low, lean lines, you hardly expect to find anything below deck level at all. Yet this is a boat that seems built in order to defy expectations; it does, in fact, contain two generous berths, making it much more than a daytime runabout. In fact, instantly recognisable, it remains the embodiment of Mediterranean luxury from the great lakes of Italy to the Cote d’Azur.

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Image: Riva

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