Maintain integrity

Sharjah-based builder Riviera has launched the first of its new yacht range - the Integrity 55.

Whenever the quotidian life of your average editor gets a bit slow, one of the favoured ways to cheer up the office is to read through the boxes of press releases that hit the news floor on a daily basis.

No matter what the context of the event, launch, conference or anniversary; marketing agents from around the world find new, and often amusing superlatives to describe their subject - often in ways that would make a fiction writer's toes curl.

Whilst a firm believer that any action or event can be ‘newsworthy', the content of many marketing releases over-cook the issue to a point where any point is lost.

This typically happens when boasts begin at over exaggeration, and work up from there. Marketing material describing new yachts is a perfect case in point.

Try and find a single brochure, whether it be for a dinghy, fishing boat or cruise liner, that does not have content eluding to the ‘luxury', ‘lifestyle', ‘unique performance' and ‘heritage' of the boat it describes.

The more brochures you see, the more you become immune to the unsubstantiated claims of ‘unrivalled luxury' - especially when trying to write impartially.

Occasionally however the quality of a press release can work in the favour of new boat: the Sharjah-built Integrity 55 is a case in point.

Many local yacht owners will know the Riviera yard in Hamriyah Free Zone for its large 300-ton travelift and yard facilities: many commercial contractors will also know the Riviera brand for its large-scale GRP dhow building and 45 to 110 feet commercial boat projects.

With its launch of the new 55 foot Integrity, Riviera hopes to enter a new phase for the company, by raising the bar of pleasure yachts built in the region.

The media information describes the Integrity 55 as "a celebration of sizzling energy in water," and the new series as representing "the ultimate in freedom, elegance and style." I have to say my preconceptions were tainted by marketing overkill to say the least.

All such opinions were, fortunately, dispelled on arriving at the twin 775hp engined Integrity, which was being readied for display at the Kuwait International Boat Show having already receiving a warm reception on its debut at the Dubai Show.

Whatever the reason behind the choice of ‘Integrity' as the series name; there is certainly a similarity between the new Integrity 55 flybridge and Riviera's previous yacht build - the Riviera 53.

While the concept of the Integrity series has actually been on the drawing board for many years, it was held off from production until Riviera's general Manager, Ghiyath T. Nabulsi, got the team, design and form he was searching for.

Following a number of aborted starts, the current Integrity series came to life under the experienced hand of Brad Collett, Design and Technical Manager, and in-house designer Abdel Karim Altal.

Sitting on a straight sheerline, the 55 has in common a profile that is typical of the plethora of international yacht designs packaged in this 30-knot flybridge model.