#humansofyachting – Giovanni Alessi Anghini

“I am fourth generation Alessi, the Italian design family – and so good design is in my blood. I also have an enormous passion for the sea and sailing; my grandfather owned a small shipyard on Lake Maggiore where I spent my childhood – so I grew up around small boats, loving the sense of freedom they bring.

The obvious thing for me to do given those two passions was yacht design – but I realised I could have a bigger impact by applying the same approach to the digital world. The digitalisation of the industry touches everyone and can have a big impact on ocean preservation.

I realised early on in my career that people and NGOs who protect the oceans are a fundamental part of our industry. When I joined Camper & Nicholsons I wanted to innovate in this area and work out how we could become key players in ocean protection. It’s one of the big challenges of my generation of entrepreneurs. It’s mandatory for people like us to work on solutions to help the situation. Ten years ago the topic wasn’t even on the table in the industry, so there has been a big shift. Even beyond the yachting world, there is a big united conscience about ocean protection and a motivation to create change.

At the Monaco Yacht Show this year, we announced our partnership with Mission Blue. Lead by oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, the mission aims to rally support for a network of marine protected areas, which are called Hope Spots. There are 184 mapped across the globe now – from Algoa bay in South Africa to the Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary of Uruguay. We’ve tagged all the protected species in these spots so that if you are looking for a charter, you are able to see which species you will be able to see, visit and help while you are there. This is just one example of how digital and innovation can help save the oceans.

I haven’t had much chance to experience the yachting life myself between working and my family, but I understand what drives the passion. A few years back, I spent ten days on my cousin’s catamaran sailing around Fiji, together with his family. I really felt the true magic of exploration with a yacht. If I find the time I would like to go back and explore the Pacific a bit more.

I used to live in Hong Kong and spent a lot of travelling around south-east Asia so it would also be great to explore that region by boat – especially Komodo and Indonesia. And, of course, all of the northern routes which are opening up to superyachts offer a great way to experience first-hand what we are doing with the Hope Spots and eco-projects.

Now that I am a father – of twins! – I can see the appeal of a family charter. In fact, I have found a yacht that I would love for family holidays – I am trying to convince my wife! I’d love to go back to Italy and explore Sicily and Naples as my experiences there were mostly limited to Sardinia and Corsica. I met someone at the Monaco Yacht Show who is organising a world rally with a fleet of 22 yachts – both luxury and mid-range. It’s a 30-month journey and you can join over specific months or weeks or do the whole thing. It starts at the end of next year. We have two options – join them for a few days or buy a yacht and do it by ourselves. The reality is that it won’t be possible, but dreaming is important!

Living in Monaco means that we can escape to the beach quite a lot – which is great with children. My son is actually called Oceano, inspired by the Ocean Gala which I went to with my wife while she was pregnant. Beyond Monaco, we have a lot of other beachy places on our doorstep. We’ll sometimes drive down to St Tropez at the weekend, which is quieter. We have Les Voiles de St Tropez coming up in November too. This is a classic regatta and I think it’s an event where you can see the true passion that lies behind the industry.”