20

I

t’s the Monday morning before the 2017 Cannes

Yachting Festival and we are in Port de la Napoule,

about fi ve miles west of Cannes. The bright sunlight

of a late summer morning gives the water, undisturbed

by breeze, a mercury-like shimmer and strokes of cloud

hang in the sky like they’ve been gently daubed on to

the blue canvas with the tip of a paintbrush.

We make our way down the fuel pontoon and there

it is – the Fairline Targa 63 GTO. A year ago to the week, Fairline

announced that it would launch a 65ft Targa in conjunction

with Alberto Mancini and Vripack in time for this year’s show.

Back then, the Targa 63 was no more then an outline sketched

from Mancini’s pencil and now, we’re standing amongst the fuel

pumps looking up at the real thing in metal, glass and GRP. Twelve

months of incredibly hard work at the factory have produced the

new fl agship of the Targa range and the fi rst boat designed from

scratch by the new Fairline.

So often the promise of the initial design is lost in translation

from paper to production, but it’s not the case with the Targa.

It has the sweeping roofl ine of the original sketches and 3D

renderings and the huge arching saloon windows with just the

iconic Fairline spear interrupting the unbroken run of glass.

The cockpit overhang is short with a sharp cutback that

leads the eye to the descending curve of the deck superstructure.

Pivoting in the channel with sun ricocheting off the glass and

stainless detailing, the boats looks sensational, and it’s a design

where the closer you look, the more detail you pick up.

The railings along the top of the superstructure trace the

roofl ine to avoid an unsightly clash, and tucked below the kink

in the hull window is a stainless-steel strip within which sits an

illuminated Fairline emblem. A bit of a gimmick maybe, but a

touch of fun and sure to give the boat a unique nighttime signature.

No doubt looks are important for a boat like this but they’re

worth nothing if the engineering isn’t up to scratch. There is a

A year ago, the 63 was no more then an outline

sketched from Mancini’s pencil. Now we’re standing

amongst the fuel pumps, looking up at the real thing

A special fi lm on the

sunroof reduces the

sun’s heat by 50%

The double wet bar is particularly useful

on boats with the galley-down layout

Twin walkways grant access from

the bathing platform to the cockpit

QUICK SPIN