As promised, here are some photos I took of Azimut's new cruising boat, the Magellano, at the Genoa Boat Show in Italy in early October. Admittedly they're not of professional quality but given the equipment I had (always blame the equipment) they're not bad and should give you a better mental picture of this unusual vessel. 

Here's the view from the upper helm. (There's a lower helm, too.) Besides the unusual color scheme, which is carried througout the boat, notice the great sightlines. You feel like you're sitting up unusually high here, and you have a complete view of the foredeck. Also note the unusually high forward bulwarks, a must on a real bluewater cruiser.

Here you see a closer look at those bulwarks and the expansive foredeck area. But what's really neat is that anchor roller. It juts way out to make sure the anchor clears the shiny copper-colored hull, which is key since this boat has a plumb bow. But that's not a problem because when you're done anchoring, the entire assembly tilts back and stows under the foredeck. It's one of those ideas that someone should have thought of long ago.

Here you get another good look at the bulwarks and at the Magellano's broad walkaround sidedecks, which are also so important on a cruising boat. Note too the handrail that runs along the bottom of the windshield atthe right of the photo. It extends all the way around the front, so as soon as you leave the cockpit, you always have something safe and secure to hang on to.

Finally, can you guess what this is? It's the new control panel for the Seakeeper gyro--in this case the two Seakeepers that should keep the Magellano rock-steady in all but the worst conditions, without the appendage drag and potential for damage inherent in fin-type stabilizers.

All in all, a well thought-out boat that looks to be safe and seaworthy. Look for it next fal in Fort Lauderdale or at the 2011 Miami Boat Show