ShowBoats is, first and foremost, a magazine about yachts. But behind the steel, aluminum and composite are people: yacht owners, builders, designers, crew and countless others who combine their talents, skills and energy to create and operate these magnificent vessels we all love. Much more so than with buying a car or a house, the process of "buying" and enjoying a yacht is about relationships and chemistry between people.

In the early stages, it’s a creative collaboration between owners, designers and shipyard representatives. After the champagne bottle breaks on the bow, the focus shifts to relationships between owners, crew and the family and friends who come together to enjoy the yacht. When it’s time to build a replacement, brokers enter the picture and a new cycle of relationships begins that brings other parties into the network of human contacts that orbits around the steel and aluminum.

So it goes in my world as well. Producing ShowBoats is all about relationships. In many cases, those relationships overlap and intertwine with those that create the fabulous yachts that adorn these pages. In others it’s specific to the business I’m in, working with editors, writers, photographers, production people and ad reps and the countless others who come together to bring the magazine to fruition.

The handsome guy next to me in the photo above, taken at our annual Wings, Wheels and Water party at the SheltAir Aviation executive jet center in Fort Lauderdale during last fall’s boat show, is none other than Gary DeSanctis, my friend and the publisher of ShowBoats International. Gary and I have both been in marine publishing for many years, but we joined ShowBoats within a few months of each other. Naturally, he and I attend numerous work-related events and parties together, and in our two years on the job here, people say we’re beginning to show signs of acting like an old married couple. I know what he’ll order for dinner, and I know which wine he’ll choose. I can’t finish all of his stories for him, but they rarely fail to entertain me. Only now am I beginning to decipher his broad Long Island-ese. On a few occasions abroad, I have happily acted as interpreter, translating Gary’s "Long Guyland" into American English for the benefit of our foreign hosts and guests.

In our desire to steer the magazine onto a new course and ensure that it remains the best large-yacht publication out there, we have been on a campaign to reestablish and confirm old relationships, and to build new ones. Recently, Gary and I traveled together in Italy. We broke bread with various luminaries at some of the major Italian yacht yards. Gel coat, steel plating, molds and a little limoncello are not mutually exclusive. After a classic Italian four-hour lunch, Tilli Antonelli from Pershing reiterated our mantra that, "It is all about relationships!"

The content of ShowBoats derives from many quarters. In this issue, relationships played a huge part in the decisions that resulted in what you have in your hands. Our cover story on Lady Linda, the 157-foot Trinity, and Linda Lou, the 197-foot Lürssen, can be traced back to a conversation I had with the owners, Doug and Linda Von Allmen, at a CurtCo Best of the Best event a couple of years ago in New York. This world-class yachting couple is among the most generous and gracious of the yacht owners I have met. They worked with us to allow our team to visit and photograph both yachts at the same time. Editor-at-large Marilyn Mower conducted in-depth interviews with the Von Allmens, exploring why they built two boats and why, in particular, these two boats.

Marilyn’s other big feature in this issue—exclusive to ShowBoats—is about Triple Seven, a 219-foot motor yacht completed recently by Nobiskrug in Germany. I caught wind of this project from Camper & Nicholsons broker Mark Hilpern, who was the owner’s representative during the yacht’s purchase and build. Mark and I have known each other for more than 20 years. There was a short window to organize the editorial and photography for this yacht, and Mark was very helpful in making it happen—yet another example of relationships at work.

Underway: Creatures of Habit

Underway: Going to Great Lengths with Our Awards

Two to Tango: Linda Lou

New & Notable: Jet-Setter

Waterfront: Midwest Marvelous