I remember being surprised several years ago when, while attending the Sydney International Boat Show, I often overheard Italian being spoken in the street. I was learning the language at the time, and though I live in the heavily Italian-American New York City area, I was having trouble finding fluent Italian speakers to practice with. Not so in Sydney, where the Italian influence could be felt from the language to the Neapolitan pies that would shame many famous New York pizzerias.

This cultural confluence now seems to have extended to the water. In a market dominated by domestically produced vessels, the Italian builder Bluegame is making serious inroads thanks to rugged construction, seaworthy hulls, innovative design and manageable sizes.

And the Bluegame BGX63 may be the perfect example of why the Tuscan shipyard is such a good match for the yachting public in Oz.