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Fresh thinking invariably brings good things. This month we have applied it aesthetically as well as intellectually. A raft of fantastic new (and female) designers have recently dipped their toes into yacht design, which we hope will herald a trend. This issue, we hear from the spectacularly chic Isabel Ettedgui, founder of the Connolly leather brand, who was ahead of the curve a few years ago when she asked the renowned India Mahdavi to design her 1950s motor yacht, now for sale (page 60). If I had a boat-buying bucket list, Ettedgui’s Life Aquatic would top it for pure style. Anything by Susie Atkinson of Soho House fame would always feature on a design-led line-up (she has just completed her first yacht project, to be revealed in our pages soon), and this month she gives us an insight into the process along with Kelly Hoppen, Tara Bernerd, Fiona Barratt-Campbell and Suzanne Lovell (page 82). These talented designers all agree on one thing: new thinking pushes boundaries, and only then does great design flourish.

You’ll notice we’ve undertaken a pre-season refresh here at Boat International; tweaks rather than a tear-down. It is the Design Issue, after all – we could hardly dedicate an entire magazine to the best design on and off the water without a little introspection. Of all the amazing design stories this month, Roger Lean-Vercoe’s feature about the creation of Mimi la Sardine, the new CdM explorer (page 166), might be my favourite. Ever heard of anyone designing a superyacht using a social-media platform? It might be the most 21st-century story we’ve ever run. The resulting yacht is very special and picked up one of our Design & Innovation Awards in January. Let’s see how she does at the World Superyacht Awards, which are returning to London in May for the first time in a decade. Spectre, this issue’s cover star, is also in contention for one of these coveted awards. The gala evening is on 18 May, but there’s plenty more happening in the build-up. For tickets and more, visit boatinternational.com/worldsuperyachtawards.