Transformation is an active process in which dialogue becomes vision, vision becomes concept, and finally, if there is a unique heritage to concept, vision, and conversation, the outcome becomes a blend of past and present, of purpose and vision. Then it becomes a new notion, a new life.
One of the most recent and transformational concepts in yachting is one that travels from the past, when they developed the Italian fishing boat known as a Gozzo, to the present, when they produce a variety of sizes of luxury yachts. The metamorphosis is the result of a corporation called Fratelli Aprea, which was created in 1890 by Cataldo Aprea. Since then, the firm has manufactured Gozzo boats, which are Italian fishing vessels, from its original shipyard in Marina Grande, Sorrento, Italy, on the Bay of Naples. The Fratlli Aprea, or Aprea brothers, have been constructing the Gozzo and other boats since 1890. Antonino and Francesco Aprea, now in their sixth generation, continue to handcraft these boats with their father, Giovanni; his three brothers, Cataldo, Gaetano, and Antonio; and his multigenerational crew of artisans, all inheriting the maritime DNA of the original Cataldo.
However, in this day and age, they have transformed from an Italian fishing boat to a new handcrafted Italian yacht grandeur, which started just a few years ago. It was conceived by a friend of one of the younger Aprea brothers, an American called Michael Sinacola, who is now CEO of Fratelli Aprea’s USA subsidiary; not in Palm Beach or Newport, but in Boyne City, Michigan, at the junction of two major Great Lakes: Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
Mr. Sinacola is a lake farer by nature, having grown up near Lake Michigan and being familiar with the lake-faring customs of both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. He was also familiar with the several boat and yacht firms constructed in the Michigan region, including Chris Craft, Crest Marine, and Tiara Yachts, as well as the demands and desires of the boat and yacht collector cultures linked with them. He also realised that the Fratelli Aprea Gozzo has the DNA to evolve from the traditional Gozzo Italian fishing vessel into a new life form: a handcrafted Italian yacht: a fresh notion for the new 21st century experientially-based client.
