One of the most beautiful benefits of being in South Florida is to be near the sea–to smell the fresh salt air and feel the warmth of the glistening sunshine. While yachting is a daily event here, March included Boat Shows in both Miami and Palm Beach. There was a very special U.S. launch that I want to share with my Haute readers who I love and appreciate.

It was a genuine privilege and pleasure to meet the elegant, young and dashingly handsome Johan Attvik, Owner and Creative Source of the boat design and manufacturing company, J Craft boats!!

J Craft was originally founded in 1998 by Björn Jansson, whose mission was to take the influence of the rich heritage of Swedish boat building, with its high quality and intricate craftsmanship, and bring it into modern times. In 2000 Johan Attvik bought J Craft and has helped turn the small company into a worldwide brand synonymous with excellence and beauty.

The first J Craft boat, the Cabrio Cruiser, left the shipyard in 2000 and was delivered to the King of Sweden, who loves it!! By September 2009, the new J Craft Torpedo luxury yacht tender was presented at the Monaco Yacht Show and featured Sir Roger Moore as guest of honor at a reception.

The J Craft headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden and their building shipyard is located on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. Today, the company is renown for glamorous unique detailed design and for their gift of incorporating modern techniques into classic boating, and bringing them to new standards of excellence.

Johan, a frequent traveler to Saint-Tropez and Monaco, as well as other haute places, longed for the polychromatic rhythm of the Riva Aquarama series, the handsome Italian-built mahogany-hulled slipper boats from the 1960s that came to embody the Dolce Vita era of divine elegance. In a recent interview with Ralph Lauren magazine Johan said, “I wanted to make boats that when people see them, they smile.” Now, if you meet Johan, he is a smiley happy person and his boats are gorgeous so who wouldn’t smile!!!

Each boat takes almost five thousand man hours to complete, which means “it’s one boat per month coming out of our factory,” says Johan. Last year J Craft built only eight boats, each starting at approximately $1 million. This year, the goal is to have ten ready for delivery by summer, and by 2012 to sell between 15 and 20.  For more information go to www.j-craftboats.com. 

Thank you Johan Attvik for spreading smiles and beauty to help make the world a better place!! Smile Smile Smile!! XOXO With Gratitude and Kindness, Sonia

Click on the images below to enlarge.

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