Here’s a sign of the times. For the first time, you can go to the Miami show next week and buy NFT art created by some of the world’s leading superyacht designers, including Bannenberg & Rowell, Gregory C. Marshall, David Weiss, and Marco Casali.
All of this, of course, exists in the metaverse. NFT (non-fungible token) art is unique, with identifiers that cannot be copied, substituted or divided. An NFT is recorded on a digital blockchain that can certify the authenticity of a specific digital asset.
The NFT yachting art to be sold in Miami was put together by Zach Mandelstein, who says he’s the first digital yachting art dealer. He founded Cloud Yachts in Silicon Valley in 2020, after spending 20 years in intellectual property management. He says he got the idea while sitting in his 1968 Boston Whaler. Mandelstein also joined forces last year with Bob Denison with a virtual yacht brokerage venture.
“We’re aware of the short-term NFT craze,” said Mandelstein, “so we’ve set our sights on the long-term utility that this blockchain technology offers. Whether it’s by facilitating transactions, revolutionizing the new-built experience or something we haven’t imagined, we’re enthusiastic to participate in this virtual economy.”
Owners of Cloud Yachts’ NFTs will have VIP access to exclusive events in the superyacht world, including shows and parties.
For his part, Greg Marshall is working on a 63-meter yacht project that will be available for purchase as an NFT, the first NFT superyacht. It’s priced at $95 million, or 30,148 ETH, at current rates. The owner can customize the yacht in the metaverse using new augmented-reality technology.
Cryptocurrency, of course, is highly volatile. A Bitcoin today is worth $43,901. It reached a high of just over $68,000 on November 10, and was just under $30,000 last July. Read more:
