Ernesto Bertarelli, Vava, Feadship, Royal van Lent, 47.30 metres, 1996

Vava is owned by Ernesto Bertarelli.

Ernesto Bertarelli (born 22 September 1965) is a Swiss-Italian entrepreneur.

Ranked 52 in the 2009 ranking of the world's wealthiest people compiled and published by Forbes magazine, his personal wealth is estimated at US$8.2 billion.

Biography
Born in Rome, his family moved to Switzerland in 1977. He graduated from Babson College in 1989, and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School in 1993.

Career
His father founded Serono, a Swiss pharmaceutical company. Bertarelli became CEO and Deputy Chairman in 1996, and with his sister Dona inherited ownership in 1998 on the death of his father. Changing the companies focus from pharmaceuticals to biotechnology, revenues increased from $809 million in 1996 to $2.8 billion in 2006. The company gained fame from its discovery of a natural hormone used in the treatment of female infertility. http://www.merckserono.com/en/index.html

Bertarelli instructed advisers in 2006, agreeing to sell the company to Merck KGaA of Germany in January 2007 for US$13.3 billion, forming the new company Merck-Serono. He and his sister split a combined $9billion stake.

After Serono
His current business and finance interests include the Kedge Capital Group, an investment management firm, and the Ares Life Sciences private equity vehicle which builds on his extensive industry knowledge.

Between 2002 and 2009, he served as a board director of UBS AG. He is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and of the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows, and in 2008 he was inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs.

Bertarelli’s philanthropic activities are run through the Bertarelli Foundation, created together with his sister Dona and their mother. It is dedicated to numerous non-lucrative initiatives in the fields of charity, health, sciences, sport and culture.

Sailing
In 2000, Bertarelli founded the yachting syndicate Alinghi, which in 2003, representing the Société Nautique de Genève, won the Louis Vuitton Cup before beating Team New Zealand in Auckland to win the America's Cup. It was the first time a team had ever won the coveted sailing trophy on its first attempt, with the victory bringing the Cup back to Europe for the first time since 1851. Team Alinghi hired sailors from many different nationalities, including Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth, respectively skipper and tactician of Team New Zealand's 2000 crew. In fact, Bertarelli was team Alinghi's only Swiss national, serving as navigator in 2003 and subsequently as an afterguard runner and grinder in 2007, when Team Alinghi defended the America's Cup in Valencia. On July 3, 2007, Alinghi beat Team New Zealand over the line by 1 second to retain the America's Cup, winning the series 5-2.

In recognition of his success, Bertarelli was given the Légion d’Honneur by French President Jacques Chirac, and the Cavaliere di Gran Croce by Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Italian Republic.

Société Nautique de Genève and Bertarelli's efforts to organize the 33rd America's Cup following their 2007 victory in Alinghi have been subject to numerous legal challenges by BMW Oracle Racing, a team owned by Larry Ellison, also one of the world's richest men.

Personal life
Bertarelli met Kirsty Roper, a former 1988 Miss UK, while on holiday in Italy in 1997. The couple married in 2000, and have three children.

The couple live in Gstaad and spend time in their house on the shores of Lake Geneva.

http://www.bertarelli.com/

Yacht type: Motor Yacht

Length Overall (m): 47.30 Length Overall (ft): 155.18
Beam (m): 8.70 Beam (ft): 28.54
Draught Max (m): 2.75 Draught Max (ft): 9.02

Shipyard: Feadship Year: 1996
Hull: 773
Comment: Built by Feadship member Royal Van Lent.

Naval Architect: De Voogt Naval Architects
Exterior Designer: De Voogt Naval Architects
Interior Designer: Robert de Nijs interieurarchitecten - decorateurs

Hull Material: Steel
Superstructure: Aluminium

Guest Cabins: 1 Owner's cabin, 1 Triple cabin, 2 Double cabins, 2 Twin cabins
Guests: 13
Crew: 11

Engines: 2 x 1175 HP Caterpillar 3512 Diesels
Max Speed: 15.4
Propulsion: Twin Screw

Fuel Capacity (Liters): 61,700 Fuel Capacity (Gallons): 16,301
Water Capacity (Liters): 21,000 Water Capacity (Gallons): 5,548