Using ethically sourced ingredients and an innovative service style, the grand opening of BurgerFi has exploded onto the streets and has kept customers returning to the restaurant time and time again. Speaking on the subject, Mr Rosatti noted, “This is my new passion, burgers. Being in the restaurant business for a few years, about ten years, we have  four restaurants down here in Florida; Nick & Angelo’s, The Office – but an expensive burger concept – so me and my partner felt the need for a downscale, all natural concept, something that’s affordable now with the way it is.”

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However, even though work is a must, there is more to life than living in the office whilst at sea. John Rosatti owns a yacht with a unique, sophisticated style and an enviable interior which surrounds guests in luxury and comfort whilst at sea. Paired with the luxury, Remember When is also fully equipped with an arsenal of toys, including Harley Davidsons, Sea Doos and Vespas as well as the usual water toys.

Remember When will be on display at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show until the 31st of October, offering the perfect opportunity to see a yacht which fits perfectly with both the Miami Nightlife and international cruising lifestyle.

Family has always been central to Rosatti. He was raised Catholic by third-generation Italian parents in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, NY. His father was a city worker and his mother was a seamstress. While family finances were modest, he was raised with love and imbued with a strong sense of faith and community. Large, traditional Sunday dinners were the bastion of his upbringing. A strong work ethic was also instilled in him. He picked up pocket money making deliveries on his bicycle when he was 11, and he garnered his mechanical skills at an early age. “I started rebuilding cars with my father in the backyard when I was 15. When I was 16, I worked at a local corner store where a fellow worker inspired me to take the money I had saved and invest in a dump truck and become an independent contractor. In 1968, I opened an auto body shop in Brooklyn, which lead me to get into the auto dealership industry in 1972.”

Rosatti has maintained a connection to his roots and to people from his past. In fact, he and former neighborhood buddy, John Staluppi, began tinkering with cars and boats as teenagers. Rosatti worked hard and he played hard. In 1976, Rosatti and Staluppi began racing Cigarettes, competing in the Benihana races all over the country. Their combined technical and nautical know-how paid off, and though they never came in first, they did win a few trophies. Moreover, they cemented a friendship that led to a business partnership in Millennium Super Yachts, a company dedicated to building fast, lightweight flashy-looking boats. One of the last yachts built by Millennium was a Frank Mulder-designed 140-footer called The World Is Not Enough—the goal was for this semi-displacement boat to hit a top speed of 70 knots. She was pretty darn fast, but that magic number was never quite achieved.

In 2000, Rosatti moved from New York to South Florida, principally to devote himself to raising his three children. He sold off a large portion of his car dealerships but maintained Plaza Auto Mall, which has been running successfully for more than 30 years. Now his eldest daughter, Angela, and son, Adam, are in college and Crystal, the youngest, is about to enter her freshman year in the fall. Rosatti becomes animated when discussing his kids and their accomplishments. In some ways, boating has been the glue that held him and his family together. Being aboard a boat is an intimate way to connect with teenagers in particular. After all, when you are anchored off the Bahamas, it is hard to grab the keys to the car and drive away.

 Rosatti really likes to use his boats. They do not sit at a dock. He cruised Nice N’ Easy over to Europe in 2007. And after taking delivery of Remember When, he took three months off and traveled 5,500 miles with his family, cruising the West Coast of the United States and then on through the Panama Canal to Florida. He even lived aboard last summer. “My kids come and go depending on their schedules, and they bring friends with them. We go frequently to the Bahamas to snorkel and fish. On Nice N’ Easy, we went up to New York, to Sag Harbor and to the City where I own a slip at North Cove Marina, and then we cruised around New England.”

Clearly, there are similarities between Nice N’ Easy and Remember When. Rosatti says he enjoyed the layout of Nice’ N Easy, which he bought from the previous owner. It was built in 2005 for an experienced yachtsman and launched under the name Liquidity. Rosatti says, “I had a very positive experience with the Christensen, so I decided to stick with them. I am a fan of composite construction and feel the maintenance costs are lower than metal boats.”

Joe Foggia, president of Christensen, and his wife, Judy, were aboard Remember When while I was conducting my interview. It is obvious that their relationship with Rosatti has transcended an ordinary builder/owner affiliation. They certainly have a tremendous rapport and respect for each other, but they also seem to have bonded as genuine friends. Foggia says, “John Rosatti has been an ideal customer for Christensen. He is someone who is really a user of his boats, so we have gained invaluable feedback, both positive and constructive criticism, on all aspects of our product. We are proud of our relationship with John. We feel we are good friends.”

 Remember When has many of the same elements as Nice N’ Easy. The exterior styling by Christensen has their signature raised forward full-shear bulwark. The layout is roughly the same, main salon, dining area on the main deck with a master suite forward, a VIP and four guest cabins. However, with the length of the boat extended by five feet, everything is a bit more spacious. The sun deck is six feet wider and nine feet longer, allowing the yacht to carry two Harley Davidsons and two Vespas. The hot tub on this deck is centerline with barstool seating around it—an idea of Rosatti’s. The classic Carol Williamson Associates interior features book-matched black walnut paneling throughout. The exquisite custom stonework was crafted in-house by Christensen. The styling of the wheelhouse windows is a departure from the old boat. Remember When boasts vertical windows and Nice N’Easy features raked windows. Christensen first implemented vertical windows on Casino Royale, which coincidentally, was built by Staluppi (but has since been sold). Also new to Remember When is a Dynamic Positioning and Hold at Anchor system by UK-based Ocean Yacht Systems (OYS) and Navis maneuvering and control system. Christensen’s in-house team worked closely with OYS to devise a system using bow and stern thrusters of 100 hp apiece that are linked to Remember When’s GPS system. This permits the captain to keep the yacht close to a specific setting. It’s also capable of pushing the yacht along at upward of three knots. Since the stern thruster extends about four feet below the yacht’s bottom when the system is engaged, Christensen and OYS took other steps to ensure safety. The thruster retracts once the yacht hits five knots of vessel speed. Remember When is powered by twin MTU 12V 4000 series engines, cruises comfortably at 12 knots, but tops out at 17.5 knots. She is fully classified and certified to ABS (Maltese Cross) A1-AMS & MCA Unlimited Cruising. And unlimited cruising is what Rosatti has in mind. Rosatti is a hands-on owner who enjoys taking the helm, plus he understands the nitty gritty. He is still involved with his various businesses, but it seems he is at a stage of his life where he wants to take the time to smell the roses. Nonetheless, he also likes to keep up with his diversified interests: cars, planes and boats. And, diet aside, he also likes restaurants; he is currently in invested in four: DeVito in South Beach; two Vic & Angelo’s, one in Palm Beach Gardens, the other in Delray Beach; and The Office, a gastropub, also in Delray Beach. Maybe because those are running successfully, he needs something else to do. He recently he became involved with a chain of high-end burger places, called Burgifi that will be offered for franchise— “burgification of the nation,” he pronounces with a laugh.

In addition to business, boats and burgers, Rosatti is dedicated to several charitable organizations, the American Heart Association/North Palm Beach Heart Ball, Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County and the GP Foundation for cancer research (founded in part by Denise Rich, owner of another Christensen, Lady Joy). His largest donation to date was a $1 million gift to the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach to fund the Rosatti Administrative/Library and Media Center, which was named in honor of his late wife, Bonni.

What’s next? Well, I am betting it is not the tofu-cation of the nation. Rosatti, however, did mention something about a new 175-footer on the horizon. Despite his yacht being called a nostalgic Remember When, Rosatti is happily looking forward to a bright healthy future and as is his proclivity, he can always say, “I did it my way.”

STORY Jill Bobrow

Hundreds of thousands of boating enthusiasts and marine industry professionals worldwide will come together October 28 through November 1, 2010 in Fort Lauderdale for the 51st annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the largest in-water boat show in the world. The show will feature more than $3 billion worth of boats, yachts, super yachts, electronics, engines, and thousands of boating accessories from every major marine manufacturer and boat builder across the globe.

The City of Fort Lauderdale lives up to its nickname as “Yachting Capital of the World” as host to the more than 3 million square feet of space, both on land and in water, which the Boat Show will encompass. The show’s transportation network of bus shuttles, water taxis, and riverboats ensures attendees can easily navigate the city and its expansive waterways system.

The show spans five sites this year with exhibits ranging from yacht builders and designers to exotic cars and brokerage yachts. A wide variety of boats and sea vessels will be on display including runabouts, sport fishers, high performance boats, center consoles, cabin cruisers, express cruisers, sailing yachts, motor yachts, bow riders, catamarans, ski boats, jet boats, trawlers, inflatable’s, canoes, and extraordinary super yachts.

The Boat Show also will feature electronics, engines and thousands of marine products
such as fishing equipment, dive gear, financing and insurance options, yachting accessories, nautical clothing, jewelry and more.

Other activities at the Boat Show include marine seminars and youth fishing clinics presented by Hook the Future, a non-profit organization. Attendees also can enjoy refreshments and live musical entertainment at the show’s floating cocktail barges and International Food Garden.

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show takes place this year at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center, the Hall of Fame Marina, the Las Olas Municipal Marina, the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, and the Broward County Convention Center.

To purchase tickets to the 2010 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, please visit ShowManagement.com. Vendors interested in exhibiting at the Boat Show can call
(954) 764-7642 or (800) 940-7642, or visit ShowManagement.com, for more information.

To make travel arrangements, please contact the Boat Show’s official travel partner, Identity Travel, at (866) 877-3083, or visit IdentityTravel.com.

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