Salvatore Pollio, the co-founder of the Italian boatyard Apreamare, has died at the aged of 89.

In a statement, the Italian boatyard says Pollio was ‘beloved by all who knew him.’

Born in Sorrento, Salvatore Pollio was for many years the heart and soul of the production and work organisation side of Apreamare, the boatyard he founded with Cataldo Aprea in 1988.

A pragmatic and reserved man with a wealth of boatbuilding experience, Pollio was a key figure in the company and a second father to all the craftsmen he personally supervised for many years. At work, he was said to be straight-talking and gifted in his ability to pass on his expertise with grace, kindness and irony.

When he retired from active duty in the company, he handed over the baton to his daughter Rita, today CEO, and son Tonino, yard director. Still, he never stopped taking an interest in Apreamare and was constantly excited by the company’s results.

Business partners and lifelong friends, Aprea and Pollio had complementary personalities – the former volcanic and the latter more reserved – and treated each other with great respect and fondness. They designed together the first ever planing gozzo with a fibreglass hull, Smeraldo 7, the first example of this successful type of boat for which Apreamare is today known worldwide.

“I like to remember Salvatore as the other half of Apreamare’s heart and soul, a reserved person who preferred to keep a low profile but who was always present and passionate about the business. Without him, our brand wouldn’t be what it is today,” says Aprea.

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