Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 i Yachting

INEVER WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL, but I can tell you all about the L5 and S1 vertebrae. They’re in an area in your lower back that comes to the forefront when you help out on your friend’s 50-footer sans windlass. I’m not quite sure why I always volunteer for anchor duty, dropping and lifting this metal bucktoothed behemoth hellbent on compressing my spine and making me even shorter by day’s end. On a certain level, perhaps I volunteer to reassure myself that even after four joint surgeries and an athletic life that has come back to haunt me, I’m still as able-bodied as I once was. I do enjoy being challenged, and this anchor has found its share of sticky seafloors over the years. On a recent bottomfishing trip, our…

A surreal, teal-tone sea painted by a phytoplankton bloom off Atlantic City, New Jersey, was calm and serene. That is, until 72 feet and 132,158 pounds of sport-fishing machine powered by twin 2,635 hp MTU diesels got a hold of it. Viking Yachts’ 72 Convertible flewacross the water at an average 37.4-knot, 2,000 rpm cruise speed. The engines were running at just 78 percent load and burning 198 gph. At wide-open throttle, my test vessel made 45.5 knots while her engines burned 258 gph. This fishing machine’s fast cruise was 40 knots at 2,120 rpm and 80 percent engine load. Wow. The builder’s second-generation Viking Independent Programmable Electro- hydraulic Rudder (VIPER) steering enabled our 72C to carve two boat-length turns with catlike agility. The VIPER system is fly-by-wire, and you…

EXPRESS YACHTS in the 35- to 45-foot range have become predictable in their layouts because, after all, there’s only so much that you can do with a 40-by-12-foot box. Helm to starboard, dinette to port, blah, blah. But the Beneteau Gran Turismo 40 (also known as the GT 40) surprised me with a fresh arrangement that not only reimagines what a boat of this class can be, but that also provides owners and guests with a maximized experience. THE FRENCH FLEET Beneteau is one of the largest, if not the largest, boatbuilders in the world. The builder has five factories in France alone, not to mention another one stateside in Marion, South Carolina, that opened in 1986. And yet even with all this supply, demand is still high. Take the…

Ithink of them as my wives. I almost feel guilty,” my pal Jim said. He has owned 45 boats and was about to make it 46 when he acted on an epiphany triggered by a stack of invoices from his last cruise. While polygamy is a common spur in boat-nut genetics, Jim has taken it to another level with three new rides that he refers to as 46, 47 and 48! But is more always better? Since Jim was a kid, he has dreamed of navigating Florida’s 11,000 miles of coastline, waterways and rivers. I suspected his epiphany was somehow related to the budget for the effort because Jim is thrifty (cheap). But buying three boats instead of one? It made no sense. He insisted that I try to connect…

MEETING THE LEGEND I enjoyed Jake Lamb’s interview with Ansil Saunders (“A Tale Of Tails,” September 2016). My wife and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting him and hearing his 151st Psalm on the deck he mentioned. We were on a tour with Eagle-Eyes Fred Rolle at the time, and Mr. Saunders happened to be there as we were passing by. He graciously invited us to hear his story, and it was a highlight of our trip to Bimini. We also met Ansil’s brother, Ashley, who built the Dolphin House on the island. We can’t wait to go by boat one day as we use Bimini as a gateway to a trip to the Bahamas and beyond. MARC CAYLE, MILWAUKEE YACHT CLUB READER FEED BACK Looking for photos and…

LUCA BASSANI Re-envisioning what boats can be. ONE LOOK AT A WALLY YACHT AND YOU know it’s a Wally. Luca Bassani founded the Monégasque brand in 1994 and has not looked back since. Indeed, nothing of Bassani’s aesthetic palette could ever be accused of looking back at all. Bassani’s sloop Genie of the Lamp, which launched in 1995, is one of the most influential yachts of the past quarter century. Echoes of her lines can be seen in boats the world over. This is notable since Bassani is perhaps better known for his motoryachts, including the 60-knot spaceship 118 Wallypower, which stops both hearts and conversation whenever she shows up. Born in Milan, Bassani nurtured a love for the sea on his family’s boats off Portofino before earning a Ph.D.…

SUNLIGHT BATTLED WASHINGTON STATE’S INFAMOUS CLOUD cover as Mark Tilschner’s Allied P21 carried us to a pocket of Puget Sound just east of Gedney Island. Tilschner works as Raymarine’s West Coast director of sales, so his ride was decked out with the latest kit, including a Raymarine eS128 multifunction display with Navionics Platinum Plus cartography. As we cruised, contour lines around the boat became increasingly detailed. Navionics SonarChart Live used the vessel’s sounder to generate high-resolution, real-time bathymetry information. A few iPhone taps later and this data was transmitted to the Navionics cloud, where it was processed and eventually released as a new SonarChart. Also, thanks to the Navionics Plotter Sync function and Raymarine’s operating system, we used the tethered iPhone’s cellular connectivity to download other cartography to the MFD,…

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT engines by MTU, you generally think about bigger yachts. The 16-cylinder Series 2000 M96 is often installed on yachts from about 70 to 130 feet length overall, but on smaller models, the manufacturer hasn’t had an option for U.S.-flagged yachts in several years. That will change for 2017, when MTU expects to begin delivering its 10-cylinder Series 2000 M96 — fully in line with Tier 3 environmental regulations here in the United States and designed for yachts 55 to 70 feet length overall. The MTU 10V 2000 M96 has all the features of the 12- and 16-cylinder versions. Owners of midrange yachts can expect to see what larger builds do: improved acceleration, fuel economy, minimal smoke and surprising decibel readings, says Andrew Boyer, marine sales manager…

For over 100 years, Aston Martin has made auto lovers swoon with its sensuous lines, thrilling performance and a certain je ne sais quoi that makes its products something special, even in the hypercompetitive world of luxury cars. And now the company’s gone and built a boat, inequal partnership with Holland’s Quintessence Yachts. This one’s sure to make her mark. WHOM IT’S FOR: Love cars? Love boats? Of course you do. This beauty should have any number of suitors who are looking for something sporty and a little bit different. PICTURE THIS: You race your Aston Martin Vanquish along an empty stretch of coastline asphalt, and the snarling V-12 rejuvenates you as you put her through her paces. Near the end ofthe line, a dock appears, and tied alongside is…

THE SWEAT BEADING ACROSS MY BROW just after sunrise could have been caused by the unusually warm September temperatures in Cannes, France, combined with humidity averaging somewhere around tropical rainforest. And then there was the lack of regular cardio-based exercise to consider. But I believe that the 54 feet of pupil-popping, chic Italian styling and heart-thumping performance that sat before me quayside might have been a contributing factor. Hello, Pershing 5X. Pershing’s founders have always put a premium on performance, even naming the company after a missile. What’s not to like about a vessel whose moniker comes from a projectile that can travel at over Mach 8 (6,089 mph)? Now, there won’t be a chorus of sonic booms when you put the throttles to the pins with the Pershing 5X,…

Effervescent can be defined as vivacious and enthusiastic. I think these words aptly describe Hull No. 1 of the Absolute 50 Fly. With twin 435 hp Volvo Penta IPS600 diesels, our 50 Fly danced across a scalloped sea off Cannes, France. Her fly-by-wire steering was set at a moderate rate, inspiring confidence during hard-over turns at her 24-knot cruise speed and 30-knot top end. During one straightaway, I turned back to see my fellow 11 guests sprawled about the flybridge, taking in the warm sea breeze and smiling. CRUISING CAPABLE Absolute says cruising comfort is the 50 Fly’s main objective. wIdE Body The yacht carries a good part of her 14-foot-6-inch beam throughout her length, keeping interior spaces (the salon and three staterooms) and exterior spaces (the cockpit, flybridge and…