THE ADVANCED YACHTS A80 IS A PROPER CRUISE/ RACE SAILBOAT, COMBINING IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE WITH COMFORT AND A SPACIOUS INTERIOR.
THE ADVANCED YACHTS A80 IS A PROPER CRUISE/ RACE SAILBOAT, COMBINING IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE WITH COMFORT AND A SPACIOUS INTERIOR.
THE TRADITION OF SAILING is alive and well, but year after year technical solutions, new materials and construction methods for composite works and sails have changed quite a lot. An example of this evolution in sailboats is offered by the Italian shipyard Advanced Yachts, born from the passion of Marco Tursini and Antonella Di Leo and their more than 20 years as Owners of several sailboats.
As they began to gain experience from cruising and entering regattas around the world, they started to think about “the perfect boat”.
“Probably the perfect boat doesn’t exist, because everyone of us has an idea about it, but I think that the best combination between comfort during long cruises and performance can be the right way,” says Tursini.
So he and Di Leo began thinking about the project and discussing it with some friends from the yachting business, such as the very experienced designer Mario Pedol.
“In our minds a sailboat has to offer the maximum possible sailing pleasure, so it needs to have the right hull, with correct weight control and a powerful sail plan. In the meantime, our idea includes comfort during long cruises with family, for example. This is something very important – we like to spend time at sea with our family and enjoy cruising, so a spacious and comfortable interior is very important, too,” Tursini says.
From their early conversations and with the help of friends such as Perdol, they started working on some new projects with elements they consider to be a new approach to creating a sailboat. Their first yacht was the Advanced 66, which debuted at the Genoa Boat Show in 2010 and won the prize for best interior design.
Five years later, Advanced Yachts offers four different models – the A44 weekend boat with very high performance at sea under sail but also easy to manage and perfect for family, the A60, A66 and now the A80.
“In our philosophy, quality is a real must; and when we say philosophy we mean materials selection, construction methods and careful attention to details,” Tursini says.
During the sea trial, a pleasant cruise aboard the A80 destined for a Chinese client, it’s clear that Advanced Yachts sticks to this philosophy. First of all, the A80 is a real cruise/race boat, able to sail with very impressive performances and in the meantime offers very comfortable interiors as well as the right amount of space outside for enjoying the sun and open air.
Like the A66, this project was developed by John Reichel and Jim Pugh along with the Italian designers Mario Pedol and Massimo Gino of Nauta Yachts. What’s immediately noticeable when stepping aboard is the generous volume of the interior, made possible by an optimised hull for high performance with special geometry on the main deck that offers a sporty layout and high level of comfort during navigation.
Thanks to a very well designed superstructure with big windows, the interior is very well illuminated by natural light. The hull shape allowed the designers to realise an efficient main deck with everything on the same level, without steps. This allows the crew to move around the deck in a very easy and safe way especially during night hours, but what is very interesting to observe is that this solution doesn’t modify the interior volume thanks to a very well studied superstructure and lower deck solution.
Every Advanced sailboat can be personalised by the Owner. The shipyard offers a solution with the Owner’s cabin at the stern and a big central bed, while another layout transforms it into a double cabin with double beds, without special modify but simply adopting a vertical element already designed and produced by the shipyard.
Other interior solutions include putting the Owner’s area at the bow and crew area at the stern, and a central saloon with the kitchen closed or open. Other solutions can be realised by the shipyard, because every boat produced is a custom vessel with a deeply studied platform as the only constant element.
Special mention should be made about the selection of materials used by the yard to produce the yachts. Carbon fibre, epoxy and special fibres for rigidity undergo an infusion process to ensure the maximum in terms of weight control and durability. As observed during the sea trial, the result is a very light boat able to sail and perform well in very light winds. The structural rigidity also gives the helm a sensation of sailing a much smaller boat.
Under Sail
The first impression is that the A easy way to manage any system, everything is helped by electric systems like winches near the helm, but what is very nice to feel is the easiest way to manage the powerful sail plan that can be adapted to the wind changes very easily and fast.
This is a very well equilibrated boat, able to sail 36° upwind while maintaining good speed especially in light wind conditions. Maintaining the course is easy and efficient in any conditions – we start sailing in very light breezes and finish the day with 25 knots of wind. This is a perfect day to test such a sophisticated boat, because we are able to observe its behaviour in all possible conditions while enjoying the quality of the systems and power of the sail plan.
Having tested several yachts of this size, the Advanced 80 is surprisingly easy to sail in total comfort. Most of the time we make tacks like we usually would on a dinghy, but the A80 is moving at more than 10 knots. She manoeuvres quickly yet is easy to manage when the wind changes intensity suddenly, and is fast in any conditions. This is the result of a very well studied hull in combination with the difficult task of managing weight, and the structural rigidity obtained by selecting the right materials and technology.
But all that means it costs more than yacht built using regular processes and materials, so the Advanced 80 is not the right choice for people looking for a cheap sailboat. However, the A80 is priced in line with the higher quality offerings on the market.
The mast, boom and all the rigging are made with carbon and PBO (Zylon) to reduce weight and this results in a lighter keel and a dry displacement of 39,700kg, which is a very interesting result for an 80-footer that offers total comfort for long cruises. With a full sail area of about 326sqm, the Advanced Yachts A80 is definitely a very high- performance sailing yacht.
