Boats World

As part of the launch programme for the new Magellano, Azimut set out to demonstrate their confidence in the sea-keeping abilities of this vessel by sending the first hull on a 4,000 nautical mile journey around the Mediterranean during the winter months. This ambitious voyage extended from the Italian Riviera and Cote d’Azur to Spain and the Costa Brava, southeast from the Balearics to Tunisia, returning to Viareggio via Malta and Rome.

At the helm was one of the world’s most experienced yachtsmen, Dag Pike, who in 2008 was awarded a lifetime achievement award as Yachtsman of the Year. Sharing the adventure were a group of high profile individuals: Heinz Harald Frentzen, the former Formula One driver; Jessica Taylor, one of the few English women ship captains; Alex Pino, an expert sailor and close friend of Dag Pike; Vittorio Missoni, ambassador of the brand; Manfredo Pinzauti, the onboard photographer; and finally Frank and Fiona Walker, politician and journalist respectively. The following are excerpts from Dag Pike’s log of the adventure. —Editor

The Magellano, designed by Ken Freivokh and Bill Dixon, provides the perfect platform for someone wanting to spend more time at sea than typical of a 74 ft motor yacht, but without having to sacrifice style or function. With a cruising speed of between 11 and 12 knots, the boat is designed to sail in conditions with moderate or rough seas. A top speed of 24 knots is available when acceleration is necessary and will make this voyage even more interesting.

19th November, 2009 — Preparation
As the time draws near for departure you think of all the thousand and one things that still have to be done. Normally when you set out on a cruise it is with a yacht that has already been fitted out and has everything on board required for comfortable cruising. With a brand new yacht that is still undergoing sea trials you start from scratch and there is a lot more to learn about systems and how the yacht performs, in adverse as well as fine conditions. However we are nearly there now and I am excited to get to know Magellano.

On the run up from Viareggio to Varezze we had a wide variety of conditions ranging from calm to lively seas. In calm and slight sea conditions we could wind up Magellano to its top speed of around 24 knots and she behaved well and predictably. The acceleration is quite surprising for what looks like a displacement design. It accelerates like a sports boat and it turns smoothly and easily so it really is a fun boat to drive.

This was a good time to check out the impact of the interceptors on the performance. The interceptors are used to adjust the fore and aft trim and by experimenting we found that we could get an increase in speed of around 1 knot at intermediate speeds when the interceptors were half down. This could be significant on a long cruise as it shows the yacht is running more efficiently. There did not appear to be much effect by varying the interceptor settings at low and high speeds but it would pay to fine tune the trim whenever setting out on a long run to find the optimum setting.

In the lively seas the yacht handled conditions very well while the wind was force 5, generating quite a rough sea with a lot of white crests. We were running at 16 knots and with the stabilisers on; the yacht remained upright and steady and it was possible to walk about without holding on most of the time although there was a lot of spray. ?It was an impressive performance from a 74 footer.

We built up confidence with that first run and the time spent in Varazze doing demonstration runs showed just how well the yacht handled in tight spaces in marinas. Using the joystick control it was possible to park Magellano within inches of where you wanted it to be; great to have this level of control when you are entering a strange marina on a cruise.

Magellano has passed its first test and every hour at sea is making me feel more comfortable with this yacht. I am now confident about its performance and 16 knots appears to be a reasonable speed for long range cruising. It seems strange to start a new love affair at the age of 76 but I can feel that I am falling very much in love with Magellano.

29th November 2009
Once close to the land we could open the throttles and get going again. Now we are cruising down the Spanish coast with Cambrils just two hours away. It is a beautiful morning with light winds and bright sunshine, such a contrast to the night before, but there are still some of the legacy waves out there to make the ride interesting. After a long night at sea it will be good to get to Cambrils where can tidy the yacht up and get some breakfast.

30th November 2009

What a contrast from the rough seas of the other night. Here we are heading out from Cambrils in seas where there is just a ripple from the wind and blue skies everywhere. This is perfect cruising but it is not going to last. The forecast says that the wind is going to freshen over the next few hours up to a force 4 and then for the next two days there will be gales over most of the Mediterranean. Hence the reason why we are cruising at 20 knots on this 126-mile passage to Palma. We have a narrow weather window to get to Palma and this is where the speed potential of Magellano comes in. On a slow boat I don’t think I would risk it because there is nowhere to run to on this passage if the weather does deteriorate.

We are tied up in the marina in Palma, Majorca and this is not the best place for a yacht of the size of Magellano. Our berth is right alongside the noisy main highway around the port and there is a swell coming in from seaward that makes the yacht roll, which is not relaxing.

2nd December 2009
Palma to Tunisia
Finally we have escaped the clutches of Palma harbour and are heading to Tunis. For three days Palma was besieged by gales first from the southwest and then from the northwest but now the forecasts are showing a small window of opportunity.

With at least 36 hours of lighter winds predicted from the west or northwest, at present we are running with a wind of just force 2 but with a heavy legacy swell from west south west. This gap in the weather should be enough to see us through to Tunis provided that we keep up a good speed which is why we are running at 15 knots. I have to balance running at a higher speed and the higher fuel consumption involved against having enough fuel to reach Tunis.

These are difficult seas for a yacht the size of Magellano to cope with. The heavy swell is rolling in on the starboard quarter and you can feel how she wants to roll and swing under its influence. The autopilot is holding a good steady course and the stabilisers are doing a great job of keeping Magellano upright. Both of these factors help to improve the fuel consumption by keeping Magellano pointing in the right direction.

The yacht rode comfortably and we all got a good sleep during the night and morning saw us with coffee mugs and breakfast. Still the heavy swell persists and we shall be glad to turn the corner and get a bit of shelter. Now we can do a new fuel calculation we can open the taps and run at 15 knots to give an ETA at the Sidi Ben Suad Marina of 1400.

3rd December 2009

Safe and sound in the marina. The weather just got better and better as we came south into Tunis Bay and the fresh wind from the south died away so everything went well. This is a very crowded marina and Magellano is a tight fit but she handles like a dream and parking is very easy. There was a restaurant just outside the marina gates so after a meal it was early to bed after the long sea passage. I think we were all pretty tired.

15th December 2009
After 2,000 miles of cruising the Mediterranean I have fallen in love with the performance of Magellano. Here is a motor yacht that does everything you ask it to do and comes up smiling at the end. Whether it is ploughing into rough seas off the coast of Italy or negotiating the very difficult and narrow marina entrance in Malta, Magellano performed. We have been through rough times and heavy seas as well as beautiful days when the winds were light and the sun was shining and each time Magellano performed her magic.

Crew observations: Frank Walker
Walking out to the pontoon in Sidi Bou Said marina, I get my second look at the Magellano and it reinforces the memory I had after seeing her for the first time at the Genoa Boat Show. This may not be the most beautiful boat ever designed but she is certainly striking. She has all the appearances of a small ship, which looks very much up for the job and my initial view that her lines will give a high level of confidence to prospective owners is confirmed.

I want to get into the guts of the boat and Dag and the team are only too happy to run through the instruments, the systems, the engine room and the accommodation with me. I soon form the clear impression that the Magellano is without doubt, a complex and sophisticated new concept. The instrumentation, as one would expect, is comprehensive; some of it a new version of systems with which I am already familiar, some of it entirely new to me. Most of it is easy to understand, if not initially, at least to operate. The lower instrument layout is busy, with some instruments in less than ideal positions and would benefit from a bit of a re-think. No problem to rectify.

The engine room is spacious but not as well laid out as it should be. Again, not difficult to sort out and I understand Azimut are already addressing this on future 74s.

Apart from sharp edges on many of the surfaces, and a lack of handholds for safety at sea, the accommodation is spacious, airy and generally top-notch, and I would be more than happy to live on this boat for weeks on end.

But it’s on our second day when we put to sea that I really get the feel for her and get to drive from both upper and lower positions for an extended spell. Her handling is a delight, and her full throttle turns are spectacular. She comes round hard and fast, just like a much smaller sports boat and, because of the effective stabilisers, does so without any heel whatsoever. Very impressive and very sure.

The concept of the Magellano is all about versatility in long-distance cruising and she certainly delivers. Her sea-keeping is as good at 10 knots as it is at 20 plus and this is where she scores over both traditional displacement and planning hull boats. In this respect she is a great new concept, which should fill the market niche Azimut have identified very effectively indeed. Azimut deserve to succeed with the Magellano project and I believe they will.