Living by the water

It doesn't take more than half a step to get on board the BGX70, which is parked in Roman Catholic style. Ahead lie five metres of teak deck, which would otherwise be covered by a stately tender or two large sun loungers and could even serve as a take-off and landing platform for kites. It is not without reason that Luca Santella calls the Explorer-like aft deck "The Beach". The Bluegame founder starts the tour with the centrepiece, the lounge two steps down. This is technically located on the lower deck, but is anything but dark. The main gateway for the light is a window in the aft extension of the main deck. From there, it flows through the bevelled upper windows of the three-part sliding glass door, which is stacked on the port side and lies in the shadow of the wet bar with grill and refrigerator.

The front area of the adjoining owner's cabin bears comparison with a conservatory. Even the outside staircase on the starboard side has a transparent rear wall that lets in light. A mirror next to the starboard-side interior staircase enlarges the space, while 1.50 metre-wide windows brighten up the sides. The fact that they are "pixelated" only becomes apparent on closer inspection. The small dots create the same effect as on Sanlorenzo's SD96, and the windows do not look like foreign bodies on the hull. This demonstrates Santella's understanding of aesthetics, but also the proximity to the Sanlorenzo Group, to which Bluegame has belonged since 2018. The former professional sailor and two-time Olympian founded the motorboat brand in 2005. His business card now reads "Head of Product Strategy", while the CEO position is held by Carla de Maria.

The fact that new capital and technical possibilities make many things faster is very much in the spirit of the trained architect. His work ethic is still that of a competitive athlete. "I feel a constant pressure. We always want to be one step ahead of the competition," says the 57-year-old Italian, still standing on the aft deck. After the refreshed BG62 and BG42 models, the BGX70 is the first new development from the ground up and - as the X indicates - implements innovations that Santella came up with for Sanlorenzo's SX line, such as the flexible inside-outside utilisation or the crane, whose arm is part of the aft bulwark.

"When we decided to continue the Bluegame adventure at Sanlorenzo, I wanted to place something below the SX76." But with an overall length of 21.86 metres, the typical SX flybridge helm station would not fit into a third deck. That would have been too bulky, so his BGX design turned into the opposite. The starting point was a flat engine compartment in order to realise a natural transition to the winter garden. "We fought with Volvo Penta for every millimetre and compressed the thermal part with IPS engines and generator and separated the batteries and gyro stabiliser from it," says Santella, describing the mechanical goings-on beneath his feet. The complex design is one of the reasons for the comparatively high sales price of 3.4 million euros. But it also has an advantage: "Thanks to the flat engine compartment, we can easily scale the concept downwards. In addition to the 60-foot version, we are also working on a 50-foot version," reveals Santella.

From aft, there is an unclouded view of the modern yet cosy interior. Glossy white planks on the ceilings give the impression of wood panelling that would look good in a beach house; the style palette is simple and recognisably Italian: teak can be found on the white sideboards, steps and partly on the ceiling, oak parquet on the floor, and anthracite-coloured leather appears occasionally, as on the beds. Where metal is visible, such as in the bathroom fittings, handrails or doors, it has a matt, dark lustre. Only the deck fittings or the legs of the outdoor tables are made of polished stainless steel.

The pieces of furniture are immovable, with a choice of colours. "The next one will look exactly the same in terms of styling," says Santella in the owner's cabin, which fills the full width of the hull amidships. The fact that everything appears so harmonious may be due to the composition of the project team. The concept comes from Luca Santella, he refined the exterior styling with Bernardo Zuccon and the interior with his sister Martina.

Bernardo Zuccon and Santella are friends, the son of designer Gianni Zuccon is also a sailor and a bluegame enthusiast from the very beginning. "The BGX70 is particularly appealing to sailors because they don't feel like they're on a stereotypical motorboat inside and out," says Santella. The layout flexibility will appeal to sailors and motorboaters alike. We are on the version with two guest cabins and a studio in between, which serves as a playroom or cinema room during the day. When the mirrored window is raised, the space becomes a separate cabin for children or friends thanks to the sofa bed and toilet. In the three-cabin version, there are two single beds here. A VIP cabin extends in front of the studio and further behind the stern there is accommodation for two crew members, accessible via a hatch in the foredeck. If desired, a small corridor separates the forward guest area from the others and connects it to the helm station via a staircase.

Here on the main deck, outdoor areas open up that slightly exceed the effectively usable 17 square metres of the interior. For almost 22 metres, this is a manageable interior refuge, but the use is cleverly multifunctional. The first thing you notice are the forward-sloping windows, a bluegame signature right from the start. Then there are two carbon fibre seat shells, which Santella already designed for his first Bluegame model. The hob of the open galley is located almost abeam of the starboard helmsman's seat. Behind the backrest and above the sideboard in the style of the lower deck, a television folds out of the ceiling, occupying the L-shaped seating area with three stools at the end of the room.

Santella and Zuccon have succeeded in creating a pleasing blend; the unifying architectural element is the white oval panelling that frames the triple-segmented windscreen. Black kitchen appliances and the Garmin multifunctional displays embedded in carbon fibre are not mutually exclusive. The lighting and air conditioning are also controlled from mobile devices via an app, while the large screen is used for battery management, navigation and gyro stabiliser control. The optional Seakeeper 16 is perfectly adequate in terms of dimensions, as the BGX70 is flat anyway and carbon superstructures also reduce the centre of gravity.

During the trip off Cannes, the swell of the excursion boats is ironed out with ease, and the heeling deflection does not exceed the one degree mark. The three-stage hull from the computers of Louis T. Codega glides from twelve knots. The US design luminary has always worked with Santella and is always at the end of the design chain. "Lou provides the perfect dimensions and tells us where which forces occur in the GRP hull. Nevertheless, many emails go back and forth," says Santella, describing the transatlantic workflow. Bluegame offers a choice between the 1200 and 1350 IPS units. With the two large Volvo Penta engines, each with 735 kilowatts, the top speed was 27.9 knots and the total consumption was 382 litres per hour. Under ideal conditions, 30 knots should also be possible with the 40-tonner. The roof, which is accessed via teak steps on the starboard side, is rather difficult to sunbathe on and the surfboards or other toys need to be well lashed down.

Even before the worldwide premiere in Cannes, the bluegame dealer Lengers Yachts sold two BGX70s, one of which has its home port in the Netherlands - for Santella, this is "confirmation that the concept works everywhere". Following further deals through joint trade fair appearances with Sanlorenzo, production is now in full swing and will soon also be under the umbrella of the parent company. Bluegame moved the moulds for the hull and superstructure made from recycled GRP to the new Sanlorenzo halls in Ameglia.

Bluegame dealer for Germany is Lengers Yachts.