Azimut is one of the most successful shipyards in the international yacht business. The new Azimut 68 from the Flybridge Collection definitely has the chic design that "Made in Italy" stands for. With the new yacht, the shipyard wants to present itself as cosmopolitan and describes its boat as a "cosmopolitan yacht". And Azimut is open to its customers, as the development of the new 68 was based on an analysis of the different lifestyles of owners and their guests. The result is a yacht that is available in three galley layouts. It starts with the Enclosed Galley, which is located roughly amidships behind the helm station and housed in an enclosed space. In the second variant (Open Galley), the galley is positioned in the same place, but is open to the saloon. The last version is the so-called AFT galley, also an open design, but this unit is located aft in the saloon. In the first two layouts mentioned above, a sofa is accommodated there, which moves behind the driver's seat in version three. Whichever layout is preferred, the arrangement of the sleeping area remains identical.
In the centre is the comfortable owner's cabin, which runs almost naturally across the entire width of the boat and offers a separate wet room. The VIP guests sleep in the bow and also have their own bathroom. The cushions in the berths are comfortable and perfectly ventilated. Two further cabins with single berths are located between the owner's cabin and the VIP cabin. The cabin to starboard has direct access to the shared heads compartment; the cabin to port has access via the vestibule.
The boat
- Shipyard: Azimut/I
- Type: 68
- CE category A: /14 persons
- Overall length: 20.98 m
- Width: 5.23 m
- Weight: 43.7 tonnes
- Berths: 8 + 2 crew
- Engine: 2x Volvo Penta IPS 1350 with 735 kW (1,000 hp) each
- Max. motorisation: 2x 1,000 hp
- Price: from € 2,641,800
- Dealer proof: www.azimutyachts.com
Open-air enjoyment takes place either on the aft deck, the foredeck or the flybridge. The cockpit has a huge U-shaped sofa and a table. There is a comfortable sofa in the bow and a convertible seat/lounger combination with table in front of it. There is also a comfortable lounging area on the flybridge, which can be reached safely via a staircase with a sturdy handrail. There is also a wet bar, a spacious seating area with table and the second driving position on the raised floor. A hardtop sits enthroned above everything. Like its sheltered "colleague", the upper helm station has monitors and the skipper can easily reach all the control units. This starts with the levers for the thrusters, continues with the steering and joystick and ends with the gear levers. The latter three are used to control the two Volvo Penta IPS 1350s. The two diesels each have an output of 1,000 hp and are located in an engine compartment (accessible via a hatch in the cockpit with a ladder) with neatly designed installations. We sail the Azimut 68 from the Flybridge Collection on the Mediterranean off Cannes. Using the joystick and the thruster, we steer safely and precisely out of the harbour. Then the two throttle levers are moved forwards and we reach a maximum of 32 knots and measure just 69 dB/A at the lower helm station with the doors closed. Cruising speed? The shipyard recommends 28 knots, which, based on our measurements, gives us a range of around 300 nm plus 15% reserve. In fast bends, the hull lays on its side as normal and makes its rounds smoothly. A stabiliser, which makes the ride even smoother, is installed on our boat.
Need more information? You can find the portrait of the Azimut 68 with more pictures in BOOTE issue 05/2022 - available from newsagents from 20 April 2022 or online at Delius Klasing Shop.
