Yachtbuilding is essentially alchemy. It’s a process that takes base materials and turns them into something special. I was reminded of this while standing on the wide-open aft deck of the Bluegame BG72 and discussing its twin Volvo Penta IPS powertrains with Luca Santella, the Italian Olympic sailor who founded Bluegame almost 20 years ago. Not only do pod installations like these deliver efficient planing performance and precise steering, but they’re also space-efficient. “And of course, space is gold,” Santella says.
How that space is used is what differentiates one builder from the next. Bluegames are crossover designs, but pigeonholing them isn’t easy. The biggest model to date, the BG72, is a capable passagemaker with real liveaboard potential, yet equally, it would thrive as a fun-in-the-sun dayboat or an anywhere weekender. Lou Codega engineered the yacht’s hull platform, while the tough-guy exterior and the Italian-chic interior come from Zuccon International Project.
Everything this team achieved in terms of layout either revolves around or is made possible by that aft-deck space. It can be left bare or filled with furniture, tenders or toys—and it allows for a farther-forward placement (virtually amidships) of what would be the cockpit on other yachts. The main deck has full-standing headroom, not only forward but also beneath the cockpit. And the cockpit itself is an alfresco-style salon with sun pads, seating beneath a solid Bimini top, a wet bar and ladder access to more sunbathing space on the wheelhouse roof.
The whole main deck is a single-level walkaround space. Side decks connect the cockpit to more open-air lounging space on the foredeck. The fully enclosed wheelhouse is compact; underway, it allows for superb visibility, not only through a forward-raked windshield but also aft via reverse-raked glass as well as side windows. Three multifunction displays provide vessel-control and monitoring information to the skipper at the centerline, two-seat helm (a bench sofa is to starboard). There’s also a sunroof option above the bridge console for additional connection to the elements.
A staircase to port of the helm descends belowdecks, where two layouts are available, each with three en suite staterooms. In one layout, there’s a full-beam lounge and galley down with natural light and views from hullside windows, all near the terrace-on-the-sea aft deck. In this layout, a pair of twin-berth staterooms are amidships, with the portside en suite also serving as the day head. A full-beam master stateroom has an aft-facing king berth.
In the other layout, the lounge space aft becomes the master stateroom. The starboard guest stateroom serves as a smaller lounge, and the forward space becomes a VIP.
Crew berths and a head-shower combo are accessed via a discreet hatch beneath a foredeck sun pad. However, the Bluegame BG72 is intended to be an owner-operated yacht, with perhaps just one crewmember.
There’s hatch-within-a-hatch access to the engine room, a setup that should work well, provided there’s no pouring rain or following sea. There are two engine options for the BG72: twin 900 hp or 1,000 hp Volvo Penta D13 diesels with IPS1200 or IPS1350 pod drives. Depending on the load state, these motors should deliver top speeds around 28 to 30 knots. Expect fast-cruise ranges to be above 370 nautical miles. At 10 knots, the BG72 can run for at least 1,000 nm before needing to refuel.
Bluegame says all 10 hulls sold to date will have the more powerful diesels, plus Seakeeper gyrostabilization. Hulls No. 4 and 5 are expected to be on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard soon.
For yacht owners seeking a vessel with 30-knot performance, an eye-catching profile, immense interior and exterior volume, and the ability to serve as a solid family cruiser or an at-sea entertainment platform, the Bluegame BG72 is worth a closer look.
Made in Italy
While the smallest Bluegame model, the BG42, is built in Bergamo, Italy, all the others are built by the brand’s Sanlorenzo parent company in Ameglia, close to La Spezia on the country’s northwest coast. The first BG72 was shown as a prototype at the 2021 Cannes Yachting Festival. We got on board Hull No. 3 some 13 months later.
A Cat’s Coming
For the moment, the BG72 is Bluegame’s largest model. However, the first BGM75 powercat is expected to launch by late spring or early summer, with a possible debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival in autumn 2023. This model will measure 74 feet, 4 inches length overall with a beam of 26 feet, 7 inches. Bluegame is promising a more seakindly motion than conventional catamarans, a less boxy profile and a usable volume similar to that of a 90-foot monohull.
Take the next step: bluegame.it
