Tried for you: Jeanneau 64, a seaside villa for outdoor living

Why buy a seaside villa when there are boats, such as the brand new Jenanneau 64, born to provide you with all kinds of comforts and capable of entertaining you under sail? The largest monohull in the French shipyard’s history is waiting for me on the dock at Marseille’s Old Port for the trial run. I left Milan early and arrived in the beautiful French city at 2:30 p.m. to meet Erik Stromberg, technical manager for Jeanneau’s sailing division. He doesn’t waste a second and begins to accompany me on an initial tour of the boat, which touched the water for the first time last April. I realize immediately that a full day would not be sufficient to understand and appreciate every detail and all the customization possibilities offered by this new 64-footer, created by the close collaboration between Philippe Briand For hull and deck line drawings and Andrew Winch For the design of interior spaces. Two top experts in the superyacht world.

A DECK SPLIT BETWEEN MAXIMUM COMFORT AND EASY MANEUVERING
Let’s go in order. The first observation to be made in introducing the deck, characterized by a low, streamlined deckhouse, is the successful combination of details aimed at satisfying every whim of the guests on board and a rigging and rigging arrangement that allows maximum use of the wind. Regarding the first aspect you will find on deck ways to satisfy every desire: from the grill placed in the stern locker and ready to use for magnificent fish barbecues under the stars, to the refrigerator to always have fresh drinks on hand without having to go below deck, from a retractable sink to an impressively sized cockpit, from the garage for the tender equipped with an electric system on rails to put the dinghy in the water, to the gangway controllable with a hydraulic system.

But let’s go back to the cockpit for a second; its incredible size accommodates two benches that can be converted into two double sunbeds by knocking down the two small tables placed in front of each bench. This arrangement also allows for a passage to the interior area free of obstructions. Of sheets and halyards there is not even a shadow in the cockpit: the presence of the rollbar and the referral of all maneuvering directly to the wheelhouse area (with double wheel mounted on small columns where all the necessary instrumentation for navigation is set up), allows for a clear separation between the area dedicated to relaxation and the area set up for maneuvering.

However, do not be fooled by the space devoted to comfort and relaxation on board: the new Jeanneau 64 has everything to sail well in all conditions. Starting from the bow, provision is made to rig a double forestay, the innermost one for a self-tacking (90%) manually unwinding jib, the outermost one for a 110% genoa equipped with a furler. There is also the option of having a Code 0 halyard as well (all headsail halyards have tensioning system at the Antal mast). Remaining in the bow, there is provision for a retractable anchor, which can be elec- trically folded into a special locker, benefiting aesthetics.

BELOW DECKS THE ULTIMATE IN FLEXIBILITY
Below decks opens up a true realm of customization driven by bold aesthetic choices brought forward by Winch and revolutionizing in part the traditional taste of Jeanneau customers (first and foremost the light teak oak color and the many leather trimmings).

There are only three standard areas: the galley, the engine compartment (with dual access), and the center dinette table. Everything else can be designed to the needs of the owner, who can choose a layout from three to six cabins. The first choice to make is whether you want the master stateroom forward or aft: in both cases the dimensions are those of a real suite with every comfort (in the solution with the master stateroom aft, the protagonist of my test, there are also two walk-throughs to have direct access to the cockpit, an ideal solution for the first morning dive). The kitchen was designed with the advice of a professional chef who thought of a solution that would not “hide” this area, but at the same time allow the cook not to be disturbed during his creations.

Standard equipment includes a generator (350 kg), placed in the dinette amidships. In the version I tested, there were two large twin cabins in the bow, preceded by a very large calavel capable of housing all the equipment, sail toys and spare parts needed for sailing (this area can become the crew cabin). A touch dispaly monitors the status of battery, water and gasoline levels in the tanks.

SAILING IS EASY WHETHER SAILING OR MOTORING
Going out in two aboard a 64-foot boat and having no problems in either sailing or motor mooring maneuvers might be enough data to demonstrate the real key to this boat’s success. The Volvo Penta engine is equipped with bow and stern thrusters that allow the boat to maneuver with incredible ease. The recorded motor speeds were 7 knots at 15oo rpm, 7.7 knots at 2000 rpm, and 9 knots at 2400 rpm (cruising speed). Under sail we sailed all the time with Code 0, which is perfectly manageable for two even though it has to be rewound and unwound at every tack. The wind was weak (because the thermal failed to come in and spread out) with a few gusts near land: with an apparent of 16 knots and an angle of 60° we were sailing at 6.4 knots (SOG), we were able to tighten up to 30° (apparent) with speed 5.9 knots while on the beam we recorded 7 knots.