A day aboard the ICE 62 EVO. The essence of made in Italy

How do you renovate a successful boat that seemed perfect? They have succeeded at Ice Yachts, one of the excellences of made in Italy. We savored the new Ice 62 Evo on a day in Bonifacio, sailing among the islands of the “Mouths,” just a few weeks after its launch. There are three of us and a dog on board, almost abundant crew in an 18-meter boat that maneuvers comfortably in two. “Me, I often do the transfers myself” proudly stresses Marco Malgara, Ice’s boss and commander during our visit.

A DAY ON BOARD
While we wait to leave (the dog and the owner have gone to do some shopping) Malgara shows me what is new in this “Evo” version, which revamps the successful Ice 62. Let’s start with the deck, one of the strengths of this 18-meter. At the stern, the portion of the opening transom that becomes the swim platform hides the “garage” that now houses a 2.85-meter tender. I turn around and instinctively put myself at the rudder wheel. Now I understand why the Ice 62 Evo also maneuvers itself.

Thetwo immaculately designed helm consoles contain the controls for maneuvering the entire sail and motor boat without moving, starting with the bow thruster, which has been upgraded: “Now even in a sustained crosswind you maneuver it like a car,” Malgara emphasizes. As we pass toward the bow, I pause to admire the Southern Spars carbon mast with the new lightened “Park Avenue” boom that allows a mainsail descent (we will verify later) of disarming ease.

Time running out, we go below deck. A nice feeling of wide spaces greets us. Credit is due to the new interior layout. The dinette, in a single open space with the galley placed toward the bow increases the living space: “by 16 percent,” the captain points out. Thanks to the relocation of the crew cabin amidships, now the forward master cabin is the envy of a superyacht cabin with a very large central fold-down bed for stowage, completely separate bathroom and shower room.

We move aft, the two guest cabins with beds worthy of the name and bathrooms also with separate shower and whirlpool. Now it is time to take a look at the construction. Malgara opens the belly of the ICE 62 Evo and lingers lovingly to show us the details, which look like details but are the essence of the diversity, the unseen, of his yard compared to other competitors.

He points out the lightened sandwich furniture woods, dwells on the carbon reinforcement points and tanks that are structural elements, tells us in detail about the infusion system by which the hull is made and the heat treatment to which the main composite structures are subjected. The result of this he explains in a few words: “this boat weighs about 20 percent less than competitive boats and is definitely stiffer. In practice, this expensive but effective machining, which we are the only ones to do, results in a better power-to-weight ratio. The boat sails better and faster and is able to reach appreciable speeds even with little wind. You will realize this in a little while“.

Well, then we leave the port, having loaded up some delicious pâté de Merle to spread on baguette all’ancienne. In 10-knot winds, we reach almost 9 knots on the transom with disarming ease, maneuvering without moving from the cockpit. Here is the practical result of everything Malgara told us. In fact, we arrive at Cavallo in a jiffy, haul out and are ready to give bottom: the anchor comes out of its housing and goes down fuida. I admire from the water, while indulging in the last swim of the season, the line of the ICE 62 Evo: current but without forcing, typical of well-executed “timeless” boats.

For more info, www.iceyachts.it