TEST ICE 66 RS, the performance cruiser (20m) by Farr and Micheletti

As soon as the wind picks up a couple of knots Tapioca, the newly launched ICE 66 RS, instantly accelerates.

ICE 66 RS, the test

I look at the instruments, there are 10/12 knots of wind, with the Code 0 at the bow we immediately shoot to 9 knots of speed. There is no wave in the Gulf of Spice, the boat is glued to the sea like on train tracks.
I move aft to see the wake, no turbulence, the transom stays high, no sinking.
The helmsman gives small strokes to the heave, otherwise the rudder is always in the middle, a symptom that already on the first outing the boat is already well adjusted.
Good sign.

The new Ice 66 RS is one of the novelties to be admired at the Cannes Boat Show Sept. 10-15, and we are previewing it on its first sea outing.

How the shipyard Ice builds we know is at the top, but we are curious to see if the combination of the American firm Farr Yacht Design, which drew water lines, appendages and overall hull design, and Micheletti+Partner, which did exterior and interior design and layout, worked.
Because it is one thing to design a 142-foot (43.3-meter) megayacht like the famous Baltic Canova where Farr and Micheletti have already collaborated with excellent results.
It is another to try your hand at a boat that is “only” 66 feet (20 meters) long like the ICE 66 RS, which is less than half as long.

ICE 66 RS – Construction

Let’s see what came out of it.
First, however, we start in the analysis from the construction, the responsibility of the Ice Yachts shipyard.
The hull is made of glass/carbon sandwich while the deck is entirely carbon.
The mast of Axxon, too, is carbon as is the blade of the single rudder.
This abundant use of carbon, as is Ice’s tradition, make it possible to maintain a relatively light displacement for a hull of almost 20 meters, 25,000 kg, and, above all , to place the weights in the right places to make her perform under sail as a design with “racer” lines like this one from Farr needs.

Water lines and hull

Bruce Farr, for those who don’t remember him, is one of the design fathers of modern sailing.
There is no offshore regatta where boats designed by the studio that bears his name are not at the top of the charts.
And his speedy DNA is not betrayed in this ICE 66 RS either.
Taut lines with a sharper bow than its competitors in the high-performance cruising yacht category ensure that the passage over the wave, even with formed seas at the bow, is as smooth and efficient as possible.
There is no shortage of volume, however, thanks to a maximum beam of nearly 6 meters (m.5.70) that extends to the extreme stern, as you can see in the images from above on this page.
But below, where you can’t see, what do Farr’s signature water lines look like?
They are racer’s ones, flat and full so as to ensure maximum stability of shape and the smallest possible wetted superfcie, whether the boat is flat or heeled.
This recipe concretely makes the boat more stable, more resistant to heeling under sail, facilitates planing in carrying gaits.
Combine this with the reduced displacement (about 25,000 kg) for a boat that is still a comfortable full-featured cruising boat, and the Ice 66 has excellent performance under sail as well as under power.

As we have told you before, under sail the first sensations are of a boat that moves and accelerates more like a racer than a cruiser.
In short, a boat with sporty sailing performance without sacrificing comfort, which, as we shall see, is maximum.
The last noteworthy relief is that of the blade and bulb design that made it possible to limit the draft to m.
3.35 m, indispensable to be able to moor and anchor in the Mediterranean in the majority of ports and bays.
We mentioned earlier about motor performance, an element as important as sailing performance.
With the boat in pure cruising trim when we leave the harbor, at 1,300 rpm we immediately reach 6 knots; when we get up to 2,400 rpm, cruising speed, we hold steady at 10.5 knots.
More than satisfied, we don’t dare to ask to go up to flat speed.
I would say it is more than fine as it is, also because we hardly hear the engine running.
How could they have soundproofed it so well?
The last remark about Farr’s work is the hull line, especially the side profile.
Vertical bow slightly inverted, transom a few degrees also inverted.
Further slimming the Ice 66 RS is also provided by the stern, which in the final part of the hull rises gently above the water, streamlining the aft part.
A ploy that is not only aesthetic but also hydrodynamic since it thus offers, when the boat is flat, less hydrodynamic resistance.
The resulting side profile is that of a boat that to the eye appears to have a lower freeboard than it actually is, making the side profile more streamlined and pleasing.
Credit for this aesthetic balance also goes to the profile of the deckhouse, the work of this new boat’s other prestigious signature, that of the whimsical but also down-to-earth designer Lucio Micheletti and his Milan studio.

ICE 66 RS – Deck and Interior

A key contribution Micheletti makes to aesthetic appeal is the deckhouse, which has a unique design that is recognizable from others.
Micheletti, who comes from automotive design, knows that the deckhouse must not only be beautiful but also functional.
In the ICE 66 RS he applied his style codes and adapted them to the overall concept of the boat.
The result is a deckhouse, one of a kind.
Just high enough to offer discreet but total glazing, even towards the bow.

A deckhouse that seamlessly connects with the paramare that also backs the convivial cockpit area, just high enough to provide shelter from the water.
Micheletti applies in the ICE 66 RS his other layout recipe that has made him famous.

The central kitchen dominates as an aesthetic and functional element the square that is actually an immense (for a boat) practical living and relaxation area.

Another element that characterizes as a yacht to live aboard for a long time as in a home is the master suite, a real room, with a king-size bed.

Conclusions

We were sorry to get off the Ice 66 RS, a clear indication that we enjoyed the boat.
A word of advice, go visit her! Antonio Galassi

ICE 66 RS – Data Sheet

Shipyard Ice Yachts Project Farr Yacht Design&Micheletti+Partners Overall length 19.90 m Waterline length 18.50 m Max beam 5.70 m Draft 3.35 m Displacement 25 t Sail area 276 sq. m (mainsail + jib) Gennaker 454 sq. m Water 1,000 lt Fuel 750 lt Yanmar 143 kw/195 mhpmotorwww.iceyachts.it