JFA Yachts delivers Long Island 85 ‘WindQuest’

At the end of May 2014 JFA Yachts delivered WindQuest, their first Long Island 85, an 85ft catamaran.

This fast cruising catamaran is the first of a semi-custom “Long Island” series. The hulls are aluminium-built while the deck is made of a composite material and has been assembled by bonding. The naval architect Marc Lombard chose this method, to save weight when using aluminium hulls.  

This 85ft catamaran offers large amounts of space and performs like a 100 to 110ft mono-hull yacht but with a reduced draught, more comfort and increased stability.

Fitted with a carbon mast and boom, WindQuest’s sail area is that of a high performance sailing yacht. The hydraulic winches installed on the flybridge are well-suited to manoeuvring with a reduced crew.

The yacht is equipped with 2 x 380HP engines and 2 x 27kW generators. At her economical speed, WindQuest cruises at 8.6 knots and has a fuel consumption of 21 l/h, reaching 12.9 knots at top speed.

The 16ft tender stowed aft of the cockpit is launched using a retractable pole in the main boom. This is again a method of optimising the weight without using a crane.

Numerous deck lockers allow the stowing of fenders and mooring ropes as well as all yacht toys including inflatable SUP boards, snorkelling equipment and wakeboards. WindQuest also showcases a large garage opening on the aft platform, which has been built to stow four bicycles.

Outside, there is a large aft cockpit with a seating area on starboard and another on the portside with a dining table, sunbeds and a day head. On WindQuest the cockpit can be enclosed using removable panels of see-through canvas. 

The flybridge is the home of the outside helm and control winches, leaving room for a seating area and sunbeds.

Again in order to keep the weight of the boat to a minimum, teak decking has been used only forward of the owners’ cabin and in the aft cockpit. 

A seating area extends the cockpit inside, with a bar on starboard and a dining-room on port. The helm station is set up against the bulkhead between the two indoor areas. The glass door aft, the large side portholes and the front windscreen creates a very luminous space down below. 

The owner’s cabin stretches across the full beam of the yacht and offers a superb view on 180°, never before seen on a sailing or even on a motor yacht of this size. A door leads on to a private deck just forward of the owners’ cabin. 

JFA Yacht’s semi-custom range gives owners the flexibility to tailor their vessel to their needs. For example, the port hull houses the owners’ bathroom and their office, which can be converted into a guest cabin with another guest cabin aft.

There is also a guest cabin in the starboard hull, as well as the crew quarter including the skipper’s own cabin, the crew cabin, the galley and mess. The yacht offers a total of 124m² of floor space to accommodate eight guests and six crew. 

The Long Island 85 is available in three versions: Three guest cabins and an office (like WindQuest); four guest cabins and five guest cabins.

WindQuest had her maiden voyage in southern Brittany and will sail along the coasts of the English Channel and of the Atlantic between London and Lisbon before heading for the West Indies in October. 

WindQuest is available for charter and is scheduled to be in Europe and the West Indies for the first two years, then in North America and the West Indies in the third year.

Long Island 85’ specification:

  • Length-over-all: 26.25m
  • Length on the waterline: 25.47m
  • Beam: 11.93m
  • Draught: 2.24m
  • Engines: 2x380hp
  • Light displacement: 60T
  • Sail area on the wind: 370m²
  • Sail area off the wind: 485m²

For more information, visit JFA Yachts.

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