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Grace, Space and Pace
By John Julian
Photography Bryce Taylor |
John Julian steps aboard the
Formula Icon 54 Sport Fisher
Tramontana and finds a sport
fisher of fine pedigree.
Classic car enthusiasts agree Jaguar Cars made some of their
most beautifully designed and well-built roadsters and
saloons during the 1950s and early 1960s. An advertisement
in The Motor magazine from October 1952 proclaims the
rakish XK120 coupe’s latest competition achievements and depicts the
handsome four-door MK VII under the caption ‘Grace, Space and Pace’.
55 years on, big Jaguars are still good-looking, roomy and fast motor cars,
richly furnished with leather and wood. The Formula Icon 54 is that kind
of yacht, with design and build quality to match its performance.
The Formula Icon 54 is currently the focus of production at Formula
Cruisers’ premises at Kumeu, just outside Auckland, but the company
has plans to introduce both larger and smaller yachts, including a range
of sports cruisers. Former superyacht captain Troy Woods, now Formula
Cruisers’ Sales and Marketing Manager, confirms both domestic and
overseas demand is high at the moment with consistent interest being
expressed in both existing and forthcoming models.
Looking at Tramontana in Auckland’s Westhaven Marina, you see a fast
motor yacht whose sport-fisher pedigree is evident, from the powerful
bow with its pronounced flare to the trim lines of the hind quarters. This
well-proportioned hull has a solid fibreglass bottom with foam-cored
topsides. The superstructure is attractively streamlined with a remarkably
low profile that belies the generous headroom inside, both in the saloon
and on the enclosed flying bridge, or sky lounge above. The Aquapro
tender sits neatly in its cradle on the foredeck, and this is easily unshipped
with the crane situated to starboard. Stylish stainless steel guard rails
extend aft from the pulpit to the forward end of the cockpit.
Boarding via the teak-laid swim platform, which incorporates a flooded
live bait tank, you enter the cockpit through a door in the transom. This
is a large area (11.2 square metres) and features seats to either side as well
as a dining table below the big, drop-down galley window forward and
to port. There is a game chair fitting in the floor and the broad transom
coaming contains everything you need for fishing from a 200 litre live
bait tank and rod holders to a sink and adjacent barbecue. Drinks and
lunch, served directly from the galley, can be enjoyed in the open or under
the removable Sunbrella awning, which provides abundant shade whether
Tramontana is at rest or under way. Storage is generous around and below
the cockpit, as it is throughout the vessel.
Moving forward into the accommodation, you pass the external stairway
to the flying bridge and the door into the laundry, both to starboard, as
you enter the saloon. Immediately to port is the galley with its Coriantopped
work surfaces, Parmco electric oven and hob, Fisher & Paykel
dish drawer, Isotherm icemaker and other high-quality appliances and
fittings. The open-plan nature of the galley means that the cook is not
isolated, either from guests in the cockpit or the saloon, and enjoys the
natural light and all-round views that are a feature of Tramontana and
her sisters.
Opposite the galley, to starboard, is the pantry and bar, attractively
finished like the remainder of the accommodation in teak with poplar
burr detailing. This is one of a number of options, which also include
American cherry and European beech.
These cabinets conceal not only large fridge/freezer units, but also
the Bose Lifestyle surround sound entertainment system as well as glass
and bottle storage. Forward and to starboard is a comfortable settee,
upholstered in sea-blue Macrosuede with colourful, contrasting cushions
and two large drawers below.
Across to port is a raised U-shaped settee of similar appearance, which
surrounds a beautifully crafted teak dining table with a central, compass
rose motif. Eight guests can be comfortably accommodated here with
a further two seated on chairs in the companionway. Not only is this
a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the view through the large windows
forward and to either side, but it is also a good spot for watching the
television, which is situated above and to starboard of the stairs leading
to the three staterooms and two bathrooms below. The woollen carpets in
the saloon and the cabins are a neutral shade of beige, which complements
the warm honey tones of the teak as well as the cheerful colours of the
cushions on the blue suede settees.
Forward and to port lies the owner’s cabin, which features a generous
queen-sized island berth, teak bedside and dressing tables, Macrosuede
vertical surfaces with timber accents, lots of natural light via a porthole
in the hull and another at deck level, plenty of storage space for clothes
and other personal effects and a big, ensuite bathroom situated toward the
bow. This contains a large shower cabinet inboard, an attractive Coriantopped
vanity unit with a surface mounted basin outboard and a Tecma
lavatory with fresh or saltwater flush. There is another fixed porthole in
the hull, a hatch with retractable screens overhead and a solid teak and
holly floor underfoot. Air-conditioning is individually controlled here, as
it is in the neighbouring cabins and around the boat.
The forward guest cabin offers a queen-sized, aft-facing bed on the
centreline of the vessel. As in the owner’s cabin, there is abundant storage
in drawers under the berth itself as well as in overhead lockers to either
side and a half-height hanging cupboard with internal shelving to port. A
hatch in the foredeck provides daylight as well as extra ventilation when
the yacht is at rest and there are brushed stainless steel halogen lights both
bedside and in the deck head and these stylish fittings, along with the
LED night lights under the toe kick, can be found throughout the boat.
The remaining bathroom is accessed directly from the central
companionway through a door which, like the others, is made of timber
veneer with a foam core. The facilities are shared between the forward and
starboard guest cabins and, although different in layout, this bathroom is
equipped to the same high standard as the owner’s. The starboard guest
cabin features a longitudinal, Pullman-style bunk, situated outboard with
storage below, and another berth placed athwartships a little further aft.
This is clever use of the space available and means that, instead of two
more guests, a captain and cook could be accommodated if required for
the ultimate in fast, luxury cruising!
Arguably the most outstanding feature of this vessel, however, is what
you find aloft. Enclosed flying bridge is a term which doesn’t do justice
to what others have described as a sky lounge where you can enjoy the
surroundings in great comfort and talk without raising your voice or
watch television as the vessel proceeds at anything up to 33 knots (weather
permitting, of course). There are two helm station options available and
Tramontana’s owner chose the aft helm position, which means that the
two ‘Navigator’ helm chairs, along with the wheel, throttles, instrument
console and control panels are situated aft and to port and the helmsman
looks over the heads of guests seated on the U-shaped settee, which forms
the forward perimeter of the sky lounge and extends around the front
of the helm station, and through the windscreen beyond. This all-round
view not only affords better visibility at sea but also means the yacht can
be accurately docked with the assistance of both bow and sternthrusters.
On a clear day in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf with John Lewis, engineer and
a senior manager at Formula Cruisers, putting Tramontana through her paces,
the yacht felt potent and responsive, riding the waves with authority and
giving a steady and confidence-inspiring account of herself in fast, tight turns.
Her twin MTU Series 60 six-cylinder diesels drive ZF four-blade propellers
through ZF 360A gearboxes with MTU Supershift transmission. These
motors generate 825hp each and perhaps the most impressive indicator of
their performance is the feeling you get as they take you from 20 knots up to
33, although Lewis reckons the official time of 0-30 knots in 20 seconds from
a standing start is a better benchmark of Tramontana’s capabilities!
On the subject of power, a visit to the spacious and pristine engine room
is a must for the mechanically-minded. You will have already noticed the
effectiveness of the soundproofing while the vessel was under way, and this
quality is further enhanced by the routing of the underwater exhausts. In
addition to the big MTUs (constantly monitored from aloft by Raymarine
cameras), there is a 16kW Mastervolt generator, a 4000 litre fuel tank, a
950 litre water tank and plenty of room for a watermaker. Tramontana’s
range is a trans-Tasman 1200 NM at 10 knots and a very useable 500 NM
at her fast cruising speed of 24 knots.
In summary, the Formula Icon 54 is a stylish, well-built vessel equipped
to appeal to the serious sport fisherman as well as the owner who admires
the appearance and performance of this type of craft, but wants superior
levels of comfort and finish. Tramontana may eventually be destined
for Europe and she will look equally at home on a fast passage between
marinas on the Côte d’Azur as she might at the Interclub Game Fishing
Tournament off the coast of New South Wales.
For further information contact Troy Woods, Formula Cruisers
Tel. +64 9 412 6152
E-mail: troy@formulacruisers.co.nz
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