425 NAUTICAL MILES
MAXIMUM CRUISING RANGE AT 19 KNOTS
and in the leather of the helm seats. ¶ A few steps forward on the main deck is a day-head, convenient for guests as well as for the skipper in the pilothouse. The helm area is another gathering place and can be closed off for night running or salon privacy. Guests can sit at a raised dinette to port, while the skipper and companion have raised seats with armrests next to a pantograph door for side-deck access. ¶ Our test Y85 had a Garmin electronics suite with three displays at the lower helm, including a Boening touchscreen display for ship’s systems. ¶ The galley also has a door to the side deck to make provisioning easier. Chefs get a Wolf cooktop, induction oven and Sub-Zero fridge. There are ice makers and wine chillers in the galley and on the bridge. ¶ The master stateroom spans the yacht’s 20-foot-8-inch beam, allowing for a centerline king berth, a desk/ vanity to port, and two love seats with a table to starboard for morning coffee or an evening aperitif. This stateroom also has a walk-in closet, and a double-sink head is aft with a shower. (A note: When James Noble, Princess’ vice president of marketing, and I were exploring the master, the yacht was running at full throttle in the open sea, yet it was so quiet that noise barely registered on my sound meter. We talked in normal tones despite thundering 1,900 hp MAN V-12 diesels just a few feet away.) ¶ The VIP stateroom forward is notable for having a walk-in closet and an en suite head, and each of the other guest staterooms—one a double, one with twins—has private head access. ¶ I’ll admit to being surprised that, when the hammer went down, there was a lot more Princess S (sport) series than I expected from a Y (yacht). The Y85 topped out at almost 28 knots while moving about 73 tons of luxury appointments, leather and marble—a speed made even more notable because this was the initial sea trial before the full break-in. According to Princess, this yacht should hit 30 to 31 knots when the engines are settled. And this Y85 had returned from a Princess owners’ rendezvous in the Bahamas, reportedly covering more than 180 nautical miles across the Gulf Stream in nine hours. ¶ Up top, the flybridge is fully covered by a fiberglass hardtop with a louvered sunroof, eliminating sliding parts and canvas. There’s an alfresco entertainment area with a dinette to port facing an L-shaped bar, and settees for guests surround the skipper. The helm electronics—monitors and all—disappear into the dash at the flip of a switch. Aft, a spa is optional where the boat deck stretches nearly 18 feet from rail to seating. This space also could be used for a tender launched by the Opacmare crane, or left open for sun lounges. ¶ The Princess Y85 is a comfortable take on elegance. The yacht offers luxury when guests want it and casual relaxation when it’s preferred, no matter who’s invited to sit at the table.
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We talked in normal tones despite thundering 1,900 hp MAN V-12 diesels just a few feet away.