Yachtbuilding is essentially alchemy. It’s a process that
takes base materials and turns them into something special. I was reminded of this while standing on the wide-open aft deck of the Bluegame BG72 and discussing its twin Volvo Penta IPS powertrains with Luca Santella, the Italian Olympic sailor who founded Bluegame almost 20 years ago. Not only do pod installations like these deliver efficient planing performance and precise steering, but they’re also space-efficient. “And of course, space is gold,” Santella says. ¶ How that space is used is what differentiates one builder from the next. Bluegames are crossover designs, but pigeonholing them isn’t easy. The biggest model to date, the BG72, is a capable passagemaker with real liveaboard potential, yet equally, it would thrive as a fun-in-the-sun dayboat or an anywhere weekender. Lou Codega engineered the yacht’s hull platform, while the tough-guy exterior and the Italian-chic interior come from Zuccon International Project. ¶ Everything this team achieved in terms of layout either revolves around or is made possible by that aft-deck space. It can be left bare or filled with furniture, tenders or toys—and it allows for a farther-forward placement (virtually amidships) of what would be the cockpit on other yachts. The main deck has full-standing headroom, not only forward but also beneath the cockpit. And the cockpit itself is an alfresco-style salon with sun pads, seating beneath a solid Bimini top, a wet bar and ladder access to more sunbathing space on the wheelhouse roof. ¶ The whole main deck