Yacht Class n°23 (dec 2020/jan-feb 2021)

AZIMUT-BENETTI GROUP

She should have made the news of the Cannes Yachting Festival 2020… Failing that, she found refuge at Portofino where we did not hesitate to go. Mainly because we suspected that we would discover there a unit, in many ways, worthy of interest, in an also attractive place.

Written by Alain Brousse – Photos : All rights reserved

Azimut-Benetti group did not do things by half when choosing Portofino marina as the place where they officially presented the Magellano 25 M and the Oasis 40 metres. This much sought-after picturesque setting has thus welcomed Benetti’s latest addition to its range, which begins at 95 foot and currently culminates at 68 metres. Since her 3D presentation at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2018, this 40 metres has already seduced nearly ten owners. In fact, five sales were concluded this year, notwithstanding the pandemic. The first word that comes to mind when discovering this unit is elegance! A certain elegance exudes from the Oasis, whose “paternity” goes directly to RWD, the anagram of Redman Whiteley Dixon, a trio of designer architects with a vast experience in yacht design. Another certainty: the superstructures of this 40 metre speak for themselves, she offers plenty of interior volumes.

A 75 m2 beach club!

In Portofino’s marina, all you could see was her, and for good reason: she was exposed with her totally open stern configuration. Explanation: the aft part of her sides unfolds, adding surface to the generous 75 m2 beach club, for the pleasure of the owner, his family or his friends, who will enjoy an incredible terrace at sea level. All the comfort is there: solarium, sofas, coffee tables, plus a small swimming pool for those who do not want to swim in the sea. Of course, this place has teak floors… almost magical. But the Oasis is not just about her great beach club, she has other assets like the incredibly friendly foredeck. How not to feel at ease in this space bathed in sunlight with its two sofas adorned with coffee tables, for snacks, its solarium but also its jacuzzi. As a flybridge, the Oasis had to offer a sundeck worthy of the name, in this case it features a teak-clad 80 m2 deck, where relaxation is almost a watchword. It has everything needed to spend pleasant moments: terraces with deckchairs, a dining area with a table for twelve, a barbecue, a sunbed and a jacuzzi. The flybridge, which features the indispensable roof protecting it on three-quarters, also plays a role in terms of aesthetics. In short, the Oasis is no desert when it comes to outdoor leisure spaces.

The play of curves…

We were surprised by the two semicircular bay windows opening onto the open-plan main deck, as this configuration remains quite rare but, above all, not uninteresting… Let’s stay in the curves with the living room and its two concave sofas facing each other, a configuration whose virtues include promoting relationships. In any case, it is very easy to imagine oneself sitting there. Then logically comes the dining area, whose table can accommodate twelve guests who won’t feel confined thanks to the advantageous lateral glazing. The service will be quick thanks to the adjacent main galley fitted with professional equipment. All that remains is to call upon a talented chef… Still on the main deck, let’s take the starboard passageway leading to a wellness room, delimited by glazed walls and with portholes because, even if you have to suffer on an indoor bike or on a treadmill, you might as well do it with a sea view. A few more steps and we enter the 20 m2 full-beam master suite, not counting the two dressing rooms and two bathrooms requested by the owner. As frequently, the guests are accommodated belowdecks in four en suite cabins (with either a double bed or two single beds), each one offering 15 m2, finely decorated in light colors.

A 4 000 miles range!

The Oasis remained securely moored in Portofino’s marina, depriving us of a navigation on a slightly undulating Mediterranean. Her twin 1 400 hp MAN V12 diesels ensure a maximum speed of 16 knots, a pace that seems to satisfy one of the owners of an Oasis, namely Tim Ciasulli, an offshore pilot with a world record at 150 knots, who has a priori nothing against “caressing” the sea at much reasonable speeds. And if he ever wants to go offshore, he will simply sail 11 knots and cover 4 000 miles without pointing the bow of his yacht at a refueling point.

A future Oasis

It was difficult for the vice-president of Azimut-Benetti Group to conceal her pride when, among other things, highlighting the success of this 40 metre (10 units sold), under circumstances we would have liked more favorable, even if, a priori, they did not play against her. Giovanna Vitelli went so far as to reveal the launch of a new Oasis in 2022. A bigger one perhaps? The impatience is already getting to us.