14 de setembro de 2005
Ferretti Yachts, the Italian shipyard world leader in the design production and sale of fibreglass flying bridge motor yachts, ranging from 46 to 88 feet, presented in a world premiere at the Cannes Festival International de la Plaisance the first model of a new range of yachts for which has been chosen a traditionally fundamental name for the shipyard, an explicit recall to the successful philosophy that has shaped the history of motor yachts worldwide.
The decision to use the name Altura 690 for the new model (21 metres/68 feet) was born from the will to repropose the philosophy behind the creation of the Altura range - comfortable yachts with plenty of space that made it possible to "live on board". Specially designed for cruising, these yachts had considerable autonomy and were designed with a more nautical approach, given by some distinctive characteristics such as a massive use of the wood for the interiors.
The first fibreglass yacht in the Altura range was a motorsailer, Altura 42, built by the Ferretti shipyard in the 1970's and inspired by concepts of light, comfort and safety. The Altura 46 and Altura 49 belong to the 1980's, and marked the beginning of motor yachting, to which followed many types of yacht up to the present-day flying bridge designs.
The new range is therefore based on a successful philosophy, combined with the technological innovations achieved in over thirty five years of research and trials. The Altura 690 is a perfect combination between a motor yacht, named AFT cabin (with the master cabin located aft), and a flying bridge. Designed for medium to long range cruises, the Altura 690 is a sort of second home presenting new layout solutions that carries all the technical and design features of Ferretti Yachts.
Altura 690, designed by Studio Zuccon International Project in association with the Ferretti Group Engineering Division, presents a very voluminous hull, high enough to allow the master cabin to be located aft, away from the other accommodations and accessible from the living area. A window over the bedhead, overlooking the spoiler and two big lateral portholes give a fabulous view of the sea and a great luminosity. In the master cabin, the bathroom can be accessed by a sliding door that leads to the teak-floored shower.
The interiors are made in pale teak with panelling on all the walls and bulkheads, while the upper part has a light fibre covering. The Altura 690 large living area has been designed in order to enjoy the spaces in total relaxation. On the starboard side the salon is furnished with a sofa, two armchair and a table in the middle while, on the opposite port side, there are two comfortable armchairs, which can be moved closer to the sofa, and a gaming table, equipped with a chess board on a side and a backgammon on the other. An LCD television set is located on the furniture, while a refrigerator is placed inside it.
Two steps up, there is the fore living area, where on the left is located the pilot house with a low sofa and, on the right, the dining area with a teak table that can seat up to six people. Double doors with an external hatch, placed half way in the salon, provide access to the aft and stem living areas.
Below deck, on the right side, there is a guest cabin with twin beds and the bathroom with double access from both the cabin and from the corridor. The VIP cabin with private bathroom is located forward. On the left side, there is the kitchen with a granite top and a pyroceram hob. From the kitchen it is possible to enter the crew's cabin and the engine room, that is located between the master and the crew cabins.
Also the external areas of the new Altura 690 are very spacious: the cockpit hosts a fixed teak table, while the fore deck offers a large living area. Stem, has been located a double sofa and a table as well as two large and comfortable sundecks, one of which hosts an extractable beach umbrella that can provide shade at lunchtime. The cushions outside draw on the two colours of the boat: the colour of the hull for the sofas while the sundecks have the same colour of the upper part.
In the cockpit Altura 690, the spoiler has a practical and innovative mechanism for lowering and lifting the tender in and out of the water, and it can be turned into a diving area, ideal for swimming.
On the flying bridge are located two large sunbathing cushions, a very wide one facing aft and one towards bow, next to the driving position. Furthermore, an L-shaped sofa, a fixed table and a refrigerator/grill area make the flying bridge a very comfortable area.
In terms of speed, the performances of the new Altura 690, despite not being a principle feature of this type of boat, are perfectly in line with the performances of the rest of the Ferretti Yachts fleet, and the powerful engine of the two available types (MTU 1218 and MTU 1102) offers a maximum speed of 32,5 knots and a cruising speed of 30 knots.