W
When an 84-foot yacht goes over 40 knots in the open ocean, it’s a
marvel of maritime engineering. Aft er a breathtaking sea trial in the
Atlantic off Ft. Lauderdale, I can attest that the new Pershing 8X ably
carries on the shipyard’s tradition of building Italian yachts that run
like the ballistic missiles they are named for.
Not only is the 8X a speed demon, but it also is a blast to drive. “It’s
a fun owner/operator boat,” said Capt. Joe Yaghy, who accompanied
us on the sea trial. “It’s like fl ying a plane.”
Th e 8X has both upper and lower helm stations, and they each off er
a diff erent driving experience. Th e lower station is like the cockpit
of a private luxury aircraft , except that there are three ergonomic
helm seats so you can have two co-pilots. Th e sightlines are excellent
through the huge, one-piece windshield (an engineering feat unto
itself because it has no center upright) and the sweeping salon
windows. Overhead is a large electric sunroof. Pantograph doors on
either side open to the walkaround side decks to facilitate docking.
On our test boat, four large Simrad monitors displayed the state-
of-the-art system the Ferretti Engineering Department developed in
collaboration with surface drives manufacturer Top Systems and other
vendors to integrate the yacht’s monitoring, navigation and propulsion,
and let the driver control it all with the touch of a fi nger. Also available
in the larger Pershing 9X, this system includes a Xenta joystick control
that ties the surface drives and thrusters together for enhanced
maneuverability while docking and departing. Capt. Yaghy gave us an
impressive demonstration of this while extricating the 8X from its slip
in the Ferretti Group’s hangar-like Ft. Lauderdale headquarters and
then rotating the boat neatly in its own length into the adjacent canal.
Th e navigation and monitoring systems on the 8X are seamlessly
integrated by the Naviop Loop system and displayed on the Simrad
monitors. Our yacht featured a Dynamic Global Positioning System
(DGPS) that enables it to station-keep in one place while the driver is
waiting for a bridge to open or a spot at the fuel dock.
Th e 8X also featured a new version of Top System’s innovative
EasySet system, which optimizes the yacht’s trim by automatically
adjusting its level depending on the sea state. Th e control panel for
this system, which is displayed on one of the Simrad monitors, allows
you to bypass EasySet in favor of manual control when desired.
Our yacht was equipped with two Seakeeper 9 gyros. Th e captain
demonstrated their effi cacy in sloppy 3-foot seas by positioning the
boat beam-to and then switching the Seakeepers off , which allowed
Got sightlines? The interior
design revolves around a
constant view of the water, a
theme that is carried into the
accommodations.
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